ADHD in an era of distraction: Why are more adults getting diagnosed?

Anthony Rostain, Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Cooper University Health Care and co-author of “The Adult ADHD Tool Kit: Using CBT to Facilitate Coping Inside and Out,” explains that the recent rise in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses among adults may be connected to an increasing awareness and acceptance of mental disorders, compelling many who have suffered in silence to now seek help and get treated.

 “When we look at the rates of ADHD in adults in the United States, we estimate that about 4% of the population of adults has ADHD,” Rostain says. “However, not even a quarter of them have really been assessed or treated. So there's a large number of people out there who were never diagnosed who are discovering it now.”

Moira O’Connell, a BCBA (board certified behavioral analyst) from Massachusetts, shares her experience discovering that she had ADHD as an adult, and what it felt like struggling to stay focused and organized.  

“I can't be organized,” says O’Connell. “My husband would talk to me and I would never listen, which I would just always attribute to, ‘I'm not a multitasker.’ I can't chew gum and walk at the same time, but what it really was was that I was having trouble focusing and attending.”

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