Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders associated with childhood. But it doesn’t only affect children and is being diagnosed more and more in adults. This chronic and debilitating disorder affects brain activity, making it hard for someone suffering from it to focus on a single task. It can start by affecting your life in small ways and even cause a complete inability to work or follow conversations.
Because ADHD can make your life unstable, it’s important to treat ADHD as soon as symptoms emerge. Here are four of the most common ADHD symptoms for adults that point to the fact you should consult a professional.
It’s common for people to lose focus, especially after spending hours working on an assignment or studying for an exam. However, most adults with ADHD find it challenging to focus on a task for more than a few minutes at a time. This can include concentrating on a conversation or even keeping up with it for more than a few minutes at a time. It can also make it hard to complete work tasks because of a lack of focus.
ADHD can affect your ability to focus, causing procrastination that cuts into your productivity and hampers your quality of life. In a work environment, someone with undiagnosed ADHD might be viewed as lazy, as this disorder can translate to you showing up late for important meetings or not making submissions on time for an assignment. In addition, not being able to take action at the right time can cause you to miss out on opportunities.
As humans, we all tend to forget things once in a while. But someone who has ADHD is even more likely to be forgetful about things that matter. It can get really frustrating to realize that recalling a vital meeting time or forgetting where your car keys are may be next to impossible.
Those who have ADHD may be impulsive. In fact, it’s pretty common. They tend to do things without first thinking about the consequences or reasons behind them doing it. This could result in you interrupting a conversation, speaking out of turn, rushing through tasks, or running off without a word. In other words, impulsivity can result in unwanted consequences that can easily be avoided if you get treatment and develop a plan to address your ADHD symptoms.
Frequent mood swings are an underlying cause of ADHD in adults. If you are experiencing mood swings, it could be a sign that you should see an ADHD psychiatrist in Portland. They will be able to help put together a plan for you to manage your ADHD and get you on the path to managing and controlling all the symptoms you experience.
Your mental health has wide-reaching impacts on every other aspect of your life. The best first step to improving it is to understand it and the circumstances that may be negatively impacting it. You can take that first step and start treating your mental health problems from an informed place with an evaluation through Synchronous Mental Health. To get started, schedule an appointment with us now, or contact us for more information about our services.