The Washington Post took the initiative to write an article in today’s (December 17) paper on ADHD in adults ages sixty and older. This article is also accompanied by a sidebar article discussing adult ADHD Older adults with ADHD are a group that has not been specifically researched and about whom very little is written. The Washington Post article includes two or three people with ADHD who were diagnosed much later in life. They speak about their lifetime experiences with untreated ADHD and the positive change they and others have noticed with treatment.

Imagine that you spent 60 years of your life distracted, disorganized, forgetful, and chronically tardy.  Imagine that you have dropped out of school, lost jobs, or were divorced as a direct consequence of that state of mind.  Imagine that you seek help from  a professional and you are told that you have a disorder that can be effectively treated.  Imagine your reluctance and hopefulness that these experiences can diminish. Imagine that you agree to treatment and discover that all of these experiences were symptoms of the disorder and not you as a person.  I know, that’s a lot to imagine. At this age, the goal of treatment is not only to treat ADHD  but to help a person understand the difference between what they have (disorder) versus who they are (person).  In my experience helping people, this process helps resurrect a person’s self-image.

I invite you to read these two articles and seek professional help if these  symptoms resonate with your experience. If you are an older adult with possible ADHD, I recommend that you see an expert in ADHD who will be able to make an accurate diagnosis. Because older adults may have both medical and psychiatric disorders in addition to taking medications, it’s critical that an expert be able to distinguish multiple disorders and  evaluate the presence of ADHD accurately. Effective treatment is completely dependent on the accuracy of the diagnosis.
Thank you for your interest.
David W. Goodman, M.D.