One reason the Dillsburg pediatrician never suspected she had the disorder was because researchers believed it ends in adolescence. That thinking has changed. Today, many experts believe two to five percent of American adults have the disorder. They consider it a lifelong affliction and believe most childhood ADHD persists through adulthood. The disorder's main symptoms are inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
Experts say it can have a profound effect on an adult's life.
Adults with ADHD are the kind of people who have piles of papers on their desks and drive cars that look like a homeless person lives in them. They may be bright but probably didn't excell in school and are less advanced in careers than peers of similar experience. Many have multiple divorces and lose or change jobs regularly. But Metropolitan Edison Co., which also services part of Cumberland County, has filed a request for a 2.9 percent increase based on the utility's costs of purchasing fuel and electricity from other sources. The requests, which are reflected in the energy cost rate portions of customers' bills, are made annually to reflect changes in the utilities' costs of producing power.