Awareness on ADHD rises, stigma drops: Psychologist

It is not that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) suddenly befalls in adulthood.

Aside from increasing awareness, adults who suspect they may be on the range, have taken upon themselves to act and thus, the appropriate “assessment pathways.”

Chartered Counselling psychologist Dr. Jane Halsall said: “We are not seeing more people with ADHD than before. We are simply recognising better.” “Awareness is rising; stigma is decreasing, and adults are now more likely to seek assessment when they see patterns that are impairing an area of their life,” she continued.

Among the medical cases the Dubai Health Authority-licensed practitioner had handled, aside from a a nine-year-old boy at the Cornerstone Clinic, was that of a British lady entrepreneur “who always felt disorganised and struggled with completing tasks despite her creativity, drive and determination.” An ADHD diagnosis led to a series of “structured planning, coaching, and self-compassion work. She now runs her own consulting business and mentors others facing similar challenges.”

Based on her books on adult patients, the perceived disruptions “in a pattern” involve “work, relationship, or emotional well-being.” Based on the available and accessible “assessments pathways,” revealed are the “increasing and more recognition in women and high-functioning adults that ADHD exists.”

Halsall was enquired about ADHD in adults because in the past few years, social media have been overflowing with notifications about it.

In 2022, a Caucasian, had shared family discussions concerning her late journalist-mother, suspected within the autism spectrum.

The Health and Care Professions Council in the UK and by the British Psychological Society-registered and accredited practitioner, was also interviewed because April is “World Autism Month” since 19 years back; as backed by the United Nations towards “inclusion, acceptance, and improved support.”

Halsall traced the discovery of ADHD to British paediatrician Sir George Still, particularly in 1902.

The children were described to be “highly impulsive and inattentive without signs of intellectual delay. It was initially viewed as a childhood disorder and even the design of the initial assessment criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases were tailored to children, as the belief was that this condition mainly affected hyperactive boys.”

From the 1950s to the 1960s, researchers, alongside American biochemist/psychiatrist and “Dean of ADHD” Dr. Paul Wender and American neuropsychologist Dr. Russell Barkley, were able to establish that ADHD is a genetically-predisposed “lifelong disorder of executive functioning and self-regulation; not just attention and hyperactivity.”

Today, according to Halsall, there are still “fears of judgement” that the condition “reflects poor parenting or a lack of discipline. It could also be argued that the visibility and impact of ADHD traits are being amplified by modern life, such as increased screen time and reduced tolerance of boredom. Therefore, people do have more awareness and questioning their behaviours in a way they might not have previously done.”

Links to gut micorbiome imbalance, “inflammation, and hypermobility issues,” are currently under scrutiny because “the real life lived experience of having ADHD is far more complex and multi-layered.”

On her “memorable case” with the ADHD nine-year-old boy, Halsall said: “He was bright; but, constantly being told off for being distracted, excessive talking and not focusing in class.”

Upon diagnosis, Halsall collaborated with his parents and teachers for a combination of “therapy and classroom strategies” that eventually propelled the boy’s confidence, social skills: “His school performance dramatically improved.”

Back on the ADHD in adults, Halsall said: “This does not just appear in adulthood. A person has usually lived with it all his life, and it may have been overlooked in childhood or misdiagnosed. A child might appear as ‘hyperactive.’”

In order to “get a positive diagnosis,” the symptoms must be arrested before age 12. In adulthood, the childhood “hyperactivity” normally becomes “chronic procrastination.” On the two successful medical cases she had handled, Halsall said: “Both cases show that ADHD, when recognised and supported can unlock extraordinary potential. ADHD is not a flaw. It is part of human neurodiversity. Let us support and not judge people with ADHD.”