Psychology
ADHD in adults: signs, assessment and treatment
Adult ADHD is real, under-diagnosed in women, and over-claimed online. How it looks, how to get assessed, what treatment does, and why study pills are a bad bet.
27 Sept 20267 min read
Executive function
Also known as Executive functions, Executive functioning, Executive dysfunction
The mental skills that let us plan, focus, hold instructions in mind, switch between tasks and control impulses — the brain's air traffic control. Difficulties are central to ADHD.
In Psychology
Executive function is the brain's management system: the skills used to plan, start and finish tasks, keep information in mind, shift between activities and stop yourself acting on impulse. Researchers usually group it into three parts — working memory, mental flexibility and self-control.
These skills depend heavily on the . Nobody is born with them; they develop through childhood and keep maturing through the teenage years into early adulthood.
When it struggles
Executive function difficulties are central to and common in . , , poor sleep and chronic stress also weaken it for a time. Signs include chronic lateness, unfinished tasks, losing things and missed deadlines despite real effort — which is why it is so often mistaken for laziness.
Outside supports help: written lists, phone alarms, breaking tasks into small steps, fixed routines. Where ADHD is the cause, treatment can make a large difference.
Where this comes up
Psychology
Procrastination: why we put things off and how to stop
Procrastination is less about laziness than about avoiding bad feelings. Understanding that changes which strategies actually work.
27 Sept 20267 min read
Related terms
- ADHDAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a lifelong difference in how the brain manages attention, activity and impulses, usually noticed in childhood.
- Prefrontal cortexPFC, Frontal lobeThe front part of the brain, behind the forehead, responsible for planning, decision-making, self-control and weighing consequences. It is one of the last areas to mature, in the mid-to-late 20s.
- AutismAutism spectrum disorder, ASDA lifelong difference in how a person communicates, relates to others and experiences the world. It is not an illness, and it is not caused by parenting or vaccines.
- NeurodivergenceNeurodivergent, NeurodiversityA descriptive term for a brain that develops or works differently from the typical, used especially for autism and ADHD. It comes from the neurodiversity movement and is not a medical diagnosis.
- HabitHabits, Habit formationA behaviour that has become automatic, set off by a familiar situation without much thought. Habits form by repeating the same action in the same context.