Early Diagnosis Helps Adult AD/HD Sufferers (NAPSA)—The sooner people know they have Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)— a disorder that can affect your personal and professional life— the better. Fortunately, a screening tool will makeit easier for people to get the help they need whenit can do the most good. Based on a survey of 503 adults conducted online this spring, over half of the adults diagnosed with AD/HD in childhood and not treated wish they were treated in childhood. Seventy-one percent of all patients surveyed agreed that they wish they had received better treatment for their symptomsearlier in their lives, according to results from a new survey by the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and Eli Lilly and Company. “AD/HDis a disorder that can have serious effects on the personal lives and careers of those affected,” says Michele Novotni, PhD, CEO of ADDA, the world’s leading adult AD/HD organization. Survey results suggest four out of five adults with AD/HD believed that the disorder has held them back from achieving long-term and short-term goals and/or from pursuing their dreams. Adults with AD/HD also reported the disorder: Affected their ability to initiate and maintain romantic relation- ships in one way or another (77 percent) Affected their educational achievement(64 percent) Negatively affected their ability to succeed in the workplace (64 percent) Madeit difficult for them to follow through on things (85 percent). Experts believe four percent of adults in the United States, more than eight million people, have the wie Many adults with AD/HD wish they had received a diagnosis and treatmentearlier in their lives. disorder. Most (80 percent) of adults with AD/HD don’t even know they have it. “Adults with undiagnosed AD/HDoften struggle with poor self-esteem,” says Dr. Novotni. “That’s why it’s so important for adults with AD/HD and their families to know that this is a real disorder that can be treated.” The majority of people who answered survey questions said their life improved after they found out they had AD/HD. Of those patients, many felt better about themselves in general. Adults diagnosed with AD/HD often recommend that people who think they might have the disorder should get tested and/or seek professional help. Lenard Adler, M.D., director of the Adult AD/HD Program at New York University School of Medi- cine, teamed up with other AD/HD experts and the World Health Organization to develop a tool to screen for adult AD/HD, the Adult AD/HDSelf-Report Scale. The self-screening tool is designed to reveal the likelihood of the adult disorder and determine whether further evaluation is needed. If you think you or a loved one may have AD/HD, log on to www.adultadd.com or www.add. org to learn more about adult AD/HDorto take a self-screener.
