It can be easy to confuse anxiety or major depression with ADHD because they share some symptoms. However, they are different conditions. That's why it's important to get a full assessment by a mental health professional.
Just about everyone I meet with late-diagnosis ADHD has at some point been misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety. For many, the misdiagnosis stuck for their entire lives.
People with anxiety will struggle with focus and attention, but it's because their minds are so preoccupied with anxious and worry-filled thoughts. Whereas the ADHD brain struggles with focus and attention due to being easily distracted (Drake Institute).
Confusing the picture of whether or not it is anxiety or ADHD is the fact that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and inattentive presentation of ADHD clinically show much the same symptoms of inattention, leading to frequent misdiagnosis (e.g., ADHD misdiagnosed as anxiety and vice versa).
Both disorders bring mood problems, forgetfulness, and inability to focus, but there are slight differences. Emotions: ADHD moods are transient, precipitated by a setback. Depressive moods are pervasive & chronic. Motivation: Individuals with ADHD are overwhelmed by deciding what to do first.
Some symptoms of ADHD and depression are a lot alike, and that can make it tough to diagnose and treat those conditions. For example, trouble with focus is one of the signs of both depression and ADHD.
Can ADHD stimulant medications like Adderall help with symptoms of depression and anxiety? It depends. Stimulant medications aren't used on their own for treating depression. But they are sometimes used as an add-on treatment for depression to boost an antidepressant that's not working well.
The presence of anxiety can make it more likely for ADHD to be missed during diagnosis. This is due to several reasons. ✦ Firstly, anxiety symptoms may mask ADHD symptoms as anxiety can lower impulsivity.
When you have anxiety along with ADHD, it may make some of your ADHD symptoms worse, such as feeling restless or having trouble concentrating. But anxiety disorder also comes with its own set of symptoms, like: Constant worry about many different things. Feeling on edge.
Certain attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications can help treat a person's co-occurring anxiety, while others, including Adderall, may worsen it.
More often than not, when a person over the age of 10 is diagnosed with ADHD, he or she complains of feeling anxious, depressed, or sad. Sometimes the complaint indicates a co-existing anxiety disorder or depression, but often, symptoms of anxiety and unhappiness arise because of untreated ADD.
However, it can also lead to potential misinterpretation of symptoms. Take, for example, ADHD. While most people associate ADHD with hyperactivity and impulsivity, it can also manifest in more subtle ways, such as through intrusive thoughts and overthinking.
Instead, it usually is diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder. The term "high-functioning anxiety" represents people who exhibit anxiety symptoms while maintaining a high level of functionality in various aspects of their lives.
The overlap between the symptoms of ADHD and other conditions can also add to the potential for misdiagnosis. As many as 75% of children with ADHD meet the criteria for another diagnosis. About a third of children who have ADHD will also have clinical levels of anxiety.
She states that SSRIs often worsen ADHD symptoms over time at approx. 33 minutes 30 seconds. And finally, this research study abstract states that SSRIs “often aggravate ADHD symptoms.”
It's not uncommon for people with anxiety to be misdiagnosed with ADHD, or vice versa.
Type 6: Ring Of Fire ADHD
People with Ring of Fire ADHD typically show patterns of high brain activity and have trouble “shutting off” their minds, which can make thoughts and emotions overwhelming. Stimulant medications alone may make ADHD symptoms significantly worse.
“People with both ADHD and anxiety can cope by learning to manage both conditions,” Roberts says. “Learning skills to decrease the occurrence of forgetfulness is helpful for people with ADHD.” Roberts also stresses the importance of learning skills — such as meditation — to help manage anxiety.
ADHD stimming is when a person with ADHD displays self-stimulatory behavior by repeating certain sounds and movements unconsciously. There are many different examples, including lip biting, rocking back and forth, humming, teeth grinding, or chewing gum.
Antidepressants differ in their effectiveness for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. None are as effective as psychostimulants for treating the attentional and cognitive symptoms, but they can help reduce impulsive and hyperactive behavior.
Some experts assert that up to 70% of people with ADHD will seek treatment for depression at least once. One study at the University of Chicago reported that adolescents with ADHD are ten times more likely to suffer from depression than adolescents without an ADHD diagnosis.
Can Untreated ADHD Cause Depression? Having ADHD puts you at four times the risk of depression. The risk is even greater for hyperactive/impulsive types, who are also at a higher risk of suicide. The nature of ADHD itself, especially if untreated, can sometimes cause depression.