Man from Kiel manages to get out of the crisis

Kiel. According to psychologists, everyday life for many people with ADHD feels like a hurdle race in which the obstacles are half a meter higher than those of the other runners. Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity – that’s what the H in ADHD stands for – was previously considered a childhood disease. Today it is known that in around 60 percent of those affected, the disorder persists into adulthood. This is the case with Oliver P. from Kiel, who used to work in the construction industry and is now a surf instructor in Kiel. Even if he doesn’t want to read his real name in the newspaper, he is willing to share his experiences.

“Maybe I’m just too stupid” – Oliver P. lived with this thought for 37 years. First bad grades at school, then problems at work, and finally the sudden termination without giving reasons. The diagnosis in autumn 2023: Oliver P. suffers from ADD – the variant of attention disorder in which the focus is not on hyperactivity. Instead, there is a constant inner unrest in Oliver P., as he says. He has problems concentrating for long periods of time and motivating himself to do monotonous work. Everything was always too strenuous for him.

Affected person from Kiel: ADD due to a lack of dopamine in the brain

This feeling occurs in people with ADHD due to a lack of dopamine in some areas of the brain, it says ADHD information portal, a platform funded by the Federal Ministry of Health. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. In the brain it is used to communicate between nerve cells.

The lack of dopamine manifests itself in three core symptoms in those affected, explains Kiel psychologist Milan Frank: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

This often leads to people with ADHD not being able to live up to the expected performance at school or at work and causing offense, says Frank, who specializes in diagnosing the disorder. Your private life also suffers if you are impulsive and inattentive or often forget appointments.

“If your own environment constantly gives you the feeling: You’re a nuisance, you can’t handle it – that does something to you,” says the psychologist. As a result, those affected often experience further disorders, such as depression. For Oliver P. it’s a migraine.

Unable to work for weeks, then fired – because of ADD

The man reports that he has had migraines since puberty. Last year, at the same time as a job change and the associated stress, things got worse. So bad that Oliver P. repeatedly had to report being unable to work for days or weeks. “You don’t know how to endure the pain,” said the 37-year-old. You no longer want to hear anything, see anything, feel anything.

His boss at the time had little understanding for his employee’s frequent absences due to illness. In addition, Oliver repeatedly made careless errors in reports or was unable to remember customer names. After almost a year with the company, he was terminated – without warning and without giving reasons.

Core symptoms of ADHD present before the age of twelve

The ADD diagnosis came a few months later. On the advice of his family doctor, who was treating him for persistent migraines, Oliver P. turned to a psychologist. He says he had to answer a lot of questions there and bring his old school reports with him. “The core symptoms of the disorder are present before the age of twelve,” says psychologist Frank. Comments in the report cards such as “easily distracted” or “often forgets his homework” combined with poor grades would indicate ADHD. This is exactly what could be seen in Oliver P.’s testimonies.

He went to therapy and took part in group sessions with other sufferers from Kiel. It was “a drag” at the beginning, he says. There he became aware of the full extent of the disorder. But over time it got better. “The crux of the matter is: You have to accept that you work differently.” And then you have to learn to do things your way.

Psychologist: ADHD diagnosis is not a “single huge deficit”

What helps him in his daily routine is medication. Upon request, Oliver P. was prescribed an amphetamine to compensate for the lack of dopamine in the brain. Suddenly things are no longer so boring and stressful, but “somehow ok,” he says.

Medication is not a must for those affected, but it is a way to deal with the disorder, says Frank. Another option is to organize life in such a way that the disadvantages of the disorder are less significant. According to Frank, it’s not a “nine-to-five job” in the tax office that helps, but rather a job with a lot of variety and dealing with people. One should not see the ADHD diagnosis as a “single huge deficit”, but simply as a deviation from the average brain.

ADHD sufferer: “Surfing is the perfect therapy”

Oliver P. has also refocused his life since his diagnosis. After he was laid off, he traveled a lot and now works as a surf instructor in the Bay of Kiel. Being out on the water all day – “the perfect therapy,” he says. Surfing brings him back self-confidence after years of chasing after him.

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He hardly has any migraines anymore. Oliver P. has now reached the point where he can imagine a “normal” job again. This is how he realizes that things are going in the right direction. “With a little help, you can organize your life so that it no longer feels so stressful.”

Editor’s note: ADHD is used as a generic term for the disorder with and without hyperactivity.

CN