Diagnosing Adult ADHD

by

There are many things about living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that people don’t realize. This diagnosis conjures up images of a little child who isn’t able to be still. Most believe children eventually outgrow symptoms of ADHD. It is time for people to realize ADHD is a complicated disorder. Individuals will experience symptoms long into adulthood. It is common for individuals who had ADHD symptoms as a child to never be diagnosed or receive treatment. Experiencing ADHD symptoms can cause a variety of problems for an adult.

Executive Function Disorder

It is possible to describe ADHD symptoms as an executive function disorder. This is often referred to as the brain’s management system. It is what helps an individual to make priorities, set goals, and create plans then persist until they are completed. Executive function consists of three main components. They are the ability to control, the ability to pay attention, and prioritize. Individuals with ADHD struggle with each of these components.

Cause

The cause of ADHD is believed to be a deficit in the neuro-transmitters norepinephrine and dopamine. This condition causes individuals with ADHD to try to make up for the deficit by regularly engaging in behaviors that are dopamine-stimulating. They then experience constant mental or physical restlessness. ADHD is a condition that individuals are usually born with.

Subtypes

There are three subtypes of ADHD:

  • Inattentive-disorganized individuals who want mental stimulation
  • Individuals with impulsive ADHD who try to obtain stimulation within their physical environment
  • Individuals with a combination of ADHD subtypes and try to obtain stimulation with a mixture of the other two

Underemployed

It is common for individuals with ADHD to be underemployed based on their abilities. They may often struggle to perform at a position that fits them. These people struggle to keep up because they can’t multitask. They may not get projects done on time because of being distracted by a phone call or email, and more. People with ADHD are usually too busy trying to engage in mental or physical stimulation or exhausted from the effort to control their impulses. They often have no energy to focus.

Any person who believes they may have adult ADHD should try to get an evaluation. When this is done, people feel better. They can then develop ways to work through their struggles. There is a lot of confusion concerning how ADHD appears in adults. People who feel they may have ADHD need to find an expert who has significant experience with evaluating adults for ADHD.

Visit NHCC.us for more on New Horizon Counseling Center and Herrick Lipton!

How to Support Your Children’s Mental Health During the Pandemic

by

A majority of parents is capable of ensuring their children have good physical health. After all, physical health mainly involves giving your children nutritious meals, ensuring they exercise and maintaining their body cleanliness.

Mental health is not as straightforward as physical health is. This is because, in addition to the attention that physical health needs, mental health may need a higher degree of attention and the involvement of a professional. Just like adults, children have also suffered a great deal because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, their ability to come back to their normal selves depends on the help they get. The following are tips on how to support children’s mental health during the pandemic.

  1. Be a role model: As a parent or guardian, constantly talk to your child about your feelings, your fears, and insecurities and reveal how you cope with them. Do not express anger or anxiety during the conversation. This encourages the child to speak out about their issues too.
  2. Encourage their talents, hobbies, and skills: If your child has a hobby, support them through your finances and time where applicable. This gesture works to build the child’s self-confidence.
  3. Let the child know that everybody experiences pain, loss, anger, and fear and that he/she should accept these feelings because they are a part of life.
  4. A parent/guardian should give their children the opportunity to grow and develop. A child should be allowed to interact with friends and family freely. Through these interactions, the child is able to form a connection with someone whom they can talk to about private issues.
  5. Parents should not insist on physical punishment as a form of disciplining a child. Instead, think of discipline as a form of teaching where you lay your expectations. If the child surpasses your expectations, use rewards as a method of encouragement and if not, deny him/her some privileges.
  6. Take care of your child’s mental health just as you do their physical health. If you notice unusual behavior, talk to your child, and know what is bothering them. If you do not find a concrete solution, look for a professional’s advice.

To make their children tomorrow’s leaders, parents or guardians must make sure that the children are comfortable and enjoying their childhood. This includes supporting their children’s mental health at all times.

The Current State of Mental Health Care on US College Campuses

by

Between 2009 and 2017, the number of college students needing mental health services increased by 30 percent while student enrollment increased by just 6 percent. This vast increase in the number of students needing mental health counseling has so overwhelmed university health services that students face long wait times just to talk to a therapist. Not surprisingly, many students drop out of universities because of mental health struggles.

 

Students clearly need help. The pressures of college life are harming their health. Bright students with great potential may feel they have no choice but to quit. No degree, job, or career path is worth going through stress and anxiety that causes students to become depressed, suffer crippling anxiety, and engage in harmful behaviors like self-harm. But students need degrees in order to pursue the opportunities that will lead to a fulfilling life later.

 

Stress-related illness underpins a large part of the problem. This can be seen from statistics that show student visits to mental health centers increases as the term goes on, often doubling a midterms approach, as shown in Time Magazine.

 

Many students find the challenges of university life are too much. Between heavy course loads, social and peer pressures, extracurricular activities, fear of disappointing parents, and financial struggles and student debt, college students carry a heavy burden of worry and sometimes difficult, if not impossible, expectations. These expectations may be self-imposed or external, but either way, they can lead to physical and mental breakdown when students run themselves ragged day in and day out to meet them. College, after all, is supposed to be a time of self-discovery. It’s supposed to be fun and provide students with new found freedom.

 

Anxiety and high expectations have always been part of the university world. The current epidemic of negative effects may stem from an increasingly competitive society and the expectations that every student needs a high degree that lands them a prestigious job. Pressure like that is tough for anyone to take. Throwing an 18-year-old into such an environment seems to ask for trouble.

 

Universities across the country are taking note. As noted in Time Magazine, institutions like the University of Pennsylvania are increasing funding for mental health services. Off-campus, private mental health providers are creating programs aimed at helping students cope with the pressures of college life.

 

The epidemic of stress-related anxiety and depression clearly indicates these measures are needed. Parents, too, should be aware of how stress and pressure are affecting their children. Having goals and ambitions is important but should never come at the expense of health.