Special Report: Adult ADHD

When Juliet Warhurst of Ashland's son was diagnosed with ADHD, she started reading up on the condition... And was surprised at what she found.

Juliet Warhurst/ADHD
"I said, my gosh, that sounds a lot like me."

Primarily thought of as a children's disorder, new research shows it's common in adults as well. In fact, recent Mass General Studies found at least 50-60 percent of ADHD kids grow up to be ADHD adults.

Dr. Biderman/Mass General
"The majority is undiagnosed. Many people do not know they have ADHD."

Problem is Adult ADHD can manifest itself differently than then in children making it difficult to spot.

Carol Gignoux/ADHD Coach
"Adults don't climb furniture and jump out of their seats and squirm. What they do is they take a lot of bathroom breaks, a lot of water breaks, fool with things where they're sitting at their desks."

And left undiagnosed, it can wreck havoc on a person's work and family life.

Juliet Warhurst/ADHD
"I think it greatly affected my marriage cause basically my husband thought I should be able to keep the house organized, take the kids, do more things with them. And I couldn't."

The world Health Organization has put together a self-screening test to help discover if you have adult ADHD. First, how often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project. Once the challenging part is done? How often do you have difficulty organizing things when you have to do a task that requires organization?

Carol Gignoux/ADHD Coach
"There are often a lot of challenges to being able to communicate, follow through a project. Complete things."

When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started? How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands and feet when you have to sit down for a long time?

Dr. Biderman/Mass General
"Fidgeting, not being able to stay seated"

How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things like you were driven by a motor.

Carol Gignoux/ADHD Coach
"Their body is racing inside and they go with it."

If you've answered often to at least four of these questions experts suggest you talk to your doctor.

Once Juliet recognized her problem she got help through ADHD coaching.

Juliet Warhurst/ADHD
"I'm much more productive than I used to be. I've figured out how to fit things in that didn't fit in before."

Today she's able to manage her symptoms and has turned her life around.

To take your own Adult ADHD Test :