ADHD has an estimated childhood prevalence of 4% to 7% with increasing evidence pointing to its continuation into adulthood with an adult population of 2.5% with symptoms that disrupt daily functioning like academic achievement, job performance, and social relationships. As many as 80% of adults with ADHD additionally have at least one coexisting psychiatric condition, which can include mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, learning disorders, and sleep disorders. Despite controversy, the bulk of evidence suggests that ADHD remains under-recognized and undertreated in the adult population. This has a significant impact on how others view your young adult as he launches into a world of adult expectations. You see, typical people on the outside looking at the daily life of your young adult’s interactions, habits, and general behavior patterns, develop conclusions and make judgments about your young adult. They don’t see or understand the “Why” behind how ADHD shows up for him or her and the complexities that come with a coexisting diagnosis. This has implications! Whether fair or unfair, people evaluate, develop conclusions, and form judgments about what they observe and experience with your young adult. How ADHD shows up may look peculiar, lazy, inattentive, or impulsive. If you add to that real-world struggles with depression, anxiety, medicating behaviors, and learning disorders, daily life can become extremely complicated and overwhelming. That’s why your young adult deserves the available support.

Let’s talk about depression. When someone has ADHD depression is either primary or secondary. If depression is primary, then it is a completely separate condition from ADHD with no internal or external events that ignite feelings of sadness and despair, and typically includes a family history. Primary depression requires treatment and attention from a physician to reduce its impact, so that realistic outcomes may be defined and achieved. If depression is secondary to ADHD, then we are talking about prior events your young adult has experienced due to years of low self-esteem, frustration, or discouragement because of living with ADHD that often occurs with young adults whose ADHD wasn’t recognized, acknowledged, and treated when they were younger. The young adult has come to accept beliefs like they aren’t good enough, lazy, and irresponsible, and avoid situations at all costs that ignite the strong negative emotions he or she experiences when a situation is defined by the negative belief. Those strong negative emotions in relation to symptoms of depression are the feelings of worthlessness and despair that come along with depression and squashes motivation. It takes treatment from a physician and support from a professional who can assist your young adult with sorting through and navigating the complexities that come with ADHD and secondary depression. A life coach may assist your young adult with achieving realistic goals.

Let’s talk about anxiety. Anxiety and ADHD walk together. Specifically, the risk for anxiety disorders is higher in individuals living with ADHD with rates approaching 50% compared to the general population. The young adult tends to experience more social phobias and panic disorder. Symptoms are experienced with more severity earlier in life and substance use more than those who do not have coexisting ADHD. This goes to say that your young adult faces adversity with their daily functioning as they engage an adult world with adult expectations through experiences that make it doubly hard to access the part of the brain where completing complex tasks, problem-solving, and regulating mood is significantly challenged by the anxiety that goes with their ADHD. This is why it’s no surprise to me when your young adult panics and retreats to the proverbial basement and hides attached to what is familiar and safe. Treatment starts with a physician and adds to that treatment a life coach who can begin creating the safe environment required, so that teaching and progress for your young adult may occur.

Substance use or dependency is twice as common in individuals living with ADHD particularly, alcohol, nicotine, and drugs. Other risks come with how individuals attempt to manage their ADHD symptoms based on neurobiological factors that are novelty-seeking or self-medicating in nature. These behaviors are impulsive and excessive and may include eating, use of electronic devices, adrenaline-inducing experiences, and risk-taking behaviors. Think of it like a typical young adult drinking from a garden hose while a young adult with ADHD is drinking from a fire hose. It’s a part of having, for example, an under-stimulated mind that seeks to be stimulated. That means the young adult will seek whatever quantity of what they need for whatever amount of time it takes to continuously keep the pleasure chemicals in the brain going in an attempt to focus, settle down restlessness, or soothe residual emotional pain associated with negative experiences. Seeking the help of a physician and, in some cases, an addiction specialist, may be necessary when a substance use disorder is diagnosed. It’s otherwise beneficial for your young adult living with ADHD to add the support of a life coach who can assist with exploring creative ways to access the pleasure centers of the brain responsibly so that daily life is more functional.

ADHD is not a learning disorder, but it does make learning challenging. That said, learning disabilities may coexist with ADHD. It’s crucial that your young adult is seen by a physician and testing occurs to determine if a learning disorder coexists. Specifically, it’s crucial to understand that a learning disorder doesn’t define intelligence but explains a discrepancy between a person’s achievements and potential. For example, dyslexia affects language processing, making reading, writing, speaking, and understanding words are more challenging. It doesn’t define intelligence, but it can get in the way of achieving what an individual may otherwise do unless support is available to your young adult. A Life Coach who understands the complexities of learning disabilities in relation to ADHD can work with your young adult to identify creative approaches to learning, so the young adult may better demonstrate the intelligence they possess.

Just as you’ve seen ADHD overlap with learning disorders, it’s equally important to note that sleep disorders often coexist with ADHD, adding another layer to the complexity of managing this condition. Implementing good sleep practices can significantly improve the quality of rest for your young adult. These practices, such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a comfortable sleep environment, and reducing screen time before bed is beneficial because it helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. This is particularly important in ADHD, as the consistent struggle to fall or stay asleep can lead to circadian rhythm disruptions, essentially throwing off the body’s internal clock. Individuals with ADHD, particularly children, may experience more restless nights, nightmares, and daytime sleepiness. These sleep disruptions can make ADHD symptoms occur more frequently and with greater severity. It’s crucial that a physician’s consultation occurs and any treatment recommended should be followed to ensure that added professional help from a life coach may support your young adult more realistically.

We all want to give our young adults living with ADHD the best start in life. As a caregiver or professional serving others, it’s crucial to identify coexisting conditions, so that your young adult is getting the best-targeted support for how their ADHD shows up.

For those looking to empower young adults with ADHD through dedicated coaching and support, explore our ADHD Coaching services to learn how we can assist. Click the connect button below to schedule a call with Steve Gundy today.

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