Picture this: you are sitting in your most boring class of the day. You are itching to run out of the room and be free. Everyone feels like this once in awhile, but this is an everyday occurrence for anyone with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Despite being one of the of the milder psychiatric disorders, ADHD can do some real damage for the future of those who have it. It can disfigure your life tremendously by setting you in life-threatening situations. ADHD also causes hardships in school and work, and even personal relationships. ADHD additionally causes severe health issues, due to treatment, and can lead to the development of other psychiatric disorders. Although, the disorder leaves the ability to withstand high-stress situations and jobs. ADHD may seem straightforward, but don’t be blinded by the issues that may lie ahead.
It's Here, It's There, It's Everywhere
ADHD affects people in many ways personally. Those who suffer from ADHD have relationship repercussions. Frances Prevatt, Ph. D of the Adult Learning and Evaluation Center at Florida State University, says that studies show that those with ADHD are likely to get married, but are also more likely to divorce. ADHD also can put victims into life-threatening situations. Stephen Hinshaw, a psychology professor at University Of California-Berkeley, has a study the found that girls that suffer from ADHD are more likely to commit suicide or cause harm to themselves than girls without ADHD. Also, for those who have a deficiency in attention and focus are more likely to be unsafe drivers. Lastly, ADHD has an influence on academics and school. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, 45% of those who have ADHD have a learning or language difficulty. Jeni Bridges, a college student with ADHD, suffered with impulse which caused her switch majors and even schools repeatedly. College students that suffer from ADHD even have the chance of dropping out of school. ADHD affects people's lives with relationship repercussions, life-threatening situations, and generates hardships in school.
What else could go wrong?
ADHD causes numerous health problems due to the treatment that is given. Stimulant medications are given to some people with ADHD. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, stimulants have 2 different categories. These two categories are amphetamines and methylphenidate. Both of these help advance attention by modulating the actions of two neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine. These stimulants cause insomnia, anxiety, and headaches. Additionally, stimulants result in high blood pressure and heart rate, although, the risk is higher in adults as the risk of cardiovascular disease increases with age. Also, stimulants lead to weight loss and loss of appetite. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, “The MTA* reported that children who took stimulants consistently were about 2 centimeters (0.8 inch) shorter, on average than expected at both the 24 month and 36 month marks. Other research suggests, however that children with ADHD may grow at a slower rate in childhood and adolescence, but catch up by adulthood.” Another type of treatment for people with ADHD are non-stimulants. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, a non-stimulant is where the drug atomoxetine targets norepinephrine and raises levels of dopamine. Side effects of non-stimulants are gastrointestinal upset and slight increase of blood pressure and heart rate. Lastly, antidepressants are used to treat ADHD. As the Harvard Mental Health Letter said, antidepressants affect norepinephrine levels and support those who have not reacted to other treatments. Antidepressants, like Bupropion, raise the risk of having seizures. Desipramine, another antidepressant, can cause cardiac issues. An overdose of this antidepressant, can even result in death. Treatments for ADHD can lead to many concerns regarding the patient's health.
*MTA: Multimodal Treatment Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
And.... There´s More
Those who suffer from ADHD, also have the risk of falling in the diagnostic criteria for other psychiatric disorders. Many people with ADHD have co-occurring disorders. Some co-occurring disorders for people with ADHD are anxiety, major depression, dysthymia, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and substance abuse. Children with ADHD can also fall into this diagnostic principles of other psychiatric disorders. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, “54% to 84% of children and adolescents with ADHD also meet the diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder.” Adults with ADHD have a greater chance of developing other psychiatric disorders. The Harvard Mental Health Letter said, “Two studies of adults with ADHD found that more than four in five met in the criteria for at least one other psychiatric disorder.” Due to ADHD, the risk of developing other psychiatric disorders increases among patients with ADHD.
The Only Upside
Although there are many downsides. ADHD gives victims the ability to withstand high-stress jobs and situations. For those with ADHD some jobs are not as appealing as others. Working in carpentry or trades can satisfy those with ADHD. Also, working in high demanding environments, like the job of an ER physician, a sports player, and a soldier in the army can help them. Even jobs such as management or sales can be practical for people with ADHD. To be successful in these jobs, some qualities that people with ADHD are helpful. ADHD gives people the ability to hyperfocus. People with ADHD suffer from restlessness and impulsiveness when doing something that does not interest them. Although, if these people are given a task that they are interested in they will focus and immerse themselves within their task. David Neeleman, 57, the CEO of Azul, a Brazilian airline, is a sufferer of ADHD. The qualities he has obtained from his ADHD give him the spirit to administrate the airline. He says he has gotten an inventive essence and creativity from his ADHD. These qualities have led him to his downfalls in his career, but have led to the ending result in success. Jeni Bridges, as said earlier, had many troubles in college due to impulsiveness. Currently, she is a third grade teacher and she is succeeding due to her patience with these children. This quality resulted from her ADHD. Although they have ADHD, people that suffer from the disorder can channel their energy in certain situations. Many people wonder, how do they do that? Likewise, people with ADHD can channel their energy by doing something that revolves around movement. Frances Prevatt Ph.D., an ADHD expert says, “You probably want a job that involves high energy that will keep you moving and doing different kinds of things.” The jobs listed above all require high energy and a change in environments and routine. Though many aspects of ADHD have given many misfortunes to those who suffer from it, it has given an advantage to them in terms of occupation.
“It’s easier to channel your energy into something you’re good at or love doing. Hopefully you can make it more than just a hobby. Follow your passion-- and don’t give up.” - David Neeleman
Subsequential Side Effects
ADHD may seem uncomplicated, though it isn’t. ADHD gives sufferers a hard time with school, life, relationships, and your health, physical and mental. ADHD leaves the capability to endure highly stressful situations. If you think ADHD is easy, you are wrong. ADHD gives lots of trouble for those who have the disorder. Many people think of it as being hyper and restless and they do not take the disorder as serious as other psychiatric disorders. Next time you joke around, I’m ADHD, think about the real subsequential side effects of it all.
Glossary
ADHD: A disorder in which victims have difficulty with attention, impulsiveness, and restlessness
Amphetamine (am-fe-ta-mine): A medication that stimulates e central nervous system; used to treat ADHD, obesity, and narcolepsy
Methylphenidate (me-th-ly-phen-i-date) : Another stimulant medication that is used to treat ADHD
Dopamine (dope-a-mine) : A neurotransmitter that controls the brain's reward and pleasure centers
Norepinephrine (nor-e-pin-ne-phr-in) : A medication that narrows blood vessels to increase glucose levels and blood pressure
Insomnia (in-som-nia) : the constant inability to sleep
Anxiety (an-zi-ity) : a mental disorder that causes constant fear and stress that interferes with everyday life
Atomoxetine (at-o-mox-e-tine) : A medication that enhances patients cognition
Bupropion (bu-ro-pri-on) : An antidepressant medication that is treated mostly for serious depression and for quitting smoking
Desipramine (des-i-pra-mine) : Another antidepressant that is mostly used to treat nerve pain and depression
Major Depression: A brain disorder that causes consistent somber moods
Dysthymia (dys-thy-mia) : A moderate, but longstanding form of depression
Conduct Disorder: A pattern of behavior that is usually violent and disrupts the primary rights of others; usually diagnosed in childhood or adolecense
Oppositional Defiant Disorder: A disorder diagnosed during childhood based off of defiant and resistive behavior towards authority figures
Substance Abuse: The use of substances that results in distress; Substance referring to psychoactive drugs
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