10 Risky Behaviors for Adults with ADD/ADHD

Many people think that ADD/ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are just distracted easily when it comes to performing certain tasks; however there is much more to it than that. Many adults with ADD/ADHD engage in many risky behaviors that are underlying symptoms of their illness. Mental biological factors of the lack of certain neuro-transmitters and low dopamine levels attribute to much of this behavior. Below are ten different risky behaviors that adults with ADD/ADHD have been saddled with from their illness.

Reckless driving- distracted and careless driving is definitely one of the best warning signs for adult ADD/ADHD. If you have had many accidents that you were at fault then you may very well have attention deficit disorder. People with ADD/ADHD are very easily distracted when it comes to driving because they get so bored easily. Texting and talking on cell phones is a major distraction for them as well as the CD player and radio. People with ADD/ADHD tend to multi-task while driving instead of concentrating on the road and traffic ahead. It's as if they have lost time while driving by being distracted by other things. Rubber necking is also a problem; when adults with ADD/ADHD see something off the side of the road or another car on the road that strikes their fancy they tend to be engrossed by it and not pay attention to the driving task at hand. Personally as I struggled with ADD/ADHD growing up as a teenager I had at least 3 accidents before I was 19 yrs. old. Another problem that occurs from being distracted is speeding; forgetting to look at the speedometer and just cruising to your tunes is a sure fire way to get tickets. This isn't the only cause of speeding, another is that people with ADD/ADHD have a tendency to drive impulsively; driving fast to get where you want to be and failing to yield to traffic signs while passing slow moving cars is a sure fire way to rack up tickets. Along with being distracted and impulsive; short patients are also a major factor when driving, people with ADD/ADHD are always in a hurry and they like to move fast so blowing through stop signs and changing red lights is very common for someone with adult ADD/ADHD

Smoking- adults with ADD/ADHD are twice as likely to smoke than people without the disorder. The reasoning is not known, but smoking seems to suppress certain ADD/ADHD symptoms such as anxiety. The problem with smoking is that it may temporarily ease the symptoms of anxious behavior, but adults with ADD/ADHD most often also have underlying OCD's that will make it harder for them to quit smoking; because most of the time adults with the disorder get trapped in routine and changes in behavior are hard to break, especially when self medicating. Nicotine also stimulates the chemical dopamine in the brain which adults with ADD/ADHD have a lack of.

Drinking- adults with ADD/ADHD are five to ten times more likely to become alcoholics than people without the disorder. With impulsive behavior and addictive personalities its easy to see why alcoholism can grab a person with ADD/ADHD; especially when the fact that dopamine is triggered when drinking alcohol, which is the feel good chemical that adults with ADD/ADHD lack.

Substance Abuse- impulsive behavior, peer pressure, and depression are all characteristics that contribute to a person with ADD/ADHD to rely on illegal substances to get through the day. Many people with ADD/ADHD report not feeling "normal" unless they're using. This also goes back to their low levels of dopamine in the brain. Many people with the disorder tend to feel alien in their own body with a sense of de-personalization; so substance abuse in conjunction with an addictive personality can be a very real threat. Many adults with ADD like to go fast and feel good so uppers such as cocaine and Adderall abuse are very common. For people with the hyperactivity side of the disorder downers are very common such as marijuana, anti-anxiety meds, and pain killers. All of these substance abuse events all seem to be directly related to the need for dopamine stimulation.

Depression- depression is very common with adults who suffer from ADD/ADHD because of failures in life related to their illness and low pleasure chemical levels. Many report that they feel like shells of a person with no real vitality. Medications such as Adderall and dopamine reuptake inhibitors like Wellbutrin seem to be very effect in treating ADD/ADHD related depression; while SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Zoloft seem to be much less effective.

Impulsive behavior- this is just one of the many traits of ADD/ADHD. When something instantly seems like a good idea for a moment, most people with the disorder will just "do it" without effectively measuring out the consequences of their actions. This is why the legal system is flooded with many people who suffer from ADD/ADHD. Young people with ADD/ADHD are twice as likely to commit theft at some point in their lives and have a 50% higher rate of selling illegal drugs. For many un-medicated people with ADD/ADHD it can be very hard to hold down a steady job with their concentration problems so using and selling drugs is an easy answer to some.

Temper- the frustration of ADD/ADHD can be overbearing at times. Problems trying to read and absorb information as well as frustrations in "figuring something out" can cause tempers to flair. Problems on the home front when a person with ADD/ADHD makes a failing or poor decision can cause anger problems with spouses and family members. Also, adults that are medicated for their ADD/ADHD with the use of stimulants also have a greater risk of agitation and anger issues if they have been medicated for an extended amount of time.

Distraction and loss of thought- this is probably the chief complaint for adults suffering from ADD/ADHD is the lack of concentration. It affects relationships, work, and family time. This is probably the leading cause of adults with the disorder making mistakes at work and getting fired among all of their behavior problems. This also causes problems in relationships because one with ADD/ADHD can easily get distracted in mid conversation and may come across as not caring or being bored with the other person or persons.

Skewed perception- many adults with ADD/ADHD seem to have a slightly warped perception on how the world is. Many have unrealistic expectations of what the real world should bring them. This can cause problems in social circles and interpersonal relationships. Depression can also result from this highly unrealistic yet creative form of thinking with anger and frustration for things not being the way they should.

Lack of confidence- this is probably the second biggest chief complaint is the fear of not being able to perform a certain task or duty that creates an overwhelming sense of inferiority. Sometimes people with ADD/ADHD have problems getting or maintain good jobs so this tends to put a damper on their confidence in social circles. When attempting to figure something out or learn something new the distractibility factor will rear its ugly head and create quite a headache that only fuels a person with the disorder's lack of confidence.

Source:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2006/11/16/does-adhd-make-people-smoke/414.html

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/news/20031014/adhd-alcoholism-linked

http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/whathap/UBNRP/Dopamine/alcoholtobac.html

http://news.health.com/2009/10/19/childhood-adhd-linked-criminal-behavior-in-adults/