ADHD is a term that everyone has at least once heard about. This has become evident that defining ADHD in adults is quite tricky, given the difficulty with defining its exact symptoms. One of the major reasons for this is the limited amount of research and exposure to adult ADHD.

As it is well known, ADHD is a form of a developmental disorder. There have been affirmations that this disorder does not just spring up in an adult without actually manifesting itself during their childhood. In some cases, ADHD occurs right from their childhood into their teenage years, and subsequently into their adult age. Some of the common symptoms, depression and dyslexia, which are evident during one’s childhood can easily continue on to adulthood as well. Research shows that in 15% of the people affected by ADHD in their childhood tend to have the full range of symptoms even when they are at age 25. Close to about 65% of these children also show signs of some of the symptoms which affect their regular lives during their adulthood. A lot of intervention techniques and therapies have been found effective to manage ADHD.

While there are certain levels of similar symptoms in those diagnosed with ADHD in their childhood, teenage years, or adulthood, the way it impacts an adult is different from the way it had possibly impacted that individual as a child. A good example is how inattentive they had been in their childhood takes on a major impact in their adulthood, similar to what happens with hyperactivity. However, the symptoms of ADHD in an adult are subtler when compared to the way it manifests strongly in a child.

According to specialists, some of the commonly exhibited symptoms for ADHD in an adult are:

• Being careless and lack of attention to specific or simple details
• Wavering onto new tasks before actually completing the old ones
• Below average organizational skills
• Lack of skills to prioritize or focus
• A habitual misplacement or loss of things
• Habitual forgetfulness
• A constant edginess or restlessness
• Often speaking out of turn as a result of being unable to keep quiet
• The habit of interrupting others or blurting out responses
• Incapability to deal with stress
• Extreme levels of impatience
• Often taking risks and putting oneself in harm’s way by living on the edge

There are other conditions which have been known to be diagnosed along with ADHD in adults. One of the most predominant conditions well known with adult ADHD is depression. Other conditions include personality disorders like bipolar disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The effect of all these behavioral problems in totality with ADHD in adults ends up not only disrupting their normal everyday life but also affecting their social interactions modules and relationships.