Adult ADHD & Chiropractic, part 1
Adult diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are on the rise and represent a growing challenge for both patients and their care team. Up to 65% of children diagnosed with ADHD have on-going symptoms as adults, about 3% of all adults have new symptoms. Additionally, up to 80% of adults with ADHD also report at least one psychiatric comorbidity.1 While most of the same symptoms are present in both childhood ADHD and the adult presentation, adults also report additional symptoms and challenges related to their condition. For example, executive dysfunction is extremely common in adult presentations of ADHD and results in an inability to organize tasks, inability complete complex or difficult tasks, inability to identify mistakes, frequent procrastination, forgetfulness, and inability to establish proper boundaries. Additionally, adult ADHD patients report emotional dysregulation resulting in decreased satisfaction in romantic partnerships, difficulty maintaining friendship, and parenting concerns. These disease traits and associated behaviors can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, struggles in career and education, negative emotional responses in parenting, higher divorce rates, increased risk of injuries and accidents, and decreased overall mortality as compared to the rest of the population.1-4
Chiropractic care has the potential to help both children and adults with ADHD, by allowing the nerve system and brain to work in a more relaxed and focused manner through gentle adjustments, neurological exercises, and dietary modification. 10-11
References:
1. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277175
2. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.16r02000
3. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1555
4. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231158572
10. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1323397/full
