Attention deficit disorder (AD/HD), with or without hyperactivity, is often associated with children, but it also affects nearly two out of ten adults in Belgium! A subject raised this Wednesday at 11:10 p.m. on La Une, in “Matière grise”.
Doctor Jonathan Diego works for the European Center of Expertise for Adult ADHD (CEETA), in Brussels and Ath. Encounter.
Is ADHD visible on medical imaging?
There is no medical imaging of the disorder, objective tools are lacking. It’s difficult to capture the essence of ADHD. We must turn to research which has highlighted several elements, including chemical disorder, a problem of dopamine and adrenaline. Attentional tests are carried out using an electroencephalogram to study brain waves. But people with anxiety, depression and schizophrenia can also have altered brain waves. To establish a diagnosis, it is necessary to combine other elements and develop a multidisciplinary approach. The electroencephalogram provides clues, but the patient must be studied as a whole.
Do ADHD adults have this disorder since childhood?
The disorder may remain invisible during childhood and then manifest itself in adulthood, because ADHD children compensate through a series of mechanisms and appear to function like others. There are phases of remission, but the disorder persists. It’s a difficult balance between underdiagnosing and overdiagnosing. In the majority of adult cases, the symptoms were there from childhood, even compensated. It is not a disease, but a disorder. What matters is the resulting suffering, which varies from person to person. You have to understand the patient journey.
Is there a treatment?
There is not “one” treatment, there are several. ADHD has a chemical origin, so the treatment protocol addresses this chemical disorder. New lifestyle habits are also adopted, concerning physical activity, sleep, diet… There are psychostimulants, Ritalin, but many patients do not take them and treat themselves differently. Psychologists help people retrain their brain. It’s about setting up routines to promote concentration, for example, or the organization of your time. Each follow-up is personalized, depending on the problems encountered.
It’s also a problem for those around you…
Those around you must be informed to better understand what is happening and adopt a thoughtful attitude. It is not easy to live with people who are hyperactive, impulsive, who forget, who procrastinate… We must prevent a vicious circle from setting in. In addition, since ADHD has a genetic impact, it must be discussed within the family, as other members are likely affected.
Why is ADHD in children better known than that in adults?
It is a disorder that was first described exclusively in children, a long time ago. Medicine only became interested in adults much later. It is difficult to describe this disorder on a lifetime scale. Many people think that ADHD is a childhood problem. The fact that it persists into adulthood has recently been understood. We must also regret a lack of training for health professionals to understand and grasp this disorder. The interest is too recent and doubts remain about its relevance, some are convinced that it is a modern invention…
