Exacerbated ADHD symptoms with age

Recently I have noticed, that my ADHD symptoms get worse and that I get more "quirky". I wondered and thought that especially my bad memory may be because I have Fibromyalgia or because of the last remains of my almost-overcome anxiety disorder or because I had Neuropathia vestibularis 3 years ago or because I maybe had a TGS (Transient global amnesia) last year or because I lived in England in the 1980s and am now developing Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Or perhaps because of all of it all together.

Today I found out it could simply be the changing hormones. I am 47 and have started noticing changes, so why not! 

Overall the articles that I have read state, that there is yet no scientific research on this topic, but some of the information is interesting:

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In an ADDitude survey of nearly 5,000 women with ADHD ... more than 93% said they noticed a difference in the severity of some ADHD symptoms during perimenopause and/or menopause. More than half of survey respondents said the following symptoms had a “life-altering impact” from ages 40 to 59:

• Feelings of overwhelm (73.67%) 
• Brain fog and memory issues (74.32%) 
• Procrastination (65.60%) 
• Time-management difficulties (64.27%) 
• Inattention/distractibility (61.74%)
• Disorganization (60.98%)
• Emotional dysregulation (58.82%)

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From brain fog to emotionality and poor memory to disorganization, the symptoms of ADHD grow markedly worse and largely unmanageable in perimenopause and menopause. Nearly half of ADDitude readers call this the most challenging time of life for them.

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Women almost unanimously report that their ADHD symptoms were most debilitating and life-altering during perimenopause and menopause, when executive dysfunction and emotional dysregulation grew beyond their capacity to manage them effectively.

So here are some of the articles on that issue, that I have read on ADDitude - you might also find them informative:

We Demand Attention on How Perimenopause and Menopause Impact ADHD Symptoms, and Vice Versa

Menopause, Hormones & ADHD: What We Know, What Research is Needed

Perimenopause Problems: How Changing Hormones Exacerbate ADHD Symptoms

Please also take the ADDitude’s ADHD in Menopause survey.

Depression: When It’s More Than a Symptom Of ADHD

Depressed but unsure if it’s the result of your ADHD or something more? Learn what sets reactive and major depression apart, including family history and how quickly your mood shifts, as well as which treatment is best for you.

To most people, depression means feeling blue or down in the dumps. This is an almost universal experience for people with ADHD. At some point in their lives, they feel down due to the frustration and demoralization of trying to fit into a neurotypical world that makes little effort to understand or accept them. Often this is called secondary, or reactive, depression.

It must be emphasized, however, that “reactive depression” is a normal experience and not something that has gone wrong. It is an accurate perception of how hard and frustrating it is to have ADHD, especially if it is not being treated.

This is not how a doctor thinks of depression when he diagnoses a patient. A clinician is trained to see depression as a gradually worsening state in which a person loses energy and the ability to experience pleasure from the things she enjoyed. There is no predictable cause-and-effect relationship between what is going on in a person’s life and her emotional response to those events. A diagnosis of depression means that a person’s moods “have taken on a life of their own, separate from the events of her life and outside her conscious will and control.”

You can read the full article on ADDitude.

The ADHD Subtypes

 By Dr. Neff, who is one of us. Check out her website neurodivergentinsights.com.

What Is Inattentive ADHD (previously called ADD)?

 

Inattentive ADHD (often called ADD) manifests as forgetfulness, disengagement, or distractibility, and can be mistaken for anxiety or a mood disorder in adults. In children, it may resemble a learning disorder. Here, we take an in-depth look at inattentive vs. hyperactive symptoms of ADHD.

Inattentive ADHD (once called ADD) is a subtype of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that often manifests as limited attention span, distractibility, forgetfulness, or procrastination. People with inattentive ADHD make careless mistakes because they have difficulty sustaining focus, following detailed instructions, and organizing tasks and activities. They are easily distracted by external stimuli, and often lose things. They may leave projects unfinished and appear not to listen when you speak. These are all symptoms of Inattentive-Type ADHD; they are not personal defects.

A student with inattentive ADHD may quietly stare out the window while her work goes unfinished; this 'spacey' or 'daydreamy' behavior is overlooked or mischaracterized as laziness or apathy. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of inattentive ADHD are far less likely to be recognized by parents, teachers, and medical professionals, and they rarely get the treatment they need. This leads to academic frustration, apathy, and shame that can last a lifetime.

You can read more about Inattentive ADHD and the symptoms on Additude.

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Understanding The ADHD Inattentive Type on SimplyPsychology.

AD(H)D and anger

Today, I saw that meme on Facebook and wondered that other people also have anger issues. I had forgotten that I had posted about it 12 years ago 😄

It is not a topic that people - neurotypical or neurodivergent alike - usually talk about, and I had never heard before that it can be an issue in neurodivergent people and a symptom of AD(H)D.

So I googled and found those articles that I want to share here:

ADHD Rage and Anger Issues: New Insights into Emotional Dysregulation and Treatment Considerations

Irritability, anger issues, and emotional dysregulation in general contribute significantly to the psychosocial burden of ADHD in children and adults. The latest research suggests that these rage problems are inherent to ADHD and may require specific treatment.

Anger issues stemming from emotional dysregulation – while noticeably missing from diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) – are a fundamental part of the ADHD experience for a significant number of children and adults. Even when controlling for related comorbid conditions, individuals with ADHD experience disproportionate problems with anger, irritability, and managing other emotions. These problems walk in lock step with the general difficulties in self-regulation that characterize ADHD. Recent findings, however, suggest that problems with emotional regulation, including anger and negative emotions, are genetically linked to ADHD, too.

Ultimately, emotional dysregulation is one major reason that ADHD is subjectively difficult to manage, and why it also poses such a high risk for other problems like depression, anxiety, or negative self-medication. Scientific and clinical attention are now increasingly turning to correct the past neglect of this integral aspect of ADHD.

Recognizing this inherent relationship between emotional dysregulation and ADHD is also important when discerning between related and similar conditions, like disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), bipolar disorder, intermittent explosive disorder (IED), depression, anxiety disorders, and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). In all, paying mind to anger issues and emotionality in patients with ADHD is crucial for successful treatment and symptom management in the long term.

Anger Issues and ADHD: Theories & Research

Though separated from ADHD in official nomenclature today, emotional dysregulation and anger were connected to ADHD in the mid-20th century before current diagnostic norms were created, and have continued to form part of personal and clinical experiences. Decades ago, when ADHD was known as “minimal brain dysfunction,” criteria for diagnosis actually included aspects of negative emotionality.

You can read more on Additude.

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You can also find Management Scripts on Additude.

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How ADHD Amplifies Emotions

Emotional dysregulation is a core symptom of ADHD. The result: overblown reactions to small setbacks or challenges. In this video, learn the brain chemistry behind your runaway feelings.

“Emotion regulation is a big part of ADHD that has been traditionally ignored,” says Joel Nigg, Ph.D. “When comparing ADHD brains to those without, we see that the connection between the prefrontal cortex and the reward system has reduced activation, especially in the dorsal part of the prefrontal cortex. This could explain overexcitement, frustration & anger, and inability to respond to delayed rewards.”

More here.

Prefrontal cortex according to English Wikipedia:

This brain region has been implicated in executive functions, such as planning, decision making, working memory, personality expression, moderating social behavior and controlling certain aspects of speech and language. Executive function relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, and social "control" (the ability to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially unacceptable outcomes).

According to German Wikipedia:

The prefrontal cortex receives sensory signals and is correlated with the integration of memory content and emotional evaluations. On this basis, there is a correlational relationship between prefrontal brain activity and action planning.

Calm Your Amygdala Music on YouTube.

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Emotional Instability: A Core Symptom of ADHD?

A new report claims that emotional instability should be listed as a core symptom of ADHD in the DSM, instead of just hyperactivity and inattention.

You can read more on Additude.

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Emotional Regulation: 7 Truths About ADHD Emotions on YouTube.

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ADHD | Emotional Hypersensitivity on YouTube - the tips are good!

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For two decades now I thought my abusive mother and sister had ADHD (while I have ADD), but reading those Symptoms of DMDD, I think, they might (also) have DMDD:

Children with DMDD alternate between extended periods of moodiness and temper outbursts. “It’s a combination of persistently irritable or annoyed mood that hangs on for an unusually long time, usually more than half of the child’s waking hours, and excessive or frequent temper outbursts,” explains James Waxmonsky, MD, division chief, Child Psychiatry at Penn State Health.