Perception, Attitude to Treatment, and Resilience in Adult ADHD
Nida Limsuwan MD1, Sudawan Jullagate BA1
Affiliation : 1 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Objective : To describe perception, attitude to treatment, and resilience in adults with attention de(cid:976)icit hyperactivity disorder
[ADHD] attending medical treatment at Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
Materials and Methods : One hundred twenty-six ADHD patients aged 20 years and older were identi(cid:976)ied by retrospective medical
record review. The systematic random sampling for in-depth interview was performed. Subsequently, telephone interview performed
by two interviewers, one psychiatrist and one clinical psychologist. Nine subjects were available for in-depth interview.
Results : The diagnosis of ADHD caused wide range of psychological reactions, from feeling relief to mixed feeling that was unable
to explain. Dif(cid:976)iculties in academic performance and emotional control were commonly recognized by adult ADHD patients. History
of suicidal idea and sleep problems were found in 44% of the subjects. Regarding resilience, families and friends were described
as the most important factors contributing to patients’ coping with ADHD. Interestingly, 67% of subjects were able to (cid:976)ind some
bene(cid:976)its of having ADHD, such as being full of energy and creativity.
Conclusion : Although the diagnosis of ADHD caused variety of psychological reactions at the beginning, most patients developed
coping strategies and were able to (cid:976)ind some bene(cid:976)its of having ADHD.
Keywords : ADHD, Adult, Perception, Attitude, Resilience
