Justin Barterian encourages adults who suspect they have ADHD to talk to their doctor about receiving an accurate diagnosis along with a proper evaluation and effective treatment. Credit: Courtesy of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Adults who have a difficult time concentrating or completing everyday tasks may suspect these challenges are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Even so, they often hesitate to take the crucial step of seeking an official diagnosis, according to a new Wexner Medical Center survey.
The center conducted a nationwide survey, which revealed that among 1,000 American adult respondents, 25% of adults suspect they may have ADHD. Still, only 13% have talked to their doctors about this possibility, the survey reports.
Untreated or mistreated ADHD can cause many problems for adults, such as interfering with their ability to stay employed or focused in college, said Justin Barterian, psychologist and clinical professor in Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. On the more severe end of the spectrum, it can even affect one’s lifespan.
“We know that people with ADHD who are not treated actually have about a 10-year-shorter life expectancy due to things like not keeping up with regular health care tasks, getting regular checkups, those sorts of things,” Barterian said.
Typically, ADHD symptoms resemble those of anxiety and depression, which could lead someone to develop an incorrect self-diagnosis, Barterian said. Self-treatment based on misdiagnosis can lead to poor outcomes.
“If you do think that you have ADHD, it’s very important to speak with your doctor and get that process going, so we can figure out what’s the most appropriate and the best treatment for you that’s not going to make things worse,” Barterian said.
ADHD is a developmental disorder, meaning symptoms are present during many individuals’ childhoods and likely impair them in some way, Barterian said.
He said these symptoms, however, may have been inconspicuous or potentially suppressed if a parent provided support and guidance instead of allowing the individual to navigate challenges independently, especially in college-like settings.
One of the most common symptoms for adult ADHD is inattention, which undermines one’s abilities to focus, concentrate, pay attention when someone’s speaking or stay organized, Barterian said. Nevertheless, ADHD can look different for everyone.
“We see more of [ADHD] in attention, but adults can also have symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity,” Barterian said.
Allison Burk, who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 42, never considered the possibility of having the disorder until she took her own daughter to get tested.
“As we went through her getting her diagnosis, just so many things that her doctor was talking about and mentioning resonated with me,” Burk said. “It was kind of like these light bulbs kept going off.”
During Burk’s elementary school years in the mid-to-late ‘80s, she said she had little understanding of ADHD because it was rarely discussed or diagnosed, especially in young girls. But her understanding of the disorder grew when she started to watch TikTok videos and Instagram Reels that discussed this topic while her daughter was getting diagnosed.
Though social media videos about ADHD have been beneficial in lowering the stigma surrounding the disorder by opening up conversation and creating a sense of community, they often spread misleading information, Barterian said.
“There’s not necessarily fact-checking that’s going on all the time, and these videos are produced by people who are not necessarily experts in the area,” Barterian said.
Adults who suspect they may have ADHD can reach out to their primary care providers to discuss the diagnosis process. Additionally, Barterian said Ohio State’s Student Health, Counseling and Career Services — and the Wexner Medical Center — offer services such as ADHD assessments and therapy.
“I would just encourage any adult who is on the fence to just go ahead and find the appropriate doctor to test with and to go through the process,” Burk said, “Because what’s on the other side of that can be so beneficial to navigating life in a happier and more successful way.”
