Early intervention can help ADHD victims

The sooner people know they have Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—a disorder that can affect your personal and professional life—the better. Fortunately, a screening tool will make it easier for people to get the help they need when it can do the most good.

Based on a survey of 503 adults conducted online this spring, over half of the adults diagnosed with ADHD in childhood and not treated wish they were treated in childhood. Seventy-one percent of all patients surveyed agreed that they wish they had received better treatment for their symptoms earlier in their lives, according to results from a new survey by the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and Eli Lilly and Company.

"ADHD is a disorder that can have serious effects on the personal lives and careers of those affected," said Michele Novotni, PhD, CEO of ADDA, the world’s leading adult ADHD organization. Survey results suggest four out of five adults with ADHD believe that the disorder has held them back from achieving long-term and short-term goals and/or from pursuing their dreams.

Adults with ADHD also reported the disorder:

•Affected their ability to initiate and maintain romantic relationships in one way or another (77 percent)

•Affected their educational achievement (64 percent)

•Negatively affected their ability to succeed in the workplace (64 percent)

•Made it difficult for them to follow through on things (85 percent).

Experts believe 4 percent of adults in the U. S.–more than 8 million people–have the disorder. Most (80 percent) of adults with ADHD don’t even know they have it. "Adults with undiagnosed ADHD often struggle with poor self-esteem," said Novotni. "That’s why it’s so important for adults with ADHD and their families to know that this is a real disorder that can be treated."

The majority of people who answered survey questions said their life improved after they found out they had ADHD.

Of those patients, many felt better about themselves in general. Adults diagnosed with ADHD often recommend that people who think they might have the disorder should get tested and/or seek professional help.

Lenard Adler, MD, director of the Adult ADHD Program at New York University School of Medicine, teamed up with other ADHD experts and the World Health Organization to develop a tool to screen for adult ADHD, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale.

The self-screening tool is designed to reveal the likelihood of the adult disorder and determine the need for further evaluation.

If you think you or a loved one may have ADHD, log on to the website www.adultadd.com or the website www.add.org to learn more.

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.