Anxiety and ADHD can co-occur in the same environment. Both can leave you feeling on edge or overwhelmed, but how can you tell which is which?
It can be frustrating to feel like you can’t relax, your mind is wandering, or you’re irritated, and you aren’t sure why, but these are all common, overlapping symptoms of ADHD and Anxiety.
Anxiety is driven by an excess amount of fear, worry, or even dread, while ADHD, on the other hand, is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by executive functioning difficulties. This includes difficulties paying with planning and organisation, paying attention and impulse control.
Both Anxiety and ADHD can make it challenging to concentrate in certain situations. Anxiety impairs concentration due to ruminating on worries and over-focusing on feared outcomes. ADHD, on the other hand, makes it generally difficult to focus, not because you are fearing a worried outcome, but simply because attention feels difficult to sustain and you are easily distracted. While Anxiety makes you focus on feared outcomes, ADHD can result in hyperfocus on topics of interest. To complicate the picture further, anxiety and ADHD can feed each other.
Taking a step back and considering the root of your symptoms can help you understand which condition may be at play. For example, if you are having difficulty paying attention, is it due to feeling afraid or under threat, or due to your attention being drawn by something else, or feeling bored?
So here are some key differences that may help distinguish between Anxiety and ADHD
- Distractibility: Difficulty staying focused in general can be a symptom of ADHD, while an inability to focus due to excessive worry is more likely to be anxiety-related.
- Impulsivity: This is usually only applicable to ADHD, but can be a symptom of anxiety too. The key differences between ADHD driven impulsivity and anxiety-driven impulsivity are that ADHD driven impulsivity is often a reward-seeking behaviour, whereas anxiety-driven impulsivity is about avoidance of a feared outcome.
- Restlessness: ADHD can cause restlessness that is driven by boredom and impatience and is often present even when you are calm. Anxiety-driven restlessness is usually caused by worries and anxious thinking.
- Forgetfulness: ADHD can cause impaired memory due to difficulties focusing, whereas anxiety can cause mental pre-occupation with worries and fears, which in turn interfere with memory retention!
Both Anxiety and ADHD can cause distress and make it difficult to function, so if you suspect you may be experiencing either it is important to seek professional support. Your GP would be the best person to speak with about any concerns you have.
Please note: this blog post is intended for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for assessment, diagnosis or treatment by a qualified health professional.
The Difference Between ADHD vs. Anxiety in Adults – ADDA – Attention Deficit Disorder Association
https://www.buoyhealth.com/learn/adhd-vs-anxiety-symptoms-differences
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