Diagnosing ADHD is important but complicated. ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and it’s on a spectrum. You can have it very mildly, or you can have it more badly.
ADHD affects different peoples lives differently. You can have two people with a similar set of symptoms but different outcomes. One person can have their life affected while the other persons doesn’t. There is a range of symptoms to consider when diagnosing ADHD. These include impulsivity to blurting, inability to sit still, inability to complete tasks, lack of attention, where your mind wanders a lot, vagueness and so on. And whether you’re male or female, it tends to show itself in a different way.
So for example, let’s take little boys. Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD because they are outgoing in terms of their symptoms. Whereas girls are a bit more dreamy and inattentive, but both can have ADHD. ADHD must be properly assessed. Adults can be have ADHD too. ADHD is under-diagnosed amongst adults.
And if you’ve got it, there are various ways of treating it. For the first place to start is your general practitioner, who, if he or she’s concerned, can send you for a proper assessment.
Dr Norman Swan, Physician and Journalist
