What does it mean to have ADHD?

ADHD can be hard when we’re told that we should be a certain way, or the world feels like it is built for a different person. Imagine a zebra living amongst horses - trying to survive in the same environment, to eat the same food, to look the same as everyone else. On top of that, they’re then told that it’s easy for everyone else, so it should be easy for them – so why isn’t it easy for them?

Feeling “A Bit Lost” Wherever You Go

Living with ADHD can create a lot of confusion, stress, and tension for individuals and their family members as ADHD can hide under many other diagnoses, labels, or understandings. We may see it come up and out through anxiety, depression, instability in relationships, or even being “bad”. ADHD is not always diagnosed in childhood, and can even go undiagnosed into adulthood if it is not looked at with the right set of eyes. 


If you or your child experience any of the following, an assessment for ADHD may be able to provide some answers.

  • Challenges in school and work due to issues keeping focus or completing tasks

  • Inability to start tasks, even when the first steps seem obvious to others

  • Chronic forgetfulness that interferes with completing tasks

  • Struggles with regulating emotions or mood

  • Taking 2-3 times longer than peers to complete tasks, projects, or assignments

  • Having to re-read passages several times in order to retain or process information

  • Difficulties in essential areas such as reading, writing, or speed/automaticity in mathematics or problem solving

  • A sense of restlessness that cannot be soothed, especially during times when they are supposed to be resting, or great difficulty being able to self-soothe or find calm

  • Persistent difficulties with falling and/or staying asleep

  • Appearing to daydream, but would say that it feels more like their brain goes “a million miles a minute”

  • Issues with making or maintaining friendships; being “friends on/off” with their friend group frequently, or regularly changing friends groups

  • Feeling easily overwhelmed by aspects of world around them, including light, noise, food, and clothing fabrics



ADHD Rarely Walks Alone

Over half of people with ADHD will also be diagnosed with another disorder during their lifetime. While the more common comorbid disorders are anxiety and depression, some of the other challenges that come along for the ride with ADHD are:

  • Substance use issues (including using substances to self-medicate or as a coping mechanism)

  • Disordered sleep

  • Specific learning disabilities in reading, writing, or mathematics

  • Type II Diabetes, dental diseases, and cardiovascular diseases in adulthood

  • STIs, due to engagement in impulsive, risky behaviours


Symptoms Can Shift with Age

Childhood Symptoms

  • Hyperactivity (appears to always be “on the go” or “driven by a motor”, climbing or running in inappropriate situations)

  • Impulsivity (talking over others, missing social cues)

  • Sensory processing issues, inattentiveness (easily distracted by extraneous stimuli)

Symptoms in Adulthood

  • Internal restlessness (compulsion to move or be “productive”, but not knowing how to soothe this, which creates distress and prevents rest) 

  • Issues with interpersonal relationships (appearing insensitive or highly sensitive, uncaring, irresponsible), issues regulating self and impulsive actions, “no filter”


(Unintended) Consequences of Going Undiagnosed or Unsupported

People with ADHD who go unsupported have an increased risk of multiple adverse outcomes following:

  • More likely to incur a variety of injuries, leading to them accessing health, medical, and dental services more frequently (Le, et al., 2014). 

  • More likely to be in contact with the justice system at a younger age, and even receive harsher sentences than those who do not have ADHD (Anns et al., 2023). 

  • Score lower on academic measures, despite normal or above normal intelligence. 

  • Paying the ADHD tax: paying late fees, higher shipping costs, higher interest rates, obtaining lower credit scores, replacing spoiled or wasted food, paying traffic tickets, impulsive spending habits  

  • Poorer social functioning or social coping skills: experience rejection sensitive dysphoria and symptoms from Cluster B personality disorders (borderline, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders), and a higher risk of victimization or engagement in risky or antisocial behaviours

How Does an Assessment Help?

At the end of the assessment process, we create a personalized report that includes the testing results, any diagnostic considerations, as well as a detailed section containing recommendations to improve functioning at home and school and/or the workplace.


An assessment supports clients and families by providing clarity and common language around areas of struggle or need, as well as ways to manage symptoms. Additionally, an assessment can support clients and their families by formally documenting the diagnosis, allowing them to access supports such as disability tax credits, student aid or disability grants for schooling, or obtaining accommodations in the workplace. 

What happens after an assessment?

Thrive also has a number of options for counselling post-assessment, including booking sessions with clinicians or our interns to support the client through in a number of areas: 

  • Psychoeducation: build knowledge of ADHD and how it affects them; build self-awareness

  • Counselling: a space to express themselves, feel heard and validated, 

  • Goal Achievement: develop strategies to help find balance, wellness, and success in all areas of life





References

Anns, F., D'Souza, S., MacCormick, C., Mirfin-Veitch, B., Clasby, B., Hughes, N., Forster, W., Tuisaula, E., & Bowden, N. (2023). Risk of Criminal Justice System Interactions in Young Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings From a National Birth Cohort. Journal of attention disorders, 27(12), 1332–1342. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231177469 

Hamed, A. M., Kauer, A. J., & Stevens, H. E. (2015). Why the Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Matters. Frontiers in psychiatry, 6, 168. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00168


Le, H.H., Hodgkins, P., Postma, M.J. et al. (2014) Economic impact of childhood/adolescent ADHD in a European setting: the Netherlands as a reference case. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 23, 587–598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-013-0477-8