ADULT ADHD: DO I HAVE IT? PT II: HYPERACTIVITY by Peter Mangiola Rn Msn

ADULT ADHD: DO I HAVE IT? PT II: HYPERACTIVITY

OCTOBER 24, 2014 LEAVE A COMMENT

In Part I, we talked about the ‘attention deficit’ part of ADHD; today, we’re talking about hyperactivity. What does it mean, as an adult, to be diagnosed as clinically hyperactive?

The ‘Hyperactivity’ Part

Unlike a child, adults rarely ‘bounce off the walls'; hyperactivity manifests very differently in people who have fully developed brains. Instead you might hear people say ‘Dude, chill out,’ or, ‘Can’t you just wait?‘ On the flip side, adult hyperactivity can lead to intensive, unwavering focus on particularly stimulating activities, so you might hear ‘Can’t you put it down and pay attention to meinstead?’

Adults who show just five of the following symptoms (as before, kids must show six or more) are diagnosed as “hyperactive.”

1. Frequently fidgets, taps hands or feet, wiggles, or squirms.
2. Frequently cannot remain seated.
3. Frequently feels restless; the desire to get up and move is so intense as to be distracting.
4. Frequently cannot remain quiet during leisure time.
5. Frequently acts as if “driven by a motor”; is always “on the go.”
6. Frequently talks too much.
7. Frequently blurts out answers before the question has been completed.
8. Frequently cannot patiently wait for his or her turn to come.
9. Frequently butts in on conversations or games uninvited or out of turn.

Mixing and Matching

It’s possible (and actually common) for an adult to receive a diagnosis of ‘ADD’ — qualifying for the attention-deficit part of ADHD without any hyperactivity. ‘HD’ — hyperactivity without attention deficit — is rarely diagnosed in adults (though common in children.) And of course the combined diagnosis of ‘ADHD’ is readily found in both adults and children.

The diagnosis is important in helping your doctor assign the right medicine for you. It’s also important in helping a behavioral or occupational therapist find the right set of therapy and counseling for you. While most of the outside world won’t know or care about the difference, clinically (and personally) it’s important to know what you have.