If your child seems hyperactive--fidgety, impulsive, and inattentive--don't automatically assume that they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Anxiety, depression, learning disorders, physical health, and many other conditions can cause symptoms that look like ADHD but aren't.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, misdiagnosis can happen because many of its symptoms overlap with those of other conditions. The symptoms of ADHD — such as difficulty concentrating, restlessness, and finding it hard to respond to instructions — can all arise from a wide variety of causes.
What can be mistaken for ADHD? ADHD symptoms may overlap with the signs of other conditions, leading to misdiagnosis. For example: Feeling distracted or having difficulty focusing can be a symptom of ADHD and symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Sleep apnea is a common culprit that's often misdiagnosed as ADHD — and vice versa. Fortunately, researchers are devising simple tests to definitively diagnose and get kids the treatment they need.
Although it is true that overdiagnosis means that some people without ADHD receive treatment, on the whole, people with ADHD are actually undertreated.
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.
Masking in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) refers to the conscious or subconscious efforts of individuals to hide or suppress their symptoms in order to conform to social expectations or avoid negative judgments and stigmatization.
Invisible ADHD symptoms
emotional dysregulation. time blindness, or not being aware of time. racing thoughts. intrusive or self-defeating thoughts.
Bottom line: General distractibility doesn't typically impede one's ability to go about their day, get important tasks done, or fulfill commitments, Dr. Naylon notes. On the other hand, ADHD typically impairs a person's functioning, including their ability to work, succeed in school, or maintain personal relationships.
Both anxiety and ADHD can cause people to tune out and get caught up in their emotions — just for different reasons. People with ADHD have trouble paying attention because they have trouble focusing. People with anxiety have trouble paying attention because they're distracted by worries and fears.
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.
Doctors often mistake ADHD symptoms in adults for mood disorders, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions with overlapping symptoms. For adults, hyperactivity can be turned inward.
The causes of overdiagnosis may include changes in diagnostic thresholds, poor diagnostic practices, and advertising by the pharmaceutical industry. Overdiagnosis leads to overtreatment, and dramatic increases in prescriptions for adult ADHD during the last decade should arouse concern.
ADHD is the most prevalent mental disorder affecting children in Australia – it affects approximately 281,200 Australian children and adolescents (aged 0-19) In Australia ADHD is currently under-diagnosed, particularly in girls and in the adult population.
Overall, the study found that about 20 percent – or 900,000 – of the 4.5 million children currently identified as having ADHD likely have been misdiagnosed.
Bipolar is one of the most frequently misdiagnosed mental health issues. Somewhere between 1.4 and 6.4 percent of people worldwide are affected by bipolar disorder. However, it's hard to say which number is more accurate due to the frequency of wrongful diagnosis.
The symptoms associated with ADHD can be viewed as dimensional markers of a spectrum of related disorders that have as part of their characteristics impairments of attention and impulsivity. The spectrum also accommodates the wide array of comorbid psychiatric disorders associated with ADHD.
With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Examples of common ADHD texting challenges:
Forgetting to check or reply to messages. Perfectionism; overthinking your texts, sometimes erasing them completely. Misinterpreting tone of voice (sarcasm, joking, etc.) General social anxiety.