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right under foot. The realm of insects is right in front of our eyes, filled with kaleidoscopic characters flaunting vibrant colors and dramatic action. But it's so minuscule it's easy to miss. That's why it's Several years ago, photographer Takuya Ishiguro began altering his camera, adding a magnifying lens between the sensor and main lens. Such modifications are tricky to pull off because mispositioning any of the components will ruin

the image quality. But once he perfected the set up, he was able to capture the tiny but glorious lives of the insects around the lakes and field of his home in Osaka. Japan. The new perspective left him with a deep respect for nature's inventiveness. Ishiguro found that the invertebrates displayed a remarkable sense of creativity as they harvest food, mated, and burrowed to build their homes. He came to see insects not as specimens, but as beings that lived together

with us. This by Nick Martin next, How ADHD became an adult disorder. Millions of grown ups are now being diagnosed with what was once thought to be a childhood condition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. What did health care providers miss

and how do you know if you're affected? In the following pages, we explore what science is telling us about how the adult symptoms manifest, what risk factors may be at play, and how one overlooked population women is offering a new perspective on how this disorder really works, What makes adult ADHD different. Researchers are taking a French look at why symptoms of the disorder seem to shift as we get older and what that means for people already

coping with a world of distractions. This by Darryl Austen. The doctors had it wrong for decades. Many psychiatrists believe that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD might simply outgrow it, but new evidence reveals a different truth. While approximately seven million children in the United States are currently diagnosed with ADHD, a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control shows that fifteen point five

million American adults also have the disorder. In fact, about half of them were diagnosed as adults. Today, researchers recognize that adult ADHD tends to look different because adults are often better at masking the symptoms. People living with adas HD typically have difficulty paying attention or staying on task. They may feel restless, talk excessively, act impulsively by interrupting others,

or struggle in situations that require waiting their turn. Where a child may not be able to sit calmly in a classroom and continuously gets out of their seat. An adult may be very impatient at red lights or waiting in grocery store lines, says Jill rosch Weisel, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland Medical Center. And where a child may impatiently raise their hand in class and

disrupt the flow, an adult may interrupt others conversations. Then there is the intensity of the reactions to consider, and children and adults alike. Such symptoms can range from very mild to very severe. Rasch Weisl says having ADHD means that a person frequently exhibits these tendencies across multiple situations, including school, of home, or work, impairing the ability to

complete tasks. Craig's Sermon, a physician and psychiatrist who runs the adult ADHD research program at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains that though the impulsive and hyperactive nature of the disorder usually diminishes in adulthood, the inattentive traits often persist. The growing prevalence in adults is driven in part by greater awareness of the disorder and people with previously missed diagnoses reaching out for help. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning

its effects. It affects how the brain develops in functions and is predominantly genetic. Environmental factors or issues during pregnancy may also play a role. Some researchers are now suggesting that our overreliance on technology could exacerbate the disorder or cause similar symptoms. It is legitimate to look at the possibility of acquired attention deficit, says John Rayti, a physician, neurophysici, neuro psychiatrist, and associative Associate Clinical Professor of psychiatry at

Harvard Medical School. People today are pushed to multitask and are bombarded by constant technological stimulation, which may result in screen addiction. This could potentially lead to a shorter attention span, he says. Although some research has explored the connection, the conclusions aren't definitive. Nearly a decade ago, a study in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors affirmed that ADHD is associated with compulsive and excessive use of video games and social media.

More recently, in twenty twenty, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles found that although the majority of research has focused on children and adolescents, the link between extensive screen time and symptoms of ADHD has been found in individuals of any age. To be clear, acquired ADHD is not

an official diagnosis. The connection between technology use and attention problems could also be attributed to the fact that people who are constantly in front of screens have fewer opportunities to allow their brains to rest in their default mode For a long time, the association between ADHD and heavy online use was a chicken and egg question in our field, says Elias Obojuade, a clinical professor at Stanford University School

of Medicine. Do people become heavy online consumers because they have ADHD an online life better suits their attention span or do they develop ADHD as a result of excessive online consumption. Both clinical experience and continuing research, he says,

increasingly suggest screens are influencing behavior. Some scholars dispute this idea, but Lydia Zelawska, a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota Medical School an author of the Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD, says that are always on smartphone connected culture probably contributes to some people feeling distraction and may worsen pre existing ADHD or train and otherwise non ADHD brain to feel scattered. Factors beyond technology use may also be contributing to or

causing ADHD traits in adults. Rady says that hormonal changes relating to menstruation or metapause commonly bring out latent ADHD symptoms in women. Women are one of the most undiagnosed demographics of ADHD and are often given antidepressants and anxiety medication when in reality they are suffering symptoms related to having ADHD. He explains the tendency of ADHD symptoms to overlap with other mental health conditions certainly isn't unique to women.

In adults, ADHD rarely travels alone, Zylauska says, and just like a fever, can have different explanations, attention problems can be due to different reasons. She says that factors such as stress, side effects of medication and insufficient sleep can also make focusing difficult. Similarly, other mental or physical health symptoms, she says, including anxiety, depression, sleep apnea, age related cognitive changes,

and thyroid problems, may mimic ADHD. Because ADHD often appears alongside other disorders, there is nothing benign about leaving the condition untreated, says Mark Stein, a psychologist in the ADHD program at Seattle Children's Hospital and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington. My most important piece of advice is to get a good evaluation, he says. What adults seeking a clinical diagnosis may find, of course,

is that the underlying issues have always been there. Psychiatrists often look for symptoms that presented at a young age. The diagnostic cutoff is age twelve, even if they went largely unnoticed, and they can spot clues by reading the journals or teacher notes, interviewing family members, or listening to a patient's recollection of memories from that time. It may turn out that when parents or teachers fail to recognize symptoms,

the child developed workarounds. Some children simply may not struggle enough to prompt concern. It is not uncommon to have an inattentive child that is not disruptive in the classroom and thus overlooked. Zylowski says fixed schedules, structured activities, and help from parents can also make it easy to overlook symptoms until a person loses such structure and help once

becoming an adult. Roch Weissel explains that when ADHD is missed and these children grow up and leave home, they sometimes begin to struggle or notice they have to work two or three times harder to achieve the same level of success as their peers. The good news is that once the disorder has been properly identified, numerous options are available to those seeking help. It's a very treatable condition. After diagnosis, rush By Baisel says, treatments often include medication

or therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Speaking with a professional who diagnoses and treats ADHD can determine if

medication or non medication therapies may be helpful. ADHD has its challenges, but it also comes with tremendous gifts that include creativity, enthusiasm, curiosity, loyalty, and project oriented focus when something is of interest, Rady explains, it's about finding the right job, the right friends, and the right partner to build on the strengths of the ADHD brain to make

it sore. How to determine if you're at risk. Scientists are mapping the characteristics that adult with ADHD's share and finding new coping strategies for people living with the disorder. By Rina Goldman and Demi Gul The signs were there, but subtle. Dustin Chandler never did his homework. He was labeled lazy at school. Who wasn't until years later when his mother, now working at a pediatric clinic, watched him

struggle to renovate his first house, that something clicked. Son, I'm sorry for this, she told him, but you need to go get tested for ADHD. Chandler was officially diagnosed at twenty five. He learned that the developmental disorder could be passed on to his children, so he and his wife looked for signs in their kids like her father. Their second child, a daughter, seemed to be the quiet,

day dreaming type. She enjoyed reading independently since she could go at her own pace, and she excelled when her teacher taught her one on one in elementary school. However, their concerns increased during a math challenge or students had to solve as many problems as possible within a minute, and she worked too slowly. In second grade, she was

diagnosed with ADHD. While doctors and researchers still aren't sure of the exact cause of the disorder, the predominant theory, explained Stephen Rush, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, is primarily genetics and the biology of what's going on in the brain that seems to be associated with it. Studies show that about eighty percent of the time there is a similar genetic component found among people who have ADHD compared to people who do not have it.

Scientists have discovered that people with a disorder experience specific brain chemistry changes as their dopamine and no repinephrine systems are disregulated. These compounds, which are strongly associated with the ability to maintain concentration, seem to become depleted more quickly. Dopamine is in charge of motivation, focus, and reward processing.

Francis xavior psychiatrist and medical director at neuro Wellness SPA in Marine del Rey, California, explains no ropinephrine is in charge of alertness, attention, and arousal, and these are the two main targets of stimulant medications for ADHD. Genetics also likely plays a role in chemical changes that make it hard for people with ADHD to regulate attention, emotional function, and impulses. Our brains have a pologenic architecture, Rush says, and what that means is that there are hundreds of

potential genes contributing to small effects. Their interaction and the interaction that these genes have even with the environment, shapes the risk for a diagnosis of ADHD. Recent studies are uncovering more about genes contributing to developing the disorder. An article in Nature Genetics identified numerous genes associated with ADHD,

many of which are active with the brains developing. The most recent studies on the genetics of ADHD have identified twenty seven common genetic variants that are associated with having ADHD, says Sandra k Lew, director of Pediatric Neuropsychology and Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA's David Geffen's School of Medicine. Having more of these gene variants is likely to confer a

higher risk for having ADHD. The combination of elements contributing to an individual case of the disorder might be different depending on the person. Genetic expression is highly influenced by the environment as well as its interaction with other genes. Xavior says, so things like physical, chemical, social, and nutritional influences can vary widely and that can affect the manifestation

of ADHD. While Chandler seems to have passed down a paternal link to the condition, researchers are learning that for some people, what happens during pregnancy or shortly after birth may contribute to the condition. There are strong associations with maternal smoking, maternal obesity, preoclamsia during pregnancy in the use

of acet of metaphine, Rush says. Although the evidence surrounding acet of metaphine use is still mixed, research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests that an infection during pregnancy, especially one that causes of fever, is a risk factor because the mother's immune system to an

infection could disrupt the brain development of the fetus. There's also literature that suggests that September is a peak birth month for children diagnosed with ADHD, Savior says, and the idea is that there is a higher risk of prenatal exposure to infection during the first trimester in the winter months, when in fictions are more common. Another theory suggests that

the September peak isn't solely correlated with prenatal infection. It may be affected by school enrollment cut off dates, where children who are young for their grade may be more likely to be diagnosed because of developmental immaturity. Well, there isn't enough research yet to understand the exact influence certain environmental factors have on developing the disorder. There are some

strong associations. For example, studies have shown a connection between lead exposure and young children and the emergence of ADHD symptoms has also associated the prevalence of philates or by biss phenol a b p A chemicals found in plastic consumer products with the condition of the toxins. Exposure to high levels of lead has been strongly associated with ADHD risk, Lou says, but associations between genetics and our environment still

aren't fully understood. There's a whole lot of things that contribute to these brain changes, Rush says, and we call them ADHD because of the symptoms that they cause. For Chandler, understanding the condition has helped his family better navigate their daily life. He currently applies his hands on skills in his job as a technician and enjoys motorcycling. After their daughter's diagnosis and years of keeping her in the school system,

he and his wife chose homeschooling for their family. Their daughter flourished as it followed her allowed her to go at her own pays. Today, she's a teenager and her favorite subjects are anatomy and biology. She is preparing to begin a welding program, and she shows signs of following in her father's footsteps. She just bought a motorcycle. Whatever culture, wherein we can help to move it forward. Chandler says,

to be more accepting of the realities of human nature. Next, why women are the new face of ad h D. Ad h D has traditionally been associated with unruly boys, but to day psychologists are studying the way it impacts women to help evolve our understanding of the disorder. This by Calin Lynch. At age twenty three, roch Edou was convinced she had dementia. She found herself forgetting birthdays, missing work meetings, and struggling to manage her credit card debt.

Her Google searches suggested that she had early onset dementia, which her doctor quickly dismissed. It would take her another four years in the assessments of two psychiatrists before Idou was finally diagnosed with adh D. Suddenly, everything in her life began to make sense, her constant fidgeting as a child, The caffeine fueled all nighters she spent finishing school assignments, and the weeks it took to answer messages from friends.

It was a mass of eureka moment. Idoo, now thirty one, says she has one of millions of women diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that number has continued to rise in recent years. Researchers attribute the increase to multiple factors, including greater public awareness, the expansion of telehealth, and the historical underdiagnosis of ADHD

in women. The topic has become pretty popular on social media, which has prompted some psychologists to worry that there might be potential for overdiagnosis or people misdiagnosing themselves. A recent national survey by researchers at Ohio State University found twenty five percent of adults now suspect they may have ADHD. Part of the issue may be that people with ADHD typically fall into one of three categories hyperactive, inattentive, or combined.

Girls and women are more likely to have the inattentive presentation, characterized by disorganization, forgetfulness, and struggles with starting and staying on task. They're more likely to be seen as daydreamers or lost in the clouds, says Julia Scheckter, co director of the Duke's Center for Girls and Women with ADHD

at the Duke University School of Medicine. Even girls with hyperactive or combined diagnoses may display their symptoms differently than boys, such as talking excessively, twirling their hair, or constantly shaking their legs or reacting emotionally. Their symptoms are just as impairing, Scheckter says, but can fly under the radar. Not that long ago. One of the first major attempts to characterize

how ADHD appeared in young girls was widely ridiculed. When clinical psychologist Kathleen Nadeau co authored Understanding Girls with ADHD in nineteen ninety nine, the research community still thought of ADHD almost exclusively as a disorder for boys. We were

laughed at during conferences, nado says. They said, We've got these guys that are in the principal's office three times a week, getting suspended and throwing spitballs, and you've got these quiet girls making honorable grades, and you think they have ADHD. While that attitude has started to change, the overwhelming majority of research on ADHD has been done in boys and men, leading to the hyperactive and disruptive stereotype of people with ADHD. But girls with ADHD may excel

in school though it comes at a different price. They may get an a out of paper, but stay up the night before writing it after being unable to focus for weeks. Girls work very hard to hide their problems. I don't want the teacher to be mad at me, Nido says. Psychologists refer to this as masking, or how individuals who are socialized as females tend to find ways

to compensate for their symptoms because of societal expectations. They have to put in at lease twice the effort of other people if they're determined to do well, Nado says Janop Mowen, thirty three, a postdoctoral scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, felt trapped in her own exhausting cycle before being diagnosed with ADHD in her late twenties. You can't let people know that your falling apart, Mowen says,

like many women who ent your adulthood untreated. Mowen scored top grades in school and went on to have a successful career. Still, years of masking her symptoms contributed to her developing mental health and self esteem issues and struggling in personal relationships. Mowen now realizes that her symptoms appeared during childhood, but girls and women are more likely to have their symptoms mistaken for emotional or learning difficulties and

are less likely to be referred for assessments. Gender bias also may play a role. In two different studies, researchers found that when teachers are presented with vignettes of children with ADHD, when the child's names and pronouns were changed from female to male, they were more likely to be recommended for treatment and offered extra support. All these misconceptions mean that girls with ADHD are being overlooked and untreated

well into adulthood. As David Goodman, the director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland and a professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, points out, the ratio of boys to girls with ADHD in childhood is about three to one, while in adults it's about one to one. This suggests that ADHD prevalence is equal across genders, except that women are diagnosed later.

Children get diagnosed because they're disruptive and a pain to other people, Goodman says, the adults get diagnosed because they're a pain to themselves. As women move into adulthood, they are societal demands to more actively manage their behaviors and emotions, so symptoms can become even harder to recognize as ADHD or activity may manifest as inner restlessness, inattention may appear as difficulty completing chores or meeting deadlines, and impulsiveness can

manifest as difficulty managing a budget. Despite these challenges, many women with ADHD may appear externally as high achieving perfectionists, but the consequences of a mist or incorrect diagnosis can be severe. Compared with their neurotypical peers, women with ADHD are more likely to have anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and

eating disorders. Canadian researchers recently found that adults with ADHD are over five times more likely to attempt suicide than those without it, and nearly one in four women with the disorder reports having attempted suicide, and Danish led research has revealed that the risk of premature death in women with ADHD was higher than that of men with the disorder, potentially because of women being less likely to be diagnosed and receive treatment. Even for those who decide to get

proper medical evaluation. Finding a skilled provider can be particularly challenging. Psychiatrists get about half a day of training in adult ADHD over three years. Nadau says an assessment can require several sessions to determine if symptoms were present in childhood. My doctor told me she didn't think I had ADHD because I graduated from university and had a job, Bedouze explains. Women are also more likely to have their ADHD symptoms

mistaken for anxiety or depression. Mowen spent about twenty years being misdiagnosed with and treated for major depressive disorder and anxiety, only to find her symptoms resolved once she was treated for ADHD with therapy and medication. She thinks her anxiety and depression were more of a response to the pressure she put on herself to mask symptoms while struggling to

keep up. Psychiatrists think, let's treat the anxiety, let's treat the depression, and when those are better, let's if there really is any ADHD, says Nado, when it should really be the opposite. Meanwhile, social media continues to spread awareness and possibly confusion. When researchers at the University of British Columbia looked at one hundred most popular TikTok videos about ADHD for a twenty twenty two study. For instance, they found that about half of what was shared was misleading.

This is not a disorder where you lose your keys sometimes, Scheckter says, when we reduce ADHD to a social media post, that real functional impairment gets lost in the mix. Researchers also emphasize that attention issues brought on by the COVID nineteen pandemic, remote work, and more time spent on social

media are not enough to warrant an ADHD diagnosis. Just because you have a hard time working from home, or get distracted by your phone, or can't do your homework with the TV on does not mean you have ADHD, Scheckter says, looking for this pattern of symptoms and challenges that have been present across time and across settings. Ultimately, Scheckter doesn't think social media posts can lead to women

who visit clinicians being diagnosed. The ADHD was always there, She says, we as clinicians are finally catching up and getting better at diagnosing ADHD in adult women. That said, we still have much work to do for her part, Edo has found that since seeking professional treatment, including a prescription to help with focus, she has gained control of her finances, is thriving at work, and has improved her relationships.

Her journey and the lack of available information prompted her to start a newsletter Adulting with ADHD in twenty twenty, which she says has helped people get diagnosed. It's very difficult to exist in a world where you feel like there's something wrong with your brain. Ido says there's a power in just knowing. That's the first step towards a solution.

While doctors and researchers still aren't sure of the exact cause of the disorder, the predominant theory is primarily genetics in the biology of what's going on in the brain that seems to be associated with it. Most recent studies on the genetics of ADHD have identified twenty seven comic genetic variants that are associated with having ADHD. Having more of these gene variants is likely to confer a higher

risk for having ADHD. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning it affects how the brain develops and functions, and is predominantly genetic. This concludes readings from National Geographic Magazine for today. Your reader has been Marsha. Thank you for listening, Keep on listening, and have a great day.