Find a therapist to help with ADHD

ADHD symptoms can be broken down into 9 categories.

Some categories are not fully represented in the diagnostic criteria.

Other categories are not represented at all in diagnostic criteria.

Broadening the diagnostic criteria with patient lived experiences could make for better intervention.

ADHD is often characterized as having two, or in some cases three, big families of symptoms: Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Often, hyperactive and impulsive symptoms are banded together.

A new qualitative study confirms what research has been showing for years: More categories of symptoms can define ADHD, and not all of them are in the DSM. Using a thematic analysis on adults with ADHD, a new study identified nine categories of symptoms people with ADHD experience. Among those, we feature the original triad mentioned in the DSM: inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity. But the six others are only mentioned in passing or not at all. Here they are:

Disorganisation is about struggling to do things in order, or to keep things in order. In children, this could manifest as lost homework, or poorly-kept notes. In adults, this could be a difficulty keeping a tidy home, losing things easily, or struggling to plan, which impacts more than just the physical space, and could be detrimental to work and one's professional career. For patients, disorganisation is often accompanied by strong feelings of overwhelm. While........

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