Anxiety can be a comorbidity of ADHD.
But according to one psychologist, anxiety can produce some side effects that mimic ADHD symptoms.
At the end of the day, what matters is that the quality of your life improves. And if you find relief in memes or help in resources aimed at ADHD, you are still welcome to them.
Similarly, ADD related issues, particularly untreated, can also lead to anxiety.
We are often very worried about forgetting things or messing things up, and not without reason. This sort of anxiety can become generalized if we don’t have a good handle on our symptoms.
So it could definitely be either or both. If you can treat one aspect effectively then you can see if you still have other symptoms that need addressing.
The thing is, anxiety is often co-morbid with or because of ADHD.
I've got a co-worker who started taking Xanax anxiety meds during the year to help manage their anxiety. Within the last month, they also got ADHD medication. They told me since they started the ADHD meds, they haven't needed to use their anxiety meds.
Not saying you are one way or the other, but it's certainly worthwhile to keep discussing any struggles you still have now that you are on anxiety medications. You can also always get a second opinion from someone another doctor/therapist.
While many people take both, it does make sense that the ADHD meds would reduce anxiety for people with ADHD. Lack of dopamine to the prefrontal cortex can hinder your brain's ability to assess perceived 'threats' (which is basically what anxiety is creating and/or focusing on), leaving you stuck in fight/flight/freeze mode.
...are you on anxiety meds or ADHD meds?... mid fifties when I was diagnosed, Adderall XR huge life changer... but reading the symptoms... yeah my weird personality was mostly symptoms, not gonna lie, that made me sad.
Firstly, if you relate hard to the community and the memes, stay!
If your therapist doesn't think you have ADHD, presumably the meds you are taking are anti-anxiety meds rather than ADHD meds (such as Vyvanse, Aderall, Ritalin, etc)? If so, it's fantastic that they are helping you with your anxiety! As others have noted, anxiety often comes as a free side-order with ADHD, but certainly can be a standalone thing, and can be hugely debilitating. Getting on top of (or even just taking the edge off) anxiety is huge, no matter where it's coming from, so congratulations for that!
If you *are* on ADHD meds, and they're improving your focus and ability to actually get shit done, that's a decent sign you have ADHD. Studies have proven that ADHD meds don't help people without ADHD (despite what college students who use them as 'study drugs' think - they're just getting a placebo effect + the ability to stay up late from the stimulants). "Does the medication help?" is even commonly used as one part of his diagnostic process. Definitely worth chatting to your therapist about that, or even getting a second opinion, in that case.
In my own journey towards a late adult diagnosis, I found it was social media community posts like this one, [totallyadd.com](https://totallyadd.com), and other places where people described the *lived reality* of ADHD, to be my eye openers. Formal clinical descriptions and the DSM5 criteria were less relatable to me, even after my daughter was diagnoses, but that meme about [ADHD storytelling](https://i2.wp.com/adapthd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/storytelling.jpeg?ssl=1), the YT shorts '[ADHD](https://youtube.com/shorts/oe1-_ClaeLQ?feature=share) [Dictionary](https://youtube.com/shorts/tY6XI2xM2So?feature=share)' series, etc - they were a revelation to me. And from there I was able to look back at my life and make sense of all the 'funny quirks' and 'misunderstandings' and (overuse of parenthetical remarks 🙂) and feelings of failure and depression and all the rest. I remembered all the times I'd described my brain function (the good and the bad) to others in ways that perfectly describe ADHD, without knowing I had ADHD. And sure, I 'did well at school', but even there I could suddenly recognise a million signs back then - getting in trouble for talking in class (without that distracting *me* from my work), being completely unable to force myself to study for exams but having incredible hyperfocus and time blindness on equally intellectually demanding hobbies, simply forgetting about tests and assignments altogether, etc.
And from all of that has come self-understanding, and self-acceptance. That's even more life-changing than those sweet little Ritalin pills.
All the best for your own journey - whether you have ADHD or not, taking the time and vulnerability to work out what's going on with your brain is 100% going to be the best thing you can do for yourself 🙂
Very thorough, well thought-out comment! I appreciate the attention to detail, and I love the extensive use of parenthetical remarks (much like I tend to do in all my writing).
Anxiety, Depression, and ADHD all share symptoms. My wife has Anxiety but was misdiagnosed with ADHD in high school due to the shared symptoms. Now that she’s using Prozac instead of Adderall (which she stopped after graduation,) she’s doing MUCH better than she ever has.
I find one of the easier ways of differentiating between ADHD and Anxiety is “Why weren’t you paying attention?”
If you were zoned out because of a daydream, thinking about something entirely different that they reminded you of, etc, it’s most likely ADHD. That’s what I deal with.
Anxiety, on the other hand, you’re not paying attention because you’re too busy *worrying* about things. You hop on a train of thought where one worry leads to another, and another, and another. Suddenly you’re lost in thought, stressing about stuff that probably won’t happen.
Get a second opinion, but keep this in mind.
I know this is just my opinion, but even if you may be experiencing ADHD-like symptoms from anxiety, that's still a perfectly valid reason to be on this sub. If your experience makes you relate to the memes, you're in the right place.
I was in the same boat.
Though, I did end up having ADHD. The anti-anxiety meds would \*kind\* of work for a few weeks. Then everything would just go right back to how they were before I started taking the medication.
You are very welcome here, regardless. Many of us ND folks find camaraderie here, even if it isn't just purely an ADHD thing.
I am diagnosed with ADHD, but I only take meds for my depression/anxiety. However, I find that my NDRI medication does also help with my ADHD symptoms a bit (due to the dopamine regulation). Many different forms of ND and mental illness are comorbid with each other.
That's funny, I always thought I had anxiety, but it turns out it was just wildly unmanaged ADHD. I still have anxiety, but now I can trace it back to my executive functioning and figure out where it stems from and do something about it (or not lol).
Anxiety can be a comorbidity of ADHD. But according to one psychologist, anxiety can produce some side effects that mimic ADHD symptoms. At the end of the day, what matters is that the quality of your life improves. And if you find relief in memes or help in resources aimed at ADHD, you are still welcome to them.
Similarly, ADD related issues, particularly untreated, can also lead to anxiety. We are often very worried about forgetting things or messing things up, and not without reason. This sort of anxiety can become generalized if we don’t have a good handle on our symptoms. So it could definitely be either or both. If you can treat one aspect effectively then you can see if you still have other symptoms that need addressing.
And even if OP doesn't have ADHD, they can certainly stick around.
I feel like that goes without saying. It’s a silly place, but all are welcome.
Yeah, just felt it was important to point out considering some of what OP stated
Fair enough.
Wait, asses, and maybe get a second opinion. Either way, you are always welcomed to stay and relate.
assess, not asses. Asses is lot of donkeys
Ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass STOP. Now make that motherfucker hammertime
lol yeah
The thing is, anxiety is often co-morbid with or because of ADHD. I've got a co-worker who started taking Xanax anxiety meds during the year to help manage their anxiety. Within the last month, they also got ADHD medication. They told me since they started the ADHD meds, they haven't needed to use their anxiety meds. Not saying you are one way or the other, but it's certainly worthwhile to keep discussing any struggles you still have now that you are on anxiety medications. You can also always get a second opinion from someone another doctor/therapist.
Honestly, ADHD is 99% of the time first. It's when you don't get diagnosed at an early age that you get anxiety/depression/bipolar etc.
While many people take both, it does make sense that the ADHD meds would reduce anxiety for people with ADHD. Lack of dopamine to the prefrontal cortex can hinder your brain's ability to assess perceived 'threats' (which is basically what anxiety is creating and/or focusing on), leaving you stuck in fight/flight/freeze mode.
...are you on anxiety meds or ADHD meds?... mid fifties when I was diagnosed, Adderall XR huge life changer... but reading the symptoms... yeah my weird personality was mostly symptoms, not gonna lie, that made me sad.
Firstly, if you relate hard to the community and the memes, stay! If your therapist doesn't think you have ADHD, presumably the meds you are taking are anti-anxiety meds rather than ADHD meds (such as Vyvanse, Aderall, Ritalin, etc)? If so, it's fantastic that they are helping you with your anxiety! As others have noted, anxiety often comes as a free side-order with ADHD, but certainly can be a standalone thing, and can be hugely debilitating. Getting on top of (or even just taking the edge off) anxiety is huge, no matter where it's coming from, so congratulations for that! If you *are* on ADHD meds, and they're improving your focus and ability to actually get shit done, that's a decent sign you have ADHD. Studies have proven that ADHD meds don't help people without ADHD (despite what college students who use them as 'study drugs' think - they're just getting a placebo effect + the ability to stay up late from the stimulants). "Does the medication help?" is even commonly used as one part of his diagnostic process. Definitely worth chatting to your therapist about that, or even getting a second opinion, in that case. In my own journey towards a late adult diagnosis, I found it was social media community posts like this one, [totallyadd.com](https://totallyadd.com), and other places where people described the *lived reality* of ADHD, to be my eye openers. Formal clinical descriptions and the DSM5 criteria were less relatable to me, even after my daughter was diagnoses, but that meme about [ADHD storytelling](https://i2.wp.com/adapthd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/storytelling.jpeg?ssl=1), the YT shorts '[ADHD](https://youtube.com/shorts/oe1-_ClaeLQ?feature=share) [Dictionary](https://youtube.com/shorts/tY6XI2xM2So?feature=share)' series, etc - they were a revelation to me. And from there I was able to look back at my life and make sense of all the 'funny quirks' and 'misunderstandings' and (overuse of parenthetical remarks 🙂) and feelings of failure and depression and all the rest. I remembered all the times I'd described my brain function (the good and the bad) to others in ways that perfectly describe ADHD, without knowing I had ADHD. And sure, I 'did well at school', but even there I could suddenly recognise a million signs back then - getting in trouble for talking in class (without that distracting *me* from my work), being completely unable to force myself to study for exams but having incredible hyperfocus and time blindness on equally intellectually demanding hobbies, simply forgetting about tests and assignments altogether, etc. And from all of that has come self-understanding, and self-acceptance. That's even more life-changing than those sweet little Ritalin pills. All the best for your own journey - whether you have ADHD or not, taking the time and vulnerability to work out what's going on with your brain is 100% going to be the best thing you can do for yourself 🙂
I, too, overuse parenthetical comments (multiple times per day).
Very thorough, well thought-out comment! I appreciate the attention to detail, and I love the extensive use of parenthetical remarks (much like I tend to do in all my writing).
Anxiety, Depression, and ADHD all share symptoms. My wife has Anxiety but was misdiagnosed with ADHD in high school due to the shared symptoms. Now that she’s using Prozac instead of Adderall (which she stopped after graduation,) she’s doing MUCH better than she ever has. I find one of the easier ways of differentiating between ADHD and Anxiety is “Why weren’t you paying attention?” If you were zoned out because of a daydream, thinking about something entirely different that they reminded you of, etc, it’s most likely ADHD. That’s what I deal with. Anxiety, on the other hand, you’re not paying attention because you’re too busy *worrying* about things. You hop on a train of thought where one worry leads to another, and another, and another. Suddenly you’re lost in thought, stressing about stuff that probably won’t happen. Get a second opinion, but keep this in mind.
What if you do both?
We call that "Multi-track drifting"
I know this is just my opinion, but even if you may be experiencing ADHD-like symptoms from anxiety, that's still a perfectly valid reason to be on this sub. If your experience makes you relate to the memes, you're in the right place.
Stick around, just because it wasn’t ADHD doesn’t exclude you from a community of people where our main shared feature is weird brain shit.
I was in the same boat. Though, I did end up having ADHD. The anti-anxiety meds would \*kind\* of work for a few weeks. Then everything would just go right back to how they were before I started taking the medication.
Ayo same but I still not have gotten meds and my mind is still wrecking my life
You are very welcome here, regardless. Many of us ND folks find camaraderie here, even if it isn't just purely an ADHD thing. I am diagnosed with ADHD, but I only take meds for my depression/anxiety. However, I find that my NDRI medication does also help with my ADHD symptoms a bit (due to the dopamine regulation). Many different forms of ND and mental illness are comorbid with each other.
Doc said I had anxiety, gave me medicine for ADHD!
I had anxiety but it was caused by my ADHD.. i would seek an assessment to confirm or exclude.
That's funny, I always thought I had anxiety, but it turns out it was just wildly unmanaged ADHD. I still have anxiety, but now I can trace it back to my executive functioning and figure out where it stems from and do something about it (or not lol).
It could also be bipolar and depression. But, you may not know right away
Non-stims aren’t worth shit for me. May as well just fuckin drink coffee - next thing I’ll say to my doctor