Adult ADHD always begins as childhood ADHD. This is according to Dr. Eric Lifshitz, a psychiatrist at Santa Monica’s Providence Saint John’s Health Center.
The main criteria in diagnosing ADHD in adults is having a history of problems with focus, concentration, memory and organization your whole life. If the issues are a new phenomenon, then it’s probably not ADHD.
Below are some signs that you might have adult ADHD. Keep in mind though that a trained professional can provide you with the proper diagnosis to get you the best care.
5) You easily get bored with conversations … even the ones that are just starting.
It’s okay to be involved in one or two brain-numbing conversations a day – that’s pretty normal. But if you feel like all of your conversations are uninteresting, or you find yourself constantly interrupting or finishing other people’s sentences for them to rush the conversation, chances are you might have ADHD. Another usual complaint of adults diagnosed with ADHD is feeling like other people are speaking too slowly. The reason for this is that the brains of ADHD sufferers are always two steps ahead, making it difficult for them to listen to others. They also have a hard time allowing the people they’re talking to some time to formulate their thoughts.
4) You’re late all the time.
Are you the type of person that just can’t seem to make it anywhere on time no matter what you do? If your answer is yes, you may have ADHD. And more likely than not, you’re as upset by your chronic tardiness as everyone else is. The thing is, adults with ADHD aren’t really trying to be rude, it’s just that they have an extremely difficult time with time management that they end up underestimating the amount of time certain tasks take like getting dressed or finding their keys.
3) You always leave your yoga class before the final relaxation pose.
Instead of relaxing or recharging during breaks, adult ADHD sufferers often feel anxious or restless whenever they’re not actively engaged in a task. Compared to children ADHD sufferers who manifest this kind of restlessness through hyperactivity, adult ADHD sufferers have learned to internalize their feelings. And as a result, downtime becomes really boring as adult ADHD sufferers report not being able to sit through movies they didn’t choose, getting bored with games quickly and preferring only active hobbies.
2) You’re an expert in UFOs (unfinished objects).
Have you tried cleaning out the dishwasher only to get sidetracked by the pile of unread mail on the kitchen counter? Is your house filled with half-finished DIY projects, partially read books and piles of dirty laundry? If you answered yes to all of the questions above, there’s a big chance you might have ADHD.
When children with ADHD grow up, they’re more likely to form coping behaviors to counter their shortcomings in the adult world. But these coping mechanisms can easily fall apart when these individuals are burdened with more responsibilities, whether it’s going to graduate school or getting a promotion. Oftentimes, these manifest as shortcut taking and poor performance reviews even though they know that they can do better.
1) You have a hard time dealing with change.
It’s safe to say that almost everyone can have a hard time dealing with major life changes like moving into a new city or starting a new job. Unfortunately, one common coping mechanism of ADHD sufferers is having predictable routines. That’s why if things suddenly change for an ADHD sufferer, even in good ways like getting promoted at work, the adjustment can be overwhelming.
