Browsing by Subject "vuxen-ADHD"

Approximately 5% of the Finnish population has ADHD. The main criteria for a diagnosis are deficits in sustained attention, behavioral inhibition and hyperactivity. Aside from these, ADHD also includes e.g. restlessness, impatience and difficulties with self-regulation. The symptoms are causing problems in many areas of ADHD patient´s lives. They also tend to affect people around them. The aim of this thesis is to examine how adults with ADHD describe their lives before and after the diagnosis. The focus is mainly on the description of their self-efficacy, self-esteem, identity and stigma. The aim is also to examine how the individals felt about getting the diagnosis, since it is usually a significant turning point in life. This qualitative study uses life stories as a method of collecting data and analysis. The participants have been diagnosed with ADHD after the age of 30. This enables to examine the life without a diagnoses, care or attention, and inspect if getting the diagnosis has had any positive consequences. Semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection method to answer the research questions. The results of this study demonstrate the lives of the participants as chaotic and eventful. They appear as typical for a person with ADHD, including addictions, school dropouts and divorces. The self-efficacy and self-esteem appear low, especially as a teenager, but the diagnosis seems to have had a positive effect. The participants describe ADHD as an important part of their identity. The stigma brought on by ADHD is focused on the symptoms rather than the diagnosis itself.