In the past couple of years I’ve heard from at least four friends about their ADHD diagnosis. The story is almost always the same, or at least very similar.
“Dude!” they write to me. (Okay, that’s what the male friends say—but the rest of the story is the same.)
“You’ll never guess what happened. I got diagnosed with ADHD.”
“Oh wow!” I say. “Good for you, I’m glad you’re getting some help.”
Then they mention something about Adderall or another ADHD medication, and I say, “You know I’ve been taking Adderall off-and-on for eight years, right? I’ve written a lot about it on the blog, and we’ve probably even talked about it sometime.”
And then they say … “I had no idea! I wish I’d known sooner.”
To be fair, I know people don’t read stuff they’re subscribed to, and even good friends lose track of conversations. But also, this is classic ADHD: you hyperfocus in some areas and ignore others. Sometimes, you miss key information that could help you.
This is what happens to lots of people, not just my friends. Millions? I have no idea. One estimate has it at something like 4-5% of the adult population. It could even be higher, since many adults never seek help for their symptoms, or they could be misdiagnosed with other conditions.
But again, the key point: many adults have untreated, undiagnosed ADHD—and it affects many parts of their lives, to varying degrees.
My four friends are all better off from having joined the ADHD club.
Maybe That’s You? Or Maybe You Know Someone?
I tell this story because YOU probably know someone who could benefit from an ADHD diagnosis. Since I started sharing on this topic, people have been coming out of the woodwork from all over. Maybe it pertains to you personally—but even if not, like I said, I bet you know someone.
I’ve also heard from people who say that learning more about ADHD has helped them understand their kids, their partner, or another loved one better.
Speaking of kids/teens/young people, in general they have it hard these days in lots of ways. They’re growing up in a vastly different world than any previous generation. The list of challenges is long!
But at least one thing is better for kids now: ADHD, as well as other neurodivergent conditions, is much less of a stigma, and much more likely to be diagnosed.
If anything, kids these days (especially younger ones) might be overdiagnosed with ADHD these days. But if the pendulum has swung too far in recent years, it still points to a problem for everyone who once was a kid and didn’t get help they needed.
That’s what this post is about.
How ADHD Affects Adults
I’m not going to write a “You might have ADHD if…” post. Not all difficulty with focus or attention is ADHD. There are distractions and challenges everywhere these days, you know?
If you really do think you might have ADHD, I recommend getting an evaluation done if at all possible. (More on this in the next section.) Either way, though, you can gain some understanding that may help you to live better.
It’s not a checklist, but ADHD is something to consider if you’ve had some of the problems below.
Executive Functioning Issues
Adults with ADHD often struggle with executive functions, including:
Task initiation (getting started without long delays)
Attention regulation (staying focused on a specific task)
Working memory (your brain's notepad, where it briefly holds and works with info you need right now)
Planning & prioritization (figuring out what needs to be done first and mapping out how to do it)
Impulse control (your brain's ability to stop you from making hasty decisions or actions without thinking about the consequences)
Emotional regulation (how you control your feelings, like not letting anger or sadness take over, so you can react to things in a calm and collected way)
Organization (keeping your things and thoughts in order to smoothly navigate your tasks)
Time blindness is another huge problem for many of us, including me. It’s a condition where you chronically under- or over-estimate the amount of time required for something. It also refers to a challenge of keeping up with time in general.