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A Phenomenological Analysis of the Experience of Receiving a Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD in Adulthood: A Partner's Perspective

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Susan.Young{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk.

	Abstract

Objectives: The objectives are to explore the experience of living with a person who has undergone a process of diagnosis in his or her adult years and to examine, from the partner’s perspective, how diagnosis and treatment with medication affects the ADHD patients’ understanding of themselves, their behavior, and their relationships with others. Method: Participants were the partners of eight patients who had been diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Three master themes emerged from the analysis: perceptions of inadequacy of the ADHD partner, emotional impact of diagnosis, and medication not a panacea. Conclusion: Results indicate a need for psychological treatment to be provided to clients following diagnosis. Information leaflets for partners will also help partners’ ability to facilitate their own knowledge and understanding, which in turn will help them better support their ADHD partners. (J. of Att. Dis. XXXX; XX(X) xx-xx)

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