ADHD vs Anxiety: What's the Difference? The difference between ADHD and anxiety ultimately comes down to whether or not the individual is not focused because of fearful, apprehensive thoughts, or is not focused because of being easily distracted even though their mind is calm.
It's not uncommon for people with anxiety to be misdiagnosed with ADHD, or vice versa.
Anxiety and depression can mimic ADHD. Either can be associated with lack of motivation and difficulty focusing the attention. On the other hand, a pattern of being late, missing deadlines and forgetting appointments due to ADHD may lead to anxiety and a sense of failure.
Those with anxiety are likely to experience physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, blushing, and muscle tension, while those with ADHD will likely have poorer time management, forgetfulness, and difficulty regulating their emotions.
ADHD burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that can be caused by long-term, unmanaged ADHD symptoms and stressors. It is often characterized by feelings of overwhelming fatigue, reduced productivity, and a sense of hopelessness or despair.
Masking is when a person with ADHD acts in a “socially acceptable” way to fit in and form better connections with those around them. This usually involves camouflaging their symptoms by controlling their impulses, rehearsing responses, and copying the behaviors of those who don't have ADHD.
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.
ADHD and Anxiety Disorders
This is often accompanied by feelings of restlessness, being "keyed up" or constantly on edge, problems with concentration (or mind going blank), sleep disturbances, muscle tension, irritability, fatigue, and feeling overwhelmed.
Certain attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications can help treat a person's co-occurring anxiety, while others, including Adderall, may worsen it.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety are separate conditions, but for a lot of folks they come as a package deal. About half of adults with ADHD also have anxiety disorder. If you're one of them, the right treatment can improve your ADHD symptoms and ease your anxious feelings, too.
Anxiety, depression, learning disorders, physical health, and many other conditions can cause symptoms that look like ADHD but aren't.
Problems with attention, especially focusing for long periods of time or paying attention to details, is one of the hallmarks of the condition. Depression, anxiety, and addiction disorders can also take a toll on your focus, and many people with ADHD have one or more of these issues, too.
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.
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.
It is because of this factor that psychostimulant drugs - even drugs that, by increasing dopamine, may temporarily reduce anxiety - may paradoxically have the effect of increasing anxiety for people more psychologically prone to anxiousness.
If left untreated, ADHD can lead to problems with productivity, interpersonal relationships, and further mental health problems.
Most women with ADHD get an accurate diagnosis in their late 30s or early 40s. Experts say there could be several reasons behind the late diagnosis.
This is because some symptoms, such as hyperactivity and sensory overload, can lead to fatigue. These symptoms can make sleeping challenging, further contributing to their tiredness. Symptoms relating to sensory overload can result in mental and physical exhaustion.
An ADHD diagnosis increases the risk of trauma exposure for several key reasons. Children with ADHD alone are at a heightened risk for factors that are strongly linked to trauma, including: Interpersonal and self-regulatory problems. Substance abuse.
That's because people with ADHD are more likely than people without ADHD to have seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This type of depression gets triggered by a change in the seasons. As the days get shorter, people are exposed to less sunlight. Many people start to feel tired and moody in the fall.
ADHD and fatigue share a connection as they both primarily affect your brain and executive functioning. They both can have their roots in how your brain is wired and ultimately operates. As a result, people with ADHD tend to be more prone towards developing cases of regular and chronic fatigue.