Question: Hi Dr Barkley,
  
  Do you have any advice on how to explain ADHD, more specifically late diagnosis (40’s) to friends and family?  So many people seem to just think it’s about being distracted or hyperactive without acknowledging all the other symptoms/traits that come along with it.  
  
  After my diagnosis last fall and reading a lot of books (including some of yours!), etc, I’ve realized a lot of my failures and faults were adhd caused (and I’m now addressing)..  I can’t expect them to all read like I have though. 
  
  Thanks for doing this and helping the community!
Answer: I like to explain to others that ADHD is far more than merely a disorder of attention or activity; it is a disorder of self-regulation and of the major executive brain functions that permit us to self-regulate.  As we develop, self-regulation becomes increasingly critical to our well being and becoming independent of our families and self-governing in society.  Thus, ADHD is disrupting one of the most essential psychological capacities, which is that of self-control.  We use self-regulation to organize our actions over time in anticipation of and preparation for future events, goals, assigned tasks, etc.  It is, simply put, attention to the future and that is what people with ADHD struggle to attend to.  They attend just fine to the now and external environment.  But they struggle to attend to the next; to the impending future and what must be done to prepare for its arrival.  Viewed this way, ADHD is a very serious disorder as it disrupts a major psychological adaptation that humans use to survive, prosper, and see to their longer-term welfare.  When you tell people that, they understand how serious this is and that a cup of Starbuck, a better nights sleep, less screen time with technology, or some nutritional supplement will not address this fundamental problem.  ADHD is EFDD (or SRDD), not merely inattention.
content: Q: Hi Dr Barkley,
  
  Do you have any advice on how to explain ADHD, more specifically late diagnosis (40’s) to friends and family?  So many people seem to just think it’s about being distracted or hyperactive without acknowledging all the other symptoms/traits that come along with it.  
  
  After my diagnosis last fall and reading a lot of books (including some of yours!), etc, I’ve realized a lot of my failures and faults were adhd caused (and I’m now addressing)..  I can’t expect them to all read like I have though. 
  
  Thanks for doing this and helping the community!
   Ans: I like to explain to others that ADHD is far more than merely a disorder of attention or activity; it is a disorder of self-regulation and of the major executive brain functions that permit us to self-regulate.  As we develop, self-regulation becomes increasingly critical to our well being and becoming independent of our families and self-governing in society.  Thus, ADHD is disrupting one of the most essential psychological capacities, which is that of self-control.  We use self-regulation to organize our actions over time in anticipation of and preparation for future events, goals, assigned tasks, etc.  It is, simply put, attention to the future and that is what people with ADHD struggle to attend to.  They attend just fine to the now and external environment.  But they struggle to attend to the next; to the impending future and what must be done to prepare for its arrival.  Viewed this way, ADHD is a very serious disorder as it disrupts a major psychological adaptation that humans use to survive, prosper, and see to their longer-term welfare.  When you tell people that, they understand how serious this is and that a cup of Starbuck, a better nights sleep, less screen time with technology, or some nutritional supplement will not address this fundamental problem.  ADHD is EFDD (or SRDD), not merely inattention.