“At first, I complained about my roller-coaster mood. After the doctor asked me an extensive set of questions, including about how my childhood was, he gave a diagnosis of ADHD,” Olga, a 24-year-old recent graduate, told The Jakarta Post.  

People with ADHD tend only to engage with activities and topics they find interesting. If a task isn’t enthralling for them, it tends to take a notable amount of effort to complete it.

“In junior high school, I [suffered from the symptoms of] ADHD. Even if I knew something was important, I hardly did it,” she said.

As one grows older, executive function becomes more important, including in professional environments. Having difficulty balancing priorities is one of the signs of executive function weakness. This is precisely what happened to psychologist and mental health advocate Anastasia Satriyo, 30, who was diagnosed with ADHD in December 2018.  

“I have the energy to do things I like. But I have trouble when I’m asked to write a report by the clinic [where I practice],” said Anastasia. “People may think that individuals with ADHD have difficulties in their school years. To me, adult life is more challenging because I’m obliged to do some things I’m not fond of.”

Another big struggle for Anastasia has been forgetfulness.

“When I worked at a start-up, I was assigned to follow up on invoices, but I often forgot to complete the task,” she recalled.

Managing time and setting priorities is also challenging for Dibya Pradipta, 33, who works as a fitness trainer for people with special needs. Like Anastasia, Dibya was also diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.

“I’m a freelancer, so I can regulate the rhythm of my life. But when I face things that make me afraid, doubtful, confused or anxious, such as managing my money and time, I find it difficult and need to be repeatedly reminded,” said Dibya.

Maria Felicia, 30, who has been with Dibya for 13 years (They married five months ago.), said that during their courtship, her then-boyfriend often had difficulty making decisions.

“When I asked him to choose a seat in a restaurant, he would get confused and would need a long time to think,” said Felicia, who goes by her second name.

Dibya also tended to procrastinate on time-sensitive tasks, another symptom of ADHD, which meant he was often late to appointments, even informal ones such as picking Felicia up to go to the movies.

Dibya came to the conclusion that he might have ADHD after realizing he struggled to control his emotions. He was diagnosed at 26 or 27 years of age – he couldn’t precisely recall.

"Between the ages of 6 and 8, when I was sad, I would cry excessively. When I felt really scared, I would be hysterical,” Dibya said.  

Not a bad habit

Despite its name, ADHD doesn’t specifically mean a “deficit” of attention but instead an inability to regulate one’s focus. Its cause remains unknown, but research shows that genetics plays a role.

ADHD is often used as shorthand for “hyperactivity”, when in fact there is an “inattentive” type of the disorder, as well as a combination of both. While there is little official data on the prevalence of adult ADHD, some studies estimate that 2 to 5 percent of adults have the condition globally.

Theresia Citraningtyas, a psychiatrist from the Ciputra Medical Center in Jakarta, said ADHD symptoms could go unrecognized throughout childhood and be noticed only later in life.

“People often mistake ADHD symptoms in children for bad behavior. It’s a disorder, not a bad habit,” Theresia said. “Adults may finally become aware of their ADHD because they notice that they find it difficult to focus or are easily distracted and that these symptoms make their lives harder.”

People with ADHD tend to have issues with executive function. This refers to a set of important mental skills that help to get things done. The skills are controlled by an area of the brain called the frontal lobe.

Medication is an important part of ADHD treatment. Stimulants are associated with better executive function performance. They can sometimes prevent people from being easily distracted by unrelated stimuli.

“Our brain is endlessly bombarded by stimuli. It has to work harder to select which stimuli it should focus on. Stimulants allow the brain to work at a higher level,” said Theresia.

Teamwork

Anastasia’s husband Bontor Humala understood the effect of his wife's procrastination and forgetfulness when they married.  

"After she buys or cooks food, she keeps it in the refrigerator but forgets to eat it so it goes bad,” he said. “She also puts off washing plates and glasses. I’m irritated by this because when I worked at a restaurant, I used to wash the dishes before I left.”

Bontor said he constantly reminded Anastasia not to forget important tasks. But now, he said, she no longer forgot things or procrastinated very much. He offered some advice on how to deal with a partner with ADHD.

“Avoid having angry outbursts. Uncontrolled anger will destroy relationships. Talk to your partner after you’ve calmed down,” said the 31-year-old IT developer.

Anastasia is grateful that her husband understands her condition.

"He can read situations and knows me so well. It’s a relief,” she said. “Throughout my life, I have been constantly reprimanded. People know I’m forgetful, but few of them have helped me solve this problem. People with ADHD should be helped, not stigmatized.”

Dibya said his wife was sometimes upset when he put off booking appointments with a psychologist, even after she reminded him. He considered this tendency part of his executive function problem.

“I start to think and then have doubts; ‘Where will we get the money to pay for the psychologist?’” he said.

According to Felicia, understanding how ADHD can affect someone’s life is important.  

“We have to observe what things can hold people with ADHD back from performing their daily activities and what barriers exist for their interpersonal relationships. Lastly, we have to try to be very patient,” she said.

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