Unmasking the Consequences: How Untreated ADHD Persists into Adulthood
It is tempting to think, “So what?” I may… or may not have ADHD. What could be the risk? I can see how tempting this is; it’s certainly not a disease or anything anyone needs to heal from. On the best days, it feels a bit more like the lyrics from Queen: “It’s a kind-a Magic…”.
But let’s get a bit serious for a moment.
What does the reality of unrecognized and untreated ADHD Look like?
For the sake of this personal opinion writing based on the resources I deem helpful and trustworthy, my definition of treatment is:
Going through the stages of “grief,” aka taking the time to go through the phases of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, developing systems/habits in place to support your individual neurodiversity, and talking to a professional whether or not the support of medication should be included.
Cognitive Challenges and F-O-C-U-S
Having ADHD comes with hurdles of different heights for cognitive processes. Ever heard of executive function? What does that mean?
Executive function is the brain's ability to plan, organize, and prioritize tasks. Decide between A B, C, X, Y, and Z. The ADHD brain will juggle them and not know what to choose while adding Potatoes and Oranges to the mix and dropping G, H, I….
Then there is focus: It is not that the ADHD brain lacks focus. No, it likes to pay attention to too many things simultaneously but cannot put on the DND mode and only focus on the one thing that should receive the most attention. So it is like constantly multitasking, except…nothing gets done. However, if you ask the person, they will feel EXHAUSTED because they have applied so much brain energy to direct the focus. Perhaps you can imagine that this becomes particularly challenging in either 1-on-1 meetings, large-scale meetings, or, say…an argument with your significant other, while the kids are making noise in the background and dinner is cooking on the stove, all while the dog wants to go outside because the house is way too loud. If it is too loud for the dog, it is DEFINITELY too much for the ADHD brain.
What is required to make it through the above scenarios? There is something called Working Memory. That is like the RAM on your computer. It is the ability to hold pertinent information for the time required to execute specific tasks. The ADHD brain is more like a Swiss cheese in that category. Something that comes in can leave the brain just like that. Again, this can pose significant obstacles in interpersonal situations, let alone when trying to get something done.
Emotional and Psychological
Take a moment and put yourself in the position of someone with ADHD dealing with the above.
How does that feel?
Not great. That is a pretty stressful, anxiety-inducing way of living because this is ongoing. And now, let’s say decades pass, and this is the default mode. Eventually, even the strongest pressure cooker will blow the lid. And because of the above struggles with executive functioning, there is also a challenge in regulating emotions and stabilizing mood swings. Thus, the 0-60 in a second is more like 0-100, except that the surrounding world has no clue what just occurred. This can have detrimental effects, resulting in feelings of inadequacy and lower self-esteem because, remember, this wasn’t on purpose. If not before, then this is now where knock, knock, depression can show up. It doesn’t feel good when the emotions run wild. As a woman, I can tell you it’s like PMS, except on most days of the month. UGH! The Horror. So now, eventually, even the most extroverted individual will become a hermit. It is easier to stay at home, alone and disengage from the world than to continue to feel exhausted, run-down, and keep up with the masking behaviors to “fix” what is broken.
But I say it now: There is no need to “fix” anything. Individuals with ADHD are not broken, and that certainly includes children with ADHD.
What needs fixing is decades of false information spread through biased studies and, quite frankly, a stark lack of understanding of what ADHD actually is.
Professional/Academic Part of Life
Okay, now that we have covered the pesky emotional and psychological impacts, what comes next? Uii... right: academic and Occupational Environments. How does this even work? It doesn’t. The abovementioned will lead to reduced job performance and the inability to secure that desperately craved achievement.
Additionally, because novelty is ADHD’s middle name, there can be frequent instability or change experiences and job dissatisfaction. Academics are no different. Yes the old phrase “if there is a will, there is a way” holds true; however, only if it is of REAL BIG interest to the ADHD brain; otherwise, good luck. This can result in lower educational attainment and, thus, lower job potential. Oh, and that executive function on planning and organizing won’t support landing that next big goal.
Financial
Next, It’s not all about money, but darn it, it is. None of the above will help with having a clear financial plan and well-developed financial habits. Thus, there is a higher risk of financial instability due to job-related challenges, and due to dopamine-seeking characteristics, there is a very high risk of impulsive spending and economic mismanagement. That long-term planning is pretty much absent. So, let’s skip to the next.
As mentioned above, none is good for social and interpersonal challenges. The risk of social isolation and feelings of never being understood skyrocket. But humans want to feel better, so the risk of seeking risky behaviors and taking in substances to relieve the symptoms of anxiety and/or depression runs very high. And the thing is here, it is not just the sense of being misunderstood.
Individuals with ADHD ARE misunderstood until it is understood what they are up against.
As if daily living isn’t tricky enough, now try to apply all this to maintaining good health and well-being. Remember, this is now present in the aging body, so hello, declining hormones and for women facing peri-and menopause. This all takes consistency, planning, and execution of positive habits. Yet, with untreated and unrecognized ADHD, a healthy level of good health and wellness simply cannot be achieved because the foundation of a custom plan of attack hasn't been made. Even those plans won’t stick because that is the nature of the neurodiverse brain. So, there better be a plan for the plan in place. I’m not kidding. I have a plan for when I abandon all plans.
Now that we have officially arrived at a lower quality of life because of untreated ADHD let us add Legal and Behavioral Consequences to the mix. Oh yeah! The Fun! Because of the chance for impulsivity and risky behaviors, there is a far higher chance of involvement in conflict and legal issues.
Whew…I am going to need a moment:
Click image to get a three hour background soundtrack to support focus.
That’s all!
I will not take up more of your time. Thank you for being here and taking the time to at least skim over what I wrote!
I support the need to test for ADHD regardless of age and to release the stigma once and for all. Seeking out support groups, coaching, therapy, and trustworthy resource websites/books are all part of finding a suitable scaffold for your mind.
My go-to resources: