ADHD occurs in adults as well

ADHD occurs in adults as well

The phrase “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),” typically conjures up the image of a hyperactive, underweight boy. Rarely is the first thought of an obese adult; such an image seems counterintuitive, even among physicians. Yet recent studies have demonstrated that some adults with ADHD are obese, and often their treatment for ADHD eases both their ADHD symptoms and their weight problems. Adults with ADHD also often suffer from other medical comorbidities, such as hypertension and fibromyalgia, and many are addicted to tobacco. In addition, sleep disorders frequently occur among adults with ADHD, according to Medscape, the highly renowned authority in all matters medical and even beyond (Medscape CME, September 2009).

The patient with both ADHD and obesity is in a particularly difficult situation. Nearly one third of subjects (32.2%) who were referred to an obesity specialist were subsequently diagnosed with ADHD. Treatment of their ADHD resulted in a weight loss of 15.05 kg; nontreatment of ADHD in the control group resulted in a weight gain of 3.26 kg.

Weight control may be especially difficult in adults with undiagnosed ADHD, who may pay little attention to meal planning and consequently overeat when hungry, impulsively reaching for the nearest microwavable food at home or available at the nearest drive-through facility. In addition, when an adult with undiagnosed ADHD is chided for failing to perform tasks at work or at home, he or she may be prone to seek “comfort food,” and lots of it. Obese adults with ADHD may also have difficulty stopping eating when they are full.

Other conditions associated with adult ADHD are nicotine dependence, hypertension, sleep disorders of diverse types, and so on. All in all, ADHD in adults is a complex disorder that increases in complexity with the presence of several comorbid medical disorders. The potential for some of these comorbidities, such as sleep disorders, smoking, and hypertension is well recognized among psychiatrists and primary care providers alike.

Given such a diverse array of systemic and behavioral causes that lead to ADHD in adults, the most obvious and most natural way of dealing with it should be, not through pharmacological agents that disturb neuro-endocrine and metabolic milieu of the patient, but through retuning the neuronal circuitry with the help of natural products that do it ever so effectively and safely. That is where Charak’s Cognium enters the scene in style and delivers its advantages to the patient in the most reliable and most harmonious manner possible.