Chapter 2- Does ADHD Impact Relationships
As the years have progressed, you have learned a lot more about ADHD and the impact that it can have on the person who is dealing with it. However, you might not know as much about how ADHD can actually impact relationships. The short answer is yes, it can impact all different types of relationships. How exactly does this happen?
Making Friends
You might think that issues with making friends are something relegated to the domain of childhood. Little ones do not necessarily understand what ADHD is, and they might not be willing to befriend someone who is suffering from it. While this might be true in some cases, adults are probably more likely to shy away from someone is different than they are. Children tend to be more welcoming. However, at all ages, making friends can be difficult for someone who has ADHD in general.
Not Sharing Information
Relationships can also be difficult because people with ADHD do not always want to share information about their condition. They do not want to let people know that they have this condition. As a result, other individuals do not always understand what is going on. They might feel that the other person is hiding something, or they might suspect that the other person has ADHD. However, people need to understand that individuals who have ADHD will come around when they are ready to. It is important not to push people into sharing details that they are uncomfortable with.
Creating a Level of Secrecy
Due to this secrecy, however, it can be difficult for a bond to really form. The people who have ADHD might feel bad that they are keeping secrets from their new friends, and the others can feel that secrets are being kept. Trust is a very important part of a relationship, and it might be hard for people to reach this level when everything is not out in the open. This is also extremely important for a romantic relationship. It just may take a little bit longer to develop in this type of situation than in other ones.
Fear of Judgment
When we have relationships with people, we should not be afraid that they are going to judge us. Yet, even with some of our good friends, we wonder if we are being judged for the things we do, the words we say, the clothes we wear and so forth. Still though, just imagine how much stronger this fear of judgment would be if you had ADHD. You might be worrying that people are constantly talking about the condition that you have and that people are making assumptions about you based off of this diagnosis.
Fear of ADHD
Unfortunately, too many people do not understand what ADHD is. They just throw this term around like it is nothing, and they do not take the time to find out more about the condition. They are really doing a disservice to people who have ADHD. If someone who is uneducated and ignorant about ADHD meets someone who has the condition, the first individual might have some preconceived notions. This person might make assumptions about the other individual and not even allow a relationship to develop. This is quite a sad situation indeed, and we must work to rectify it in society.
Having to Treat ADHD
Some people do not have any patience for things that are outside of their realm of existence. Having to treat ADHD is something they might not understand at all. People who are suffering from ADHD could be utilizing a variety of methods to deal with the issues. They might be taking medications, or they may be going to specialists to work out all of their problems. However, the other people in the relationship might not understand these necessities. They might wonder why it just cannot be about them all of the time.
ADHD That's Not Diagnosed
Now, let's say that a relationship is starting between two people. They might really like each other, and they may be spending a lot more time with each other. With all of this time, one member is starting to notice that something seems to be bothering the other person. The second individual never wants to talk about it, and he or she does not even want to acknowledge that there is an issue. As a result, the couple tends to get into a lot of fights and arguments about it. What could the problem be? Well, it might be ADHD that has never been diagnosed.
In an Educational Setting
We should pay some attention to how ADHD can affect relationships in an educational setting. Students might not understand why others in their class act a certain way. Teachers not trained in special education may not know what to do when they have a student who has ADHD in their classrooms. On top of that, students with ADHD might have a lot of trouble working with groups. Fortunately, schools are becoming more vigilant about all of these issues, and they are working to ensure cohesion throughout and to craft plans to address the needs of specific students.
As you can see, ADHD definitely does impact relationships. That is not even really the main question anymore. At this point, you need to understand how ADHD can impact relationships and what can be done to better handle these types of issues.
Chapter 3- ADHD in Marriage and Romantic Relationships What You Should Know
Many people associate ADHD with childhood and a hyperactive kid that runs around the room, bouncing off the walls, much to his mother's dismay. However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder doesn't just go away when a person hits adulthood. Although the likelihood that an adult can control their behavior increases with age, the disorder remains and may cause problems in relationships.
Researchers suggest that people who suffer from ADHD have an increased chance to experience problems in their most important relationships such as divorce. ADHD can even cause problems in relationships where marriage is not yet a factor. Although living with ADHD in a relationship or marriage often requires extra work, a successful relationship is possible even with this disorder.
Common Behaviors of ADHD and the Impact It Has On Relationships
People in a relationship don't always communicate clearly or often enough and this problem is often amplified when a person has ADHD. A partner might feel that a person is distracted all the time because he or she doesn't care when it's actually a product of ADHD. People who are distracted all the time might seem distant and uncaring, and to prevent a relationship from disintegrating, it's necessary to understand the general characteristics of people who live with ADHD.
Some of the most common attributes of someone who has ADHD is the incredible distractibility of the person. Not only does this naturally distracted nature lead to unfinished projects, but this symptom might also cause a person to forget things. In a relationship, this might mean forgetting something important like an anniversary or forgetting something minor like returning a video to the store.
People with ADHD are also likely to ignore directions and try to accomplish projects without the input of anyone else. They may reject the advice and suggestions of others, which may cause problems in a relationship when a partner just wants to help. Such behavior might make it seem as though the individual with ADHD doesn't appreciate the input of his or her partner. This is why communication is so important in a relationship when someone has ADHD.
The tendency of a person with ADHD to fidget and squirm may seem annoying to his or her partner, but fidgeting shouldn't be interpreted as a signal that someone doesn't want to be there and wants to do something else. Someone who taps his foot during a children's school recital due to his ADHD isn't necessarily interested in being elsewhere. The fidgeting is simply a common symptom or characteristic of someone who has ADHD and must sit still for a long period of time.
People with ADHD are also very likely to be incredibly talkative and likely to interrupt conversations or try to take over the discussion. This isn't a sign of impatience with a partner; excitement during conversations is