20 Common Behavioral Warning Signs of Adult ADD/ADHD
Adults with ADD/ADHD face similar challenges and tend to exhibit similar behaviors. Read on to find a list of 20 very common behaviors of adult ADD/ADHD. The more behaviors that match your own, the more you may want to think about getting tested for a diagnosis.
Wondering if you might have undiagnosed adult ADD/ADHD?
Well, to get diagnosed you’ll have to show that your problems originated in childhood and have continued into adulthood and your doctor will also want to rule out other conditions that can cause similar symptoms – but if you do have undiagnosed ADD/ADHD, effective treatments can make a huge difference to your quality of life.
Does ADHD explain some of the problems you may have...?
Read on and compare your life to this list of 20 common behaviors of adults with ADHD. The more behaviors that match your own, the greater the odds you too have a treatable mental health condition.
20 Behavioral Signs of Adult ADD/ADHD 1 2 3 4
- You tend to change jobs frequently and you don’t find much success at work
- You have a history of driving problems – multiple driving infractions, speeding tickets, suspended licenses etc.
- You get in more traffic accidents than most people seem to
- You’re always late for things and you struggle with time management in general (you have a hard time estimating how long it’s actually going to take you to do something)
- You have trouble sustaining long-term romantic relationships
- You have poor listening skills. You often miss important details from a conversation
- You have difficulty not interrupting other people when they’re speaking
- You smoke cigarettes (adults with ADHD are almost twice as likely as adults from the general population to smoke cigarettes)
- You’re a huge procrastinator and you perform best when under a strict deadline
- You’re always losing your belongings (where did I leave those keys…?)
- You’re good at starting tasks and projects, but not so good at finishing what you start
- You’re short tempered. You’re anger seems to come out of nowhere sometimes and then disappears just as quickly. You may also have other types of rapid mood swings
- You say things without thinking about the consequences and sometimes this gets you in trouble
- You find it very hard to stay focused when you find something boring and any outside distractions can pull you away from what you’re ‘supposed’ to be attending to
- You have trouble following directions that have multiple steps
- You’re disorganized
- You have a hard time relaxing. You often feel restless
- You’re a thrill seeker and enjoy taking risks. Sometimes you take risks without really thinking about your personal safety or the safety of others around you
- You have a hard time prioritizing tasks
- You’re a bit careless and lack attention to detail
References
- 1. Web MD: ADD and ADHD Health Center
- 2. HuffPost Health Living: Adult ADHD (huffingtonpost.com, 2012)
- 3. Mayo Clinic Adult ADHD
- 4. NHS: Adult Attention Deficit Disorder
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