There are three core symptom categories in ADHD: hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. The table presented here illustrates how ADHD symptoms typically evolve from childhood to adulthood.
Another reason ADHD is generally harder to recognize and diagnose in adults: people who have lived with untreated ADHD for most of their lives devise mechanisms (often without realizing it!) to cope with their difficulties—personal charm, hard work ethic, strategic choice of careers, and so on. As a result, to the outside world they may seem to be “normally” functioning adults.
So if I’ve coped for most of my life, why treat now?
If you have undiagnosed ADHD, you may be missing out on the opportunity to function better than you may have thought possible.
How common is adult ADHD?
There are no definitive statistics on the prevalence of ADHD in adults. Some estimates put the range at 2% to 7% of the adult population. And whereas some experts suggest the male-to-female ratio is 2 to 1, others say that in adulthood, the condition occurs equally between genders.
Is there a genetic link?
Research indicates there is indeed a very strong genetic component in ADHD. In fact, many parents don’t realize they have ADHD until their children are diagnosed.
To learn more about the genetic link, download ADHD in the Family: is There a Genetic Link? located at the bottom of this page
Significant Risk for Having ADHD
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Which relatives are most at risk?
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Approximate % chance of having ADHD
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Parents of children with ADHD
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25%
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Children of adults with ADHD
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57%
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Siblings of children with ADHD
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41%
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