Five Signs Of ADHD To Look For In Adults
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a common neurodevelopmental condition marked by impulsive behavior, restlessness, and impaired functioning in everyday life that may be related to brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. While it seems to gain the most amount of recognition among school-aged children, it can continue into adulthood. Learning to recognize the core signs and symptoms of adult ADHD (that is, ADHD diagnosed or continuing in adulthood, not necessarily beginning in adulthood) can help you identify if it’s something that you or a loved one may be struggling with. From here, you can take advantage of the several ADHD treatment options available, such as medications and behavioral therapy.
What is ADHD in adults?
ADHD stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder commonly diagnosed in childhood. While it’s more prevalent among children, it’s also possible for someone not to discover they have ADHD until they are an adult. In some cases, ADHD symptoms aren’t detected when someone is a child, and in other cases, the signs aren’t present or as prominent until one is older.
Many adults living with ADHD likely don’t know they have it, with as many as 75% of them unaware they have the disorder.
ADHD may impact the development of certain areas of the brain, such as the frontal lobe. The affected areas are responsible for helping with daily activities such as paying attention, making decisions, remembering things, and staying organized. While many people know and refer to the disorder as “ADD,” the official updated term to use is ADHD. There are three defined ways that the disorder can present itself in a person’s life:
Impulsive/hyperactive type
Inattentive and distractible type
Combined type
While the “H” in ADHD stands for hyperactivity, there are some people who don’t experience those symptoms with their diagnosis. This is known as predominantly inattentive type ADHD.
Adult ADHD symptoms
When many people think of ADD/ADHD (attention-deficit disorder, now referred to as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), they think of the way that the symptoms may present in children. This can include things like:
Running, climbing, and jumping around when they should be sitting still (i.e., like in school)
Interrupting others who are talking
Reacting quickly with anger
Having difficulty sitting still
Fidgeting and squirming
It’s important to note that ADHD is not considered the same as a learning disability like dyslexia or dysgraphia, though half of children with ADHD also have learning disabilities like dyslexia or auditory processing disorder.
Some of these symptoms may be the same for adults, such as struggling to sit still. However, many adults have learned how to control impulsive behaviors that used to present themselves when they were children.
However, just because you may have more self-control doesn’t mean that you won’t still struggle with symptoms of ADHD when you’re older. As an adult, the signs of ADHD may present themselves in other ways that can negatively impact your life if left unaddressed, like poor problem-solving skills or late bill payments. Here are some of the other symptoms that adults living with ADHD can experience:
Getting bored easily
Adults with ADHD tend to get bored quickly throughout their day, especially when they have to stay on a single task for an extended period of time. This can make it difficult to focus on projects at work or complete things that you need to be doing in your personal life. You may find that you would prefer to jump from one task to the next, even if it means that you’re not completing what you need to before moving on. This feeling can cause you to fidget around, especially if you’re supposed to be staying still for things like meetings or long conversations.
Lack of organization
You may also find that you struggle with keeping your space organized, whether it be in the workplace or at home. Keeping things in their place and having the organizational skills to do so might not be something that comes naturally to you. Even though you may benefit from having sound organizational systems set up in your life to help keep you on track, it can still be something that’s difficult for you to implement on your own. You may struggle to find your keys when you’re trying to walk out the front door, misplace the mail when you come into the house, or keep papers stacked in messy piles on your desk instead of having them placed in folders and drawers.
Constantly in a rush or running late
If you struggle with adult ADHD, you may also find that you frequently run late to places that you need to be. This can occur for many different reasons. For example, you might suspect that you’re always running late because you can’t remember where you put the items that you need to bring with you as you head out the door. You may lose track of time and not realize that you were supposed to have left 15 minutes ago. Or it could be that you committed to doing something and then completely forgot that you had agreed to do it because you overbooked yourself and didn’t write your commitments down in a calendar.
Poor listening skills
Since ADHD can cause difficulty paying attention, it may impact your ability to focus and actively listen during conversations. You might find that your mind begins to wander when you are supposed to be listening to another person talk. This can lead the other person to grow frustrated as well as cause you to miss out on important information. Since listening is an essential social skill, not listening to others can also impact your ability to interact and build relationships with friends and family members, which can lead to relationship problems. They may see your behavior as rude, particularly if they don’t know that you struggle with ADHD and understand how the disorder can impact you.
Procrastination on larger projects
Another prominent symptom of ADHD in adults is difficulty with time management and getting started on projects, especially ones requiring you to focus on them for longer periods of time. This can cause you to resist getting started at all. It could be that you feel overwhelmed about the task at hand, and so instead of getting started on it, you push it off or fail to prioritize time-sensitive tasks. While procrastinating only makes completing the project more challenging to complete in the long run, it can feel too overwhelming to get started in the moment. You may find yourself choosing to take advantage of the short-term benefit of procrastinating instead of the long-term benefits of completing the task at hand on time, even when you really want to get it done.
Challenges caused by attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms
The symptoms adults with ADHD experience can create challenges in many areas of life. For example, adults may find that they struggle with their performance at work due to disorganization and procrastination. They might also find it difficult to stay focused when they should be working, or consistently make seemingly careless mistakes despite triple-checking their work.
Maintaining relationships may be a challenge for adults with ADHD as well. You and your significant other might experience more conflict because of miscommunications related to your symptoms. For instance, your partner may be frustrated that you don’t listen and engage in conversations that they are trying to have with you. Or they may grow discouraged with your lack of organization around the house. This is especially likely if they don’t understand the extent of your symptoms, but even the most understanding and caring partners may get offended or peeved from time to time. It can feel quite discouraging.
While your symptoms may make it appear that you don’t care about the other people that are around you or that you’re not taking things seriously, that’s usually not the case. Really, it’s probably because your brain responds inadequately to rewarding stimuli and gets lost in all the noise of life.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, ADHD adults are also more likely to develop a substance use disorder, although there is no definitive evidence to explain why. Substance misuse by people with ADHD may be an attempt to relieve their symptoms, or there may be a genetic link between substance abuse, ADHD, and other mental health conditions.
Treatment options that can help
The most common forms of treatment for ADHD include prescription medication and therapy. You may consult with your primary care provider or a specialist in clinical psychiatry if you are interested in discussing ADHD medication treatment options.
Therapy is also a popular form of treatment. Therapists can work with you to identify coping strategies that you can use to manage your behaviors and symptoms. Behavioral therapy can, for instance, help you improve your self-esteem or become more aware of the distracting behaviors that you may want to change and the reasons why you engage in such behaviors.
While there are plenty of people who benefit from one form of treatment or the other, it’s not uncommon to combine the two for maximum effect. It’s important to discover which treatment plan is most effective for your specific needs and circumstances. You can start this process by speaking with your doctor or a mental health professional.
Online therapy with BetterHelp
You may find that you’re struggling with other challenges, such as personality disorders, anxiety disorders, or depression, as a result of ADHD. In this case, working with an online mental health professional can be beneficial for addressing your concerns. You can connect with a licensed therapist through an online platform such as BetterHelp.
Online therapy allows you to schedule sessions according to your availability, giving you flexibility and the ability to exert greater control over your therapeutic experience. You can avoid long distance driving by connecting from the comfort of home instead, and may be a more suitable option if you struggle with keeping in-person appointments because of your symptoms.
How online therapy supports people with ADHD and other mental disorders
Online therapy can be effective for managing the symptoms associated with ADHD, and can also be helpful for treating other disorders. In a 2022 study, researchers found that digital-based therapy was effective “in improving attention deficit and social function of adults and children with ADHD.” They also noted that there were fewer side effects to therapy-based treatment than medication-based treatment.
Takeaway
Whether you’ve been living with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since you were a child or have only recently been diagnosed in adulthood through psychological tests, it’s important to know that this disorder can be managed. If you’d like to explore which treatment options are available to you and might be most effective, speak with your doctor. Additionally, support groups or even an online therapist can help you address any comorbid mental disorders or other mental health concerns that come along with ADHD, including mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. A diagnosis of ADHD does not need to be something that stands in your way of accomplishing the goals and dreams that you have for your life. In fact, with the right treatment and support, some people are able to embrace the silver lining of their symptoms and achieve more.
What happens to people with ADHD?
Adult ADHD symptoms can be the same as they are in children; they fidget and squirm, interrupt others, react quickly with anger, or have trouble sitting still. But, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD symptoms in adults can appear in other ways. Adults with ADHD may get bored easily, having difficulty focusing on work projects or jumping from one task to the next. They may be disorganized, constantly running late, or procrastinating on large projects because they feel overwhelmed. They may also exhibit poor listening skills due to their inability to stay focused.
What are coping mechanisms for ADHD?
There are many things you can do to help mitigate stress when you have ADHD. Try keeping a daily to-do list of things you need to get done. Prioritize them from most to least important, then focus on the top of the list and work your way down. Adding events to your phone’s calendar and setting reminders can help you remember when key appointments are. Setting reminders for an hour or two before can help you prepare appropriately so you make the appointment on time. Using timers and alarms can help you stop losing track of time or remember routine things like when to take your ADHD medications or when it’s time to leave to pick up your kids from school.
How does ADHD present in adults?
ADHD affects adults in many ways. Inattentive symptoms can include a lack of attention to detail, difficulty staying on task, trouble listening, lack of follow-through, disorganization, forgetfulness, and procrastination. They may also be easily distracted and lose things often.
Adults with an ADHD diagnosis may experience hyperactive symptoms, too, but they may look different than they do in children. While some, like fidgeting, getting out of their seat often, and talking excessively, are the same in both populations, adults may exhibit signs of ADHD that may not be as obvious. They may experience chronic restlessness, have difficulty engaging in quiet activities, and be constantly on the go. They may blurt out things or interrupt during conversations or finish other people’s sentences because their minds are working faster than other people are talking. Some adult symptoms may make it seem like the person may be experiencing the disruptive symptoms of some mood disorders, but ADHD is not a mood disorder.
What are some skills for coping with ADHD?
Coping skills for ADHD can help people stay on task with projects, meet deadlines, and keep up with daily to-do lists. Organizational tools can help you stay on task. For some people, this can be a simple to-do list written with pen and paper, while others might prefer the convenience of an app or phone calendar.
If you have trouble focusing, decluttering your office or home and reducing distractions can help you stay organized. Keep a notebook handy to write down ideas as they come to you. This way, if you’re in the middle of something and have an idea, you can write it down so you can come back to later and get back to the task instead of getting distracted.
Deadlines can be challenging for people with ADHD because they may want the work to be perfect, which can be intimidating, and it can be very easy to get distracted. There are a few ways that people with ADHD can try to overcome this. First, deal with distracting matters, like emails and phone calls, as soon as possible. Watch the clock so you know how much time you spend doing other things, and try not to multitask. Focus on one thing at a time and then move on to your next task. Be realistic with how long it will take you to meet your deadlines and leave yourself enough time to accomplish everything you need. This may mean saying no to other commitments until you’re done.
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