How Does ADHD Change As We Age Into Adulthood?

What you need to know

• ADHD symptoms tend to decrease as people age into and through adulthood
• While ADHD becomes less common in older adults, it is significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated in this population
• Different ways of defining ADHD (symptomatic vs. persistent) show similar declining patterns with age

Understanding ADHD Across the Lifespan

Most of us know someone with ADHD - a child who struggles to sit still in class, or an adult who has difficulty staying organized at work. While ADHD is often thought of as a childhood condition, it can persist into adulthood and affect people throughout their lives. But how does ADHD change as we age? This question has important implications for how we identify and support people with ADHD across different life stages.

The Research Findings

The researchers analyzed data from over 35,000 adults ranging from 18 to 91 years old. They looked at ADHD in three different ways:

• Symptomatic ADHD: Having enough current symptoms to meet diagnostic criteria
• Persistent ADHD: Having current symptoms plus a history of ADHD symptoms before age 18
• Persistent ADHD with impairment: Having both current and childhood symptoms that significantly impact daily life

In all three categories, they found that ADHD becomes less common as people age. For example:

• Among 18-24 year olds, about 15.5% showed symptomatic ADHD
• This dropped to around 10.9% for those aged 40-44
• By age 60+, only about 4.3% showed symptomatic ADHD symptoms

Why Does ADHD Decrease with Age?

Several factors may contribute to this decline:

• Natural maturation of the brain and development of coping strategies
• Different life demands and environments that may better accommodate ADHD traits
• Possible issues with older adults accurately remembering childhood symptoms
• Changes in how ADHD presents in later life that might make it harder to recognize

The Recognition Gap

One crucial finding is that while ADHD does become less common with age, it’s still much more prevalent than current diagnosis rates suggest. Studies show that very few older adults are diagnosed with or treated for ADHD, even though the research indicates that about 1-4% of people over 60 may have significant ADHD symptoms.

What This Means for You

If you’re an adult with ADHD or suspect you might have it:

• Know that symptoms may naturally decrease over time, but this varies by individual
• Don’t hesitate to seek evaluation at any age - ADHD can and should be treated in older adults
• Consider how your ADHD symptoms might change as you age and adjust coping strategies accordingly
• Be aware that memory of childhood symptoms might be less reliable as you age

For healthcare providers and family members:

• Remember that ADHD can persist into later life and should be considered when older adults present with attention or organization difficulties
• Look for age-appropriate manifestations of ADHD symptoms
• Consider how ADHD might interact with other age-related conditions

Conclusions

• ADHD symptoms typically decrease across adulthood, but don’t disappear completely
• The condition is significantly undertreated in older adults despite affecting 1-4% of the elderly population
• More attention needs to be paid to identifying and supporting ADHD in older adults