Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Older Adults

By April Colquhoun

In this fast-paced world, it can be especially challenging for older Adults with ADHD to cope on a day-to-day basis. One of the primary reasons I sought support for an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood was the chronic feeling of exhaustion with an inability to feel settled when an opportunity presented itself to relax I also demonstrated many of the symptoms that my previously diagnosed children exhibited Racing and/or anxious/unhelpful thoughts are a common experience for older adults with ADHD Our ADHD brains are primed for fixing problems and will continue to search for problemsthatmay ormay notexist.Withoutintervention, our brains run fast and furious, leading to increased symptoms like anxiety, overwhelm and stress. Counselling, practical strategies, tools and often pharmaceutical support are excellent options to providerelieffromadultADHDsymptoms.

The ADHD brain struggles with frontal lobe processes that manage and balance our executive function tasks, such as self-control and regulation. Slower frontal lobe development or disrupted hormone activity or connectivity is responsible for this imbalance. As we age, our brain also begins to lose some of its adaptability, contributing to an increase in the severity or frequency of symptomsforolderadultswithADHD.

An older adult with ADHD may start to notice worsening or new symptoms, such as, but not limitedto:

Increasing difficulty with emotional regulation

Moodiness, irritability, quickness to anger,

Frustration, teariness, fatigue

More frequently overwhelmed

Depression and anxiety

Forgetfulness

Time management difficulties

Challenges with incorporating new information

Difficulty staying organized

Challenges maintaining routines

Social connection disruption Less life satisfaction

Are friends or family members concerned about you forgetting to return their calls or messages? Are they worried about your lateness or absence from social engagements? Are your symptoms of ADHD impacting your initiation, consistency and follow-through in areas of your life relating to work, finances or relationships? Marriages and partnerships may start to experience significant strain in older adulthood given the ADHD individuals' transitions in relation to social, emotional, familial, employment/retirement and other areas of life that have helped to create boundaries and regulate emotions. Coping skills, emotions management education, and communication strategies areoftenrequiredtobetaughtorupgradedtobring aboutmorebalanceandharmony.