SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – ADHD is a condition characterized by hyperactivity, trouble focusing, and being easily distracted.
Symptoms often appear first in childhood, but some people don’t receive a diagnosis until they’re older.
7NEWS spoke with a nurse practitioner about treating ADHD in adults.
“ADHD is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” Nurse Practitioner Karen Cooper from Bon Secours.
ADHD typically begins in childhood.
More than 6 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with it, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health.
Cooper said for many ADHD lasts into adulthood.
“In many people, probably greater than 60%, this disorder continues into adulthood,” Cooper said.
Symptoms might look different at older ages…
“Many of the patients that I speak with will continue to complain of feeling perhaps fidgety, restless, jumpy,” Cooper said. “Maybe their leg bounces or they feel like they want to get up in the middle of a meeting and leave their seat, however, they have a little more control so they don’t worry. As a child and they may be a little more jumpy.”
Prescription medication is the mainstay of treatment for ADHD.
“There are two pathways one is the non-stimulants which would be things like Strattera which many people have heard of. Then there are the stimulants. These are the controlled substances which many people have heard of– Adderall, for example, Vyvanse, and Ritalin,” Coper said.
There are some other treatment options for adults.
“The nonpharmacologic treatments primarily would be things like cognitive behavioral therapy by a therapist and also coaching has been found to be very effective,” Cooper said.
Cooper said a combination of medication and therapy is the best way to manage ADHD.
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