Adult ADHD symptoms: What are the early signs of adult ADHD?

Overview: What does adult ADHD look like?

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition commonly diagnosed in children that often lasts into adulthood. Today, more and more adults are being diagnosed. The hallmarks of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. As children age, they may gain better control over their core symptoms. It’s estimated that up to 80% of children with ADHD continue to have ADHD as adults. 

ADHD symptoms may change as people age and develop, but the core symptoms of adult ADHD still mirror the symptoms of childhood ADHD. As with a child, an adult with ADHD might be unable to complete tasks. They may make careless mistakes, forget things, or get distracted easily. Procrastination, avoiding tasks, fidgeting, lack of social boundaries, talking too much, interrupting others, and restlessness are common signs of hyperactivity, just as they are in children. However, adults may also have other issues related to their struggles with ADHD, such as substance abuse, job instability, stalled careers, depression, anxiety, or relationship problems. 

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What are the early signs of adult ADHD?

The earliest signs of adult ADHD are ADHD symptoms in childhood. A diagnosis of adult ADHD requires that ADHD symptoms were present in childhood. 

Adults who suspect they have ADHD should consider if their jobs or relationships suffer because of persistent problems with organization, follow-through, forgetfulness, carelessness, and restlessness. They should then ask if they had similar problems as a child. All these questions will come up when talking to a mental health professional or doctor.

Other adult ADHD symptoms

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) issued by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), an adult ADHD diagnosis must involve at least five core symptoms involving inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, or both.

Symptoms of inattention include:

• Frequent inattention to detail or careless mistakes when performing tasks or daily activities

• Frequent difficulty staying focused

• Frequent trouble listening

• Frequent procrastination

• Frequent failure to follow through

• Frequent disorganization or messiness

• Frequent loss of important items needed to complete tasks or activities

• Easy distractibility

• Frequent forgetfulness

Symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity are:

• Frequent fidgeting or squirming

• Frequently getting up (such as at a concert or meeting)

• Frequently blurting out answers or finishing people’s sentences

• Frequently interrupting others or intruding on them

• Frequent inability to stay still or engage in quiet activities

• Excessive talking 

• Always being “on the go”

• Frequent feelings of restlessness

• Frequent impatience when waiting in line or waiting for a turn

Though they may have better self-control over the core symptoms of ADHD, adults may have other mental health conditions or problems related to their ADHD symptoms:

• Emotional dysregulation, such as mood swings and outbursts

• Relationship problems

• Frustration

• Low self-esteem

• Poor job performance

• Moving from job to job

• Career failure

• Anxiety disorders

• Depression

RELATED: 7 apps to help adults with ADHD stay organized

Adult ADHD vs. childhood ADHD symptoms

The core symptoms of adult ADHD are identical to the core symptoms of childhood ADHD. However, there are differences. First, adults usually have learned to control their symptoms. Second, the environment has changed. For instance, an adult may not “blurt out answers” like a child. Instead, they may finish other people’s sentences. Additionally, adults have usually gotten over problems like “often running about and climbing.” However, they might have shifted that hyperactivity to fidgeting or feeling restless. 

It’s also more difficult to assess how much dysfunction adult ADHD is causing. Schools and classrooms are more regulated and monitored than jobs and marriages. It may not be obvious that an adult with ADHD struggles at their job, career, or relationships because of ADHD. 

Finally, because of their struggles, adults with ADHD are more likely than children to have other mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, or personality issues like low self-esteem. 

Types of adult ADHD: How can I tell which one I have?

Healthcare professionals distinguish between three subtypes of ADHD based on the symptoms. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder has two clusters of symptoms: inattention—that’s the “attention-deficit” part—and hyperactivity/impulsivity—that’s the “hyperactivity” part. Adults with ADHD may have both sets of symptoms, but sometimes they only have one. For this reason, a clinician or mental health professional may diagnose ADHD as: 

• Predominantly inattentive (formerly called attention deficit disorder or ADD)

• Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive

• Combined-type ADHD (both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive)

Do these distinctions mean anything? Is one subtype worse than another? From a medical point of view, no. Healthcare providers prescribe the same medications. However, the predominant symptoms will make a difference in the treatment plan of a cognitive behavioral therapist since the goals and skills to be learned will depend on the person’s symptoms. The exact symptoms will also make a difference in relationship or job counseling.

When to see a doctor for adult ADHD symptoms

For an adult debating whether to see a doctor for adult ADHD symptoms, the question to answer is this: are ADHD symptoms affecting job performance, career, and relationships? Or, more simply: are you struggling at work, home, or other environments because of ADHD symptoms such as disorganization, poor time management, distractibility, emotional outbursts, or impulsive behaviors? Remember that one of the most important diagnostic criteria for ADHD is that symptoms interfere with functioning. If the answer is “yes” or “maybe,” see a doctor or mental health professional for an evaluation.

Diagnosing adult ADHD can be challenging. The clinician must evaluate the symptoms, using guidelines such as the DSM-5, as well as rule out other disorders that have similar symptoms. If ADHD is the most likely candidate, the clinician must then establish that ADHD symptoms were present in childhood, so they will probably ask for a detailed history going back to the pre-teen years.

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Complications of adult ADHD

Untreated adult ADHD does not produce physical complications but frequently can cause career, relationship, and mental health complications, including:

• Difficulty finding and keeping employment

• Job loss

• Mood disorders such as anxiety or depression

• Relationship and marriage difficulties

• Substance use disorders

• Criminal activity

How to treat adult ADHD symptoms

As with ADHD in children and teens, adult ADHD involves several complementary treatments. Contrary to popular misconceptions, ADHD isn’t cured with drugs. ADHD medications reduce and control symptoms, but they don’t cure ADHD. Stimulants, the first-line treatment for adult ADHD symptoms, work almost immediately. Non-stimulants may take a few weeks or months to reduce symptoms. 

Medications, when prescribed, are employed in combination with other therapies that teach adults with ADHD adaptive strategies and skills that allow them to live and function with ADHD. At the top of the list is cognitive behavioral therapy, which studies have shown to be highly effective. These longer-term treatment options include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy

• Relationship therapy or counseling

• Job counseling, career counseling, or coaching

Living with adult ADHD

Most healthcare providers believe ADHD is a lifelong condition. There is no cure. Symptoms can be controlled with medications, but ultimately, adults with ADHD have to learn to live with ADHD. Here’s where to start:

• Talk to a mental health professional such as a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or licensed social worker

• Take medications as prescribed

• Learn about ADHD

• Learn about support groups and community resources

• See a licensed clinical psychologist or LCSW who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy to learn skills and strategies for living and coping with ADHD

• Work steadily and purposefully on specific skills such as planning, organization, time management, managing money, and listening skills

What’s next? Additional resources for people with adult ADHD symptoms

Test and diagnostics

• Adult ADHD: evaluation and treatment in family medicine, American Family Physician

• Diagnosis and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults, American Family Physician

• Diagnosis of ADHD in adults, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)

• DSM-5 criteria for ADHD: how is adult ADHD evaluated?, Attention Deficit Disorder Association

• Symptoms and diagnosis of ADHD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Treatments

• ADHD treatments and medications, SingleCare

• Diagnosis and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults, American Family Physician

Scientific studies and clinical trials

• Meta-analysis of cognitive–behavioral treatments for adult ADHD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

More information on related health conditions

• Anxiety treatments and medications, SingleCare

• OCPD vs. OCD: compare causes, symptoms, treatments & more, SingleCare