Midlife crises impact more than half of adults with ADHD, according to a new ADDitude survey that ties impulsivity and emotional dysregulation to dramatic upheaval in individuals’ 40s, 50s, and 60s.
, that number is considerably higher: 59% of men aged 40 and older, and 51% of women aged 40 and older said they have experienced a “period of emotional turmoil in middle age frequently characterized by a strong desire for change,” according to a recentThe 690 women and 228 men who responded in the affirmative shared stories of career upheaval, infidelity, divorce, money problems, substance abuse, and burnout.
“I divorced my narcissistic ex, started graduate school to become an educator, met the best man I’ve ever known, fell in love , and earned two black belts during about an 18-month span of time,” wrote one 49-year-old mother in Washington.“I didn’t feel I was able to function in the world,” wrote a 49-year-old male who rated hisas “life-altering” in his 40s.
These may seem like extreme examples, but the root causes of these crises — namely, ADHD traits like impulsivity,survey respondents’ answers. Indeed, 81% of men and 71% of women who said they have experienced a midlife crisis attributed it to ADHD symptoms and attributes.
“I had created a comfortable life for myself by achieving all of my major goals, but then became extremely restless, feeling like the rest of my life would just be spent maintaining my current success,” wrote a 43-year-old male with ADHD who quit his job, ended a long-term relationship, moved, and “essentially started over.” “There wasn’t enough to look forward to, not enough variety or excitement to be had. The novelty of my previous successes had long worn off.
. I stopped second-guessing myself, feeling shame and self-blame, and not trusting what I saw or valuing how I felt.”“I’m not sure ‘crisis’ is the right word here,” wrote one 56-year-old Californian who divorced her husband. “I believe it took me until I was 29 to gain the confidence in myself to make the change. And it made my life so much bigger. I would call it midlife bravery. I was never in crisis.
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