Surrey, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/07/2013 -- ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as its otherwise known is thought to affect an estimated four per cent of adults, yet only one in ten is ever diagnosed. Some of the symptoms in adults include struggling to get to work on time or focusing on their career. Experts believe that it’s undiagnosed in adulthood because the symptoms aren’t so easy to spot.

Adults suffering with ADHD who have been untreated or misdiagnosed often blame themselves for not achieving certain goals in life Dr. Timothy Bilkey, a psychiatrist and author told CTV news. ADHD suffers are often easily distracted or have chronic problems which could easily go unnoticed.

The symptoms can be more subtle but characteristically they are known by three behaviours including time management behaviour, procrastination and distractibility.

While Bilkey believes that 80 per cent of ADHD cases can be attributed to factors such as genetics, if children are diagnosed then more than half will continue to see ADHD symptoms into adulthood.

The result is that adults will put the blame on themselves when they can’t reach their personal or professional goals. “If you’re a little bit forgetful, if you’re a procrastinator, it’s too easy for people to say, ‘Just try harder’. So chronically, over time, it impacts self-esteem,” Bilkey goes on to say.

While medication is often used, there is a variety of non-drug treatments available and this includes self-help tactics and cognitive mind therapy techniques.

Dr Adam Osborne is a psychiatrist that specialises in adult ADHD treatment. He says “ When I used to work in a child and adolescent ADHD clinic I was really quite amazed at how effective the treatments were in many of our patients.” Dr Adam Osborne now specialises in the treatment of adults with ADHD and says “Now I see patients who have often suffered from these chronic symptoms of difficulty focussing and paying attention, fidgeting and being generally restless or hyperactive, and behaving in an impulsive manner which some sufferers find very hard to control.” Dr Osborne goes onto say “In adulthood ADHD sufferers typically present with difficulties at work and they find it very hard to start and/or finish projects and often have great difficulty organising their lives and remembering appointments.”

Dr Adam Osborne says “We need to work with local mental health trusts and primary care to raise awareness of adult ADHD because it is potentially a very treatable condition which if undiagnosed and untreated can often effects drastic negative outcomes in the lives of sufferers.” Dr Osborne goes onto say that “When untreated the symptoms of adult ADHD can really hold people back from living their lives to the full and can cause problems in multiple domains of life including work life, social life and family life.

One final word from Dr Adam Osborne is, “The important thing for adults who think that they might have ADHD to realise is that it’s never to late to seek a diagnosis and get treatment.”

About Dr Osborne
Dr Osborne is currently working as part of a multi-disciplinary Primary Care Mental Health Team in one of London’s busiest boroughs and is an Approved Clinician under section 12 of the Mental Health Act (1983) and is therefore recognised as a medically qualified doctor who has specific expertise in mental disorder and has additionally received training in the application of the Act.

Media Contact:
Adam Osborne
dradamosborne@gmail.com
Surrey
http://www.adamosborneuk.com/