![]() For girls, their symptoms are more likely internalized. According to research, boys are more likely to present externalized symptoms, like fidgeting and impulsivity. Boys are three times more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis than girls, whose symptoms may manifest less overtly. AdvertisementĪdditionally, there are gendered differences in who gets diagnosed with ADHD. For example, someone with undiagnosed ADHD might have flown under the radar if they earned good grades at school, but receive a diagnosis as an adult when additional stressors exacerbated their symptoms. While ADHD is often seen as a childhood disorder, there are several reasons someone might receive an ADHD diagnosis as an adult. There are several conditions that have overlapping symptoms with ADHD, including: In both children and adults, the symptoms need to be present for at least six months, significantly interfere with the person’s functioning/quality of life, and can’t be explained by age-appropriate behaviors.Īdditionally, a mental health professional will evaluate patients to make sure symptoms are present in two or more settings (meaning, for example, both at home and in school) and that the symptoms aren’t better explained by another condition. In addition, there should be some supporting evidence the condition was present in childhood. Six or more symptoms related to hyperactivity/impulsivity for children up to age 16.įor adults, the criteria are the same, but there only needs to be five symptoms in each category.Six or more symptoms related to inattention for children up to age 16.According to the DSM-5, the following conditions need to be met before a diagnosis is made: There is no single test mental health professionals use to diagnose ADHD. Important note: In this guide, we will be using the term ADHD, because there is no difference between ADD and ADHD, as the former is simply an outdated term. Currently, it’s estimated that about 4% of adults live with ADHD. For 50% of these children, the disorder continues into their teenage years. About 6.1 million children in the United States – or about 9% of children – are estimated to have been diagnosed with ADHD. ![]() The most common ADHD symptoms experienced by the Mighty members surveyed were: easily distracted (96%), anxiety (95%), trouble focusing, concentrating, or paying attention (95%), difficulty organizing daily tasks (93%), easily overwhelmed (90%).ĪDHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. “It’s more of a lack of engagement in the motivational-reward circuit as opposed to a problem with orienting, focusing, and sustaining attention,” he told The Mighty. ![]() When understanding the difference between ADD and ADHD as terminology, an important thing to note is that the latter term was chosen as the more appropriate since it better encompasses the range of symptoms. Bruce Bassi MD, MS, a psychiatrist based in Jacksonville, Florida, the condition could be also described as a “motivation-deficit disorder.” Essentially, it’s not that people with ADHD can’t pay attention – rather, they may have trouble managing how to use their attention. ![]() Hyperfocus: Being unable to break away from something engaging, getting stuck on simple tasks, starting more tasks than you can finishĪ common misconception about ADHD is that it is simply the inability to pay attention.Hyperactivity: Having difficulty staying still, excessive talking, racing thoughts.Impulsivity: Having trouble controlling behaviors, resisting temptation, managing emotions.Inattention: Getting easily distracted, being forgetful/frequently losing things, excessive daydreaming.
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