• Nichole Long and Heather Coats.
• University of Colorado College of Nursing, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States.
• Fam Pract. 2022 Nov 22; 39 (6): 114411551144-1155.

BackgroundAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopment disorder that affects individuals across the lifespan. ADHD causes dysfunction when left untreated. Individuals receiving a diagnosis in adulthood have a unique life experience because of their delayed diagnosis.ObjectivesTo identify and methodically review qualitative studies that explored the experiences of receiving a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, conduct an interpretive analysis of the identified studies, and produce a qualitative meta-synthesis to provide an understanding of these experiences.MethodsStudies with adults diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, focussed on experiences of receiving a delayed ADHD diagnosis, used qualitative methods, and were cited in PubMed, OVID, and ProQuest databases. Out of 251 studies identified, 7 met inclusion criteria.ResultsThis qualitative meta-synthesis produced 2 main themes: ADHD as an identity and ADHD as a diagnosis, and 5 subthemes: identity before diagnosis, identity after diagnosis, the unnecessary struggle, the diagnosis as a revelation and a burden, and a functional life was finally possible.ConclusionOverall, this study showed that delayed diagnosis of ADHD causes suffering and dysfunction that could be mitigated through earlier diagnosis and treatment.© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

10 keywords...

hide…