Signs and symptoms of ADHD in adults

If you get distracted, feel restless, lose track of things, or forget an appointment once in a while,  it probably doesn’t mean much. It’s another story if these things happen all the time.

Trouble with focus and organization are key signs of ADHD. But there are other ways this lifelong condition can show up. First, ADHD symptoms range in degree. They can change over time and often look different in men and women. So, the way you experience ADHD may be very different from how others do. 

ADHD is common, affecting around 6 percent of adults in the United States.¹ The symptoms you have determine the type or “presentation” of ADHD you have. Mental health professionals look at the main symptoms to make a diagnosis. 

Knowing what ADHD often looks like in adults can help you understand yourself better. It can also lead you to get evaluated if you haven’t already been.

3 types of ADHD and their symptoms

The three main symptoms of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Almost all people with ADHD have inattention as a symptom.² 

The three types of ADHD are:

• Predominantly inattentive: You have trouble with attention, focus, and organization. 

• Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive: You may feel restless or act without thinking.

• Combined: You have parts of the two other types.³  

Signs of ADHD often start in early childhood. But many kids aren’t evaluated or diagnosed, especially girls. A major reason has to do with what symptoms tend to look like in girls and women.² 

Girls and women mostly are diagnosed with the inattentive type of ADHD. Their main symptoms don’t stand out as much as the obvious hyperactivity and impulsivity that boys are more likely to show. That means their challenges are more easily overlooked. 

If you struggled as a child without having a diagnosis, you may not have gotten the support you needed at home or at school. But even in adulthood, it’s not too late to learn strategies and treat ADHD symptoms.

The most common type of ADHD in adults is the inattentive type. If you had hyperactivity as a child, chances are it’s greatly reduced by now. But that doesn’t mean it’s disappeared entirely.¹ Also, symptoms can change over time, and can be more or less severe.

Here’s what the three key ADHD symptoms often look like in adults:

Inattention

Trouble with attention is the most common symptom of ADHD. It can appear differently in different people. These are some of the ways inattention can show up:

• Being spacey or daydreamy

• Getting distracted frequently, especially while reading or listening 

• Making mistakes that come from not paying attention to details

• Struggling to finish tasks or projects, even when they’re mostly done

• Avoiding tasks or projects that require sustained focus

• Having trouble planning and staying organized

• Losing things, like your wallet, phone, keys, or glasses

• Having a space that is messy and cluttered

• Forgetting to return calls, go to appointments, or run errands 

Impulsivity

Impulsivity (acting without thinking) and hyperactivity (constantly being active, fidgeting, or being talkative) are considered part of the same “type” of ADHD. But while hyperactivity often lessens in adulthood, impulsivity can still be a problem. 

Here’s what impulsivity in adults might look like: 

• Risky behavior, including risky sexual behavior

• Inability to resist temptation, like too much snacking or overspending 

• Getting easily frustrated

• Being quick to anger 

• Interrupting people

• Answering questions before they’re finished being asked 

• Jumping into tasks or projects without planning

• Making decisions without thinking about the consequences 

Hyperactivity

Some estimates say that only around 8 percent of people with ADHD have hyperactivity alone.⁴ It tends to be more common in childhood and to lessen or change as kids grow up. 

Here’s what hyperactivity in adults might look like:

• Feeling restless or needing constant movement (like foot tapping, squirming, pacing)

• Fidgeting and grabbing things to touch and fiddle with

• Trouble with quiet activities

• Frequently needing to get up or check your phone

• Trouble “shutting off” at night

• Trouble sleeping

• Trouble waiting your turn

• Talking nonstop or interrupting others

• Jumping from one task to another without finishing anything

Executive function challenges

ADHD symptoms and signs are problems with executive function, a set of mental skills you use to learn, work, and manage everyday life. 

Here are some common executive function challenges you may see with ADHD:

• Being disorganized and messy

• Losing and misplacing items 

• Trouble starting tasks and staying focused on them

• Difficulty managing emotions

• Losing track of what you’re doing

• Not seeing other viewpoints or ways of doing things

• Trouble switching gears from one activity or situation to another

• Quickly forgetting information

• Trouble managing time/being late

• Difficulty following directions 

Signs at work

ADHD can cause trouble at work, especially when it comes to focusing, staying organized, and managing emotions.

Here are some ways ADHD might show up at your job:

• Rushing through tasks and making mistakes

• Misplacing  important items or documents

• Having trouble judging how long things take to complete

• Crying or getting angry when frustrated or after bad feedback

• Struggling to connect with co-workers because you’re sensitive to rejection

• Putting off doing tasks or projects because they feel overwhelming

• Being easily distracted by notifications, co-workers, noises, and even lights

Everyday life

Symptoms of ADHD can cause challenges in your personal life. That might include your daily tasks, your home, and your relationships. 

Here are some signs of ADHD in your everyday life: 

• Overindulging in snacks, desserts, or alcohol

• Having trouble setting limits with TV, video games, or social media

• Spending money irresponsibly

• Not keeping up with bills, which can lead to bad credit

• Having trouble getting up in the morning and getting places on time

• Holding on to everything, causing problems with clutter

• Getting very angry with people and not letting go of it 

• Feeling hurt by even gentle criticism

• Developing intense interests (bordering on obsession)

• Procrastinating and doing things at the last minute  

Co-occurring disorders and conditions

There are a few conditions that often co-occur with ADHD. Some of them have symptoms that overlap with ADHD symptoms. So it’s not uncommon for people with ADHD to be misdiagnosed. That’s especially true for girls and women.

For example, you might be diagnosed with anxiety disorder when you actually have ADHD. Or you might be diagnosed with just one of those conditions when you really have both.

If you don’t relate to many of the ADHD symptoms above, make sure to look into these other conditions that commonly co-occur with ADHD:

• Autism: Both ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are differences in how the brain develops. Many people have both ASD and ADHD. You may hear the term AuDHD to describe this.

• Anxiety: Many people with ADHD have an anxiety disorder as well. Also, the challenges that come with ADHD can cause stress and lead to anxiety. Anxiety is so common in people with ADHD that researchers are looking at whether there’s a genetic link. 

• Depression: Differences in brain chemistry that happen with ADHD may also cause feelings of depression. The challenges of living with ADHD, including struggling with low self-esteem, may also lead to depression.

• Substance abuse disorders: Around 1 in 4 people with ADHD also have problems with substance abuse. It’s also fairly common for people with ADHD to have alcohol abuse disorder.

• Eating disorders: Women with ADHD are more likely to develop an eating disorder. The most common are bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED). In general, women are more likely to have depression and eating disorders, while men are more likely to have substance abuse disorders. 

Next steps 

To find out if you have ADHD, you’ll need an evaluation with a trained professional. This assessment should also look for signs of other conditions that may co-occur or that have similar symptoms.

You can start by talking to your health care provider or to a professional who’s trained to do ADHD evaluations. That might be a psychiatrist, a psychologist, or an advanced practice registered nurse.

As part of the evaluation, you’ll be asked to answer a lot of questions. This may be in a one-on-one interview. Or you may be given a questionnaire or use an ADHD rating scale. It’s possible to use online ADHD testing. But without face-to-face interaction, there’s a higher risk of being misdiagnosed.

If you have health insurance, the evaluation may cost as little as a co-pay. Seeing a specialist “out of network” could cost hundreds of dollars. If you don’t have insurance, or if your insurance doesn’t cover ADHD evaluations, look into free or low-cost evaluations.  

Summary 

ADHD is a common disorder caused by differences in the brain. It’s lifelong — and symptoms can change over time. Your symptoms may be mild or severe. And they may look different now than they did when you were a child. 

The key symptoms of ADHD are:

• Inattention

• Impulsivity

• Hyperactivity

Girls and women are more likely than boys and men to have inattention as their only key symptom. Hyperactivity and impulsivity are more common in boys and men. But the most common symptom for everyone with ADHD is inattention. 

The symptoms and signs of ADHD are all problems with executive function. This is a set of mental skills you use to learn, work, and manage life. Executive skills let us focus, hold on to information, organize and plan, manage time, solve problems, and manage emotions. 

ADHD often co-occurs with other conditions that can share some symptoms. This overlap can lead to misdiagnosis. Three conditions that often occur along with ADHD are anxiety, depression, and autism. If you don’t have many of the symptoms of ADHD, it’s important to look at other conditions, too.

Related resources

We have many resources to help you navigate your experience with ADHD. These include podcasts, videos, articles, personal stories, and more.

• Listen: ADHD hacks with William Curb  

• Watch: Tips from an ADHD coach: Analysis paralysis 

• Read: How doctors test for ADHD in adults