Doctors often mistake ADHD symptoms in adults for mood disorders, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions with overlapping symptoms. For adults, hyperactivity can be turned inward.
Anxiety, depression, learning disorders, physical health, and many other conditions can cause symptoms that look like ADHD but aren't.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; anxiety)
When you have ADHD, there's a lot to be anxious about! It's no wonder half of us are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. While you'll often spot the two together, some clinicians are quick to diagnose anxiety, but not ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, misdiagnosis can happen because many of its symptoms overlap with those of other conditions. The symptoms of ADHD — such as difficulty concentrating, restlessness, and finding it hard to respond to instructions — can all arise from a wide variety of causes.
Atypical Presentation of ADHD Symptoms
Impaired sense of time (loses track of time, often late, hates waiting, avoids doing homework, etc.) Sleep disturbances (has trouble with sleep initiation, sleep deprived, can't wake up easily, etc.)
People with ADHD also tend to feel anger, anxiety, frustration, or disappointment more intensely than others. (The same can be true of positive emotions.) They can have trouble putting the brakes on their feelings.
ADHD Comorbidities & Related Conditions
Roughly 80 percent of those with ADHD are diagnosed with at least one other psychiatric disorder sometime during their life. The most common ADHD comorbidities are learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, sensory processing disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder.
Overall, the study found that about 20 percent – or 900,000 – of the 4.5 million children currently identified as having ADHD likely have been misdiagnosed.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do. People with ADHD do think differently though, in a sense.
Invisible ADHD symptoms
emotional dysregulation. time blindness, or not being aware of time. racing thoughts. intrusive or self-defeating thoughts.
Adults with undiagnosed ADHD often seem disorganized or even scattered. These organizational struggles can affect many areas, from prioritizing tasks to keeping track of personal items. Common signs of organization problems include: Always looking for items they can't find.
If you are concerned that you may have ADHD, the first step is to see a doctor. They will most likely refer you to a psychologist. A psychologist can only make a diagnosis after a detailed assessment of your behaviour. There are many behavioural disorders that can cause symptoms of ADHD, especially in young children.
Both anxiety and ADHD can cause people to tune out and get caught up in their emotions — just for different reasons. People with ADHD have trouble paying attention because they have trouble focusing. People with anxiety have trouble paying attention because they're distracted by worries and fears.
Many children with ADHD have other disorders as well as ADHD, such as behavior or conduct problems, learning disorders, anxiety and depression1,2. The combination of ADHD with other disorders often presents extra challenges for children, parents, educators, and healthcare providers.
But that didn't stop the researchers from claiming misleadingly that ADHD is very common in adults. A meta-analysis reviewing the available literature gives an upper limit of 2.5% rate and also points out that there are vast differences in the quality and methods used across studies.
People with ADHD experience an ongoing pattern of the following types of symptoms: Inattention–having difficulty paying attention. Hyperactivity–having too much energy or moving and talking too much. Impulsivity–acting without thinking or having difficulty with self-control.
Poor impulse control : ADHD affects executive function, which is the brain's ability to regulate emotions, plan activities, and control impulses. People with ADHD may have more trouble calming themselves when they feel angry, or may engage in more impulsive expressions of anger.
“It's quite common for people with ADHD to experience mood swings. 4 The person's energy levels, concentration, moods, and emotions may fluctuate often—sometimes multiple times in the same day,” says Aimee Daramus, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and author of “Understanding Bipolar Disorder.”
Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, or with other activities. Often has trouble holding attention on tasks or play activities. Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
Symptoms of ADHD can have some overlap with symptoms of bipolar disorder. With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.