ADHD in Adults

Origins has over 35 years of experience treating people with ADHD and Other Attention Deficit Disorders

Overview

Attention-deficit disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), are not just conditions that affects children. The symptoms of ADHD in adults can impact many areas of your life—from your relationships to your career. Adult ADHD often goes unrecognized during childhood, and many adults do not realize that they have this disorder until it severely impacts their lives. Younger people are frequently categorized as poor students, daydreamers, class clowns, slackers, or troublemakers. When you were younger, you may have compensated for the symptoms of ADHD, only to encounter difficulties as an adult as your responsibilities grew.

There is good news despite the overwhelming challenges. Counseling, education, and support can help you manage symptoms and turn potential weaknesses into lifelong strengths.

Integrated Treatment Is Critical for Mental Health Disorders

Integrated treatment for ADHD in adults provides all the therapeutic resources necessary to heal you physically, psychologically, and spiritually. This means that we employ every resource in our arsenal to help you find health and happiness. You may need several sessions with a psychiatrist, guided meditations, or a trained trauma therapist. Perhaps you need all these resources. Either way, we can set you up for success by leveraging many disciplines to help you craft a design for living that works.

Your comprehensive treatment plan may include the following:

Psychiatric services and ongoing care
Medical care (including medication, when appropriate)
Evidence-based therapies
Case management
Family programming and education
Life skills training
Spiritual care services
Continuing care planning

Our expert team of doctors and therapists works alongside you to develop a personalized plan to treat every dimension of your health. Your treatment plan will consider your overall well-being: body, mind, and spirit. We begin with comprehensive behavioral health assessments, which help you accurately identify and manage any mental health disorders. These confidential sessions and clinical interviews with your primary therapist lay the foundation for an individual treatment plan that leaves no stone unturned.

Multidisciplinary Care for ADHD and Co-Occurring Addiction

Co-occurring disorders must be treated simultaneously, in the same location, and by the same treatment team to be effective. Our multidisciplinary, medically intensive programs offer strengths-based treatment for co-occurring disorders.

At the beginning of your care, Origins’ treatment team carefully assess you as you uncover your own physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and psychological needs. Our compassionate substance use disorder staff includes medical professionals, licensed therapists, and well-trained addiction professionals. Every discipline meets daily to discuss your case and help you move toward sustainable solutions. This integrated, specialized treatment model has been shown to improve substance use and ADHD symptoms in adults and guides you to increase your overall quality of life.

Origins Center for Brain Recovery (CBR)

Our health psychology department, Origins Center for Brain Recovery (CBR), provides specialized, evidence-based therapy interventions for brain health at our Florida locations. This department, led by an esteemed psychologist, brings sophisticated interventions such as neurofeedback, biofeedback, Brainspotting, and mindfulness training directly to you.

At the Center for Brain Recovery our specific therapies and services include:

Psychological testing and review
Individual and group psychotherapy
Neurofeedback
Muse EEG
Meditation and mindfulness training
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Neurotherapy
Biofeedback

Learn more about Origins Center for Brain Recovery here.

Signs and Symptoms of ADHD in Adults

Among those with ADHD, adults will exhibit quite different symptoms than children. Symptoms can be experienced differently by everyone.

Hyperfocus is a tendency toward absorbing yourself in stimulating and rewarding tasks. Hyperfocus can act both as a coping mechanism and as a distraction as you lose track of what is going on around you. When directed towards productive activities, hyperfocus can be an asset. If left unchecked, it can lead to work and relationship problems.

It can often seem that things are out of control and chaotic when you are struggling with adult ADHD. It can be challenging to stay organized, prioritize your workload, keep track of tasks and responsibilities, and manage your time. The following symptoms often accompany disorganization and forgetfulness:

Poor organizational skills – home, office, desk, and car are excessively cluttered
Procrastination
Inability to start or finish projects
Chronic tardiness
Frequently forgetting deadlines, appointments, and commitments
Always misplacing or losing things (keys, wallet, phone, bills)
Poor time management

If you struggle with ADHD as an adult, you may have difficulty controlling your actions, comments, and responses. You may act without thinking or react without considering the consequences. Interrupting others, blurting out words, or hastily rushing through tasks are all signs of impulsiveness. For adults with ADHD who experience impulsivity, it can be challenging to remain patient in certain situations.

ADHD in adults also comes with emotional challenges. Often, people have difficulty managing their emotions, particularly when angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed. Adults with ADHD may exhibit emotional symptoms such as:

Being easily irritable and stressed out
Agitation or an explosive temperament
Feelings of insecurity and a sense of low self-esteem
Having difficulty remaining motivated
Hypersensitive to criticism
Restlessness or hyperactivity

Adults with ADHD are far less likely to exhibit hyperactivity than their younger counterparts. Only a small percentage of adults with ADHD experience hyperactivity. Adults typically show high energy levels and the constant feeling of being “on the go.” However, hyperactivity symptoms often diminish with age. Hyperactivity in adults can be characterized by the following:

Being easily bored, needing excitement, and prone to taking risks
Excessive talking and simultaneous multitasking
Being fidgety, incapable of sitting still
Feelings of inner restlessness, racing thoughts, and agitation

ADHD Symptoms Can Lead to Many Health Problems

Health problems may include substance use disorders, compulsive eating, anxiety, chronic stress and tension, and low self-esteem. Struggling with ADHD symptoms as an adult can affect your career, your relationships, and your family. You may even begin to self-medicate and use drugs or alcohol to dull your symptoms, not realizing that these substances often worsen your symptoms or lead to long-term substance use disorder.

Drawing on a wealth of research, we provide intensive residential and outpatient support for adults struggling with ADHD. We also offer programs for adult ADHD that occur alongside addiction.

People Can and Do Find Healing

There is no cure for any mental health disorder, including ADHD in adults, but many people succeed in living amazing lives filled with hope and courage. The key is individualized, integrated, intensive treatment. With long-term support and therapeutic interventions, you can recover from your ADHD.

Start your journey to freedom and fulfillment by calling Origins Behavioral HealthCare at 561-841-1296. You can find healing.