Adult ADHD: The Chicken and the Egg

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Key Takeaways

The COVID-19 pandemic has coincided with an increase in adult ADHD diagnoses, suggesting possible undiagnosed cases from childhood.
Mark Jankelow, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, has observed this trend and discussed it at the Real Psychiatry conference.
Jankelow's experience in community mental health and corrections informs his insights into adult ADHD diagnosis and management.

Which came first: symptoms or diagnosis?

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Are we seeing an influx? Mark Jankelow, MSN, PMHNP-BC, thinks so.

"I am seeing, since COVID, an increase in patients that are presenting with symptoms of ADHD as adults. It's the chicken and the egg thing. Could they have had ADHD and not been diagnosed at school?" pondered Jankelow. "Absolutely."

Jankelow presented on ADHD at the Real Psychiatry conference alongside Erin Crown, PA-C, Psych-CAQ, in the session "This or That: Navigating Treatment Options for ADHD." Don't miss all of our Real Psychiatry coverage here.

Mr Jankelow is an experienced board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who has worked in community mental health, the Colorado Department of Corrections, and is the owner of a Springbok Health, Inc.