ADHD in Adulthood: What Does It Look Like?

In recent years, quite a bit of work has happened to help kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A lot of young people have come up through school at a time when teachers and parents knew to watch for symptoms. The resulting support has been life-changing for many of them.

But what about those who missed the boat, so to speak? Maybe your symptoms didn’t get caught in childhood or you went through school before ADHD awareness spread. ADHD is a lifelong condition, which means it could be affecting your focus, emotional regulation, and other key parts of your life today.

The trick is that ADHD doesn’t always present the same way in adults. The signs might be more subtle. Still, if you’re living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, getting diagnosed and starting treatment has the potential to transform your life. To help you decide if you should talk with a healthcare professional about this, let’s look at some of the common symptoms of ADHD in adulthood.

How ADHD looks different in adults

Hyperactivity is often the telltale symptom of ADHD in kids. In adults, though, that hyperactivity often doesn’t present overtly. Even if you never got treatment in childhood, you might have learned to manage or mask this symptom. With ADHD in adulthood, this often looks like a pervasive restlessness.

You might be physically fidgety, but you might also confine this restlessness to your inner world. Many adults with ADHD regularly deal with racing thoughts.

Adults also have more agency than kids, which can make their ADHD symptoms visible in their life choices. Partially due to the busy mind that often comes with this condition, you might make impulsive decisions — including risky ones.

Difficulty with time management also has a larger impact on adults with ADHD than on kids. This condition can cause something called time blindness, which makes it hard to manage everything from deadlines at work to commitments with friends and family.

You should also know that ADHD has different types. Some adults have hyperactive-impulsive presentation, which more closely mirrors what most people think of ADHD. But you can also have inattentive presentation. This affects your focus and attention. You might have trouble staying organized and on task, lose things often, and regularly forget things. In kids, this can be troublesome. As an adult, inattentive-type ADHD can take a serious toll on your ability to manage your career and daily life.

Getting treatment for ADHD in adulthood

If all of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that about 6% of adults in the US have ADHD.

You can self-screen to see if it’s worth seeking out care. Mental Health America has an online test for ADHD designed for adults to use themselves. You can also access the more technical Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) that mental health pros use. You can self-score with this tool, but you’ll want to complete it again with a trained mental health professional to get a more accurate score.

If these tests indicate that you might have ADHD, seek out support. Getting diagnosed allows you to work with an expert to develop a personalized treatment plan. That usually means a combination of medication and therapy. Finding treatment that works for you can make your life notably easier.

We’re here to help. Our team can screen you for ADHD, then come alongside you to find the right treatment for you. Contact us to get started with a therapist with experience in ADHD today.