The effects of ADHD in adulthood

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) isn’t just a childhood issue— it persists into adulthood, affecting millions worldwide. Let’s delve deeper into this complex condition and explore its impact on adults. Together, we will look at treatments and tools to encourage productivity.

The Science Behind ADHD

ADHD involves structural and functional differences in the brain. Neurotransmitters like dopamine play a crucial role in attention regulation. Another contributor is your genetics. ADHD tends to run in families. There are also environmental factors to consider.

The Three Faces of ADHD

First, we have the Inattentive Type (ADD). This type will struggle with forgetfulness, disorganization, and will get lost in daydreams. Next, we have the Hyperactive-impulsive Type. This is the restless, impulsive, filter less type that can’t seem to sit still. Lastly, we have the Combined Type — it’s the blend of distractedness and hyperactivity.

Fleeting Focus

Those with ADHD struggle to focus. Focusing on mundane tasks feels like herding cats. To be successful and productive it helps to break tasks into smaller chunks. Using tools such as planners, sticky notes, and timers can set them up for success. Structured routines have been proven to help those who are struggling. Amid the whirlwind of thoughts, mindfulness offers an anchor.

Impulsive Decisions

Impulsivity, a pillar of ADHD, manifests as spontaneous actions without consideration of the consequences. What is the science behind impulsiveness? It is linked to the “happy” hormones, Dopamine and Serotonin. Dopamine is the motivational coach, urging action. Serotonin is the Zen monk, signaling contentment and restraint. ADHD causes the delicate levels of Dopamine and Serotonin to become imbalanced, leading to procrastination and indecision letting impulsive thoughts take center stage.

The Time Warp

Those that struggle with ADHD have a different perception of time. Minutes can feel like hours when their thoughts are distracted. Hours can fly by once they are hyper focused on a project. New ideas can capture their full attention causing them to be enveloped by them.

Hyperfocus Heights

Now, it’s important to recognize that not all aspects of ADHD are bad or should be looked at negatively. Those with ADHD have an astounding capability to hyperfocus on subjects and problems. When they honein on this superpower they can leverage the hyperactivity to achieve productivity. The difficulty presents itself in finding the balance between intense concentration and the difficulty of focusing on the task at hand.

Rapid-fire Emotions

People diagnosed with ADHD often experience intense emotions. They can fall victim to emotional dysregulation which includes outbursts, frustration, and heightened stress. This imbalance affects relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. While ADHD isn’t a mood disorder, its impact on emotions is significant. Seeking professional guidance and practicing coping techniques can make the emotional journey more manageable.

Treatment Options

ADHD can be managed with various treatment options. Let’s quickly look at a couple of options. Medication is widely available and used to help manage symptoms of ADHD. There are two different types of medications that are prescribed; stimulants such as Adderall and non-stimulant medications like Wellbutrin. However, medication isn’t always for everyone. Another treatment one might pursue is Behavioral Therapy. Structured counseling can help manage behavior and improve thinking patterns.

Other treatments include the application of many behavioral strategies, adjusting lifestyle and routines. These strategies may incorporate time management techniques, organizational skills, a healthy diet, avoiding sugary treats and caffeine, and adopting an exercise regimen.

It’s important to work with your primary care physician to develop an individualized plan that works best for you. It’s possible to reach your goals of productivity. Haxtun Health works alongside individuals that may be struggling to get where they want to be in their health journey. We want to help you reach your optimal wellness. Schedule a time to visit with one of our trusted providers today by calling 970-7746187. Appointments are available in Fleming and Haxtun.

A process of taking patients’ own cells and reprogramming them to fight cancer has been a last-ditch option for blood cancer patients when nothing else worked, but a new study underway in Aurora is trying to determine whether more patients could benefit from trying the procedure sooner.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, known as CAR-T, is a type of immunotherapy that involves taking cells from the patient’s body and altering them to attack cancerous cells that have specific proteins on their surfaces. The patient then gets the altered cells by infusion.

A study at University of Colorado’s Gates Institute on the Anschutz Medical Campus is looking at CART in adult patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, whose first round of chemotherapy either failed or gave a disappointing response that suggests it won’t work for long, executive director Dr. Terry Fry said. (The institute is named for rubber manufacturer Charles C. Gates.)

This specific study is looking for safety and will have preliminary results next year. Assuming it doesn’t find any problems, a larger study would test if patients do better when receiving CAR-T rather than another round of chemotherapy, Fry said.

When a cancer therapy is new and carries unknown risks, typically the first patients who receive it are those who are out of other options, Fry said. If it works well and doesn’t cause unacceptable side effects for patients whose cancer resisted treatment, then researchers start looking into whether offering it earlier could make sense, he said.

“When we see something is successful, we forget that someone had to be that first patient” and take risks, he said.

Generally, people with the type of leukemia CU is studying have two options: chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant, both of which can be grueling, Fry said. The advantage of CART, when it works, is that the patient only has to take it once, he said.

“It can be advantageous to take a single treatment, get on with their life and have done with it,” he said.

While nothing is certain, people who don’t go into remission after being treated with chemotherapy often don’t do much better with another round, so if studies find that giving them CART earlier is effective, that could spare them another round of ineffective treatment, he said.

“The current (drug) label requires us to force that patient to get another line of treatment so they can relapse, and then we can give them a CAR,” he said.

Immunotherapy carries its own risks, including secondary cancers, and a small number of patients have developed lymphoma after treatment with CART for another blood cancer. Right now, it appears that developing lymphoma after CAR-T is “extremely rare,” and no one is sure if the CAR-T caused it or if the patients’ previous chemotherapy did, Fry said.

T cells are the part of the immune system that kills infected cells. In CART, they’re altered to recognize and attack cells with selected proteins on their surfaces. Certain types of leukemia and lymphoma are relatively easy targets for CAR-T, Fry said. Study by CU Anschutz’s Gates Institute looking at use of CAR-T in adult patients with blood cancer