The landscape of ADHD diagnosis and treatment continues to shift as our understanding of the condition improves. Here are some of the latest facts about ADHD reported by the CDC and other organizations. As these facts show, ADHD is a serious medical condition that merits more investment in research and treatment.
Multitasking, or rapidly switching your attention from one task to another and then back again, was once heralded as a necessary survival skill for our fast-paced world. But research has shown that multitasking doesn’t work for cognitively demanding tasks. For the ADHD brain – which craves stimulation and can become easily bored – multitasking is a temptation to be avoided, especially at work. Learning to be a “single-tasker” can make your daily living both more productive and less stressful.
Individual with ADHD can struggle with cognitive issues. So-called “brain training” games or apps have been offered as one way for them to improve concentration, organization skills, and memory. Part of the key to success with these tools is knowing which ones work best for your situation, and how to use them to maximum advantage. Here are some tips for getting the most out of brain training apps.
Does having ADHD put you at higher risk of dying prematurely? Recent research suggests having ADHD can significantly shorten your life. Dr. Russell Barkley, an ADHD expert, has cast this as a serious public health issue that needs to be addressed through better education, evidence-based treatment interventions and lifetime monitoring. The importance and urgency of addressing ADHD as a public health concern have become higher as more children are diagnosed with ADHD.
The internet has evolved into a wonderfully useful medium for learning new things, staying up on the news, shopping, and keeping in touch with friends on social media. For individuals with ADHD, it provides instant rewards, lots of stimulation, and an almost infinite variety of things to explore. But it can draw the ADHD brain into an endless rabbit hole where significant amounts of unproductive time is spent. Here are some tips you can use to help keep your Internet usage in check.
Neurodiversity is the idea that neurological differences like autism and ADHD are the result of normal, natural variation in the human genome. Today, most organizations are familiar with the advantages they can achieve by fostering diversity in the backgrounds, disciplinary training, gender, culture, and other individual qualities of employees. As our understanding of the human brain expands, the wisdom of neurodiversity in all areas of human endeavor seems destined to become a recognized essential ingredient of innovation and achievement.
A new genomic study of families whose members had ADHD showed they all had specific features in certain genes. The identification of such patterns may help improve the diagnosis of ADHD. Genetically based diagnosis of ADHD could provide earlier detection and treatment. This is especially critical now that 10% of children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with ADHD.
Individuals with ADHD have an innate creative potential that could put them among an organization’s most valued emplyees. According to recent research, reported in Science Daily, adults with ADHD approach creative tasks differently and feel empowered when doing them. These are important attributes to have in an economy where innovation is highly prized, and means finding the right career to allow that creativity to flourish is essential..
October is ADHD Awareness Month. Our understanding of ADHD has steadily progressed since it was first formally recognized as a medical condition. For those with ADHD, life can be a constant struggle. Yet, some of the world’s most accomplished people have have overcome their diagnosis and leveraged their ADHD “super powers” to achieve extraordinary success in their field. Here are some of their inspiring stories.
If you have adult ADHD, you may avoid sharing this with others. Yet sharing your diagnosis can be empowering. You give others the opportunity to understand you. And you can lose the anxiety that comes with hiding your diagnosis. Here are some strategies you can use to tell others about your ADHD.
