ADHD Awareness Month places a spotlight on adults and their challenges in the workplace
MARKHAM, ON, Oct. 1, 2014 /CNW/ - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common, yet misunderstood and stigmatized disorders in Canada. During ADHD Awareness month this October, the Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC) is initiating a national awareness program to highlight the prevalence of adult ADHD and the challenges they face every day in their home life and workplace.
Adult ADHD is a reality for so many Canadians and the impact of the disorder is far reaching – socially, economically and professionally. It is estimated that 90 per cent of adults living with ADHD are untreated[1], mainly due to lack of diagnosis and access to knowledgeable physicians.
"Awareness of ADHD in children has been around for many decades, but it has only been fairly recent that medical research on adult ADHD has become accessible to the public. While all ADHD still carries a significant stigma, adult ADHD is less understood and can impact the workplace causing adults who suffer with the impairments to be more critically judged," says Heidi Bernhardt, President and Executive Director at CADDAC. "We need to properly equip these adults with the right information, provide medical assessments so they can receive an accurate diagnoses and offer multimodal treatment strategies, so that they can harness their potential and create success in many aspects of their lives, including at work."
Many adults with ADHD thrive at work and find some of their ADHD traits, such as high energy, problem solving and creativity as significant benefits in their chosen career. But other adults, some of who have been miss-diagnosed, left undiagnosed and untreated, can provide extreme difficulties in the workplace.
Adult ADHD symptoms such as distractibility, forgetfulness, difficulty with organization, time management and emotional regulation, mental restlessness, , impulsivity and procrastination – can cause impairments at work, leading to challenges prioritizing tasks, incomplete assignments, missed meetings and deadlines, and issues with coworkers.[2] It is not uncommon for an adult with ADHD to impulsively jump from job to job and career to career without realizing that ADHD is impacting their performance and enjoyment on the job.
"Most adults don't grow out of their ADHD and they put a lot of effort and energy into over-compensating for the daily impacts," says Dr. Annick Vincent, ADHD specialist. "I see many patients who really struggle with their ADHD symptoms at work and their daily life – they can often come across as disorganized and distracted, when in fact they have not been properly set up for success. It is important for patients to better understand how their brain works and to develop coping and treatment strategies that can maximize their potential."
Employers can play a critical role in enabling an employee with ADHD's success by first and foremost creating an environment where an employee is not afraid to have an open dialogue. Often when the employee and employer work together to put simple strategies and accommodations in place, it becomes a win, win scenario for both.
Actor and Comedian, Rick Green speaks about his own ADHD and offers advice to Canadians, "for me, getting the diagnosis of ADHD was transformative, because suddenly I understood why I struggled with some pretty simple things. I think more than any other mental health issue, education about ADHD is crucial – when I started to deal with my ADHD, life got so much easier! If you are suffering, it could be needless suffering."
As part of a series of activities during ADHD Awareness Month, CADDAC is launching new public service announcements starring Rick Green, from TotallyADD.com to help Canadians become aware and get the facts about ADHD. To view the latest PSAs, please visit: CADDAC PSA or to download a high-resolution version, click here. CADDAC has also added wealth of new information on adult ADHD and more specifically ADHD in the workplace. All materials on adult ADHD are available for purchase on a USB key and this contains over 50 helpful documents for employees and employers – a great resource for everyone.
According to the Canadian Human Rights Act, employers have a "duty to accommodate," which requires that all employees have equal opportunity to succeed, including arranging accommodations for employees with disabilities. CADDAC strongly encourages all Canadian employers to foster an environment where employees can comfortably disclose a disability and discuss potential accommodations.
ABOUT ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)
Affecting over one million Canadians, ADHD is the most prevalent childhood mental health disorder in the country. It is not gender specific1 and affects both children and adults. Those with ADHD need not be defined by the disorder. While there is no cure, most people who manage their ADHD with appropriate treatments can be successful in school, work and relationships, and live productive lives.
ABOUT CADDAC
CADDAC is a national not-for-profit organization that provides leadership in education, awareness and advocacy for ADHD organizations and individuals with ADHD across Canada. CADDAC provides a wide-range of information for, parents, adults, children/adolescents, educators and health care providers on its website, www.caddac.ca, as well as information on our full day workshop on adult ADHD in Toronto on October the 4th, and our up-coming conference occurring in Vancouver on November 1-2, and future educational events.
For more information on ADHD Awareness, visit www.adhdawareness.ca or for more information on ADHD throughout the lifespan, please visit: www.caddac.ca.
Dr. Annick Vincent also had a bilingual website with up-to-date information on ADHD, it is available at: www.attentiondeficit-info.com
1CADDAC Socioeconomic paper 2013 - http://adhdawarenessweek.ca/en/documents/Socioeconomic%20Policy%20Paper.pdf
2CADDAC website - http://www.caddac.ca/cms/page.php?260
SOURCE: CADDAC
For further information: Ethan Pigott?, [email protected], 416-558-2783; Heidi Bernhard?, National Director, ?CADDAC, [email protected]?, Phone: 905-471-3524
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