The conditions you might actually see as a result of these symptoms in the lives of adults with AD/HD are as follows:
•Disorganization
•Emotional reactivity
•Under-achievement
•Low self-esteem
•Impaired relationships
•Depression
Since AD/HD individuals operate with their gates wide open, they have difficulty screening out unneeded information or irrelevant internal and external distractions without effort or thought and easily become flooded, bombarded, and overwhelmed. It is easy to see how living like this would lead someone to be emotionally reactive. It is also easy to see how this kind of shifting attention could lead to severe disorganization and feelings of being out of control or that things are about to fall apart. On the other hand, as a compensation some people spend an inordinate amount of time organizing to the detriment of their relationships and enjoyment of life. They may look organized to others, but that is not the criteria by which to judge the struggle. Instead, it is the process they go through to achieve this level of organization that must be explored and understood in order to fully appreciate the impact and impairment.
The Impact of AD/HD on Lives
All this can impact relationships, choice of partners, and self-esteem. These feelings can lead to a growing sense of desperation, hopelessness, and depression, making it difficult to stay on track or pursue meaningful goals. This could also lead to the underachievement of the individual, causing a person to be emotionally reactive once more and thus beginning this negative cycle over again.
It is a myth, however, that if you have AD/HD you cannot go to college, get an advanced degree, or achieve success. You may, however, need support to help you with your challenges and help you find your strengths.
Basic Treatment
The cornerstone of treatment for AD/HD is medication, usually stimulant medication, which is increasingly combined with other medications such as anti-depressants. While low levels of serotonin are linked with clinical depression and treated for that reason, antidepressant medication increases the availability of the serotonin neurotransmitter in the brain, which is why stimulant medications are known to increase the production of the two neurotransmitters, Dopamine and Norepinephrine, associated with AD/HD symptoms by boosting their levels into the normal range. Joseph Carver, Ph.D. in his article called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder found on his website www.drjoecarver.com describes it as follows: “If we imagine using a ‘dipstick,’ like the dipstick used to check oil/transmission fluid levels in our automobile, we might be able to check the neurotransmitter levels in our brain, finding which neurotransmitters are low, within the normal range, or high. “Medication is thought to improve the transmission of messages in the brain through the neurotransmitters.”
While medication has proved to be quite effective in reducing many of the primary symptoms of AD/HD, it is just the first step. Education, support, strategies, coaching, and organizing can all play important roles in long-term successful outcomes. Counseling can also be extremely helpful in addressing how people think about their AD/HD and what they think about themselves.
Take Away Message
It is critical to remember that despite all the problems discussed in this section, there are many strengths associated with the kind of brain that produces symptoms we call AD/HD. These individuals when diagnosed, treated, and supported, can and do lead exceptional lives. When they come to accept and value their differences and find a way to use their strengths in the world, they can and do find fulfilling work and meaningful relationships. This is the real take away message of this book.
The Buried Treasure
Millions of people have this neurobiological condition. When undiagnosed it can be devastating and debilitating, silently robbing them of their dreams, their hopes, their self-esteem. These people spend their lives trying to solve a riddle—the mystery of their lives must lay somewhere out there, just around the next turn in the road. They remember that they have glimpsed it, that special something once felt or envisioned, before things got so overwhelming and they became trapped and lost—wandering aimlessly in a forest looking for clues as if from an old treasure map. They know the treasure is there somewhere, but perhaps deeply buried or locked behind a fortress. They have incredible perseverance and determination to keep going, often pulling an enormous weight. The remembrance of that special feeling, the knowledge, deep inside, that they have something important of value to do, to create, to contribute, keeps them searching. They continue on, though the memory, that belief, grows more faint each year as despair begins to replace hope. Hope that they will ever find the treasure, that they will even find their way out of the forest and back to the road.
Still, they trudge on, clutching that old, crumpled, faded map, holding on to the hope they will find that buried treasure chest and reclaim their abandoned hopes and lost dreams.
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