WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:04.000 Welcome. This is Marsha for RADIOI, and today I will 2 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:08.080 be reading National Geographic magazine dated November twenty twenty five, 3 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.560 which is donated by the publisher as a reminder. RADIOI 4 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.560 is a reading service intended for people who are blind 5 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:18.120 or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read 6 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:21.559 printed material. Please join me now for the first article 7 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:28.000 entitled Seeing Life through a Bug's Eyes, A Japanese photographer 8 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:31.320 hacked his camera and revealed a strange and curious scene 9 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:34.600 right under foot. The realm of insects is right in 10 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:38.880 front of our eyes, filled with kaleidoscopic characters flaunting vibrant 11 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:42.280 colors and dramatic action. But it's so minuscule it's easy 12 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:46.359 to miss. That's why it's Several years ago, photographer Takuya 13 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:51.560 Ishiguro began altering his camera, adding a magnifying lens between 14 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:55.000 the sensor and main lens. Such modifications are tricky to 15 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:59.479 pull off because mispositioning any of the components will ruin 16 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:02.359 the image quality. But once he perfected the set up, 17 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:04.959 he was able to capture the tiny but glorious lives 18 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:07.680 of the insects around the lakes and field of his 19 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:11.920 home in Osaka. Japan. The new perspective left him with 20 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:16.560 a deep respect for nature's inventiveness. Ishiguro found that the 21 00:01:16.680 --> 00:01:21.680 invertebrates displayed a remarkable sense of creativity as they harvest food, mated, 22 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:24.480 and burrowed to build their homes. He came to see 23 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.719 insects not as specimens, but as beings that lived together 24 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:33.159 with us. This by Nick Martin next, How ADHD became 25 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:37.799 an adult disorder. Millions of grown ups are now being 26 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.599 diagnosed with what was once thought to be a childhood condition, 27 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:46.840 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. What did health care providers miss 28 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:49.560 and how do you know if you're affected? In the 29 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:53.319 following pages, we explore what science is telling us about 30 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:57.040 how the adult symptoms manifest, what risk factors may be 31 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:01.239 at play, and how one overlooked population women is offering 32 00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:06.680 a new perspective on how this disorder really works, What 33 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:11.719 makes adult ADHD different. Researchers are taking a French look 34 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:14.120 at why symptoms of the disorder seem to shift as 35 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:16.639 we get older and what that means for people already 36 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:20.479 coping with a world of distractions. This by Darryl Austen. 37 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:24.400 The doctors had it wrong for decades. Many psychiatrists believe 38 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:28.759 that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as 39 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:33.080 ADHD might simply outgrow it, but new evidence reveals a 40 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:36.800 different truth. While approximately seven million children in the United 41 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:41.319 States are currently diagnosed with ADHD, a recent survey from 42 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:44.599 the Centers for Disease Control shows that fifteen point five 43 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:48.840 million American adults also have the disorder. In fact, about 44 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:53.039 half of them were diagnosed as adults. Today, researchers recognize 45 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:56.599 that adult ADHD tends to look different because adults are 46 00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:00.000 often better at masking the symptoms. People living with adas 47 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:04.000 HD typically have difficulty paying attention or staying on task. 48 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:09.719 They may feel restless, talk excessively, act impulsively by interrupting others, 49 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.599 or struggle in situations that require waiting their turn. Where 50 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:15.639 a child may not be able to sit calmly in 51 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.360 a classroom and continuously gets out of their seat. An 52 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:23.039 adult may be very impatient at red lights or waiting 53 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:28.439 in grocery store lines, says Jill rosch Weisel, a psychology 54 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:31.680 professor at the University of Maryland Medical Center. And where 55 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:34.840 a child may impatiently raise their hand in class and 56 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:40.719 disrupt the flow, an adult may interrupt others conversations. Then 57 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:43.479 there is the intensity of the reactions to consider, and 58 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:47.639 children and adults alike. Such symptoms can range from very 59 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:52.560 mild to very severe. Rasch Weisl says having ADHD means 60 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:56.919 that a person frequently exhibits these tendencies across multiple situations, 61 00:03:56.960 --> 00:03:59.919 including school, of home, or work, impairing the ability to 62 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:04.759 complete tasks. Craig's Sermon, a physician and psychiatrist who runs 63 00:04:04.759 --> 00:04:10.319 the adult ADHD research program at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains 64 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:14.479 that though the impulsive and hyperactive nature of the disorder 65 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:20.120 usually diminishes in adulthood, the inattentive traits often persist. The 66 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:22.920 growing prevalence in adults is driven in part by greater 67 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:27.399 awareness of the disorder and people with previously missed diagnoses 68 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:32.720 reaching out for help. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning 69 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:36.439 its effects. It affects how the brain develops in functions 70 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:41.399 and is predominantly genetic. Environmental factors or issues during pregnancy 71 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:45.600 may also play a role. Some researchers are now suggesting 72 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:50.120 that our overreliance on technology could exacerbate the disorder or 73 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:53.680 cause similar symptoms. It is legitimate to look at the 74 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:59.839 possibility of acquired attention deficit, says John Rayti, a physician, neurophysici, 75 00:05:00.279 --> 00:05:06.959 neuro psychiatrist, and associative Associate Clinical Professor of psychiatry at 76 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.560 Harvard Medical School. People today are pushed to multitask and 77 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:15.560 are bombarded by constant technological stimulation, which may result in 78 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:19.560 screen addiction. This could potentially lead to a shorter attention span, 79 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:23.519 he says. Although some research has explored the connection, the 80 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:27.360 conclusions aren't definitive. Nearly a decade ago, a study in 81 00:05:27.399 --> 00:05:32.360 Psychology of Addictive Behaviors affirmed that ADHD is associated with 82 00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:36.519 compulsive and excessive use of video games and social media. 83 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:40.600 More recently, in twenty twenty, scientists at the University of California, 84 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:44.399 Los Angeles found that although the majority of research has 85 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:49.279 focused on children and adolescents, the link between extensive screen 86 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:53.120 time and symptoms of ADHD has been found in individuals 87 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:57.920 of any age. To be clear, acquired ADHD is not 88 00:05:58.040 --> 00:06:02.600 an official diagnosis. The connection between technology use and attention 89 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:05.639 problems could also be attributed to the fact that people 90 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:09.279 who are constantly in front of screens have fewer opportunities 91 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:12.360 to allow their brains to rest in their default mode 92 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:15.959 For a long time, the association between ADHD and heavy 93 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:19.360 online use was a chicken and egg question in our field, 94 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:25.319 says Elias Obojuade, a clinical professor at Stanford University School 95 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:29.639 of Medicine. Do people become heavy online consumers because they 96 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:33.720 have ADHD an online life better suits their attention span 97 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:37.519 or do they develop ADHD as a result of excessive 98 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:42.240 online consumption. Both clinical experience and continuing research, he says, 99 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:48.319 increasingly suggest screens are influencing behavior. Some scholars dispute this idea, 100 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:52.879 but Lydia Zelawska, a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota 101 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:58.040 Medical School an author of the Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD, 102 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:03.399 says that are always on smartphone connected culture probably contributes 103 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:07.120 to some people feeling distraction and may worsen pre existing 104 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:12.240 ADHD or train and otherwise non ADHD brain to feel scattered. 105 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:16.519 Factors beyond technology use may also be contributing to or 106 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:22.120 causing ADHD traits in adults. Rady says that hormonal changes 107 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:26.800 relating to menstruation or metapause commonly bring out latent ADHD 108 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:30.680 symptoms in women. Women are one of the most undiagnosed 109 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:35.079 demographics of ADHD and are often given antidepressants and anxiety 110 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:39.120 medication when in reality they are suffering symptoms related to 111 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:44.079 having ADHD. He explains the tendency of ADHD symptoms to 112 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:48.879 overlap with other mental health conditions certainly isn't unique to women. 113 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:54.519 In adults, ADHD rarely travels alone, Zylauska says, and just 114 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:58.759 like a fever, can have different explanations, attention problems can 115 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:02.199 be due to different reasons. She says that factors such 116 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:06.120 as stress, side effects of medication and insufficient sleep can 117 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:10.920 also make focusing difficult. Similarly, other mental or physical health symptoms, 118 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:16.600 she says, including anxiety, depression, sleep apnea, age related cognitive changes, 119 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:23.160 and thyroid problems, may mimic ADHD. Because ADHD often appears 120 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:26.639 alongside other disorders, there is nothing benign about leaving the 121 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.759 condition untreated, says Mark Stein, a psychologist in the ADHD 122 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:35.360 program at Seattle Children's Hospital and professor of psychiatry and 123 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:39.720 behavioral sciences at the University of Washington. My most important 124 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:42.399 piece of advice is to get a good evaluation, he says. 125 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.480 What adults seeking a clinical diagnosis may find, of course, 126 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:50.320 is that the underlying issues have always been there. Psychiatrists 127 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:52.919 often look for symptoms that presented at a young age. 128 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:56.720 The diagnostic cutoff is age twelve, even if they went 129 00:08:56.840 --> 00:08:59.840 largely unnoticed, and they can spot clues by reading the 130 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:03.879 journals or teacher notes, interviewing family members, or listening to 131 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:08.159 a patient's recollection of memories from that time. It may 132 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:11.879 turn out that when parents or teachers fail to recognize symptoms, 133 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:16.039 the child developed workarounds. Some children simply may not struggle 134 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:19.080 enough to prompt concern. It is not uncommon to have 135 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:22.600 an inattentive child that is not disruptive in the classroom 136 00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:28.679 and thus overlooked. Zylowski says fixed schedules, structured activities, and 137 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:31.559 help from parents can also make it easy to overlook 138 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:35.279 symptoms until a person loses such structure and help once 139 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:40.919 becoming an adult. Roch Weissel explains that when ADHD is 140 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:43.519 missed and these children grow up and leave home, they 141 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:46.080 sometimes begin to struggle or notice they have to work 142 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:48.919 two or three times harder to achieve the same level 143 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:52.360 of success as their peers. The good news is that 144 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:56.120 once the disorder has been properly identified, numerous options are 145 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:59.799 available to those seeking help. It's a very treatable condition. 146 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:04.919 After diagnosis, rush By Baisel says, treatments often include medication 147 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:11.000 or therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Speaking with 148 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:15.720 a professional who diagnoses and treats ADHD can determine if 149 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:20.320 medication or non medication therapies may be helpful. ADHD has 150 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:23.559 its challenges, but it also comes with tremendous gifts that 151 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:30.399 include creativity, enthusiasm, curiosity, loyalty, and project oriented focus when 152 00:10:30.440 --> 00:10:34.200 something is of interest, Rady explains, it's about finding the 153 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.480 right job, the right friends, and the right partner to 154 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:39.519 build on the strengths of the ADHD brain to make 155 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:43.879 it sore. How to determine if you're at risk. Scientists 156 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:47.960 are mapping the characteristics that adult with ADHD's share and 157 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:51.840 finding new coping strategies for people living with the disorder. 158 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:57.000 By Rina Goldman and Demi Gul The signs were there, 159 00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:00.159 but subtle. Dustin Chandler never did his homework. He was 160 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.200 labeled lazy at school. Who wasn't until years later when 161 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:06.399 his mother, now working at a pediatric clinic, watched him 162 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:10.360 struggle to renovate his first house, that something clicked. Son, 163 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:12.240 I'm sorry for this, she told him, but you need 164 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:16.399 to go get tested for ADHD. Chandler was officially diagnosed 165 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.559 at twenty five. He learned that the developmental disorder could 166 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:21.720 be passed on to his children, so he and his 167 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:24.600 wife looked for signs in their kids like her father. 168 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:27.799 Their second child, a daughter, seemed to be the quiet, 169 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:32.360 day dreaming type. She enjoyed reading independently since she could 170 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:35.159 go at her own pace, and she excelled when her 171 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:38.559 teacher taught her one on one in elementary school. However, 172 00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:42.080 their concerns increased during a math challenge or students had 173 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:45.320 to solve as many problems as possible within a minute, 174 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:48.200 and she worked too slowly. In second grade, she was 175 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:52.879 diagnosed with ADHD. While doctors and researchers still aren't sure 176 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.039 of the exact cause of the disorder, the predominant theory, 177 00:11:56.159 --> 00:12:00.000 explained Stephen Rush, a professor of psychiatry at the University 178 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.679 of Cincinnati, is primarily genetics and the biology of what's 179 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:06.279 going on in the brain that seems to be associated 180 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:09.000 with it. Studies show that about eighty percent of the 181 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:12.639 time there is a similar genetic component found among people 182 00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:16.240 who have ADHD compared to people who do not have it. 183 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:20.480 Scientists have discovered that people with a disorder experience specific 184 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:29.000 brain chemistry changes as their dopamine and no repinephrine systems 185 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:33.240 are disregulated. These compounds, which are strongly associated with the 186 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:37.440 ability to maintain concentration, seem to become depleted more quickly. 187 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:41.879 Dopamine is in charge of motivation, focus, and reward processing. 188 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:47.639 Francis xavior psychiatrist and medical director at neuro Wellness SPA 189 00:12:47.799 --> 00:12:52.879 in Marine del Rey, California, explains no ropinephrine is in 190 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.039 charge of alertness, attention, and arousal, and these are the 191 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:01.279 two main targets of stimulant medications for ADHD. Genetics also 192 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:03.799 likely plays a role in chemical changes that make it 193 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:08.279 hard for people with ADHD to regulate attention, emotional function, 194 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:14.559 and impulses. Our brains have a pologenic architecture, Rush says, 195 00:13:14.919 --> 00:13:17.159 and what that means is that there are hundreds of 196 00:13:17.159 --> 00:13:21.360 potential genes contributing to small effects. Their interaction and the 197 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:25.200 interaction that these genes have even with the environment, shapes 198 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:29.000 the risk for a diagnosis of ADHD. Recent studies are 199 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:33.200 uncovering more about genes contributing to developing the disorder. An 200 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:38.639 article in Nature Genetics identified numerous genes associated with ADHD, 201 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:42.120 many of which are active with the brains developing. The 202 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:45.600 most recent studies on the genetics of ADHD have identified 203 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:50.600 twenty seven common genetic variants that are associated with having ADHD, 204 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:56.480 says Sandra k Lew, director of Pediatric Neuropsychology and Professor 205 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:01.759 of Psychiatry at UCLA's David Geffen's School of Medicine. Having 206 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:04.120 more of these gene variants is likely to confer a 207 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:08.879 higher risk for having ADHD. The combination of elements contributing 208 00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:12.039 to an individual case of the disorder might be different 209 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:15.720 depending on the person. Genetic expression is highly influenced by 210 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.080 the environment as well as its interaction with other genes. 211 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:24.120 Xavior says, so things like physical, chemical, social, and nutritional 212 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:27.639 influences can vary widely and that can affect the manifestation 213 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:31.159 of ADHD. While Chandler seems to have passed down a 214 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:34.399 paternal link to the condition, researchers are learning that for 215 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:38.000 some people, what happens during pregnancy or shortly after birth 216 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:41.799 may contribute to the condition. There are strong associations with 217 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:46.840 maternal smoking, maternal obesity, preoclamsia during pregnancy in the use 218 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:51.399 of acet of metaphine, Rush says. Although the evidence surrounding 219 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:55.399 acet of metaphine use is still mixed, research published in 220 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:59.120 the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests that an 221 00:14:59.159 --> 00:15:03.039 infection during pregnancy, especially one that causes of fever, is 222 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.240 a risk factor because the mother's immune system to an 223 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:09.879 infection could disrupt the brain development of the fetus. There's 224 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:13.320 also literature that suggests that September is a peak birth 225 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:17.639 month for children diagnosed with ADHD, Savior says, and the 226 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:20.200 idea is that there is a higher risk of prenatal 227 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:24.000 exposure to infection during the first trimester in the winter months, 228 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:27.759 when in fictions are more common. Another theory suggests that 229 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:32.279 the September peak isn't solely correlated with prenatal infection. It 230 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:35.320 may be affected by school enrollment cut off dates, where 231 00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:37.679 children who are young for their grade may be more 232 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:43.320 likely to be diagnosed because of developmental immaturity. Well, there 233 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:46.600 isn't enough research yet to understand the exact influence certain 234 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:50.960 environmental factors have on developing the disorder. There are some 235 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:54.919 strong associations. For example, studies have shown a connection between 236 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:58.679 lead exposure and young children and the emergence of ADHD 237 00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:05.399 symptoms has also associated the prevalence of philates or by 238 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:10.480 biss phenol a b p A chemicals found in plastic 239 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:14.720 consumer products with the condition of the toxins. Exposure to 240 00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:18.720 high levels of lead has been strongly associated with ADHD risk, 241 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:23.200 Lou says, but associations between genetics and our environment still 242 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:26.200 aren't fully understood. There's a whole lot of things that 243 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:29.600 contribute to these brain changes, Rush says, and we call 244 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:33.799 them ADHD because of the symptoms that they cause. For Chandler, 245 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:36.799 understanding the condition has helped his family better navigate their 246 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:39.960 daily life. He currently applies his hands on skills in 247 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.080 his job as a technician and enjoys motorcycling. After their 248 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:47.120 daughter's diagnosis and years of keeping her in the school system, 249 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.840 he and his wife chose homeschooling for their family. Their 250 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:55.000 daughter flourished as it followed her allowed her to go 251 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:57.759 at her own pays. Today, she's a teenager and her 252 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:01.080 favorite subjects are anatomy and biology. She is preparing to 253 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:04.400 begin a welding program, and she shows signs of following 254 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:08.359 in her father's footsteps. She just bought a motorcycle. Whatever culture, 255 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:11.319 wherein we can help to move it forward. Chandler says, 256 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:15.240 to be more accepting of the realities of human nature. Next, 257 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:17.720 why women are the new face of ad h D. 258 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:22.000 Ad h D has traditionally been associated with unruly boys, 259 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:24.880 but to day psychologists are studying the way it impacts 260 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:28.559 women to help evolve our understanding of the disorder. This 261 00:17:28.839 --> 00:17:33.799 by Calin Lynch. At age twenty three, roch Edou was 262 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:37.440 convinced she had dementia. She found herself forgetting birthdays, missing 263 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:40.559 work meetings, and struggling to manage her credit card debt. 264 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:44.400 Her Google searches suggested that she had early onset dementia, 265 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:47.559 which her doctor quickly dismissed. It would take her another 266 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:51.960 four years in the assessments of two psychiatrists before Idou 267 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:56.359 was finally diagnosed with adh D. Suddenly, everything in her 268 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:59.680 life began to make sense, her constant fidgeting as a child, 269 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:03.759 The caffeine fueled all nighters she spent finishing school assignments, 270 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:06.519 and the weeks it took to answer messages from friends. 271 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:10.119 It was a mass of eureka moment. Idoo, now thirty one, 272 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.960 says she has one of millions of women diagnosed with 273 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:17.440 ADHD in adulthood. According to the Centers for Disease Control 274 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:21.200 and Prevention, that number has continued to rise in recent years. 275 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:26.559 Researchers attribute the increase to multiple factors, including greater public awareness, 276 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:31.319 the expansion of telehealth, and the historical underdiagnosis of ADHD 277 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:35.200 in women. The topic has become pretty popular on social media, 278 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:38.480 which has prompted some psychologists to worry that there might 279 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:44.039 be potential for overdiagnosis or people misdiagnosing themselves. A recent 280 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:48.279 national survey by researchers at Ohio State University found twenty 281 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:52.279 five percent of adults now suspect they may have ADHD. 282 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:55.720 Part of the issue may be that people with ADHD 283 00:18:55.880 --> 00:19:01.039 typically fall into one of three categories hyperactive, inattentive, or combined. 284 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:04.799 Girls and women are more likely to have the inattentive presentation, 285 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:09.920 characterized by disorganization, forgetfulness, and struggles with starting and staying 286 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.799 on task. They're more likely to be seen as daydreamers 287 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:16.599 or lost in the clouds, says Julia Scheckter, co director 288 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:19.920 of the Duke's Center for Girls and Women with ADHD 289 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:23.559 at the Duke University School of Medicine. Even girls with 290 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:29.119 hyperactive or combined diagnoses may display their symptoms differently than boys, 291 00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:32.839 such as talking excessively, twirling their hair, or constantly shaking 292 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:37.279 their legs or reacting emotionally. Their symptoms are just as impairing, 293 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:42.160 Scheckter says, but can fly under the radar. Not that 294 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:44.920 long ago. One of the first major attempts to characterize 295 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:49.480 how ADHD appeared in young girls was widely ridiculed. When 296 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:55.279 clinical psychologist Kathleen Nadeau co authored Understanding Girls with ADHD 297 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:58.720 in nineteen ninety nine, the research community still thought of 298 00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:03.119 ADHD almost exclusively as a disorder for boys. We were 299 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:07.559 laughed at during conferences, nado says. They said, We've got 300 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:09.759 these guys that are in the principal's office three times 301 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.200 a week, getting suspended and throwing spitballs, and you've got 302 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:16.599 these quiet girls making honorable grades, and you think they 303 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:20.720 have ADHD. While that attitude has started to change, the 304 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:24.440 overwhelming majority of research on ADHD has been done in 305 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:28.839 boys and men, leading to the hyperactive and disruptive stereotype 306 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:32.599 of people with ADHD. But girls with ADHD may excel 307 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.440 in school though it comes at a different price. They 308 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:37.440 may get an a out of paper, but stay up 309 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:40.920 the night before writing it after being unable to focus 310 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:44.400 for weeks. Girls work very hard to hide their problems. 311 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:46.119 I don't want the teacher to be mad at me, 312 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:50.519 Nido says. Psychologists refer to this as masking, or how 313 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:54.240 individuals who are socialized as females tend to find ways 314 00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:58.920 to compensate for their symptoms because of societal expectations. They 315 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:01.119 have to put in at lease twice the effort of 316 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:04.279 other people if they're determined to do well, Nado says 317 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:09.079 Janop Mowen, thirty three, a postdoctoral scientists at the Howard 318 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:13.279 Hughes Medical Institute, felt trapped in her own exhausting cycle 319 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:17.599 before being diagnosed with ADHD in her late twenties. You 320 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:21.000 can't let people know that your falling apart, Mowen says, 321 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:24.720 like many women who ent your adulthood untreated. Mowen scored 322 00:21:24.759 --> 00:21:26.720 top grades in school and went on to have a 323 00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:31.359 successful career. Still, years of masking her symptoms contributed to 324 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:34.920 her developing mental health and self esteem issues and struggling 325 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:38.920 in personal relationships. Mowen now realizes that her symptoms appeared 326 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:42.240 during childhood, but girls and women are more likely to 327 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:46.279 have their symptoms mistaken for emotional or learning difficulties and 328 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:50.079 are less likely to be referred for assessments. Gender bias 329 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:53.599 also may play a role. In two different studies, researchers 330 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:57.279 found that when teachers are presented with vignettes of children 331 00:21:57.359 --> 00:22:01.480 with ADHD, when the child's names and pronouns were changed 332 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:04.400 from female to male, they were more likely to be 333 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:10.240 recommended for treatment and offered extra support. All these misconceptions 334 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:13.519 mean that girls with ADHD are being overlooked and untreated 335 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:17.160 well into adulthood. As David Goodman, the director of the 336 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:21.200 Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland and a professor 337 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:25.160 of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 338 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:28.720 points out, the ratio of boys to girls with ADHD 339 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:31.839 in childhood is about three to one, while in adults 340 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:35.839 it's about one to one. This suggests that ADHD prevalence 341 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:39.480 is equal across genders, except that women are diagnosed later. 342 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:43.160 Children get diagnosed because they're disruptive and a pain to 343 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:46.759 other people, Goodman says, the adults get diagnosed because they're 344 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:50.640 a pain to themselves. As women move into adulthood, they 345 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:55.359 are societal demands to more actively manage their behaviors and emotions, 346 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:59.000 so symptoms can become even harder to recognize as ADHD 347 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:04.400 or activity may manifest as inner restlessness, inattention may appear 348 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:09.480 as difficulty completing chores or meeting deadlines, and impulsiveness can 349 00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:13.880 manifest as difficulty managing a budget. Despite these challenges, many 350 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:18.640 women with ADHD may appear externally as high achieving perfectionists, 351 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:22.039 but the consequences of a mist or incorrect diagnosis can 352 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:26.880 be severe. Compared with their neurotypical peers, women with ADHD 353 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:30.920 are more likely to have anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and 354 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:35.920 eating disorders. Canadian researchers recently found that adults with ADHD 355 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:39.079 are over five times more likely to attempt suicide than 356 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:41.759 those without it, and nearly one in four women with 357 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:46.599 the disorder reports having attempted suicide, and Danish led research 358 00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:49.319 has revealed that the risk of premature death in women 359 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:52.759 with ADHD was higher than that of men with the disorder, 360 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.440 potentially because of women being less likely to be diagnosed 361 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:59.960 and receive treatment. Even for those who decide to get 362 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:04.680 proper medical evaluation. Finding a skilled provider can be particularly challenging. 363 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:07.839 Psychiatrists get about half a day of training in adult 364 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:13.119 ADHD over three years. Nadau says an assessment can require 365 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:17.319 several sessions to determine if symptoms were present in childhood. 366 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:20.240 My doctor told me she didn't think I had ADHD 367 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:24.880 because I graduated from university and had a job, Bedouze explains. 368 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:28.640 Women are also more likely to have their ADHD symptoms 369 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:34.640 mistaken for anxiety or depression. Mowen spent about twenty years 370 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:39.319 being misdiagnosed with and treated for major depressive disorder and anxiety, 371 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:42.920 only to find her symptoms resolved once she was treated 372 00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:47.200 for ADHD with therapy and medication. She thinks her anxiety 373 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:50.039 and depression were more of a response to the pressure 374 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:53.440 she put on herself to mask symptoms while struggling to 375 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:57.519 keep up. Psychiatrists think, let's treat the anxiety, let's treat 376 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.680 the depression, and when those are better, let's if there 377 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:04.920 really is any ADHD, says Nado, when it should really 378 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:10.079 be the opposite. Meanwhile, social media continues to spread awareness 379 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:13.920 and possibly confusion. When researchers at the University of British 380 00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:17.640 Columbia looked at one hundred most popular TikTok videos about 381 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:21.559 ADHD for a twenty twenty two study. For instance, they 382 00:25:21.559 --> 00:25:24.319 found that about half of what was shared was misleading. 383 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:27.720 This is not a disorder where you lose your keys sometimes, 384 00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:33.119 Scheckter says, when we reduce ADHD to a social media post, 385 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:38.440 that real functional impairment gets lost in the mix. Researchers 386 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:41.839 also emphasize that attention issues brought on by the COVID 387 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:45.440 nineteen pandemic, remote work, and more time spent on social 388 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:49.960 media are not enough to warrant an ADHD diagnosis. Just 389 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:52.319 because you have a hard time working from home, or 390 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:55.000 get distracted by your phone, or can't do your homework 391 00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:58.240 with the TV on does not mean you have ADHD, 392 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:02.599 Scheckter says, looking for this pattern of symptoms and challenges 393 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:07.079 that have been present across time and across settings. Ultimately, 394 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:10.200 Scheckter doesn't think social media posts can lead to women 395 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:14.920 who visit clinicians being diagnosed. The ADHD was always there, 396 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:17.839 She says, we as clinicians are finally catching up and 397 00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:22.279 getting better at diagnosing ADHD in adult women. That said, 398 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:25.240 we still have much work to do for her part, 399 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:29.200 Edo has found that since seeking professional treatment, including a 400 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:32.519 prescription to help with focus, she has gained control of 401 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:36.200