- What do you wish all men knew about having ADHD?

ADHD is much more common in men than women. While adhd first begins in childhood, many men today weren’t diagnosed as children. Most boys with ADHD will continue to have symptoms into adulthood.

ADHD increases your risk for many things such as self-esteem problems, anxiety, depression, car accidents not finishing secondary school or university, divorce, and being fired from a job.  However, treating ADHD with medication and a therapist will reduces all of these risks.

What are some misconceptions about ADHD?

           Most commonly, people confuse having ADHD with being dumb or lazy. This isn’t true. People with adhd struggle to get motivated to do things that are detail oriented and require many steps. Getting treatment can improve their ability to do this time consuming repetitive tasks. Further, people with ADHD are able to hyper focus on things they find VERY interesting and accomplish a lot in a short period of time. This is often the ADHD superpower. When channeled well---these adhd men can often start their own companies and be very successful.

What is your advice if someone suspects that they have ADHD?

           ADHD is a clinical diagnose. There are no definitive tests for it. It is based on a history of having problems with attention, impulse control, and regulation of one’s body and emotions. These problems should be present in multiple areas---such as school, work, personal or family life. The struggles are also present early in life---generally before age 12.

If you someone thinks they have ADHD, they should see a psychiatrist or other mental health professional to be diagnosed. There are many effective treatments for adhd which improve people’s quality of life by reducing the negative impact of their ADHD diagnosis

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