I'm Constantly Distracted: Do I Have ADHD?

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder doesn’t just affect kids; it affects adults, too, taking a toll on work, relationships, and many other aspects of life. Here’s how ADHD is diagnosed and how we can help you manage stubborn symptoms.

Many people think attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that only affects kids and teens, but plenty of adults suffer from ADHD and its symptoms, too. In fact, recent research estimates that ADHD affects about 500 million adults globally.

Like its name implies, ADHD makes it hard to pay attention and stay focused. If you find yourself easily or chronically distracted, you might be wondering if that means you have ADHD, too.

At Revival Infusion Madison, certified registered nurse anesthetist Sarah Wilczewski, CRNA, APNP, helps people with ADHD manage their symptoms with ketamine infusion therapy, an innovative treatment that helps modulate the way your brain responds to certain chemical stimuli. In this post, you’ll learn the key criteria that determine if a person has ADHD to help you decide when it’s time to seek a diagnosis.

Diagnosing ADHD

Being distracted is just one symptom of ADHD. In fact, ADHD causes a variety of symptoms, and keeping track of the symptoms you’re experiencing can aid in your diagnosis. Some of the most common symptoms include:

Problems concentrating or focusing
Being disorganized
Losing track of items frequently
Missing appointments
Getting sidetracked easily
Impulsivity
Getting frustrated easily
Problems completing tasks
Poor time management skills
Problems managing stress

Keeping track of your symptoms is important, but it’s just one way clinicians diagnose ADHD. To make a diagnosis, you need to meet other criteria as well.

For instance, it’s not enough to have symptoms; these symptoms must be so prevalent and pervasive that they routinely interfere with your daily life. Symptoms need to be present in more than one setting, and they must not be attributable to another underlying problem, like a mood disorder or anxiety disorder.

Other causes of distraction

While distraction is a symptom of ADHD, other problems can cause it, too. Depression is often associated with problems concentrating or focusing, and some anxiety disorders can also cause distractedness.

Poor sleep and chronic stress are other possible causes. During your initial evaluation, these issues will be considered before making a diagnosis of ADHD.

Interestingly, many people with ADHD also have depression or anxiety. It’s important to treat all disorders in order to achieve symptom relief and improve your quality of life.

Ketamine for ADHD

ADHD is usually treated with a combination of medication and therapy. Unfortunately, for some people, therapy doesn’t resolve symptoms or make them manageable. But there is some good news: In recent years, ketamine has emerged as a potential therapy for people with ADHD — particularly those for whom other therapies have fallen short.

Traditionally used as an anesthetic, ketamine has gained a lot of attention in recent years as an effective therapy for people with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can also be a good option for relieving ADHD symptoms that don’t respond to other therapies.

Ketamine infusion therapy delivers ketamine through an IV. Once administered, ketamine affects the way your brain responds to glutamate, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in mood. While the specific mechanism of action isn’t completely understood, researchers believe ketamine helps regulate nerve signaling in your brain while promoting the growth of new neural connections.

If you have ADHD and treatment isn’t helping you relieve your symptoms, ketamine infusion might be a good choice for you. To learn more, call 608-405-6824 or book an appointment online with the team at Revival Infusion Madison in Fitchburg, Wisconsin today.