Poor work performance and easy conflict with others turns out to be ADHD! Doctor reveals the truth: Without proper treatment, drug abuse is easy to occur
Is it possible to have ADHD as an adult? Lack of concentration may lead to depression and anxiety
Being unable to concentrate and impatient, don’t think it’s just a matter of personality. It may be a symptom of ADHD, and the onset in childhood may last until adulthood, affecting your mental health? Dr. Zhang Shengjie, the attending psychiatrist at Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital, said that the full name of ADHD is “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”. It mainly presents symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Some patients may not be hyperactive or impulsive. Shown by lack of concentration. Some cases also have problems with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity at the same time.
Dr. Zhang Shengjie explained that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is caused by low dopamine in the brain, which affects self-control functions, leading to hyperactivity and impulsivity. People may be unable to sit still, talk too much, like to interrupt, and cannot wait. Since preschool children are less likely to need to continuously focus on situations, their symptoms are more likely to be “hyperactive” or “impulsive”. When they enter elementary school, they need to sit in the classroom, and their inattention problems are more likely to be discovered by teachers.
Dr. Zhang Shengjie said that the prevalence rate of ADHD in children is about 8-10%, and the prevalence rate drops to 4-5% in adults. As people age, about half of the symptoms will improve; however, for the other half, the symptoms will continue into adulthood, affecting the functional performance of daily life.
Dr. Zhang Shengjie pointed out that although the symptoms of some ADHD patients improve with age, they may have low academic performance due to inattention during the growth process, or may have little achievement in daily performance and lack of self-confidence. Impulsiveness problems may also lead to interpersonal conflicts, which may lead to depression or anxiety.
Is untreated ADHD more likely to lead to substance abuse? Doctors urge not to wait until substance addiction before seeking treatment
In addition to depression and anxiety, Dr. Zhang Shengjie reminded that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is often combined with problems such as “Internet addiction” and “alcohol and drug addiction.” People with ADHD who are not properly treated are more likely to develop addiction problems as adults. There are many young cases in their 20s in the outpatient clinic. Seeking medical treatment after attention deficit hyperactivity disorder develops into drug addiction will increase the difficulty and improvement effect of treatment.
Dr. Zhang Shengjie pointed out that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has intervention methods such as medication and behavioral therapy. It is recommended that children who are entering junior high school should use medication as the main treatment. However, due to media coverage, many parents have misunderstandings about ADHD medications, believing that allowing their children to take medication will increase the chance of drug abuse in the future. In fact it’s quite the opposite. If attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is not properly treated, it can easily develop into drug addiction. Dr. Zhang Shengjie emphasized that although ADHD treatment drugs are controlled drugs, if they are taken according to the doctor’s prescription and followed up regularly, not only will they not cause drug addiction, but they can even reduce the occurrence of alcohol and drug addiction in the future.
How can daily routine improve ADHD? Participating in clubs and getting enough sleep can help focus?
Dr. Zhang Shengjie said that any disease should be treated early. In addition to medication, behavioral therapy can also be used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. For example, through the “reward” agreement, allowing children to receive rewards for regular behaviors can help improve inattention.
In addition, problems such as lack of sleep and insomnia will worsen inattention and hyperactivity. People with ADHD are reminded to maintain adequate sleep. Appropriate exercise can also help improve symptoms. It is recommended to participate in team sports, such as football teams, basketball teams, etc., which can not only practice interacting with others, improve social skills, but also exercise obedience behavior, which can help with impulse control.
Many parents may feel that their children are particularly focused when using 3C, which will cause children with ADHD to play video games for a long time. Dr. Zhang Shengjie reminds that 3C products contain a lot of sound and light stimulation. After ADHD patients get used to the sound and light effects of video games, it will be more difficult for them to return to boring studies and work and concentrate, and even worsen their attention deficit. It is not recommended to allow children with ADHD to have frequent access to electronics and the Internet, and to avoid Internet addiction problems.
