Weekly Focus: "5 Dimensions of Adult ADHD and How They Appear in Everyday Behavior"
While working on my revision for my Abnormal Psychology text, I came across fascinating results from a study conducted by Russ Barkley and Kevin Murphy, experts in the field of ADHD. I thought that sharing this test with my readers would provide useful insights into how ADHD can show up in various forms in a person's daily life. I have mixed feelings about the adult ADHD diagnosis. On the one hand, people can over-diagnose themselves far too easily due to the popularity of the concept. Have trouble focusing? Maybe you have ADHD! A bit distractible and easily bored? Surely there's some ADHD causing this. On the other hand, people can show a range of ADHD-like behaviors. One of the advantages of the new DSM-5 that the American Psychiatric Association will publish in 2013 is that it includes more dimensional ratings of behavior rather than just cut-and-dried categories. Also, I think it's helpful for people to be able to find out that there are ways to help overcome their ADHD-like symptoms. You don't have to be stuck with adult ADHD for life.
If you would like more information on adult ADHD, check out the references at the end of the blog posting. You may be able to access them through your local library or college resources.
Weekly Focus Archive:
If you'd like to catch up on previous Weekly Focus entries, just visit the Weekly Focus Archives. You can also check out additional Saturday morning postings on my PsychToday blog that cover up-to-the-minute helpful hints to brighten your weekend!
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