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ADHD in the Workplace

Keeping a job in today's competitive environment can be particularly difficult for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition to having talent and drive, people are required to show excellent focus, attention to detail, speed, and organization. These crucial workplace skills may be challenging for the estimated 10 to 12 million American adults with ADHD.

Job prospects can suffer as a result of the restlessness and inability to focus that are hallmarks of ADHD. One national survey showed that only half of adults with ADHD were able to hold down a full-time job, compared to 72% of adults without the disorder. When they were able to secure a job, they tended to earn less than their peers without ADHD. Those employment problems translate into nearly $77 billion in lost income each year.

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Food Dye and ADHD

For more than 30 years, scientists have examined the relationship between food coloring and hyperactive behavior in children, but with mixed results. To date, no conclusive evidence has been found to show that food coloring causes ADHD. Some studies, though, have suggested an association between the two. Most likely, ADHD is caused by the combination of changes in brain structure, environmental factors, and heredity.

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How Does ADHD Affect Employment?

How significantly ADHD affects your job outlook depends on the severity of the condition. Some people with ADHD may just have trouble staying on-task, while others can't make it through the workday without getting into a huge blow-up with a boss or co-worker. Those who are more severely affected can lose their job, or wind up bouncing from job to job, or seeking disability benefits.

ADHD affects job performance in a number of ways. If you can't sit still and have trouble organizing and focusing, you may find meetings excruciating, and keeping track of multiple projects and deadlines enormously challenging. One study showed that people with ADHD often had more difficulty with attention, working memory, mental processing, and verbal fluency -- executive-function abilities that are all important in the workplace. Those difficulties led to fewer employment prospects and lower incomes.

People with ADHD tend to have trouble with the following work-related areas:

Time management
Organization
Listening and paying attention
Following directions
Procrastination
Completing assignments
Attending to details
Getting to work on time
Speaking in turn
Sitting still
Controlling emotions
Anger

ADHD often leads to depression and low self-esteem. Constantly missing deadlines and being unable to complete your work on schedule can exacerbate these feelings.

How Can You Improve Your Odds of Getting and Keeping a Job?

Many adults who experience symptoms such as restlessness and inability to concentrate have never been formally diagnosed with ADHD. If you have any of the problems listed above, the first step toward improving your job outlook is to see a doctor who specializes in the treatment of adult ADHD and get diagnosed so that you can get started on the proper treatment. Treatment for adult ADHD includes talk therapy and medication. The FDA has approved the stimulant drugs Adderall XR, Concerta, Focalin XR, and Vyvanse, and the nonstimulant drug Strattera, for the treatment of ADHD in adults.

When you're starting your job search, work with a career counselor to find a job that is most appropriate to your interests, needs, and abilities. That might mean finding a more fast-paced job with flexible hours and a less-rigid structure, or starting your own business so that you can design your own work environment and hours.

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