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Children, adolescents and adults may suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD impacts about 5% of children and adolescents, and about 3% of all adults. Less than half of children with ADHD never grow out of adolescence or adulthood. If untreated, the disorder can have long term adverse effects in adolescence and adulthood.

It is important to remember that many or most children with ADHD who would never grow the problems that ADHD brings. This has been well documented and has been much discussed in detail through the latest research on ADHD and depression in women.

Recently, another reminder it was published in a national survey of 1,007 adults with ADHD. The study looked at how adults with ADHD cope at home, at work, and relationships with others. The study was published just in time for the 2008 Conference of CHADD, and 2008 National Day of Awareness about ADHD.

What the survey found was that adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:

• 75% reported that ADHD strongly impacted their ability to maintain focused on a task long enough to complete it;
• 70% reported that ADHD strongly impacted his ability to focus on what others were saying;
• 65% reported that ADHD strongly impacted their responsibilities at home;
• 60% reported that ADHD strongly impacted their ability to sit through a business meeting, or organized, or go ahead with projects until they were completed;
• 57% reported that ADHD strongly affected their relationships with their families and friends;
• 56% reported that ADHD strongly impacted his ability to advance in the workplace or career;
• 47% reported that ADHD caused them to have to work harder than others just to accomplish the same amount of work that people without ADHD;

The study group was asked about what they would like to perform, or treatment goals:

• 50% reported that they would like the house organized, and 28% reported that they had to put their personal finances more organized;
• 38% reported that was necessary for their mood swings under control, and 26% wanted to improve their relationships with others;
• 36% considered their symptoms of ADHD still not under control, and many report feeling depressed thinking about how difficult it is to be an adult with ADHD.

The study was led by two great community names of ADHD: Ed (Ned) Hallowell, MD, who has written important books like "Driven to Distraction" Natalie Knochenhauer that as mothers of children ADHD has become an important advocate in the Philadelphia area.

The study was funded by McNeil Pediatrics, which, incidentally, markets CONCERTA (methylphenidate HCl) for treatment of ADHD in adults and in children. Hallowell and Knochenhauer are both consultants paid by McNeill Pediatrics. So there an element of this review is designed to CONCERTA market to adults who are not receiving any treatment, see their ADHD is not under control, and etc.

However, this study should be more than that.

• SI conservative 5% of U.S. children have ADHD, and
• If we keep 50% of children in the U.S. is "out grow" their ADHD symptoms by the age of 20 years or less, and
• If there are approximately 300 million people in the U.S.,
• THEN there are 7,500,000 conservative adults in the U.S. only dealing with "adults with ADHD. And if the 38% of them considers that his ADHD is not under control, or is depressed about his ADHD, and so on, so a lot of people with ADHD, even in adulthood (38% of 7.5 million adults with ADHD is 2,850,000 adults who feel out of control or feeling depressed about their ADHD).

If you are a adult with ADHD, and feels he can not get ahead at work because of it, or you can not organize, or motivated, or get your moods under control, no help you.

Yes, medications like Concerta can help. Stimulant medications can help increase time on task, focus on boring tasks, and so on. Consider medications as a treatment option and talk to your doctor about it.

We also like people to try the combination a diet (ADHD, including high protein, low carbohydrate breakfast and some caffeine), to attend Extress or Deprex (for the stabilization of the state of mood) and Memorin for improving memory.

With any of the previous approaches, counseling or coaching for ADHD, as well as skills and strategies to improve relationships and job performance are essential.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is the Clinical Editor of the ADHD Information Library at http://newideas.net and its family of ADHD related web sites. He is also the author of the very popular ADHD Diet. Try Dr. Cowan’s free online screening tool for ADHD or view his ADHD videos on YouTube. Further information on ATTEND is available here. For more information on ADHD support groups visit ChADD.

[f.e.v.e.r.] – Bipolar [-] (2006)