Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Zenger
Zenger
Health
Zenger News Desk

Study Suggests Only 10 Percent Of Kids With ADHD Can Outgrow It

(Representative image) ADHD manifests itself in adulthood in different ways and the symptoms change over a lifetime (Tara Winstead/Pexels)

Those symptoms look like having a lot of energy in children, such as running around and climbing on things. In adults, it manifests more as verbal impulsivity, difficulty with decision-making, and not thinking before acting. The disorder affects people differently and looks different depending on the phase of someone’s life.

Some people with attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also report a unique ability to hyper-focus. Olympic athletes Michael Phelps and Simone Biles have been open about their attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. While many people may experience symptoms similar to attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is estimated the disorder roughly affects five to ten percent of the population, said Sibley.

This study followed a group of 558 children with attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for 16 years, from 8-years old to 25 years old. The cohort had eight assessments every two years to determine whether they had symptoms of attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The researchers also asked their family members and teachers about their symptoms.

Sibley said the belief that 50 percent of children outgrow attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was first put forward in the mid-1990s. Most studies, she said, only re-connected with the kids one time in adulthood. So, researchers didn’t see that the ADHD they thought had gone away actually does come back.

Researchers have yet to find what causes attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to flare. Sibley said it could be stress, the wrong environment, and not having a healthy lifestyle, proper sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise. Also, if a person is not taking the time to manage symptoms and understand what works best for them, she said the symptoms would probably get more out of control.

Medication and therapy are the two main treatments for attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But, Sibley said, people can pursue their healthy coping skills as well.

Researchers found that most people who technically no longer meet the criteria for ADHD in adulthood still have some traces of attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but they were managing well independently.

“The key is finding a job or a life passion that ADHD does not interfere with,” said Sibley. “You are going to see a lot of creative people have ADHD because they’re able to be successful in their creative endeavors despite having ADHD, whereas people who might be required to do very detail-oriented work at a computer all day, that could be a really hard combination for a person with ADHD,” said Sibley.

Sibley said the time to seek professional help is when the symptoms are causing a problem in your life. This includes not performing your best, issues with other people, having a hard time getting along, difficulty maintaining healthy, long-term relationships with loved ones and friends, and inability to complete basic daily tasks, whether that’s parenting, staying on top of your finances, or just keeping an organized household.

(With inputs from ANI)

Edited by Ojaswin Kathuria and Nikita Nikhil

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.