ADHD in adults, online quizzes may spread misconceptions and mis-self-diagnosis

by Matt Sheehan
OSF Healthcare

---

We see depression leads to difficulty with concentration

PEORIA - If you spend time on social media, chances are you’ve seen an ad asking, “Do you have ADHD?”

The ads lead to a self-diagnosing quiz and often provides viewers with misconceptions about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), before they ever see a medical provider.

That’s where Kyle Boerke, PsyD, director of Behavioral Health Outpatient Services for OSF HealthCare, hopes to provide clarity.

ADHD starts in childhood, not in adulthood

“Are adults being diagnosed with ADHD? Absolutely, yes. Is it that they are developing ADHD in adulthood, that’s a no. We know enough about the research, that in order to receive a diagnosis of ADHD, we have to have symptoms starting in childhood. Somewhere near 7 years of age,” Dr. Boerke says.

If you’re having symptoms as an adult that appear to be ADHD, such as lack of focus, inability to sit still, fidgeting, or excessive talking, but you didn’t have these symptoms as a child, Dr. Boerke says you may be experiencing something else.

“We see depression leads to difficulty with concentration,” Dr. Boerke says. “Something inside of them will ring true (if they have ADHD), like if they always struggled with paying attention to their teacher in elementary school.”

What to do about an ADHD diagnosis?

“The easy answer is, we need to seek treatment from a professional,” Dr. Boerke says. “If you have thoughts that you’ve had ADHD symptoms for a long time and you take one of those online quizzes, that’s fine, that can be a starting point.” But he stresses, “I wouldn’t take that quiz and all of a sudden say ‘I have ADHD.’ A great place to start is with your primary care physician.”

Dr. Boerke adds that there’s no official test for ADHD. It’s a whole set of symptoms that include how it’s impacting your daily functioning and for how long.

There are three types of ADHD

1: Predominantly Inattentive

“They’re not going to be jumping all over the place, moving from activity to activity,” Dr. Boerke says. “It’s just going to be some hard times focusing, concentrating or finishing a task because your mind gets switched over to a different task all of a sudden.”

2: Predominantly Impulsive/Hyperactive

“These are the kids that just can’t sit still. They’re up out of their seats in the classroom, and this is really where ADHD in children to adults’ changes,” Dr. Boerke explains. “As we age, we do a better job managing the motoric end of things. It’s not uncommon to see kids have a hard time sitting still, it’s more uncommon to see somebody in a business meeting get up and walk around the room.”

3: Combined Presentation

Dr. Boerke describes the third type this way: “You have inattention, plus you have hyperactivity and impulsivity,” Dr. Boerke says.

Do I need to take medicine if I have ADHD?

Dr. Boerke says medicine alone isn’t the answer.

“The analogy I’ll use is Bear Grylls from Man vs. Wild. He’s an adventurer on a TV show where he goes out into the wild and he has to survive for a number of days,” Dr. Boerke says. “I liken ADHD to being on a Bear Grylls survivor show. He can do it. ADHD management without medication is like Bear gets dropped in the middle of the Florida Everglades and he has to trudge through the swamps, battle the alligators, get past the snakes and manage to get out. Can he do it? Yes, he does. Is it easy? It sure isn’t.”

Dr. Boerke says ADHD medication is as if Bear Grylls was in the Florida Everglades and producers drop him a rescue boat.

“But the reality is, he still has to get himself into the airboat. He has to start it, steer it, and do the work. It’s just easier to do the work,” Dr. Boerke adds. “Medication is not the fix. It can help, but if you don’t change your lifestyle, put in some organizational tools and do the things necessary, we’re still not going to get better and you’re going to rely on the medication.”

If you’re an adult and think you have ADHD, Dr. Boerke says seeking medical attention by a professional is the best first step. Then, your medical provider will help map out a plan moving forward. This can include ADHD medication and working to keep a strict routine to help you manage any ADHD symptoms.

---

Risk of dementia is nearly three times higher the first year after a stroke

DALLAS — Having a stroke may significantly increase the risk of developing dementia. The risk of dementia was the highest in the first year after a stroke and remained elevated over a period of twenty years, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2024. The meeting will be held in Phoenix, Feb. 7-9, and is a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health.

“Our findings show that stroke survivors are uniquely susceptible to dementia, and the risk can be up to 3 times higher in the first year after a stroke. While the risk decreases over time, it remains elevated over the long-term,” said lead study author Raed Joundi, M.D., D.Phil., an assistant professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and an investigator at the Population Health Research Institute, a joint institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.

To evaluate dementia risk after stroke, the researchers used databases at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (University of Toronto, Canada), which includes more than 15 million people in the Canadian province of Ontario. They identified 180,940 people who had suffered a recent stroke — either an ischemic stroke (clot-caused) or intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding within the brain) — and matched those stroke survivors to two control groups — people in the general population (who had not had a heart attack or stroke) and those who had had a heart attack and not a stroke. Researchers evaluated the rate of new cases of dementia starting at 90 days after stroke over an average follow-up of 5.5 years. In addition, they analyzed the risk of developing dementia in the first year after the stroke and over time, up to 20 years.

The study found:

• The risk of dementia was highest in the first year after stroke, with a nearly 3-fold increased risk, then decreasing to a 1.5-fold increased risk by the 5-year mark and remaining elevated 20 years later.
• Dementia occurred in nearly 19% of stroke survivors over an average follow-up of 5.5 years.
• The risk of dementia was 80% higher in stroke survivors than in the matched group from the general population. The risk of dementia was also nearly 80% higher in stroke survivors than in the matched control group who had experienced a heart attack.
• The risk of dementia in people who had an intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) was nearly 150% higher than those in the general population.

“We found that the rate of post-stroke dementia was higher than the rate of recurrent stroke over the same time period,” Joundi said. “Stroke injures the brain including areas critical for cognitive function, which can impact day-to-day functioning. Some people go on to have a recurrent stroke, which increases the risk of dementia even further, and others may experience a progressive cognitive decline similar to a neurodegenerative condition.”

Each year, about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. Approximately 610,000 of these are first attacks, and 185,000 are recurrent attacks, according to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2024 Update. According to the CDC, of those at least 65 years of age, there is an estimated 7 million adults with dementia in 2014 and projected to be nearly 14 million by 2060.

“Our study shows there is a large burden of dementia after acute stroke in Canada and identifies it is a common problem that needs to be addressed. Our findings reinforce the importance of monitoring people with stroke for cognitive decline, instituting appropriate treatments to address vascular risk factors and prevent recurrent stroke, and encouraging lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation and increased physical activity, which have many benefits and may reduce the risk of dementia,” Joundi said. “More research is needed to clarify why some people who have a stroke develop dementia and others do not.”

A 2023 American Heart Association scientific statement, Cognitive Impairment After Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke suggests post-stroke screenings and comprehensive interdisciplinary care to support stroke survivors with cognitive impairment.

A limitation of the study is that administrative data, hospital records and medication dispensary data were used for the analysis. Researchers were not able to perform cognitive assessments or neuroimaging (noninvasive images of the brain) on stroke survivors, therefore, there is no way to confirm the dementia diagnosis or type of dementia. However, the dementia definition was previously validated and shown to be accurate when compared to medical charts.

---

Unity's All Out A Cappella show Feb. 16

Members of Unity High School's Surreal Sound perform at the 2023 All A Capella show. The annual music booster fundraiser is back.

Photo: UnityPhotos/Jamie Price

---

TOLONO - The Unity Music Boosters are organizing an All Out A Cappella fundraiser on February 16th at the high school auditorium. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and will showcase performances from eight a cappella groups. The funds raised from the event will be used to support music programs in the Unit 7 school district. These programs include music trips, scholarships, costumes, risers, instrument repair and more. Your participation in this event will help to ensure the continued success of these programs.

Members of No Comment perform at the 2022 All A Capella show. The ensemble returns to this year's line-up on February 16.

Photo: UnityPhotos/Jamie Price

---

In addition to UHS' very own Surreal Sound and Unity West's 5th Grade Choir, two groups from Illinois State University and four ensembles from the University of Illinois are slated to perform.

Acafellaz, a tenor-bass Capella group now in its 25th year, and the coed Clef Hangers, both from ISU, will once again lend their award-winning vocal talents at the annual fundraiser.

Concertgoers will also hear select tunes from No Comment, No Strings Attached, the Rip Chords, and the male counterparts, the Xtension Chords. The four groups from the Illinois campus are high-level competitive performers.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at https://unitymusicboosters.seatyourself.biz. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students/senior citizens.

---

Editorial |Americans are losing the damn minds

Seriously, who in their right mind would want to live under a dictatorship, even if for a day?

An article on the right-leaning website called The Hill published a story yesterday citing a survey from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and YouGov that said, "74 percent of Republican voters said it would be a good idea if Trump follows through on his remarks in which he said he would be a dictator only on the first day of his second term." According to the survey, only 26 percent of Republicans polled, it would be a bad thing.

At least independent voters, dangling from a fourth-story balcony, still have at least a palm on the ledge of sanity. Sixty-five percent said it would be a bad idea as opposed to the 36% who were okay with it.

Pardon me.

When did democracy and the pursuit of quiet life, liberty, and justice go out of vogue? Why are so many conservative voters today ready to wipe their arses with that single-ply paper from 1789 that all but guaranteed their freedom from oppression, the right express themselves, and established a clear path to air their grievances?

Tell me why they spit the largest, thickest, puss-filled loogie they can muster on the graves of their ancestors, many of whom fought and died for our great nation to preserve its ideas and greatness.

A large chunk of the American population is losing its mind. Logic and critical thinking seemingly are becoming a rare commodity. One can make a convincing argument, although admittedly anecdotal at this point, that multiple COVID infections have damaged the prefrontal cortex of a large segment of society and possibly reduced their mental capacity to that of a hamster.

Seriously, who in their right mind would want to live under a dictatorship, even if for a day?

No doubt those who approve of Donald Trump (or anyone else for that matter) having absolute power believe they would be immune to any of the decrees from his 'one day' dictatorial rule. Yes, many of their fellow Americans will suffer, and they are cool with that. What they fail to realize is that this type of power is an infection that can easily corrupt.

English Catholic historian and politician John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton wrote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

This one-hitter of absolute power would be opium to Trump and those who successfully manipulate him. One day would turn into a few, and later into a week, then a month, and eventually into years. Quietly, those who thought they would not be in the crosshairs would find themselves the targets of oppression and discrimination.

If having a dictatorial government is so great, why do over a million people a year immigrate, legally or otherwise, to the United States from countries with authoritarian rule?

Seriously, who in their right mind would want to live under a dictatorship, even if for a day?

---

South Elgin wins second state cheer title

Members of the South Elgin cheerleading team celebrate their title victory with fans during the awards ceremony at the IHSA Competitive Cheer State Finals last Saturday. See more photos from the squad's championship routine below.

Photo: PhotoNews Media

---

BLOOMINGTON - Coming into this season, head coach Savanna Bennett led the South Elgin cheerleading program to one team title and a pair of third-place finishes in the competitive cheer state series. Bennett capped her seventh season at the program's helm with another team title last Saturday at Grossinger Motor Arena.

The Storm pulled no punches with a near-perfect routine during Friday's preliminary round, finishing above Highland, Stevenson, and Conant in hot pursuit of this year's Coed Team title. Earning a 97.20 from judges, South Elgin was a clear favorite heading into Saturday's finals.

Leaving it all out on the mat on Saturday, the 24-member team took home the program's second title in five seasons (2020 was the first), improving their prelim performance with a score of 97.60. Following them in the final standings were runner-up Conant (96.18) and Belvidere North (95.54) finished in third place.

Also finishing in the top ten this season was Highland (94.44) in fourth place, Dundee-Crown (93.60) in fifth, Shepard (92.64) in sixth, Stevenson (91.80) in seventh place, and Homewood-Flossmoor (89.00) in eighth place. Palatine (86.26) and St. Charles North (85.82) finished ninth and tenth, respectively.

This year's championship varsity squad members are Aubriunna Rosa, Nevaeh Poole, Adelyn Logsdon, Isavella Napoles, Sophia Catania, Katie Solis, Kyra Clark, Paige Vargas, Bridget Lucas, Kirsten Cones, Emma Salazar, Adriana Jimenez, Taylor Davis, Kylie Rogowski, Emma Steinhofer, Bella Meloun, Morgan Stokes, Bryan Estrada, Greta Zelaitis, Stewart William Jr., Maya Jovanovic, Stella Shah, Kaelyn Lindsay, and Hunter Lindsay.

The Illinois High School Cheerleading Coaches Organization named seniors Taylor Davis and Bryan Estrada to this season's All-State Coed Team.

Kathryn Ciolli and Savannah Swayze are assistant coaches for the state champs.

Storm fans were ecstatic about the team's title victory.

"So proud of them! Such a great group," Jamie Smiley-Jovanovic wrote on the South Elgin High School Cheer Facebook page.

Diane Martin added, "Well deserved!!! Way to bring that title back! This program is amazing."

---

Photo Gallery

---

Here is the video of their award-winning performance:

---