With Slack, email, calendar notifications, and task reminders, I – regrettably – sometimes say that work is giving me ADHD. I know better than having my focus spread thin isn’t actually attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (sometimes also referred to as ADD), and I can appreciate those who are dealing with the very real condition with severe symptoms. But after talking to mental health nurse practitioner and adult ADHD expert Natasha Meadus, Frida, an online ADHD diagnosis provider based in Calgary, AB, I’ve learned that you can’t assume anything when it comes to this condition. So, welcome to my deep dive.
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What is ADHD?
It is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder, according to the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. It’s exactly what it sounds like, affecting the development of the nervous system. “They typically involve difficulties with the acquisition, retention, or application of specific skills or sets of information. Neurodevelopmental disorders may involve dysfunction in one or more of the following: attention, memory, perception, language, problem-solving, or social interaction. Other common neurodevelopmental disorders include autism spectrum disorder, learning disorders (e.g., dyslexia), and intellectual disability.”
Some experts previously considered ADHD a behaviour disorder, probably because children typically exhibit inattentive, impulsive, and overly active behaviour and because comorbid behaviour disorders, particularly oppositional-defiant disorder and conduct disorder, are common. However, ADHD has well-established neurologic underpinnings and is not simply “misbehaviour.”
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Why are women suddenly being diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood?
The past few years, my social feeds and Sunday brunches with friends have been covered with conversations about recently being diagnosed with ADHD. So I wondered, are more women being diagnosed with it?
“It’s not necessarily a trend in that more people have ADHD,” Meadus tells me over Zoom. The trend is around more people getting diagnosed, she says. It used to be considered a “boys’ condition” with a “childhood diagnosis,” likely because of the above-noted symptoms around hyperactivity and not simply attention. “In terms of diagnosing ADHD, it used to be about 16 (boys) to one (girl). But in a recent study, it found that 46 per cent of females were misdiagnosed with something else prior and then were diagnosed with ADHD.” That could be anxiety, depression, or even just hormone issues. She also notes: “The average age for women to get diagnosed is 37, and for boys, it’s seven years old.”
And symptoms can be different in males and females – or it can be similar, too. But it can include running late, feelings of restlessness, impulsive decision making, nail-biting, feeling lazy, and forgetfulness, adds Meadus. As we know, adults can also compensate in ways that keep life going.
So, I think to myself, maybe I do have ADHD? I sometimes use the open tabs on my computer as a way to keep myself on track with my tasks.
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What are ADHD symptoms in adults?
Before we go into this, Meadus wants to clear something up. ADHD isn’t something that develops when we age. The fact that women are getting treatment more later in life is an issue with getting diagnosed. Plus, there’s more awareness about ADHD. Not because women are at a peak age for ADHD or anything like that. Also, “symptoms are being talked about more and destigmatized.”
Types of ADHD symptoms
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), ADHD reveals itself from a few types of symptoms: inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive behaviours. (CAMH groups hyperactivity and impulsiveness together, but for visual purposes here, we’ve separated them.)
| Inattention | Hyperactivity | Impulsiveness |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty paying attention to details or making what appear to be careless mistakes | Fidgets and squirms while sitting | Problems with waiting |
| Problems staying focused on work or activities | Need to leave seat when required to sit still | Regularly blurts out answers before questions have been completed |
| Doesn’t seem to listen when spoken to | Feelings of restlessness | Interrupts or intrudes on others’ conversations |
| Doesn’t follow through on instructions and doesn’t finish tasks | Excessively talks | |
| Difficulty organizing tasks | Difficulty keeping quiet | |
| doesn’t like to do tasks that call for ongoing thinking | Constantly moving | |
| Loses things often | ||
| Easily distracted |
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How is ADHD diagnosed in Canada?
According to The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, adult ADHD symptoms can include the following list. However, to be clear, these aren’t what’s used to diagnose ADHD, but they can be associated with it.
- procrastination and poor time-management skills
- poor organizational skills
- feelings of being rushed or missing the subtleties of information
- problems in interpersonal relationships, including parenting skills
- appearing not to take responsibility for themselves
- difficulty delivering on promises, such as missed deadlines
- difficulty paying bills, completing reports or assignments (may avoid paperwork)
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There are some conditions where the diagnosis comes from the symptoms. You know, how you say how you’re feeling or experiencing things to your family doctor, and then they diagnose and prescribe some sort of action to cure or manage symptoms. But with ADHD, there are extra steps to getting that care.
You can go to your family doctor who may refer you to a specialist, such as a psychiatrist and/or neurologist, and the cost is usually covered by provincial and territorial health care programs. There are also private clinics, such as the online service Frida, where Meadus works. Psychologist are able to diagnose, but not prescribe medication and their services may be covered by work place benefits.
Whichever route you take, the steps tend to be similar.
- Medical and mental health history
- Symptoms and frequency, such as the Self Report Scale, where you answer questions about symptoms and report frequency.
- Other tests are also used, such as DSM-5 criteria, the Weiss impairment scale, and so on.
The healthcare provider will let you know if you have ADHD and if any prescriptions are needed, including medication and behavioural actions (i.e. music, exercise, etc.).
The wait times for diagnosis of ADHD can vary from one to eight weeks up to 12 months, according to the Centre fo ADHD Awareness.
Meadus shares an assessment tool from Frida; a short two-minute quiz that can at least answer whether someone could pursue diagnosis.
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Do I have ADHD?
I do not, according to my Frida results. But when I spoke with longtime friend and ADHD expert Lynn Galeazza, she encouraged me to not dismiss my initial thoughts, and to look into Pseudo ADHD. ”We all feel like we have it,” opens the video she texts me.
Galeazza learned about it from the writing and speaking of Dr. Edward “Ned” Hallowell, a child and adult psychiatrist. Instead of a genetic condition, it is influenced by the environment (hello notifications), behaviour, developmental factors as well as upbringing. He says that while not diagnosable as ADHD through the DSM-V, he does say that treatment without medication can help. That includes:
- Exercise
- Structure
- Coaching
- Having a creative outlet and non-work/task interests
“Whether to call you [ADHD] or not is sort of a moot point,” he says in the video. It really is about care and a healthy lifestyle for the body and the mind.