Is It Anxiety, Depression or Adult ADHD?

By Monique Deely, LCSW

McLean Counseling Center

. http://www.mcleancounselingcenter.com

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Is It Anxiety, Depression or Adult ADHD?

ADHD does not just affect children. It has three core symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These can affect an adult or child in home, social and work/school settings. It is estimated that almost 11 million adults in the U.S. have it. Many adults, today, struggle with aspects in their daily lives and wonder if what they are experiencing is normal, due to living increasingly stressful lives, or if it is something more.

Additionally, many can be misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression when they do reach out for help and then feel dissatisfied with treatment or question why they are not improving. Untreated, it can lead to mood disorders but the underlying untreated cause can be ADHD.

Signs and Symptoms

Often being forgetful in daily activities (doing chores, running errands, returning calls, paying bills, keeping appointments).

Often interrupting or having difficulty focusing during conversations (completing others’ sentences, not waiting for a turn in the conversation, your mind seems elsewhere, even when there is not an obvious distraction).

Often losing things necessary for daily tasks or activities (tools, wallet/purse, keys, paperwork, eyeglasses, cellphone).

Symptoms in the work / school
environment can be:

Often late for meetings, missing deadlines, not completing tasks or projects.

Often failing to give close attention to details or making careless mistakes.

Speaking over others during meetings, interrupting.

Symptoms in social
settings can be:

• Missing birthdays, important dates, not keeping promises or following through with planned activities.

• Talking excessively or interrupting.

Difficulty maintaining focus during conversations and social interactions.

When ADHD goes undiagnosed or untreated, it can lead to low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and frustration. Also, people who have untreated ADHD are more likely to have relationship problems, be overly emotional, have arguments with others more often than peers. People with untreated ADHD have higher rates of divorce than the general public. The same risky behaviors like smoking, drinking, drug abuse and risky sex that can harm teens with untreated ADHD can also impact adults in the same situations.

Proper assessment and diagnosis by a licensed clinician is always recommended. Working together with a therapist and a psychiatrist to develop an individualized plan of treatment aimed at shaping healthy behaviors and improving focus and concentration will lead to positive outcomes.