Background

Our understanding of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has grown

tremendously over the past 10 years, and we have developed excellent therapies

to help school-age children recover their learning skills and self-esteem. While

ADHD affects 5 to 8% of the school-age children in USA, clinical evidence shows

that 80% of these children continue to experience significant psychopathologies

as adolescents, and nearly 50% continue into adulthood.

These numbers may be even higher, because many adults learn to work around their

cognitive deficiencies thus giving them the perception that they function better

than they actually do. Typically, if you had ADHD as a child you will, most

likely have it, in full or in part, as an adult.

Does ADHD Really Affect My

Adult Life?

The symptoms of ADHD in adults may be more subtle

because some have instinctively adapted their lives to suppress the symptoms,

including inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. They typically

experience difficulty concentrating on a

task, remembering information, following instructions, organizing and completing

their work and adhering to deadlines. Left

unmanaged, this condition can cause severe emotional distress, impair social

interactions and limit career options. Because these individuals have a normal

or above average IQ, they live daily with the frustration of being misunderstood

and not living up to their true potential. As such, they are at high risk of

turning to substance abuse or engage in high-risk behaviour to control their

impulses. At times, they just feel depressed because of their inability to

measure up to their expectations and to the expectations of their pears and

employers.

Adults

with ADHD are more prone to:

Perform poorly at work,

be fired or leave a job on impulse

Have driving misconduct

violations (license suspended, speeding, car crashes or road rage)

Divorce or domestic

violence

Becoming alcoholic or

drug addicts

Smoking cigarettes

Spending money on

unimportant things

In milder cases, they

experience impatience, low frustration tolerance, depression and anxiety.

Assessing ADHD in Adults

There are a number of tests used by clinicians to assess ADHD

A simple questionnaire

Brain scans: computer

tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or electroencephalogram

(EEG)

Psycho-educational

assessment

Neuro-cognitive

assessment

Currently, CT and MRI are not approved for the

diagnosis of ADHD, but they can rule out other neurological conditions. On the

other hand, inattention and hyperactivity generate abnormal brain waves, which

can be detected by an EEG using external electrodes or the newer technology of

infra red EEG. The brain emits four types of waves: alpha, beta, delta or theta.

Patients with ADHD typically generate higher theta oscillations, and lower beta

oscillations, than normal subjects. Infra red EEG checks how well the frontal

lobes, which are responsible for attention, focus, executive functions,

reasoning and more, engage. Finally, the psycho-educational evaluations will

diagnose learning disabilities typical for ADHD.

A neuro-cognitive assessment developed at the ACEclinics in Toronto Canada is

regarded a more dynamic way to assess three problematic areas typical to

attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADD, ADHD) and learning disabilities

(LD). They include:

1. Testing frontal lobe function using EEG technology

2. Core cognitive skills (you can see the complete list these

core cognitive skills

here)

3. Working memory

 

Are Current

Therapies Appropriate for Adults with ADHD?

Clinical studies showed that the same pharmaceutical drugs are given to

children, adolescents and adults with ADHD, but the doses are adjusted

according. The current options are different formulations of the two original

compounds: methylphenidate (i.e. Ritalin; 3-4 hours) and amphetamine (i.e.

Dexedrine; 3-4 hours). Adults taking an ADHD drug are considerably less likely

to get involved in a car accident, unless the drug effect wears off. This is why

the new long-lasting formulations of methylphenidate (i.e.

Ritalin® LA, 6-8 hours; Concerta®, 10-12 hours)

and amphetamine (Adderall XR™, 8-12

hours; Vyvanse, 12-14 hours) can be useful. Unfortunately, drugs may cause many

uncomfortable sometimes even life threatening side-effects, therefore many

adults try to avoid taking them.

It is important to understand that these drugs do not cure ADHD and do not

completely alleviate all the symptoms. Recent clinical trials showed that many

adults with ADHD experience significant symptoms even with optimal doses of

these drugs. There is no medication that can address that.  Furthermore,

because they do not offer cure, a person needs to take them every day in order

to maintain the results. Lastly, these medications can only improve cognitive

function to a certain degree and cannot compensate for lack of adequate

cognitive skills, including poor working memory typically deficient with most

individuals with ADHD, or deficient auditory process, visual tracking and so on.

Neuro-cognitive Therapy and Training

ADHD is a neuro-cognitive disorder and therefore only a neuro-cognitive approach

can correct some or all the problems related to the condition. Neuro cognitive

therapy and training has shown excellent results treating attention deficit

disorders and learning disabilities with marked improvement on all levels. One

such program developed at the

ACE clinics in Toronto, Canada, consists of improving brain regulation

combined with developing all core skills such as visual processing, auditory

processing, divided attention, multitasking, working memory and more. Training

the frontal lobes of the brain to improve engagement improves general attention

as well as improving executive functions, including organization, prioritizing,

inhibition control, decision-making, time management and motivation. This type

of multi-level neuro cognitive training can contribute to considerable and

permanent gains in cognitive performance and significant reduction in ADHD

related symptoms.

Taking Back Control of Your

Life

Neuro cognitive therapy will allow ADHD adults to perform better at work and at

home. In addition, the renewed self-esteem improves social interactions and

relationships, reducing the need for addictive substances, like alcohol.  With

the proper treatment, you can stop struggling and get back control over your

life.

Bob Gottfried, PhD is the

clinical director of ACEclinics located in Toronto, Canada. He specializes in

neuro-cognitive assessment and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity

disorders (ADD, ADHD), learning disorders (LD), dyslexia, Asperger syndrome,

auditory processing disorder (APD), non-specific neuro-cognitive and memory

deficiencies, as well as anxiety and stress disorders.