An Unexpected New Diagnosis in Older Adults: ADHD

Older adults are beginning to receive more diagnoses of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although doctors do not think this reflects actual growth, reports the Wall Street Journal . They instead speculate that many seniors have had ADHD throughout their lives and only now are getting diagnosed. Many were able to manage symptoms earlier, but face new difficulties as they age — or they simply realized they had the disorder after a younger relative received a diagnosis. A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry estimated the ADHD prevalence rate in people older than 50 at 3 percent, versus roughly 8 percent in U.S. children and about 4.5 percent in adults younger than 45. Not only do ADHD symptoms in seniors closely resemble age-related ailments, but the standard stimulant treatment for the disorder can elevate heart rate and blood pressure in older men and women. Some seniors with ADHD may mistakenly be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. A study in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders found that cognitive behavioral therapy could effectively help older adults with ADHD.