Dementia or ADHD

You can’t remember the word for, what is it? You bake with it, use it to scrape out the bowl. Damn, the mixing bowl is dirty, got to wash that. Do I have enough eggs? What was I looking for again? The thingie, the, oh hell who is texting now? 30 min later, the word ‘spatula’ pops in your head. You’ve noticed that regular words, everyday words, names you should know escape you. You are more forgetful about errands. You get sidetracked more easily than normal. You are also over the age of 50. Secretly you begin to worry if you are seeing early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Or, are you one of many adults that are dealing with ADHD? What are your chances that you will be diagnosed with ADHD? Not very good and this is why.

Prodromal dementia or MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and older adult ADHD can mirror each other with their symptoms. Both can produce an inability to pay attention or make the effort to pay attention very trying. Not dealing with getting the holidays sorted? Organizational skills can suffer as well as the ability to multi-task making your annual Christmas party that much harder to plan. What was I saying? Oh yes, forgetfulness is also a symptom for both ADHD and MCI. Add in stress that is bringing your anxiety to an all- time high along with possible feelings of self -doubt that are making you feel depressed. These feelings are shared symptoms of MCI and ADHD. If you decide to go to your doctor with how you are feeling, you may end up being diagnosed for something you don’t have. The reason why? MCI and ADHD can be harder to distinguish between the other in older patients who may have undiagnosed ADHD.

Currently, in the US, 1 in 20 children are diagnosed with ADHD and this is what is bringing the problem of being misdiagnosed with dementia to the forefront. As more people have children and grandchildren that are diagnosed with ADHD, the more people are concluding that they may have ADHD. Yet neurologists that are specialized in adult ADHD are very few. This makes it harder to find one that has the experience to differentiate between MCI and ADHD. But as more and more people over the age of 50 are being seen and diagnosed with ADHD, there are more neurologists that are making connections, doing more research, and becoming more knowledgeable in the growing area of Adult ADHD.

If you are worried that you might be showing signs of MCI or Prodromal dementia, please check with your doctor. If you suspect that you may be one of the growing population of undiagnosed ADHD adults, discuss this with your doctor and look for a neurologist that specializes in ADHD. It could save you from being mistakenly diagnosed with dementia.

Footnote: I went back online to do more research to add to the article. What I found was a bit disturbing to me. In my google searches, there were more hits on articles about Adult ADHD possibly leading to dementia, not more senior adults are being diagnosed with ADHD, which is a better diagnosis than dementia. This is important to me as I am very quickly approaching the ‘senior’ status. I want people to know that there is the possibility of misdiagnosis! Senior adults with ADHD can be helped and remain independent but they must be able to find a doctor and a family member or friend that will listen. It is important to be an advocate for yourself and your loved ones especially in an area that is just now coming to the forefront. Go in armed with questions and don’t leave without answers, even if it is an honest “I don’t know”. Get on the internet and search. Empower yourself to become a better you!

I have included links to the articles containing the information presented.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5540971/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20cognitive%20symptoms,in%20patients%20over%20age%2050.

https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/its-not-a-senior-moment-its-adhd/

https://www.beingpatient.com/adhd-in-older-adults/