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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults: How to Recognise the Symptoms and Help Effectively
Parents are increasingly confronted with the despair and helplessness of managing a perpetually bouncing and running child with endless reserves of energy — one who frequently interrupts conversations or talks excessively, does not listen, cannot write their homework, often forgets and loses belongings, has restless and brief sleep, and struggles to regulate emotions. Teachers, too, are increasingly faced with a poor understanding of the symptoms and the impossibility of conducting a lesson while a child climbs on windowsills and desks, fidgets with their hands, frequently leaves their seat, does not follow instructions or the rules of the game, and has difficulty waiting their turn.
Gabor Maté, who devoted a large part of his work to children and adults with hyperactivity disorder, notes that children who appear the most unruly and inattentive are often sending a signal of inner pain or stress that they cannot express in words. Our task as adults is to understand their world, not merely to correct them.
— Gabor Maté
What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
Not every boisterous and distracted child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Diagnosis requires a comprehensive approach — the opinion of a psychiatrist, neurologist, and psychologist — and the exclusion of other medical issues such as allergies, hearing and vision problems. Co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, personality disorders, or affective disorders are frequently present. ADHD is a disorder characterised by inattention and impulsivity and is the most common neurodevelopmental condition in childhood. It has a negative impact on the child's performance at school and at home. Statistical data show it affects between 3 and 7% of children, with a peak between the ages of 5 and 7. In most cases, symptoms appear even before the age of two.
Gabor Maté emphasises that this is not a question of poor upbringing. Attention disorders are deeply connected to the way a child experiences their emotions and the stress within the family and society.
— Gabor Maté
What Are the Symptoms in Children and Adolescents?
Children with ADHD perform below their potential at school despite having no intellectual deficits. They struggle to concentrate, cannot sit still for extended periods, and have difficulty listening. They are often misunderstood by teachers and peers and become isolated or labelled as "problem children, bad, or stupid". Gabor Maté shares that children with ADHD often feel rejected or unaccepted. When we fail to understand them, their struggle turns into an even greater sense of inadequacy.
Symptoms of hyperactivity are not identical in every individual. Hyperactivity and behavioural problems are typical in childhood and tend to diminish with age. If left untreated, ADHD can have consequences for functioning in adolescence and adult life.
During adolescence, inattention, disorganisation, impulsivity, difficulty regulating emotions, inability to follow rules, and low self-esteem become prominent.
What Are the Symptoms in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
In adults, ADHD symptoms often manifest in subtle and varied ways, yet can have a significant effect on daily life and functioning. They include:
Impaired organisation and motivation: difficulty starting or completing tasks, procrastination of important activities, loss of focus, and a chronic feeling of being overwhelmed by everyday demands — which often leads to guilt and stress.
Professional difficulties: challenges meeting deadlines, managing projects, maintaining routine tasks, and sustaining concentration in complex professional situations. Frequent job changes or a career that does not match one's potential are common.
Personal and social relationships: problems communicating with partners and loved ones, emotional outbursts, impatience, and difficulty listening or keeping attention on the needs of others. Partners may feel neglected or misunderstood.
Emotional regulation: difficulty managing intense emotions, manifesting as irritability, anxiety, impulsive reactions, or intolerance of criticism.
Financial and practical challenges: forgetting payments, poor budget planning, spontaneous spending, and difficulty creating sustainable habits for an organised life.
Behavioural risks: increased risk of impulsive and potentially dangerous behaviour, including road accidents, substance misuse, or gambling.
Self-esteem and psychological consequences: feelings of failure, chronic worry, depressive episodes, and dissatisfaction with oneself.
Adults with ADHD often live with constant inner chaos and a sense of mismatch between what they are capable of and the expectations of society. Understanding and accepting these difficulties is the first step towards change.
— Gabor Maté
Symptoms can vary considerably between individuals and are often intensified during periods of stress or insufficient support. Adults may use coping strategies — such as lists, reminders, and time structuring — but often require professional help, psychotherapy, or counselling to manage impulsivity and emotional instability.
Guidance for Parents
Encourage your child's confidence by focusing on their strengths. Criticism can trigger low self-esteem.
Praise and support successes; minimise punishments.
Develop self-discipline through modelling behaviour.
Create rules and routines together with your child.
Support emotional regulation through conversations about feelings and coping strategies.
Be consistent and patient in your approach.
Encourage concentration through reading, music, eye contact, and visual reminders.
Apply relaxation techniques — breathing exercises, a warm bath, dimmed lighting.
Love and be emotionally available — this is the key to security, cognitive, and emotional development.
When parents are emotionally present and supportive, their children have the chance to develop their full potential and become happy, adaptable people.
— Gabor Maté
Positive Psychotherapy and ADHD
In the article "Working with Clients with ADHD: Reflections on Secondary Capacities" (2025), author Anna Jaźwińska Chren describes a model of the therapeutic process based on the principles of positive psychotherapy, which shifts the focus from symptoms to resources and capacities. The main components of the approach include:
Working with "secondary capacities" — qualities such as punctuality, reliability, and self-control, which in a traditional context might be considered "deficits", but in positive psychotherapy are viewed as opportunities for growth and structural reframing.
Therapeutic dialogue — the aim is to unfold the person's adaptive potential through dialogue and to reduce internal self-blame.
Reframing personal history — ADHD is viewed not as "failed behaviour" but as an interaction between neurological predispositions and cultural expectations, fostering compassionate self-understanding and reducing stigma.
Identity and personal development — therapy is not only about controlling deficits, but about building a healthier self-image, improving psychological resilience and social functioning.
Practical Implications of Positive Psychotherapy
This resource-oriented approach includes specific interventions:
Emphasis on the strengths and inner resources of the adult with ADHD, rather than focusing solely on correcting the "negative".
Structuring tasks to stimulate the development of secondary capacities through gradual, positive encouragement of organisation and self-control.
Working with inner motivation and self-awareness through therapeutic stories, metaphors, and dialogue — core tools in positive psychotherapy.
Psychoeducation for the client and their environment — family, partners, and workplace — which supports more lasting improvement in daily life.
This model, presented in research from The Global Psychotherapist (2025), shows how positive psychotherapy can make ADHD more understandable and integrated into real life — not merely as an "attention disorder", but as a dynamic human reality that can evolve through therapy and support.
References
ERYILMAZ, A. (2025). The REFLECTS Method: A Systematic and Comprehensive Way to Resolve the Basic Conflict in Positive Psychotherapy. The Global Psychotherapist, 5(2), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.52982/lkj275
Maté, G. (2019). Scattered minds: The origins and healing of attention deficit disorder. Vermilion.
Peseschkian, N. (2008). The Merchant and the Parrot. Varna: Slavena. [in Bulgarian]
Tyshchenko, M. (2026). The Bridge Between Positive Psychotherapy and Object Relations Theory: A Comparative Typology of Development. The Global Psychotherapist, 6(1), 165–179. http://doi.org/10.52982/lkj301
Jaźwińska Chren, A. (2025). Working with clients with ADHD: Reflections on secondary capacities. The Global Psychotherapist, 5(2), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1234/tgp.2025.052
World Association for Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy. (2025). Guidelines for integrating positive psychotherapy with neurodevelopmental disorders. The Global Psychotherapist, 5(1), 10–28.
Barkley, R. A. (2020). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington.