

I often forget about meetings and other day-to-day obligations.I have a hard time finalizing small details once the challenging parts of a task are finished.I have a hard time starting projects, especially if they require a lot of thinking or concentration.

The most common mental illnesses are depression, bipolar disorder, social anxiety disorder, substance use disorders and personality disorders. Other mental illnesses-More than three-quarters of adults living with ADHD have another mental illness.Family members-ADHD seems to run in families, so you are much more likely to have ADHD if a close biological relative has ADHD.For example, an adult who feels very restless can choose a busy, fast-paced job or change jobs often.Ībout 4% of adults experience some or all ADHD symptoms. Adults can develop coping strategies that “hide” symptoms.Clinicians may have less training to recognize ADHD in adults, although this is getting better.For example, some mood disorders can cause problems with concentration, some anxiety disorders can cause problems with restlessness and some personality disorders can cause problems with impulsivity Other mental illnesses can cause problems with attention or behaviour.Top Why is ADHD in adults hard to diagnose?ĪDHD can be harder to diagnose in adults for some of these reasons: But if you are an adult and you suddenly begin to experience symptoms that look like ADHD, there is usually something else wrong. Some people cope with symptoms when they were children, but the demands of adulthood make the symptoms more obvious and more troublesome. You may be diagnosed as an adult with ADHD, but you must have experienced some ADHD symptoms as a child-there is no such thing as ADHD that starts when you’re an adult. For example, adults may quit school, quit a job, get into car accidents or have problems with substance use. Impulsivity may be less frequent or obvious in adults than in children, but the impact of impulsive decisions can be very harmful. Inattention symptoms in particular tend to affect adults, and may also make tasks like planning and setting priorities difficult. These symptoms last for a long time, don’t change in different places (such as at work and at home) and can cause a lot distress or problems.

This group of symptoms is called impulsivity. You might do things without considering the results or act before you think. Or you might have a hard time controlling urges and take a lot of risks. This group of symptoms is called hyperactivity. You might have a hard time sitting still, fidget all the time or feel very restless. This group of symptoms is called inattention. You might make careless mistakes at work or frequently forget things. If you live with ADHD, you might have problems paying attention, concentrating on one task or organizing things. As we learn more about the course of ADHD, it’s becoming more common for teens and adults to be diagnosed with the illness. About two-thirds of people living with ADHD continue to experience symptoms as an adult. ADHD is usually diagnosed in school-aged children, but it can continue to cause problems into adulthood.
