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Can you Live a Normal Life with Adult ADHD?

Post author By oDoc
Post date கார்த்திகை 10, 2022

Can you Live a Normal Life with Adult ADHD?

Post Views: 855

Life is falling apart; you can’t meet deadlines, attend social events or focus on the simplest tasks.

In other words, you feel like you can’t function like a “normal” person.

You may have adult ADHD. It directly translates to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It’s a mental health condition that may get in the way of how your brain functions and result in hyperactivity, impulsive behavior and low attention span.

In Sri Lanka, adult ADHD is largely misunderstood, undermined and completely ignored. ADHD is only viewed as something that causes hyperactivity in kids.

Well, that’s MORE to it.

Therefore, we are going to go cover:

How common is Adult ADHD?
Adult ADHD symptoms
What causes Adult ADHD?
Adult ADHD diagnosis & treatment
What is Sri Lanka doing wrong?
Being normal with Adult ADHD

How Common is Adult ADHD?

Every adult with ADHD had it as a child. While some kids outgrow ADHD, about 60% of them continue to have it as an adult.

According to a 2021 study, globally around 6% of adults showed ADHD symptoms in 2020.

Many sources have confirmed that only a fraction of them have been diagnosed or treated across all cultures and countries.

So, how do you know you have it? Let’s find out.

Adult ADHD Symptoms

There are 3 types of ADHD, some may have one, two or a combination.

Inattention

Forgetfulness
Difficulty staying focused during conversations
Difficulty paying attention to detail
Easily distracted
Trouble staying organized
Not being able focus and commit to relationships
Terrible with time management

Impulsivity [the ability act without thinking]

Always interrupt others
Tendency to blurt out things at the wrong time and place
Prone to dangerous risks
Mood swings

Hyperactivity

Walk or move around aimlessly
Difficulty staying in one place
Excessive fidgeting and talking
பதற்றம்
Hyperfocus: The opposite of being distracted
Shifts from one task to another without completing any of it.

Quick fact: Almost everyone has the above symptoms. These are linked to adult ADHD, only if they occur repeatedly and get in the way of your daily life.

What Causes Adult ADHD?

Actually, nobody really knows it.

BUT, The Centers For Diseases Control and Prevention confirms that usually genetics is how attention-deficit hyperactivity is passed on. Around 3 out 4 diagnosed children have a relative with ADHD.

Other risk factors for causing ADHD are:

A concerning brain condition
Tobacco use, stress and alcohol consumption during pregnancy
Preterm birth
low birth weight
A low intake of nutrients such as magnesium, folate, zinc, or polyunsaturated acids

Adult ADHD Diagnosis & Treatment

If you begin to show any adult ADHD symptoms, consult your doctor. Using the oDoc app, you could reach out to the country’s leading practitioners very easily.

The doctors may do a physical examination, run a few tests and most importantly, will check for the below.

Adult ADHD symptoms
The time and place they started
The impact of these symptoms on your day-to-day
A family history of ADHD
Any other health concerns or recent life events like a divorce in the family

It’s not possible to get rid of ADHD and you don’t have to. All you need to do is manage it.

Your doctor will work with you using a combination of medications, skill training and counseling.

People lead very happy, healthy lives with ADHD.

What is Sri Lanka Doing Wrong?

We stumbled across a Reddit user who shared an experience of a psychiatrist dismissing adult ADHD saying, ‘everyone feels like they have ADHD’.

If you ever experience adult ADHD symptoms and someone brushes it off, ignore them and not the symptoms.

In Sri Lanka, overlooking ADHD is very common and that is the root of all obstacles staying in the way of leading better lives.

Secondly, hyperactivity and other adult ADHD symptoms are seen as mental illness. It’s merely a psychiatric diagnosis/condition. University of Jayewardenepura Faculty of Medical Sciences Department of Psychiatry senior lecturer and Colombo South Teaching Hospital Kalubowila honorary consultant psychiatrist Dr. Dulshika Waas confirms this.

Being Normal With ADHD

You can be having attention deficit hyperactivity and still be normal. It’s just a condition. It doesn’t make you any less.

It’s one of the many obstacles people face.

If at all, it makes you extraordinary. Think of all the high-spirited and spontaneous energy you bring to this world.

Get the best out of this by keeping it at bay with prescribed doable treatments and counseling. Your first step is to consult your doctor for a quick diagnosis via oDoc today!

Sources

WebMD
NHS UK
MayoClinic

Can you Live a Normal Life with Adult ADHD?

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Blog Article Featured

Pedal Power: Health Benefits of Cycling

Post author By oDoc
Post date ஆடி 12, 2022
Pedal Power: Health Benefits of Cycling இல் பின்னூட்டங்கள் ஏதுமில்லை

Pedal Power: Health Benefits of Cycling

Post Views: 2,079

In a state where public transport has also been limited, and bus ticket prices have risen exponentially, the lack of transport options has made daily commuting and travelling during emergency situations increasingly difficult. As a result, walking and cycling have become almost the only choice for many Sri Lankans.

Cycling is a low-impact aerobic exercise that offers a wealth of benefits. It is a great exercise that keeps you moving and helps establish a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle.

1. Cycling can help you lose weight

Cycling is a great aerobic workout that burns calories and helps people lose weight and belly fat. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. Depending on your intensity and weight, cycling can burn between 400 and 1000 calories each hour.

Body parts that are exercised, targeted, toned, and used while cycling

Foot: Ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexors
Arms: Triceps and biceps
Shoulders: Deltoids
Calf: Gastrocnemius and soleus
Buttocks or Gluts: Gluteus minimus, gluteus maximus, and gluteus medius
Thigh: Quadriceps and hamstrings

2. Cycling boosts mental health and brain power

Cycling can ease feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety as it may help take your focus away from the mental chatter of your day. When cycling, concentrating on the road or your cadence might help you improve your attention span and awareness of the present moment. Here are a few ways cycling could boost your positive mental health.

It improves your mood. Cycling increases blood flow throughout your body, allowing endorphins and other feel-good chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin to spread quickly.
It promotes positive mental health. Exercise is known to have significant effects on self-esteem, sadness, anxiety, and stress. Still, cycling has been identified as one of the most beneficial exercises for the head and heart.
It helps you sleep better. Regular riding helps synchronise your circadian rhythm and can help to reduce levels of stress hormones that can make proper regenerative, deep sleep difficult.
Improves your memory. Riding a bike helps build new brain cells responsible for memory.
Improves creative thinking. The regular, uniform movement of cycling relaxes the brain, stabilising both physical and mental functions.
Cycling promotes new thought patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. You can use it as a type of meditation and a great way to “zone out.”

3. Cycling improves balance, posture, and coordination

As you stabilise your body and keep your bike upright, you’ll improve your overall balance, coordination, and gait.

Maintaining balance is important because it tends to deteriorate with age and inactivity. Therefore, enhancing your balance can help lower your risk of injury and keep you off the sidelines by preventing falls and fractures.

4. Cycling can reduce the risk of heart diseases

Regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs and circulation, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases such as strokes, high blood pressure and heart attacks.

Cycling also helps your cardiac muscles become more robust and lowers your resting pulse and blood fat levels.Additionally, research shows that people who cycle to work have a lung function that is two to three times better than those who commute by car.

Drawbacks of cycling and safety

Cycling has a few disadvantages to consider, and these primarily relate to cycling outside, which involves factors beyond your control.

There could always be a risk of an accident, whether in an urban or rural area. Hence,

Obey the law at all times. Even if you have the right of way, exercise caution when passing through crossroads and crowded locations. Invest in a good helmet and any other necessary safety equipment.
Avoid wearing any loose clothing that could get caught in your bike chains.
Unfavourable weather might also be a barrier. So, invest in rain and cold weather gear and have a backup transportation plan for when conditions are unsafe for riding.
For extended daytime rides, use sunscreen on all exposed skin.
Take a break if you experience pain, fatigue, or muscle soreness.
If you have any cycling-related injuries, staying off the bike is best until you fully recover.

The bottom line

Given the current situation in Sri Lanka, cycling to your destination may seem like the only option. However, just play it safe and use caution when necessary, especially on busy roads or during unfavourable weather.

If you have any injuries or need clarification regarding conditions that cycling may affect, speak to a general practitioner or a physician via the oDoc app.

Sources

15 benefits of cycling: why cycling is great for fitness, legs and mind, Cycling Weekly (2022).
12 Benefits of Cycling, Plus Safety Tips, Healthline (2021).
Cycling – health benefits, Better Health (2021).