Individuals with ADHD can find that their ADHD has both negative and positive impact on their work.  It is important for employers who know that some of their employees are ADHD not to make sweeping generalizations about individuals with ADHD.  This is because, as we have discussed previously, ADHD workers will display a wide range of behaviors (because some ADHD traits fit some people and not others).

Some common behaviors seen in the workplace for employees (or bosses!) with ADHD include:

   *struggling to sit calmly during meetings

   *getting agitated if they have to sit for a long time

   *rushing through tasks and making careless errors

   *not listening fully to instructions given

   *speaking their mind (and opinions) bluntly

   *starting a lot of projects but needing much structure and encouragement to finish them

   *having difficulty in completing large amounts of paperwork

   *talking quickly (and a lot) and interrupting others

   *going off on tangents during conversations and meetings

   *getting easily distracted while working on long term projects

   *being at risk for wasting a lot of time suring the Internet

   *wanting to chase new exciting ideas (and spend a lot of money on them) when they haven’t fully implemented the last greatest idea.

On the other hand, positive aspects that flow from being ADHD have helped many business people become successful.  These positive, job-enhancing qualities include:

   *being creative, generating a lot of new ideas

   *processing information quickly

   *being energetic and able to work long hours

   *being willing to take risks

   *being able to multi-task and get a lot done in a short period of time.

Many successful entrepreneurs and sales professionals have ADHD characteristics (and many are ADHD).  But they usually have aligned themselves either with a methodical, detail-oriented business partner, or they have a very competent exceutive assistant who keeps them organized, follows up on details, and implements action steps.

In fact, a number of successful business people admit they are ADHD but they don’t want to take medication because their ADHD symptoms “work” for them and they don’t want to lose their “edge”.

Practical Suggestions

A number of good books have been written for ADHD adults in the workplace (ADD on the Job , Delivered from Distraction , ADHD Secrets of Success).  However, let me cite some practical steps that can be taken to help manage ADHD symptoms.  Here are a few I have found to be most helpful for adults with ADHD:

   *utlizie a schedule for your week, but provide “holes” of time to insert sompe spur of the moment meetings or tasks - working with your spontaneity.

   *keep a visual list of your daily priorities in view — on your desk, in your car, on your bathroom mirror.

   *minimize distractors in your workplace.

   *keep a pad of paper where you can write down distracting thoughts (things that come to mind that you need to do, but don’ have to do right now.)

   *put your calls on hold and turn off your cell phone (and shut down your email screen) when you have to focus on a project.

   *have a process established (with other individuals involved) for making major decisions and purchases — and don’t circumvent the process!

   *keep a budget with general categories (a very detail-oriented budget will “blow out” most ADHD individuals and they won’t use it.)

   *schedule your day with breaks and try to involve different settings, moving from place to place, if possible.

   *give your coworkers permission to get you “back on track” during meetings and discussions.

The three largest areas of risk for workers with ADHD that I repeated see are:  1. Getting distracted off task and not completing the most important tasks on time.  2. Making impulsive decisions that come back to haunt them because they didn’t consider all of the implications before “pulling the trigger”.  And 3. Struggling significantly with organizational skills and managing paperwork.

If this is you (or someone you work with), I would strongly encourage you to take proactive steps to deal with these issues before they seriously impact your professional future or the health of the business.

ADD / ADHD, Adult ADD, Adult ADHD

ADHD and our Culture: Overdiagnosis

As a psychologist who has specialized in diagnosing and working with ADHD individuals over the past twenty years, I firmly believe ADHD has been (and still is) over diagnosed — and that medications are used too much.

Having said this, I think it is a mistake to “throw the baby out with the bath water”. That is, just because ADHD is over diagnosed does not mean that ADHD does not exist or that there is no one with ADHD. The issue becomes one of proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment and intervention.

To put the diagnostic issue in perspective, the characteristics of ADHD (like most human characteristics) all exist on a continuum. There are individuals with above average attention span and focus, most have an average amount, and others who are below average.

From a professional’s point of view, the task is to try to determine where on the continuum these characteristics lie for the person being evaluated. With regards to distractibility, are they average (when compared to same-age, same-gender peers)? Below average? Well below average? Is their attention span on the low end of average, where it is a “normal” problem? Or is it a more intense struggle and challenge for them (maybe in the low average range)? Or is it so severe that it significantly interferes with their daily life functioning — and hence, reaches the level of a disorder (the last “D” in ADHD)?

In many ways, determining the level of severity is a judgment call (and, as a result, the diagnosis of ADHD can be highly influenced by the professional’s view of how severe the symptoms need to be to warrant a diagnosis [I tend to be more in the middle to conservative side when compared to some mental health professionals]). However, there are some framing principles to help make the decision.

Severity of Symptoms

The level of impact of ADHD (or ADHD-like) characteristics can be judged by the following issues:

Duration. How long have the symptoms been present?

Number of Symptoms. Does the individual display just a few of the symptoms, a large number, or almost all described?

Intensity. How intense are the symptoms? Are they just “sort of” there, or are they a hallmark characteristic of the person, where you “can’t miss” them?

Frequency. Are they symptoms just present occasionally? Frequently? Virtually constantly?

Impact on Daily Functioning. Are the symptoms creating numerous problems in the person’s life (poor performance at work or school)? Are significant others in the person’s life (spouse, children, boss, co-workers raising concerns about these characteristics and how they are impacting their lives?

Personal Story

I have always been a fairly high energy, socially outgoing, fun-loving kind of guy (more so when I was younger; the responsibilities of adulthood have sobered me somewhat). And I had a pattern of starting a lot of projects, moving from one task to another frequently, and leaving the mess there for someone else to pick up after me. I also had a history of making quick decisions, sometimes not always “thinking through” the longer term risks or consequences. And I am definitely stimulation- and excitement-seeking.

But I alwasy did well in school. I could pay attention in class and concentrate while reading. And I got my work done on time. So over the years, when I would speak on ADHD to parents and educators, my wife, kids and friends would tease me, saying something like, “You know you are ADHD, don’t you?” And I’d laugh and say, “Yea, right. No, I’m really more ADHD-like. I do OK.” And they would roll their eyes or sigh.

Then a few years ago, my wife started pressing me (who do you think wound up cleaning up most of my messes?) She would give me chapters on being married to an ADHD individual and say, “This is my life.” (There is a great chapter in Delivered from Distraction by Ratey and Hallowell.) So, after looking at the characteristics in my life and the struggles they produced, I acquiesced and agreed “this is me”. And I also eventually wound up trying medication.

The change in my life — both behaviorally and my subjective experience — has been dramatic. For me, one of the biggest differences is not feeling “on edge” and agitated most of the time. I am not as driven to be active and “doing something” all of the time (although this characteristic is still there, but to a lesser degree). Secondly, I am less impulsive and more able to not have to make a decision “right now”. This has had a positive impact in my overall decision-making, especially with regards to purchases. Finally, I also sleep better (I can “turn my mind off” and get to sleep.) [I am willing to discuss my personal experience further and answer questions, if that would be helpful.]

Conclusion

So, although my personal experience will certainly create some biases, I do continue to believe ADHD is overdiagnosed in our culture (especially in young boys). But I also believe that it is exists and many ADHD individuals may receive significant help by medication (a number of ADHD individuals manage fine without medication). The real issue is to have a thorough evaluation — often other issues that can create ADHD-like symptoms need to be ruled out (depression, anxiety, learning difficulties).

Next, we will take a look at how ADHD affects individuals performance in the workplace.

ADD / ADHD, Adult ADHD, Diagnosis, Medication