You made it through your school years without being diagnosed with ADHD. So you’re in the clear, right?
Not exactly.
According to Forbes Health, more than 8.7 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD. Thanks to increased awareness of all mental health concerns, the percentage of adults diagnosed has been steadily increasing in recent years¹. That means millions of people are getting the treatment and support they need to make the most of their ADHD brain and improve their quality of life.
But many still go undiagnosed, like millennial women, high-functioning executives, busy moms, and more.
While ADHD can only be diagnosed with a comprehensive assessment, we’ve compiled this list of the most common adult ADHD symptoms as a starting place. Continue reading to see how many sound familiar to you.
- Struggles with attention to detail and tasks
Does your mind wander off while you’re at work, or do you find yourself losing focus when catching up with friends? Does this happen more when you’re doing something that you don’t find particularly engaging? Is it even harder to focus when you have noise or activity around you?
‘Attention’ is right there in the name, and while many argue that those with ADHD are not actually suffering from a deficit of attention, the fact remains that struggles with focus are an indication that ADHD might be at play.
- Trouble with relationships
Attention struggles don’t just pop up at work. Sometimes they can impede personal relationships. When focus wanes during a conversation with friends or family, zoning out often comes next, which leads to missing important details. If your friends have noted that they often have to repeat themselves to you, this might be another indication that you’ve got some attention struggles.
Remember, taking care of your mental health is a great way to improve the relationships in your life.
- Excessive fidgeting and feelings of restlessness
The word ‘hyperactivity’ usually brings to mind little boys bouncing out of their seats in elementary school. But adults can also struggle with hyperactivity. Feeling restless or fidgety when you have to sit still for a long meeting or at the movie theater is one way you might experience hyperactivity as an adult.
If you’ve ever felt as though your actions are driven by a motor, and not so much by your calm decision-making process, you might be struggling with hyperactivity.
- Frequently interrupting conversations
Do your friends often ask you to stop interrupting them in conversation? Impulsivity doesn’t always have to be big and highly visible. Sometimes it shows up in our everyday interactions with friends and family.
However, also consider whether you frequently make major decisions quickly and without the time to think it through or change plans on a whim.
- Frequently misplacing important items
Where are your keys and wallet right now? If they’re misplaced more often than not, this is something to pay attention to.
Adults with ADHD struggle with disorganization because of the specific ways in which their brains work. Slight differences in executive function lead to cluttered spaces, difficulty with prioritization, and misplacing things.
- Chronic lateness and struggles with time management
If your friends tell you to arrive an hour before the actual reservation time because they know you will be late, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have ADHD. But it is something to think about.
Adults with ADHD struggle with estimating how long tasks will take, which leads to downstream effects like procrastination, trouble with deadlines, and, yes, chronic lateness.
- Difficulty completing projects
The beginning of a project is a great time for people with ADHD. The novelty keeps your brain engaged, and the challenge keeps you going.
The middle or end of a project is a different story. By this point, struggles with focus and time management have taken over, leading many adults with ADHD to have a long list of half-finished tasks, projects, or hobbies.
- Frequent mood swings or emotional sensitivity
Adults with ADHD may experience intense emotions, be easily frustrated, or have difficulty regulating their emotional responses. These tendencies can come out as being overwhelmed and angry and can lead to relationship challenges.
- Getting lost in a task for hours
The flip side to struggling with focus is hyperfocus. This happens when you get so intensely focused on a task that you enjoy that time, and all other responsibilities fall away. While incredibly productive, this ability to get in the zone can also exacerbate those time management and relationship challenges.
- Low self-esteem
Let’s face it, friends and family may struggle to accept that you are working through these challenges, not to mention coworkers and bosses. As a result, even if you are trying hard to compensate and overcome these struggles, you may still feel like you are failing those around you.
It’s important to note that everyone experiences some of these symptoms occasionally. For a diagnosis of Adult ADHD, these symptoms need to be persistent, present in multiple areas of life, and significantly impact daily functioning. If you identify strongly with many of these signs, it might be time to dig a little deeper.
If you think you might have ADHD, take our Diagnostic Evaluation. You’ll get your results in 5 days and could start treatment within the following week.
