Many people ask, “Isn’t ADHD something that kids grow out of?” When people think of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they usually picture a child “bouncing off the walls” and then being unable to follow directions to stop that behavior.

In mainstream society, we don’t see adults bouncing off the walls, so it makes sense that people wonder if ADHD is something that is “grown out of.” In addition, ADHD usually isn’t diagnosed for the very first time during adulthood. Because the onset of ADHD typically is prior to age 4, it is usually first diagnosed in childhood. Therefore, people don’t tend to think of ADHD as an “adult condition.” Rather, they might assume that it’s isolated as a childhood condition.

It is important to remember that ADHD is actually a genetic condition. It affects the brain’s neurotransmitter system of dopamine and norepinephrine, brain waves and connections, and the actual structure of the brain, specifically the frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex, cerebral volume, caudate nucleus and gray matter/white matter. In addition, certain environmental factors can further exacerbate a person’s symptomology. Regardless, ADHD is actually a “brain condition,” which means that it can also affect adults.

Going back to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, there was a chapter that included mental health diagnoses that were all first diagnosed in “infancy, childhood or adolescence.” ADHD was one of the diagnoses included in that chapter. Therefore, some people figured those disorders were not likely found in adults. However, the chapter’s title didn’t specify that those disorders weren’t found in adults; rather, it indicated that they were typically first noticed in childhood.

When the fifth edition of the DSM (DSM-5) was written, the task force offered more clarification for those disorders, so that the entire chapter was actually eliminated and the diagnoses in that chapter displaced. Due to the revision, ADHD was moved to the new “Neurodevelopmental Disorders” chapter, to more accurately reflect that the disorder is related to the biology of the brain.

In writing the DSM-5’s revisions for ADHD, there was also a symptom threshold change for the adult qualifiers. The purpose of the change was to reflect the substantial evidence of clinically significant ADHD impairment in adults within social, occupational and educational settings, in addition to difficulties with maintaining daily living responsibilities. To qualify for an ADHD diagnosis according to the DSM-5, an adult needs to meet only five symptoms, instead of the six required for children, in either of the two presentations (hyperactive/impulsive and inattentive/disorganized).

 

Growing out of ADHD?

At this point, it has been well-established that adults can have ADHD, so the question now becomes: Is it possible for a child with ADHD to experience symptom reduction (or elimination) as he or she transitions to adulthood? The answer is tertiary: yes, no and sometimes!

As children with ADHD grow into adolescence, research does show that up to two-thirds will experience a noticeable reduction in motoric restlessness or hyperactivity. Because of the manner in which the brain develops during this period, there can be an opportunity for rewiring in which the neurons proliferate and then are pruned back to complete the development of the frontal lobes.

With this particular symptomology of hyperactivity and motoric restlessness being reduced or eliminated, however, it is still possible that the person’s other ADHD symptoms may remain. The remaining symptoms are likely the ADHD core symptoms of impulsivity, impaired attention and lack of intrinsic motivation. Research shows that these symptoms will likely continue to some degree — possibly still to a clinically significant degree — but they might also be less impairing than they were for the person during childhood.

So, to answer the question of whether adults can experience ADHD symptom reduction or elimination, here is a recap:

• Some symptoms in adults will dissipate completely.
• Some symptoms will lessen.
• Some symptoms will remain the same.
• Some symptoms will change by being expressed differently than they were in childhood.
• Sometimes, the symptoms will remain, but they will appear less impairing because the adult has developed strategies to manage the symptoms.

As we examine how adult ADHD symptoms can be expressed, think about ADHD as a brain disorder stemming from an inability to self-regulate and executive functioning deficits. These functions allow us to plan, change flexibly from one course of action to another, inhibit actions (impulse control) and modulate affect. Executive functioning also includes organizational skills, emotional control, working memory and short-term memory, time estimation and time management, focus and attention, problem-solving, verbal reasoning, intrinsic motivation, task initiation and shifting gears. If a deficit is present in any of these areas, think about how much more difficult an already stressful job would be, in addition to how one might struggle with maintaining relationships, raising a family, completing daily living responsibilities and remaining connected in the community.

 

Childhood vs. adulthood scenarios

With all of the possible ADHD deficits stemming from its different presentations and with different degrees of impairment, these symptoms can be expressed in adults in a variety of ways. The scenarios below showcase how ADHD symptoms might remain similar in adulthood as in childhood, or how the symptoms’ expressions can also change over time.

• Think about a child with ADHD constantly getting out of her seat at school. That can be the same adult tapping her pen or shaking her leg at her desk at work.
• Think about a child with ADHD constantly talking to her “neighbor” in school while the teacher is talking. That might be the same adult unintentionally getting her co-workers off-task during a meeting.
• Think about a child with ADHD impulsively pulling a toy out of another kid’s hand, struggling to take turns and share. That sounds like the same adult struggling to “take turns” while he is talking and expressing ideas with his co-workers.
• Think about a child with ADHD refusing to shut off her video game. That might be the same adult finding it difficult to get off of her social media accounts.
• Think about a child with ADHD unwilling to compromise with friends, always wanting his own way instead. That sounds like the same adult insisting his wife watch “his show” or listen to “his radio station.”
• Think about a child with ADHD carelessly rushing through her trumpet scales (a dreaded, nonpreferred task) in an attempt to get to the preferred part of her trumpet practice sooner, which is playing the actual song. That could be the same adult at work, carelessly rushing through writing a report, to more quickly get to the things she actually enjoys doing at her job.
• Think about a child with ADHD always trying to get away with doing less at school (maybe by not “showing” his required math work). That might be the same adult also trying to get away with doing less at his job.
• Think about a child with ADHD being dragged out of bed and taking “forever” to get dressed, eat breakfast and groom herself. That may be the same adult constantly being late for work or other appointments.
• Think about the bedroom of a child with ADHD looking like a tornado hit it. That could be the same adult whose wife is nagging him because his dirty laundry is all over the bedroom floor, or whose boss is upset with him because he presents poorly at work with a disorganized, messy desk.
• Think about a child with ADHD incessantly begging her parents for something to obtain immediate gratification for herself: “Take me to the pool. Take me to the pool! Puh-Lease!” That sounds like the same adult refusing to take “no” for an answer in other social relationships.
• Think about a child with ADHD disregarding minor details with his schoolwork. That could be the same adult overlooking “minor details” in other areas of life, such as neglecting to wear his identification badge at work, forgetting to check the “change oil on this date” sticker in his car or, worse, forgetting to check the gas tank.
• Think about a child with ADHD struggling to get started with her chores at home. That can be the same adult struggling to initiate, sustain or complete daily living responsibilities at home. For example, she may buy groceries, get them home and put the items away in the kitchen. However, the items needing to be placed elsewhere in the house (shampoo, body wash, etc.) remain in the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. After her husband nags her for a day to put the rest of the items away, she eventually moves the grocery bags upstairs to the bathroom and places the bags on the bathroom counter. After her husband nags her another day, she eventually takes the items out of the bag and puts them under the bathroom cabinet.
• Think about a child with ADHD climbing the drapes in a banquet hall at a wedding. That could be the same adult craving a dopamine rush as she is darting in and out of traffic at high rates of speed. Remember, when it comes to dopamine, people with ADHD either don’t produce enough, retain enough or transport it efficiently. Dopamine is a “feel good” neurotransmitter (in addition to being the main “focus” neurotransmitter), so when individuals are recklessly impulsive, they are likely feeling understimulated and attempting to stimulate their dopamine level to “feel good.”

However, people with ADHD can be notoriously impatient. In the driving scenario above, it may not be about stimulation; it might be about her impatience. In a third scenario, this person could also be darting in and out of traffic because she is late for something because people with ADHD can also be notoriously late.

• Think about a child with ADHD hyperfocusing on something — likely a preferred activity that seems irrelevant to others. Many times, this is because of norepinephrine. We require this neurotransmitter to help us pay attention to things that are either boring or challenging. When this neurotransmitter is not produced enough, retained enough or transported efficiently, as in people with ADHD, it can be a struggle to pay attention in boring and challenging situations. However, when people with ADHD really enjoy something, norepinephrine can actually be stimulated, and then they can hyperfocus.

Now think of the adult hyperfocusing at home on something that appears irrelevant. This person also then has a propensity toward becoming overwhelmed with all of the other dreaded, nonpreferred tasks on her “list of things to do.” She may use the hyperfocus ability with something that she enjoys as a misguided coping strategy to avoid the nonpreferred tasks. This further perpetuates her feelings of being overwhelmed with everything that she’s supposed to be doing and not getting accomplished.

• Think about a child with ADHD struggling to pay attention to his teacher. That sounds like the same adult struggling to remain focused as he and his wife have a conversation at the dinner table. Then, the next morning, when he doesn’t get out of bed when he’s supposed to, she wonders why he didn’t get up early to take the dog to the vet. It’s possible that he wasn’t focusing on their conversation the previous night, so he didn’t actually know he was responsible for this. Or, he did know, but he struggled with time management. Or, he struggled with intrinsic motivation to get out of bed to get things accomplished for the day. Or, he was paying attention to the conversation, remembered it and was actually motivated to take the dog to the vet, but he forgot to set his alarm clock.

With this type of situation, it can be unclear why he didn’t get up that morning because it could have been from any number of ADHD symptoms — or a combination of some of them.

 

Other experiences

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with ADHD also experience other situations that I didn’t necessarily address specifically in the scenarios above. People with ADHD can experience:

• More unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases
• Higher arrest rates and propensity for repeating offenses
• More aggressive behavior (This does not mean that all adults with ADHD are aggressive. In fact, most are not. But the rates of aggression among those with ADHD are higher when compared with those in the general population.)
• More speeding tickets
• More shoplifting convictions
• More money management issues, impulsive spending habits and credit card debt
• More substance abuse (higher in unmedicated ADHD patients than in the general population)
• More risk-taking behaviors
• Higher rates of smoking (in unmedicated ADHD patients)
• Higher rates of depression (especially among males) and anxiety
• Comorbid diagnoses (more than half of those with ADHD have a dual diagnosis)
• Low self-esteem due to perceived failures at school or work and due to struggles in relationships

In looking at all of the different issues and scenarios related to ADHD and presented in this article, it is important to note that all adults will be late to an appointment once in awhile, lose something important, become overwhelmed with their “list of things to do,” interrupt during a conversation or even get a speeding ticket. These situations are all within normal limits as human beings. It becomes clinically significant only when a variety of these instances occur chronically and intensely and also interfere with the person’s functioning.

Adults with noticeable ADHD symptoms can sometimes manage these symptoms. This can be done in a number of ways:

• An ADHD medication regimen
• Psychotherapy to learn strategies to self-regulate
• Neurofeedback to help strengthen connections in the brain
• Holistic practices of consuming nutrients that promote proper brain functioning, including zinc, vitamin C, omega 3 fatty acids and protein
• Exercise to increase blood flow in the brain, specifically in the neocortex where it’s needed to increase focus and decrease impulsivity

A combination of treatment modalities may be most effective so that adults with ADHD can continue to function well in their respective environments.

Because of the multifaceted origin of this disorder and the external variables each person experiences, ADHD symptoms can come across differently, so each person with ADHD (child or adult) will not present the same, even among the same presentation. Some individuals will have overtly noticeable symptoms. In the case of other individuals, outsiders may not even notice their symptomology, especially if they have learned to cope with their ADHD and self-regulate.

 

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Donna Mac is a licensed clinical professional counselor treating adolescents in psychotherapy who are transitioning to adulthood. She is also the author of the book Toddlers & ADHD, which can actually be applied across the life span. Find out more via her website, toddlersandadhd.com or email donnamac0211@gmail.com.

 

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