Adults with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulties at work: planning and organizing their everyday work are more difficult than others, they forget appointments and routine tasks and get bogged down easily. The Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Heiner Lachenmeier, himself an ADHD sufferer, has written a book about how typical problems can be overcome. He is convinced that ADHD can also offer advantages at work.
SZ: What hurdles do people with ADHD have to overcome when they start a new job?
Heiner Lachenmeier: A lot of new information has to be processed during the familiarization period. In this phase, the fact that ADHD patients cannot automatically pre-filter information in order to separate the important from the unimportant has a very negative effect. They find it difficult to get an overview, so training takes longer and they are more likely to make mistakes. I have seen several times ADHD people get fired during their probationary period even though they were very successful in their previous job.
Heiner Lachenmeier is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and also a person with ADHD.
(Photo: private)
Should you tell the employer that you have ADHD when you apply?
No, you meet a lot of prejudices and half-knowledge and easily end up in the troublemaker drawer. But at the beginning of the probationary period you should say that you want to familiarize yourself thoroughly and that you may need more time. It can also help to write down as much information as possible in the first few weeks and to go through three important points every evening.
And after the training period?
Is it still necessary to ensure that the conditions for good work are in place? The needs of ADHD differ from person to person: Some are disturbed by the smallest background noise, others can even concentrate better at a certain noise level. If you need a long time to get back to work after each distraction, you can try to reduce the perceived stress. I had a client whose boss came into his office every hour with a new assignment. After all, he asked for the tasks to be bundled together, and that worked out fine.
Aren’t people with ADHD as resilient as others?
Yes, they often pack too much, work overtime, and help colleagues. This is one of the possible compensation strategies to deal with your own insecurity in the flood of information. This behavior can lead to professional success, but the risk of overload is great. That is why people with ADHD should regularly check – preferably using a list – which tasks are really important and urgent.
Why is it when they fail?
The most common cause is the “negative tube look”: Many have great self-doubts, even if they appear outwardly self-confident. Small occasions can make everything negative appear oversized: factual criticism is perceived as devaluation, a lack of sympathy as total rejection. This triggers feelings of failure and aggression that make everything worse. It is crucial that you learn to get out of such situations in good time in order to feel your own worth again.
Does ADHD only have disadvantages?
No, it also offers great potential, which is unfortunately too seldom seen. It is relatively well known that ADHD patients are very familiar with subjects in which they have an intrinsic interest – and work in them faster than others. The fact that they have more and more diverse associations because they do not automatically pre-filter information can lead to new, creative solutions. And in crises they often keep a cool head because of their experience with confusing situations.