Is ADHD real? Is it over-diagnosed? Is it mis-diagnosed? Can an adult be diagnosed with ADHD? Or is ADHD only diagnosed in kids? Do kids grow out of it? How do I get an accurate diagnosis? Why should I care about any of this?
Symptoms
Here are some common symptoms of ADHD*:
- Difficulty staying focused on things like conversations, reading, or meetings.
- Spacing out or missing things when others are talking.
- Forgetting a lot of things, like trying to keep track of chores or appointments.
- Getting distracted easily by things like sounds or your own thoughts.
- Avoiding things that take a lot of mental effort like filling out forms or completing big projects.
- Losing things frequently.
- Difficulty organizing tasks and responsibilities,
- Difficulty “using time wisely” or meeting deadlines.
- Having a hard time paying attention to detail and often making careless mistakes.
- Finding it difficult to follow instructions or finish things.
- Interrupting others frequently or struggling to respect their space/things.
- Difficulty waiting your turn, like when standing in line.
- Talking a lot.
- Blurting things out without hearing the whole question or statement.
- Fidgeting a lot or squirming in your seat.
- Leaving seat when you should be sitting.
- Often being uncomfortable being still and/or liking to keep moving
- Difficulty being quiet.
- Feeling restless and moving around even when you really should not.
*Checklist includes DSM-V criteria for ADHD as well as “soft signs” of ADHD
Having 6 or more of the above symptoms signals the possibility of ADHD and the desirability of getting a more thorough assessment. However, if you or someone you know has a significant number of these symptoms, this does not automatically mean that they have ADHD.
