Terrance, age 40, has quit multiple jobs because of boredom. At home, he has several projects going at once, has trouble concentrating and rarely finishes one thing before moving on to the next. His wife is frustrated because she knows he is smart, but seems to have trouble concentrating. Recently, Terrance was diagnosed with adult ADHD. Once the diagnosis was made, Terrance felt like the pieces of his life fell into place. Terrance is one of many adults who were not diagnosed with ADHD as children but adults. 

In the November/December issue of The Saturday Evening Post, veteran medical correspondent, Sharon Begley, explains the science behind how adults are learning to cope with their ADHD symptoms.

“We so often tend to link ADD and ADHD to children that we regularly fail to recognize adults’ symptoms as ADHD,” said Steven Slon, editorial director, The Saturday Evening Post. “Diagnosis allows them to finally seek help and find solutions to questions they were previously unable to answer and problems they were unable to circumvent.”

Begley, “While some people may think that ADHD is caused from today’s disjointed world of smartphones, tablets, and the like, or a result of bad parenting, in fact that is not the case. ADHD is highly heritable, and there is suspicion that conditions in the womb can increase a child’s risk. Although much scientific advancement has been made in adult ADHD, there is still a lot to be learned. As with most mental illnesses, a combination of medication and psychological therapy can markedly reduce symptoms of ADHD in adults.”

Check out the full report, especially if you or someone you know suspects he or she may have ADHD.

The complete report appears in the November/December issue of The Saturday Evening Post or online at http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2012/10/22/wellness/adult-adhd.html.

Plus: To read comments from Ty Pennington, Andres Torres, and others with ADHD, visit www.saturdayeveningpost.com/adhd.