“My wife is the one who mainly handles the bills because I don’t have the patience for these things. We have some fines for things I forgot to pay on time. We had money in our account, I just somehow didn’t make it…” This conversation does not take place at the bank. It is conducted in an ADHD clinic where elderly people are treated. Many people who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder also have trouble organizing financially.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is expressed by difficulty recruiting attention and maintaining it over time or an increased tendency to impulsivity.Symptoms of the disorder appear already in childhood and affect areas of life such as studies and social relationships.
According to Ministry of Health data, 5%-10% of schoolchildren from the age of 12 are diagnosed with the disorder, and about 80% of them will continue to suffer from it into adulthood. Adults are required to cope with more complex tasks than children, and therefore the disorder often makes it difficult for adults to function on a daily basis.
Today, more and more adults are being diagnosed with ADHD who have not been diagnosed in the past, either because of the lack of awareness of the subject or because they managed to compensate for the difficulty in various ways. The adults diagnosed are treated accordingly.
The basic deficits in attention and the tendency to impulsivity and hyperactivity lead to the fact that the ways of daily organization, which develop naturally in others (such as recording meetings and tasks in a diary), sometimes do not develop and are not implemented in adults suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Without these skills are:
- Procrastinate tasks.
- Having trouble organizing.
- Avoid listing their expenses in an orderly manner.
- Do not pay bills on time.
- Do not prepare a list for the writer.
- Have trouble being financially calculated.
As a result, they feel that they are living in extravagance and chaos.
The increased tendency to impulsivity may also make economic conduct difficult:
- There may be unplanned financial expenses made without financial and calculated consideration.
- Reckless consumer behavior that takes place just before the consumer has really thought about his need for a product: you see something, buy it, and then think about whether they really needed it.
Today, there is growing awareness of proper economic management. Many people are required to make quite a few changes in their lifestyle, way of thinking and habits in order to succeed in managing themselves financially.
A certain percentage of the population is supplemented by difficulties stemming from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Adults with ADHD understand very well the logic of proper economic organization, but feel that its implementation is beyond their power and even feel guilt, frustration and despair. They often feel that only they are unable to perform the seemingly simple tasks (such as preparing a shopping list for the supermarket) and perceive their disorder as a personality flaw rather than a difficulty they face.
So what do we do?
- Identification of difficulty: In order to cope with the difficulties resulting fromattention deficit hyperactivity disorder, including financial difficulties, it is first necessary to identify the difficulty. Awareness of the problem of attention and concentration and the difficulties resulting from it is the key to any future change.
- Developingappropriate solutions: As with any problem, once you know what you are dealing with, you can find suitable solutions. Adults who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder need to learn to develop organizing strategies that did not develop naturally for them and begin the process of changing habits, which is sometimes not easy but is very satisfying.
- Knowingpersonal difficulties: It is important to know the characteristics of personal attention difficulties, such as the hours when attention and concentration are maximum, and plan tasks accordingly. For example, if you want to plan a household budget, it’s best to do it at optimal times and take breaks according to personal attention span – the time when a person can concentrate on one action before getting distracted. In other words, as soon as you begin to lose concentration, you should take a short break, even of ten minutes, in which you can, for example, get up and stretch and then return to the task with renewed strength and more attentiveness.
- Receiving professional help: A negative self-image as a result of the disorder may also affect financial behavior – “I never succeeded, there is no way I will succeed now” – in which case it is recommended to seek professional help.
It is also possible to find out a medication match that may increase concentration and allow focus on the tasks you want to perform.
In conclusion, economic management is a complex task that requires organization, the ability to concentrate, self-discipline, a planned framework and a sense of capability.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may affect these abilities due to the lack of effective organizing strategies, impulsivity, or failed attempts to organize in the past.
Despite the challenges faced by those suffering from ADHD, there is no reason to give up. It is necessary to build a process that takes into account the difficulties (for example, reminders to deposit checks on certain dates) and adapts to them (such as learning basic organizing techniques that will enable recording expenses), thus paving the way for successful financial management.
