Is It ADHD or Anxiety? Understanding the Difference
Difficulty concentrating. Forgetfulness. Restlessness. Trouble completing tasks.
These can all be associated with ADHD—but they can also occur when someone is experiencing anxiety.
This can make it difficult for parents, adults, and even professionals to determine what is really going on.
ADHD and anxiety are different conditions, but they can sometimes look surprisingly similar. They can also occur together.
Understanding the differences is an important part of getting the right support.
What Does ADHD Look Like?
ADHD can affect attention, organization, impulse control, and activity level.
Depending on the individual, someone with ADHD may experience:
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Forgetfulness
- Losing things
- Difficulty organizing tasks
- Procrastination
- Trouble completing projects
- Distractibility
- Impulsivity
- Restlessness
- Difficulty managing time
- Frequently underestimating how long tasks will take
ADHD symptoms generally represent an ongoing pattern rather than something that occurs only during particularly stressful periods.
What Does Anxiety Look Like?
Anxiety can also make concentration difficult.
Someone experiencing anxiety may have:
- Excessive worry
- Racing thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating because they are thinking about worries
- Physical tension
- Sleep difficulties
- Irritability
- Avoidance
- Fear of making mistakes
- Reassurance-seeking
- Difficulty relaxing
A person may appear distracted because their attention is being consumed by anxious thoughts.
Why Can They Be Confused?
Imagine a student who has difficulty completing homework.
With ADHD, they may struggle because they have difficulty organizing the assignment, managing time, sustaining attention, or resisting distractions.
With anxiety, they may struggle because they're worried about getting the assignment wrong.
And sometimes both are present.
For example, a student with ADHD may procrastinate because organizing a large assignment feels overwhelming. As the deadline approaches, anxiety increases. The student then experiences both ADHD-related difficulties and anxiety.
Questions That Can Help
When evaluating attention concerns, it can be helpful to consider:
Has the difficulty been present for a long time?
Does it occur in multiple settings?
Does the person struggle even when they are not anxious?
Are worries interfering with concentration?
Did the symptoms begin after a stressful event or major life change?
Are there difficulties with organization, impulsivity, or time management in addition to concentration?
These questions can provide useful information, but they aren't enough by themselves to determine a diagnosis.
Why Assessment Matters
A thorough ADHD evaluation looks at the individual's history, symptoms, functioning, and concerns across different settings.
For children, information from parents and teachers can be particularly helpful.
For adults, it can be useful to explore current functioning as well as patterns that may have existed earlier in life.
Assessment may also consider other factors that can affect attention, including anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, stress, learning concerns, and other conditions.
What If Someone Has Both?
ADHD and anxiety can occur together.
When they do, treatment may need to address both.
For example, someone may benefit from strategies for organization and attention while also learning skills for managing worry and anxiety.
The goal is not simply to place a label on the problem.
The goal is to understand what is happening so the individual can receive appropriate support.
When Should You Seek an Evaluation?
Consider an evaluation when attention or organizational difficulties are interfering with:
- School
- College
- Work
- Relationships
- Daily responsibilities
- Time management
- Completing tasks
- Confidence or self-esteem
An evaluation can provide greater clarity and help determine what types of support may be appropriate.
Difficulty concentrating doesn't automatically mean ADHD.
It also doesn't mean that anxiety is the only explanation.
A thoughtful assessment can help identify the factors contributing to the difficulty and provide a clearer path forward.
At Sunrise Counseling, we provide support for children, teens, young adults, and adults experiencing attention difficulties, anxiety, stress, and related concerns. ADHD assessment and evaluation can also help individuals and families better understand patterns that may be affecting daily functioning.
If you are wondering whether ADHD, anxiety, or both may be contributing to your concerns, contact Sunrise Counseling to discuss whether an evaluation may be appropriate.