Adult diagnosis of A.D.H.D.
He did not think she had early Alzheimer's disease. The woman's daughter and granddaughter had both been given a diagnosis of A.D.H.D. a few years earlier, and Dr. Goodman, who is also the director of a private adult A.D.H.D. clinical and research center outside of Baltimore, asked about her school days as a teenager.
After interviewing her extensively, noting the presence of patterns of impairment that spanned the decades, Dr. Goodman diagnosed A.D.H.D. He prescribed Vyvanse, a short-acting stimulant of the central nervous system.
A few weeks later, the difference was remarkable. "She said: 'I'm surprised, because I'm not misplacing my keys now, and I can remember things better. My mind isn't wandering off, and I can stay in a conversation.
The 73-year-old widow came to see Dr. David Goodman, an assistant professor in the psychiatry and behavioral sciences department at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, after her daughter had urged her to "see somebody" for her increasing forgetfulness. She was often losing her pocketbook and keys and had trouble following conversations, and 15 minutes later couldn't remember much of what was said.
But he did not think she had early Alzheimer's disease. The woman's daughter and granddaughter had both been given a diagnosis of A.D.H.D. a few years earlier, and Dr. Goodman, who is also the director of a private adult A.D.H.D. clinical and research center outside of Baltimore, asked about her school days as a teenager.
"She told me: 'I would doodle because I couldn't pay attention to the teacher, and I wouldn't know what was going on. The teacher would move me to the front of the class,' " Dr. Goodman said,
After interviewing her extensively, noting the presence of patterns of impairment that spanned the decades, Dr. Goodman diagnosed A.D.H.D. He prescribed Vyvanse, a short-acting stimulant of the central nervous system.
A few weeks later, the difference was remarkable. "She said: 'I'm surprised, because I'm not misplacing my keys now, and I can remember things better. My mind isn't wandering off, and I can stay in a conversation. I can do something until I finish it,' " Dr. Goodman said.