Due to a lack of research, it’s a little harder to define the symptoms of ADHD in adults but there’s five little-known signs that could indicate you have it.
According to the NHS, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people’s behaviour and those with it may be restless, could have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.
It’s said ADHD cannot develop in adults without it first appearing in childhood, but the symptoms in children and teens do often continue into adulthood – but the symptoms tend to be more subtle.
Tahlia Lehmann told the Daily Mail she spent most of her life ‘confused’ about why she was ‘different’ to her peers, before finally getting tested for ADHD as an adult.
The Aussie revealed the little-known signs of having the disorder.
One of these is ‘fidgeting’ – maybe you struggle to sit without tapping your feet or are always tapping a pencil on the desk or perhaps crossing and uncrossing your legs consistently while you’re sitting somewhere.
Another sign highlighted by Lehmann is masking having ADHD with a ‘bubbly personality’.
And this is followed by ‘appearing confident but feeling really anxious on the inside’.
Perhaps you have symptoms of ADHD but put on quite a front to hide it, pushing yourself to ‘mask’ how you’re really feeling when you’re with other people.
The other ‘traits’ experienced by Lehmann including often zoning out and being ‘lazy’ as well as feeling burnt out a lot of the time.
The NHS also say that adults with ADHD might find they have problems with:
· Organisation and time management
· Following instructions
· Focusing and completing tasks
· Feeling restless or impatient
· Impulsiveness and risk taking
“ADHD symptoms can overlap with a lot of other mental health issues and also with just normal human experience,” said Dr Shepard on TikTok.
“So, if this is something that resonates with you, doesn’t automatically mean you have ADHD just means maybe it’s worth talking with your doctor or therapist.”
There is treatment available for ADHD to help relieve symptoms and make it less of a day-to-day problem for people.
A combination of both medicine and therapy is recommended as the best by the NHS.
It’s a good idea to have a chat with your GP if you’re an adult and reckon you may have ADHD but weren’t diagnosed as a child.
