Have you ever experienced severe sensitivity to rejection, impulsiveness, issues with time management, disorganization, trouble regulating your emotions, or difficulty sitting still?
If you do, you may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
You’re not alone. Around 366.33 million people worldwide are considered to be ADHDers, which is approximately 5% of the worldwide population.
These ADHD individuals can experience one of the three main types of ADHD.
Each of them differs in the traits they display.
If you are experiencing the traits of ADHD, you can see a Canada ADHD therapist for support.
What is ADHD?
ADHD, also known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts brain development.
“Neuro” means nerves. There are key differences in the brains, neural networks, and neurotransmitters associated with ADHD.
It is also a neurodivergent condition, which means that an individual's brain and functioning diverge.
There are differences in the way in which ADHDers navigate the world.
Due to these differences, ADHD can cause executive functioning dysfunction, which involves issues with the areas of the brain that control emotions, thoughts, and actions.
Impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness are common traits that ADHDers display. It can make it difficult to sit still, manage your time, focus, regulate your mood, stay organized, and follow directions.
Children are usually diagnosed with ADHD, but many adults seek out an ADHD diagnosis due to being misdiagnosed or undiagnosed as a child.
This is especially true for women, especially trans individuals and BIPOC, who were less likely to be included in early research studies on ADHD.
What is the Prevalence of ADHD?
ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental condition in children. As previously mentioned, about 5% of the population worldwide has ADHD.
The prevalence will vary depending on the type of ADHD and the country.
The Canadian Centre for ADHD Awareness suggests that the following are true regarding ADHD in Canada:
ADHD impacts between 5 and 7% of youth.
It also impacts between 4 and 6% of adults.
This means that about 1.8 million Canadians are diagnosed with ADHD.
Boys and children assigned male at birth (AMAB) are also twice as likely as girls and children assigned female at birth (AFAB) to receive a diagnosis of ADHD.
This doesn’t necessarily mean boys and children AMAB are more likely to have ADHD.
There could be a variety of other explanations for this, including the fact that boys are more likely to present with hyperactive traits and are therefore more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as a youth.
ADHD Symptoms
The main signs of ADHD revolve around the three main types of ADHD, which include impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness.
These signs will differ from person to person based on the subtype a person is presenting with.
When your healthcare provider diagnoses you, it will be based on a marked impairment in at least two areas of your life and symptoms over the past six months.
Common ADHD symptoms include:
Impulsivity
Poor time management
Disorganization
Struggles with prioritization
Trouble focusing on a task
Restlessness
Inability to sit still
Low frustration tolerance
Sensory overload
Severe emotional or physical responses to rejection
Trouble sticking to a task
Not all of these symptoms will be externally visible to you. Someone may hide their symptoms or may not even notice you’ve got ADHD unless it interferes with your daily life.
In addition, some people may have fewer symptoms as they age, while adults may be more likely to struggle with self-esteem issues.
Types of ADHD
There are three main types of ADHD, which include hyperactive-impulsive ADHD, inattentive ADHD, and combined-type ADHD.
All of these differ in the symptoms that are predominantly displayed by a person with the condition.
Primarily inattentive ADHD
Inattentiveness is the main trait displayed by inattentive ADHDers, with no impulsive or hyperactive traits.
Some examples of primarily inattentive traits include:
Trouble paying attention to details
Making careless mistakes
Trouble following instructions
Daydreaming
Issues with staying focused on a task
Disorganization
Task avoidance for tasks that require continuous focus
Frequently losing things
Getting easily distracted
Not listening when spoken to
Primarily impulsive-hyperactive ADHD
Impulsiveness and hyperactivity traits are predominantly displayed by impulsive-hyperactive ADHDers, with no inattentive traits.
Some examples of primarily impulsive-hyperactive traits include:
Stimming-repetitive movements to calm distress
Frequent fidgeting
Leaving your seat to walk around frequently when you are supposed to remain seated
Talking too much
Blurting out answers
Trouble waiting your turn
Interrupting people when they are talking
Being on the go or in constant motion
Primarily Combined-Type ADHD
A mix of inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactive traits are present in combined-type ADHDers.
Combined-type ADHDers would need to display criteria for a diagnosis of both the hyperactive-impulsive type and the inattentive type of ADHD to be diagnosed with combined-type ADHD.
ADHD comorbidities
Comorbidity is a term used to refer to two conditions occurring at the same time in the same person.
In terms of ADHD, it frequently co-occurs with a variety of mental health, medical, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Roughly 60–70% of adults with ADHD have a comorbid condition.
Bee Kind Counselling has mental health professionals who can support you with these comorbidities.
Some of the most common comorbidities include the following:
Conduct disorder
Conduct disorder is a condition where individuals display frequent patterns of aggression towards others and violations of social norms and the laws of society.
It is demonstrated that 30%-50% of children with ADHD also fulfill the criteria for conduct disorder, or ODD (Eskander, 2020).
Mood disorders
Common mood disorders that co-occur with ADHD include depression and bipolar disorders, though other mood disorders can also be comorbid with ADHD.
The rate of depression in youth with ADHD is five times higher than for youth without ADHD. It ranges from 12% to 50%. (Angold et al., 1999).
ADHD and mood disorders appear to create some sort of loop with one another, whereby depressive symptoms can exacerbate ADHD traits and vice versa.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are a common mental health condition among ADHDers. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms in ADHD patients ranges from 15% to 35%. (Busch, 2002)
Just like with mood disorders, anxiety and ADHD can create a loop with each other. Anxiety can exacerbate ADHD traits, and vice versa.
Learning Disabilities
A learning disability involves a condition that impairs some aspect of perceiving, thinking, remembering, or learning.
Many learning disabilities exist, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and more.
The co-morbidity rate of learning disabilities with ADHD ranges based on the type of learning disabilities.
Reports on the co-morbidity rate range from 10% to 92% (Biederman, 1995).
Canada ADHD Therapist
There is no one universal treatment method for ADHD, and treatment will vary based on your needs. Therapy can take place virtually or in person
Bee Kind Counselling has a Canada ADHD therapist who will support you with your ADHD symptoms using a variety of therapy modalities.
These include dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, mindfulness, and positive psychology.
Regardless of the therapy modality used, the purpose of ADHD therapy is to provide the individual with a safe environment to navigate your ADHD challenges while simultaneously recognizing your strengths.
ADHD is not viewed as a deficit or something to be fixed, but rather as a difference in the way your brain interacts with the world.
In this case, the therapist will provide you with tools so you can learn how to structure your environment to fit your neurodivergent brain.
Book a Free Consultation with Bee Kind Counselling
Are you reading this blog and thinking that you may be an ADHDer?
Do you feel you may benefit from ADHD therapy?
If you want to start your journey in therapy and you feel like Bee Kind Counselling may be a potential fit for you, you can book a free 15-minute consultation with a Canada ADHD therapist by emailing admin@beekindcounselling.com, calling 519-757-7842 ext. 1, or booking through the website below.
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