Simply put ADHD is broken into two categories:
1. Struggling to maintain attention
2. Hyperactive and Impulsive
You may be predominantly in one of these categories or a combination of both.
Impulsivity
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You jump to conclusions.
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You are impatient & struggle with having to wait.
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You interrupt people frequently.
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You are quick to react.
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You jump into projects or tasks without considering all the steps involved, get frustrated or bored, then quit the project or task.
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You make reckless decisions.
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You start projects or tasks without regarding or listening to directions carefully
Time Blindness
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You forget to allow for travel time in between your appointments.
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You struggle to accurately estimate how long a task will take you.
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You procrastinate or avoid things until the last minute.
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You are always running late or always early.
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You often think you have more time than you do & start something you don’t have time for.
Emotional Rollercoasters
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You have high highs & low lows.
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You are considered moody or up & down.
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You overreact or often get more upset than others in similar situations. (This could look like shutting down.)
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You get frustrated very easily.
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You can be explosive & quick to react.
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You feel things more intensely & deeply than other people.
Difficulty Organising & Prioritising
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Everything feels important & you struggle to prioritise.
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You have difficulty managing your schedule & completing the things on your to-do list.
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You have trouble organising everything in your head.
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You find managing & organising your money & finances difficult.
Trouble Starting & Finishing Tasks
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You have lots of unfinished projects or hobbies.
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You struggle to do things just because you’re supposed to do them.
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You have difficulty getting motivated.
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You need a deadline to get things done.
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If you lose interest, you lose focus & things don’t get done.
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You give in to the temptation to do things that are more fun or interesting.
Distractability
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You struggle to ignore conversations or someone walking past your office.
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You can’t focus on what’s most important: the task in front of you.
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You have difficulty blocking out unnecessary thoughts in your mind.
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When something more exciting comes along, you forget or leave what you’re doing.
Restlessness
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You have a busy mind, a brain that never seems to shut off.
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You have difficulty resting & relaxing (hello “active relaxers”).
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You feel like you always need to be doing something & have trouble sitting still.
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You fidget, playing with your hair, jewellery, tapping your pen or leg.
Instant Gratification Seeker
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You have difficulty achieving long-term goals.
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You have little to no tolerance for being bored.
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You always prioritise the fun or easy things over the hard & important things.
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You struggle to do things you don’t like or want to do.
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You live in the present, not thinking about how what you do today will affect tomorrow or next week.
Forgetfulness
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You forget the name of the person you just met.
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You forget what you were saying mid-sentence.
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You forget what you’ve just read when you go to turn the page.
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You are out of sight, out of mind—forgetting friends, texts, projects you started, or tasks you said you’d work on.
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You have difficulty with following through & doing what you said.
*Only a medical professional (psychologist or psychiatrist) can accurately diagnose you.
*This information is simply a guide to describe common adult ADHD symptoms.
Hear more about the 9 common ADHD symptoms & how they show up in your life in episode #90 of the Navigating Adult ADHD Podcast