Manic episodes are not a symptom of ADHD, but a person with ADHD may experience some of the symptoms of a hypomanic episode. Although there may be some symptom similarities, the underlying causes of bipolar disorder and ADHD are different.
One criteria of mania is heightened activity, which can look like the hyperactivity associated with ADHD. The irritability of mania looks like the low frustration tolerance that comes with ADHD. The poor judgment of mania looks like impulsivity of ADHD. Both include distractibility.
One of the biggest differences between the two is that bipolar disorder primarily affects mood, whereas ADHD primarily affects behavior and attention. In addition, people with bipolar disorder cycle through different episodes of mania or hypomania, and depression.
With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Many of the symptoms of a manic bipolar episode and ADHD may be similar, such as distractibility, restlessness, or impulsivity. So ADHD may go undiagnosed in a person with bipolar disorder, if a doctor mistakes ADHD symptoms for a manic episode.
ADHD meltdowns are sudden outbursts of frustration and anger that seem to come out of nowhere. If your child is struggling to control their emotions, there are ways to help them. For children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), impulsivity can present in many ways.
Symptoms of Mood Swings in ADHD
Switching from excited one moment to sad, angry, or anxious the next. Fluctuating between having trouble paying attention and hyperfocusing on an activity. Having bursts of energy and fatigue through the day. Feeling emotions intensely and having difficulty regulating them.
Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger. Adult ADHD symptoms may include: Impulsiveness.
An ASRS score indicating probable ADHD diagnosis was also significantly associated with psychosis. The link between higher ADHD symptoms and psychosis, paranoia and auditory hallucinations was significantly mediated by dysphoric mood, but not by use of amphetamine, cocaine or cannabis.
It is understandable that doctors confuse bipolar symptoms for those of ADHD. Both conditions involve impulsivity, irritability, hyperactivity, emotional dysregulation, sleep problems, a racing brain, and problems with maintaining attention.
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder, while ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder.
The three main symptoms of ADHD are hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. All of these impact behavior, mood, and thinking. That's why ADHD meets the criteria for mental illness.
Children with ADHD are at a high risk of developing a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Children and teenagers with ADHD could be 4.3 times more likely to develop schizophrenia as adults than people without ADHD.
ADHD symptoms start before age 12, and in some children, they're noticeable as early as 3 years of age. ADHD symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe, and they may continue into adulthood. ADHD occurs more often in males than in females, and behaviors can be different in boys and girls.
Mania and hypomania are symptoms that can occur with bipolar disorder. They can also occur in people who don't have bipolar disorder.
The incidence rate of bipolar disorder was 30 times higher in people with a prior diagnosis of ADHD and anxiety than people who weren't diagnosed with either.
People with ADHD may have unstable moods. They may seem anxious or excited one moment, then feel angry or restless the next. These mood swings often happen when a person feels distracted or when they are struggling to pay attention.
People with ADHD have passionate thoughts and emotions that are more intense than those of the average person. Their highs are higher and their lows are lower. This means you may experience both happiness and criticism more powerfully than your peers and loved ones do.
BPD individuals have more problems using context cues for inhibiting responses and their impulsivity is stress-dependent, whereas ADHD patients have more motor impulsivity and therefore difficulties interrupting ongoing responses.
Sensory overload happens when something overstimulates one or more of the senses. There's suddenly too much information coming in for the brain to process. It's common in people with sensory processing issues. Many people associate sensory overload with kids who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
ADHD often occurs with other disorders. Many children with ADHD have other disorders as well as ADHD, such as behavior or conduct problems, learning disorders, anxiety and depression1,2.
ADHD Comorbidities & Related Conditions
The most common ADHD comorbidities are learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, sensory processing disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. Learn the symptoms of conditions related to ADHD here.
ADHD tends to run in families and, in most cases, it's thought the genes you inherit from your parents are a significant factor in developing the condition. Research shows that parents and siblings of someone with ADHD are more likely to have ADHD themselves.