Symptoms of Adult ADHD
Adult symptoms of ADHD can be difficult to recognize. They could be mistakenly interpreted as character traits or personal flaws, which makes getting assistance difficult.
ADHD symptoms can lead to serious problems at work, school and in relationships. It can also cause health problems, such as missed appointments with doctors or unpaid bills resulting from impulsive purchases.
1. You Can't Focus
When you can't focus it can be difficult. You may find yourself unable to remember important tasks or not finishing tasks on time. It can also be difficult to make decisions or consider the advantages and disadvantages of different choices. The lack of focus and attention can make it difficult to complete daily tasks such as making appointments or paying bills, and they may have negative effects on your relationships too.
ADHD can affect all aspects of your life. Adults who weren't diagnosed with ADHD as children usually discover that they suffer from it when they get older and realize they're unable to cope with their family, career, and daily routine.
The primary symptoms of ADHD are inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. These difficulties can manifest in different ways, but are usually more evident in adulthood. If you're having trouble keeping up with your responsibilities or are constantly stressed due to indecisiveness and lack of organization, you might have ADHD.
Adults suffering from ADHD may experience restlessness, making it difficult to sleep or relax. They might also have difficulty changing their focus, for example when playing video games or preparing meals. They can also have difficulty with emotional regulation. This means that they might experience extreme mood swings or trouble regulating their behavior.
Sometimes, the symptoms of ADHD are subtle enough to be attributed to other factors like fatigue or drinking too much coffee. If your symptoms are interfering in your life and impacting your relationships, you should consider an assessment of your mental state to determine if you are suffering from ADHD. A psychiatric evaluation will include an explanation of your symptoms, a mental and medical history, interviews with your caregivers and teachers, a study of your family and surroundings and tests to rule out other issues.
2. You're always on the move
Most of the time, when someone has ADHD are prone to feeling restless in situations where they should be sitting still for instance, during a movie, or when their job requires them to remain seated. Restlessness can be exhibited by fidgeting, pacing or even removing your chair in situations when remaining seated would be appropriate.
People suffering from ADHD also have difficulty completing tasks, which can lead to feelings of task paralysis, a condition in which you are so overwhelmed and hesitant to begin the task that you put it off or lapse into a trance, failing to finish it. This could happen at work, school or even at home. People with ADHD may also have difficulties keeping on top of deadlines, appointments and other important information which can lead to several missed opportunities and inability to fulfill commitments.
In later life, problems with organisation can become more evident due to the structure of parents and support to manage their responsibilities in childhood are less prevalent. Organizational problems can lead to issues in relationships, work or with friends, as well as to difficulties in managing money and the ability to remember details that are essential to daily life.
Another sign of adult ADHD is impulsivity, where you make decisions without thinking about the consequences of your actions. This can lead to things like suddenly quitting your job, engaging in unprotected sex or buying something at the spur of the moment.
If you have these symptoms, a mental health professional can assess your symptoms and recommend treatments that include medication, psychotherapy focused on improving organisation and mindfulness or acceptance-commitment therapy strategies for anxiety and mood issues. They may also suggest self-care practices that might aid, such as color-coding to mark important dates in your calendar, or writing notes and lists to yourself and attempting the Pomodoro method where you set a timer to 20 minutes of work and take breaks between each cycle.
3. You're having a difficult time Listening
In relationships, poor listening skills can be a deciding factor. People who are unable to listen to what is being said might feel they are misunderstood and think their opinion is not being considered. This can lead to confusion, conflict and miscommunication in the workplace that are difficult to solve. In a romantic relationship, this can lead to frustration and confusion for the person who is not being heard.
It is difficult to focus on what other people are talking about. This could be a sign that you may be suffering from ADHD. This could be due to many things, such as being distracted by the sounds and sights of your surroundings, being easily bored by a conversation and having a million ideas in your head while someone else is talking or feeling defensive when they are criticised.
Children's impulsivity and hyperactivity are much easier to spot however, the signs of adult ADHD can be more subtle. Adults with ADHD may appear hurried if they are always running late and are overwhelmed with tasks to complete. It's also possible that they appear to be impulsive and interrupt others or play games even when it is inappropriate.
Listening is a skill you can learn and improve with practice. It's worth learning to listen better since communication is important in all aspects of your life, including work, friendships, and love. It's important to regularly check in with yourself and consider how you may be affecting others around you. You can then make a commitment to change your habits.
4. You're Always Remembering Details
If you find yourself frequently forgetting important details like dates or deadlines, cooking times or important phone numbers, it could be a sign that your ADHD is affecting your memory. If you're having difficulty remembering information that you've heard, try going back to the context in which it was initially stored. This will help you reconstruct the flow of your thoughts, and could help retrieve the missing information.
Adults with ADHD often don't exhibit the hallmark hyperactivity of childhood but instead exhibit more subtle inactive behaviors such as fidgeting their hands or feet or leaving their seat when they should be seated. Some people also have difficulty in determining the time they will need to complete tasks or projects, which can cause delays in work and missed opportunities.
People who suffer from ADHD are also more irritable. According to a study in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, if you're prone towards anger or irritability, and often apologize, you may have ADHD.
Many adults who are not diagnosed with ADHD will go through their entire life battling with symptoms that go unnoticed. A diagnosis can change your life. It can relieve the feelings of frustration, anger and low self-esteem that can result from living with ADHD. It can also provide insights on how you react to certain situations and give you strategies for managing your ADHD.
Don't let the fact adult ADHD symptoms are different from those seen in children stop you from seeking assistance. The majority of the symptoms of ADHD can be addressed through lifestyle changes treatments, therapies, and medications.
5. You're Having Anxiety
It's normal to feel anxious at times, but persistent nervousness, difficulty staying calm or a pounding of your heart could indicate that you suffer from an anxiety disorder. People who suffer from these signs are often worried that they could harm themselves or others, have a panic attack or lose control of their emotions. This may cause them to avoid their family and friends and avoid certain locations or behavior, and keep away from work. Avoiding situations will only make anxiety worse.
Some people with anxiety also struggle to stay focused on tasks and tend to dwell on negative aspects of a situation. They might be worried about the health of their loved ones or about money, or embarrassing moments at school or at work. Other symptoms include feeling of being uneasy or having trouble sleeping. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.
Anxiety can be caused by many things, including physical conditions or traumatizing experiences and illnesses from childhood. Stress is the most prevalent reason. Talk to add symptoms in adults when you experience extreme anxiety. Your provider may refer to a mental specialist. These professionals include psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health counselors.
Your doctor will assess you for ADHD by asking you to describe your symptoms and their impacts on your life. This includes taking a psychiatric medical history by analyzing medical records and getting information from your teachers and parents regarding your behavior during childhood. They'll look for signs of the condition that were present prior to age 12, including difficulties at school, at home and at work. They'll also ask you about your relationships and if you feel you may have anxiety or depression.