Many people can experience difficulty focusing and concentrating and feel restless from time to time. If you have ADHD, these things are always there. They can have a major impact on everyday life. They can also make it difficult for you to cope with things like school and work. However, various types of support and help are available.
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neurodevelopmental disorder (often abbreviated ND or NDD). It’s not a disease and has nothing to do with your intelligence, it simply means that you function in a different way to what most people expect. This can cause you various types of difficulties in everyday life. For example, you may find it difficult to focus and direct your attention. You may have many thoughts in your head at the same time and find it difficult to control your impulses and block out sensory input from your environment that you don’t really need. Many people with ADHD also have a great need for physical activity and stimulation.
ADHD is lifelong and will always affect you. The difficulties you experience and how they manifest themselves may vary over time. They can also vary depending on the situation. Major life events like becoming a parent, going through menopause, retiring or losing a loved one, such as a life partner, can worsen your difficulties.
Not all people with ADHD experience the same difficulties, they vary from person to person. Your personality, temperament, personal traits, values and interests also influence you and how you are. Your gender identity, together with the associated expectations set by social norms, can have an impact too. The exact cause of ADHD isn’t known, but hereditary factors do play a big part.
There are different forms of ADHD. The letters ADHD stand for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, not everyone with ADHD is hyperactive.
The most common form of ADHD mainly involves difficulty focusing and controlling impulsive actions and being overactive. If you have difficulty concentrating and focusing but aren’t overactive, that is, you’re less active than others, this is known as predominantly inattentive ADHD, also referred to as attention deficit disorder or ADD. A third form entails simply being overactive and impulsive. This form is most common in younger children and usually either subsides or becomes a combined form of ADHD later on.
Many people diagnosed with ADHD are also diagnosed with autism. It’s even common to have other functional impairments or conditions at the same time. Anxiety is common, as are depression, stress and dependency.
Girls and women are often diagnosed with ADHD later than boys and men.
You may have trouble with punctuality and keeping track of your belongings. You may also find it difficult to filter sensory input because everything is heard and noticed equally. Long and complicated instructions and getting started with things are also not as easy for you as for someone without ADHD. Finishing what you’re doing can also prove difficult.
You tend to be more restless than other people. This restlessness can manifest itself in different ways. Some people have trouble sitting still while others feel an inner restlessness. Many people with ADHD are prone to daydreaming and thinking about completely different things to what’s in front of them, such as during classes, lectures and meetings. Having ADHD makes concentrating hard work. It becomes very tiring. Self-esteem and mood can also be affected.
The greater the demands placed on you, the more of an obstacle you may feel your ADHD becomes. Not being able to regulate or control how you function can lead to misunderstandings and frustration. This can result in conflicts with those around you. Your functional impairment is affected by your environment, the demands placed on you and the support you receive. If your school or workplace isn’t adapted to your needs, things can prove especially difficult for you. Many people with ADHD have been treated badly by those around them. It’s important to remember that this is due to ignorance.
If you think you have ADHD, contact a healthcare centre or a psychiatric clinic. They’ll help assess whether you might have ADHD. You’ll usually meet a doctor or a psychologist first for an initial assessment. Following this, you’ll undergo a thorough assessment to find out whether you have ADHD.
Being diagnosed with ADHD can be a great help in that you’ll better understand how you function. You can also get adaptations and technical aids to help you better cope with school, work or other aspects of everyday life that you find difficult. There are also medicines that can alleviate ADHD symptoms. You can often attend courses to learn more about ADHD if you wish. And your family can attend too.
If you have ADHD, you often need a well-structured daily life and help ensuring this. Demands, expectations and the environment need to be adapted to avoid stress and sensory overload.
Reviewed by: Taina Lehtonen, PhD, registered psychologist, neuropsychologist.
Last edited 2024-01-15
More information can be found at Riksförbundet Attention – for people with neurodevelopmental disorders, family caregivers and healthcare professionals.