Five Signs You May Have ADHD

ADHD is a mental health disorder. ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. If left undiagnosed it can wreak havoc on a person’s job, education, and relationships. Much like autism or other disorders, symptoms can vary from person to person and so can the level to which it affects their lives.

Five Signs You Have Have ADHD

Listed below are some of the signs of ADHD. Although this is not conclusive, there are some signs to look for in a child, spouse, or even yourself. Additionally, ADHD can be genetic and be passed down from generation to generation. Here are five signs you may have ADHD:

Impulsive behavior

The “H” in ADHD stands for “hyperactivity.” However, hyperactivity may not necessarily be someone who fidgets or cannot sit still. Although this may be one of the manifestations of this symptom, hyperactivity may manifest as impulsive behavior.

This may be evident in a person’s inability to listen to someone while they are speaking, a tendency to interrupt, blurt out, or overshare. He or she may also have difficulty with curbing their appetites when it comes to eating, drinking, drug use, promiscuity, or workaholism. A person with ADHD often acts or speaks before they think through the results of their actions.

Forgetfulness

Although forgetfulness may be most common in a person who is aging, forgetfulness is a sign of ADHD in people whose memories function properly. Such people cannot remember what someone said to them earlier in the week, or even earlier in the day. This can cause frustration for significant others who need them to act on what they’ve heard.

For example, a person with ADHD may come straight home after being asked to go to the store to pick up a few groceries. This is not an occasional forgetfulness but rather a chronic forgetfulness. This may cause loved ones in a relationship to shut down or complete tasks themselves because it takes more work to tell a person with ADHD only to find they failed to complete the task.

Lack of concentration

One of the tell-tale signs of ADHD is a lack of concentration or focus. A person may start a school day by listening and staying on task. He or she may be able to take notes and recall the material covered in class that day. However, they may have difficulty completing homework assignments, or even a hesitancy to work on them at all.

If left undiagnosed, a loved one may equate their lack of ability to complete tasks or hesitancy to complete them as laziness. However, people with ADHD do well with tasks on topics they are passionate about. This helps them keep focus and complete the task in a timely fashion. Students with ADHD may find they complete their homework, only to forget to hand it in the following morning.

Trouble multitasking

People with ADHD easily become overwhelmed. If they have more than one task to complete, they may feel frustrated and not want to complete the task. For example, a student with a long list of homework may start and complete one or two assignments, only to give up and not complete the remaining homework.

Students with ADHD who do not have proper coping mechanisms earn low or even failing grades in class because they can’t complete the assignments on time.

Fidgeting

Fidgeting is another common symptom of ADHD. Students may struggle in school when asked to sit for six hours. They may find they tap pencils or rub their hands on a desk or their legs to release nervous energy. Their inability to sit still may cause students to get into trouble with teachers when a teacher is trying to teach a class. The student is not acting out to cause trouble, but because they have difficulty sitting still for prolonged periods.

Although there are additional signs of ADHD, the above examples can indicate whether you or a loved one should seek a diagnosis of ADHD. Contact a professional and have yourself, your child, or your spouse evaluated. While ADHD can be a difficult disorder to live with, it can be controlled with specialized educational plans, teacher and spousal support, and other strategies.

Finding Treatment Options

People with ADHD may feel ostracized or alone because their friends or fellow students don’t act the way they do. However, ADHD can be a special attribute of a child or spouse when correctly diagnosed and adapted effectively. If you would like more information or to set up an appointment, please contact our office today.