Because of differences in the brain structure of people with ADHD, they often find it incredibly difficult to feel motivated to stay focused when the task is uninteresting or unrewarding. A person without ADHD may be just as bored, but they can marshall their motivation and focus for long enough to slog through it.
Anxiety, depression, learning disorders, physical health, and many other conditions can cause symptoms that look like ADHD but aren't.
The symptoms can seem to describe anyone feeling busy and overwhelmed: People with the disorder have trouble focusing, often lose their train of thought, miss deadlines and appointments, drive distractedly and misplace belongings.
People in the ADHD world experience life more intensely, more passionately than neurotypicals. They have a low threshold for outside sensory experience because the day-to-day experience of their five senses and their thoughts is always on high volume.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
Untreated ADHD in adults can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. This is because ADHD symptoms can lead to focus, concentration, and impulsivity problems. When these problems are not managed effectively, they can lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and low self-esteem.
Individuals with ADHD often experience social difficulties, social rejection, and interpersonal relationship problems as a result of their inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Such negative interpersonal outcomes cause emotional pain and suffering.
ADHD masking may also be called "camouflaging." This is when someone with ADHD tries to cover up their symptoms by copying the behaviors of people who don't have it. ADHD masking may be a way for some people with ADHD to fit in socially, avoid being stigmatized, or feel more accepted.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do.
Other Conditions That Cause Focus Issues
Here are some of the other reasons why you might have trouble focusing: If you experience anxiety or fear, it can be hard to pay attention to what's going on in front of you. Indecisiveness is another symptom of anxiety. Depression affects more than your ability to be happy.
Both disorders bring mood problems, forgetfulness, and inability to focus, but there are slight differences. Emotions: ADHD moods are transient, precipitated by a setback. Depressive moods are pervasive & chronic. Motivation: Individuals with ADHD are overwhelmed by deciding what to do first.
“Nobody has perfect memory… but for [people with ADHD], it's extreme. They feel like they're lost all the time,” Almagor said. He believes this is why people don't take ADHD seriously. “I think that's why some people don't respect the severity of what [a person with ADHD] can experience,” he said.
People with ADHD also tend to feel anger, anxiety, frustration, or disappointment more intensely than others. (The same can be true of positive emotions.) They can have trouble putting the brakes on their feelings.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; anxiety)
When you have ADHD, there's a lot to be anxious about! It's no wonder half of us are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. While you'll often spot the two together, some clinicians are quick to diagnose anxiety, but not ADHD.
Girls with ADHD may want to move and talk, but don't want to be seen to be misbehaving, so they keep it in. They may fidget in smaller, less recognisable ways, such as doodling or playing with jewellery, or may be overly chatty when allowed to talk.
High IQ may “mask” the diagnosis of ADHD by compensating for deficits in executive functions in treatment-naïve adults with ADHD.
1 Eye Contact: Avoidance of eye contact may be a charactersitic behaviour of a child with ADHD or Autistic Specrum Disorder. They may look as if they are ignoring you, but some children find making eye contact really difficult.
People with untreated ADHD may have a tendency to speak before they think and often say things that are considered rude, either because of how they were said or their content. This is related to a lack of impulse control and can often be improved with medication or mindfulness training.
People with ADHD tend to talk — a lot. We talk because we're excited or nervous, or because we just want to be a part of the conversation. Sometimes we talk simply to fill the silence because silence is hard for us.
Lack of consistency. Toxic communication — such as contempt, criticism, and sarcasm. Controlling behavior and distrust. Abusive — this is also inclusive of emotionally abusive behaviors, such as gaslighting, love bombing, breadcrumbing etc.
Adults diagnosed with ADHD often blame themselves for their problems or view themselves in a negative light. This can lead to self-esteem issues, anxiety, or depression.
ADHD can reduce life expectancy by as much as 13 years, but its risk is reversible.