Mental health · 4 min read
How do I know if I have adult ADHD?
Adult ADHD is often treated as anxiety or depression for years. Here is how the assessment actually works.
By Charles Wade, FNP-BC
Many adults reach a mental health appointment convinced they have anxiety or depression, and they are often partly right. What gets missed is that lifelong difficulty with attention, organisation and follow-through can generate the worry and the low mood, rather than the other way round.
Signs worth raising with a provider
- •Starting many things and finishing few
- •Time blindness: chronic lateness, underestimating how long tasks take
- •Losing the thread in conversations and meetings
- •Working best under last-minute pressure, and only then
- •Restlessness that is physical, not just mental
- •Emotional reactions that arrive fast and pass fast
- •A history that goes back to childhood, even if grades were fine
What an evaluation involves
An adult ADHD evaluation is a detailed conversation, not a quiz. We take a developmental and school history, ask about current function at work and home, screen for depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and thyroid problems that can mimic ADHD, and use validated rating scales. Old report cards and a partner or parent's perspective help.
What treatment looks like
Treatment can include stimulant or non-stimulant medication, practical structure and skills work, and treating any co-occurring anxiety or depression. Controlled medication is subject to state-specific telehealth rules, and we explain what applies in your state before your visit rather than after.
This article is general information, not medical advice for your situation. Book a visit to discuss what applies to you.
