When most people think of ADHD, they picture a 9 year old boy bouncing off the walls and totally out of control. Rarely do they think of an adult with ADHD. (Unless you’re watching Robin Williams live.)
There are still people who think that ADHD is a kid’s issue, and that they will outgrow it. Not true.
If you’re an adult with ADHD – or think you might be – here are some of the more common symptoms you might notice:
The whole “can’t focus, distracted” thing might show up as having several projects going at once, with many of them incomplete. (My husband, for instance, starting painting the bathroom a few months ago. The ceiling is done, but that’s it. He’s moved on to more interesting things.)
You may be asked a question and either not remember it a few seconds later, or you may not even have realized that someone was speaking to you.
When you get into something you really enjoy, the house could burn down around you and you wouldn’t notice.
You can get easily excited over the next new, shiny thing.
And yet, you get bored easily. Sometimes you may eat because you’re bored.
You have trouble falling asleep at night because your brain just won’t shut down. You might be a night owl.
You often pay late fees because you either forgot to pay the bill on time, or you forgot to mail it.
You may drive too fast or too recklessly or maybe just without proper attention on the road. You often find yourself driving on auto pilot and may find yourself headed to work when you intended to go to the store.
You might talk too much or too fast, and you may be the person who interrupts all the time even if you don’t mean to.
Your house or car or purse might be a cluttered unorganized mess.
You have tons of planners, books on organizing, and apps – all designed to help you keep track of your life. So far you haven’t found the perfect one, but you’re sure it’s out there.
I could go on, but you get the picture. These aren’t the “official’ symptoms of course, just real life examples. If you’d like the official version, click here.
