Living with the hell of adult ADHD

Elizabeth Masike didn't know she had adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder until her two children were diagnosed with the condition.

Now 62, the retired nurse grew up with no idea what was wrong with her. "I would daydream all day at school, or act out."

Her condition is now managed with medication and she has started a support group for fellow sufferers in Soweto. They are among more than a million adult South Africans with the disorder, characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

At its worst, ADHD could lead to a life of "perpetual failure", said Cape Town psychiatrist Dr Renata Schoeman, responsible for first-of-its-kind research on ADHD in South Africa.

Her survey among 450 psychiatrists revealed that up to 52% of their patients had ADHD.

And as if dealing with the disorder is not hard enough, they have to fork out for drugs and treatment because many medical aids do not recognise the disorder.

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"The biggest frustration we see is the patients who do not use medication because it is not covered and they cannot afford it," said Schoeman.

Johannesburg psychiatrist Dr Rykie Liebenberg said ADHD caused an "executive dysfunction" of the brain. "Adults with ADHD have problems with planning, prioritising, time management, they procrastinate a lot, they battle to finish things, they are easily distracted. It has an effect on the divorce rate, on the ability to be promoted or to keep their jobs and to find a job."

Experts believe employers need to be more supportive.

"Corporate mental health awareness is still lacking," said Schoeman. Liebenberg said an open-plan office could be "hell" for a sufferer. "There are just so many distractions - people, noise and telephones ringing."

Heather Picton, founder and head of the ADHD Support Group of South Africa, said companies were moving "very slowly" in supporting the disorder.

"I came across a company a few years ago that said if someone had ADHD they would simply not hire them. But in the right workspace [adults with ADHD] can become your very best work prospect ever," she said.

With medication and therapy, adult ADHD can be managed.

"It is one of the saddest things I see. You sit with a highly intelligent individual who has never achieved their potential. There is the grief of all these wasted years and they start to believe they are incapable," she said.

Masike knows how that feels. "It's difficult to concentrate, even on the meds. Before my diagnosis I couldn't help myself, especially with studies."