title: 'Do I need to become someone else?' A qualitative exploratory study into the experiences and needs of adults with ADHD.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder in childhood which has recently been acknowledged to persist into adulthood in two-thirds of cases. However, the problems faced by adults with ADHD in their daily lives remain largely unexplored.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the perspectives, problems and needs of adults with ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this exploratory qualitative study, adults (n = 52) with a primary ADHD or ADD diagnosis, aged 21 years or older, participated in eight focus groups in five cities in the Netherlands.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although core symptoms of ADHD were perceived as a problem, participants placed greater emphasis on social problems that arise from living with ADHD and their subsequent effects on self-image. Accompanying problems were feelings of powerlessness, lack of acceptance by their social environment and poor self-image. Adults with ADHD would like to see greater acceptance of ADHD and its accompanying problems, together with appreciation for personal competences and strengths in certain domains, such as creative or associative thinking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study adds to previous research by providing insight into how these problems are interrelated and their strong link to the social environment. Perceived powerlessness, failure and negative reactions of the social environment lead to a persistent low self-image. This merits substantial attention in future research, particularly when considering on-going care options.
authors.affiliation: Athena Institute for Research on Communication and Innovation in Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Samuel J C
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Schrevel
authors.affiliation: Athena Institute for Research on Communication and Innovation in Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dedding
authors.affiliation: Athena Institute for Research on Communication and Innovation in Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jeroen A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: van Aken
authors.affiliation: Athena Institute for Research on Communication and Innovation in Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jacqueline E W
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Broerse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: adult ADHD; adults; attention deficit disorder; attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; focus groups; qualitative research