Background: Though many adults with ADHD underperform professionally, are more stressed, and have more days of sickness absence compared to adults without ADHD, few studies have explored the experience of working as an adult with ADHD. This study explores the general experience of working with ADHD, including stress and work-related mental illness.

Methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 20 working adults with ADHD. Interview topics included how the ADHD diagnosis and/or symptoms of ADHD may have affected participants on the job, how work may have affected participants’ well-being, and the need for support and accommodation. Qualitative content analysis was used to explore verbatim transcripts from the interviews.

Results: The analysis yielded three themes that describe some of the challenges of working with ADHD: Working and living with ADHD, Needs, and Special abilities, with a total of eight subcategories. Subcategories were Specific challenges; Relationships and cooperation; Negative consequences; Planning, prioritization, organization, and structure; Support, interventions, accommodations, and aids; Openness, understanding, and acceptance; Strategies; Strengths and qualities.

Conclusion: Further knowledge about the challenges of working with ADHD is needed in workplaces; where organizational support is lacking, much in terms of accommodations and aids is up to the employee, and the disclosure of diagnoses may be associated with great dilemma.

Background: National and international guidelines advocate for a multimodal approach to treating adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), combining pharmacotherapy with psychological interventions. While recent reviews support cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a viable treatment for ADHD in adults, evidence remains limited. Another challenge is the availability of psychological interventions, with stimulants remaining the primary treatment choice for adults with ADHD. One promising approach to increasing access to psychological interventions is the dissemination of internet-delivered CBT.

Objective: This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of a guided web-based stress management program specifically designed for working adults with ADHD. The intervention aimed to enhance quality of life by addressing stress, exhaustion, anxiety, and depression, commonly experienced by this population.

Methods: Thirty-six participants took part in a single-arm open trial, with assessments before, during, and after the intervention. The intervention consisted of 12 modules based on CBT principles, focusing on executive functioning, stress management, and emotion regulation, with clinician support on demand. Primary and secondary outcomes included quality of life (Adult ADHD Quality of Life Scale [AAQoL]), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS-10]), exhaustion (Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale [KEDS]), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale [GAD-7]), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]), and ADHD symptoms (the World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale [ASRS]).

Results: Results indicated a statistically and clinically significant improvement in quality of life (Cohen d=0.84), and a reduction in ADHD symptoms (d=0.98), as well as statistically significant reductions in perceived stress (d=0.83), exhaustion (d=1.12), anxiety (d=1.70), and depression (d=1.25). Improvements were sustained at a 12-week follow-up. A clinically significant improvement in quality of life was observed in 36% (13/36) of participants. Participants reported high satisfaction with the program and the guidance. Adherence was high, with an overall assessment response rate of 84%, a mean of 78% of modules opened, and no explicit dropouts. Twelve of the 36 participants reported negative effects. Qualitative content analysis of participants’ written feedback revealed positive experiences and suggestions for improvement.

Conclusions: This study suggests promise for web-delivered interventions tailored to the needs of adults with ADHD, pending further research and development in controlled studies.