THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANXIETY & ADHD
As mental health awareness rises, more people are becoming curious about whether they might fit the criteria for a mental health diagnosis. A tricky reality of mental health diagnosis, however, is that some symptoms span across multiple diagnoses. This overlap is true of ADHD and anxiety.
While there are some similarities between these conditions, there are also many differences. Because these conditions have different treatments, it is key to correctly identify which condition is underlying a person’s symptoms.
The Commonalities
ADHD and anxiety have a few symptoms in common. Either condition can cause difficulty concentrating, feelings of restlessness or difficulty relaxing, problems with sleep, and irritability.
When ADHD is the root issue, difficulty concentrating tends to be more general and is present even when a person feels at ease. When anxiety is the root issue, difficulty concentrating tends to stem from a person being in a situation where they feel fearful or from worry thoughts distracting from the task at hand.
Physical restlessness or difficulty relaxing are an indication of hyperactivity in ADHD. In anxiety, they suggest that a person’s sympathetic nervous system (often referred to as fight or flight mode) is activated due to a perceived threat or sense that something bad could happen.
Both ADHD and anxiety can interfere with a person’s ability to fall or stay asleep. Whether sleep disturbance stems from one diagnosis vs. the other is determined by the presence or absence of other symptoms.
Last, irritability in ADHD is one potential manifestation of the overall emotional dysregulation ADHD can cause. Anxiety, on the other hand, tends to increase sensitivity and lower a person’s bandwidth to deal with stress, which can result in minor irritations producing big reactions.
The Differences
Each of these diagnoses has a number of symptoms that the other does not have. Symptoms unique to anxiety include:
Frequent worry that is difficult to control
Physical symptoms like racing heart, shakiness, rapid breathing, or nausea
Feeling like something bad is going to happen
Avoidance of situations, people, or activities that bring up anxious feelings
Whereas symptoms unique to ADHD include:
Being easily distracted
Forgetfulness
A tendency to misplace things
Difficulty organizing, prioritizing, or completing tasks
Feeling unable to sit still
Interrupting others
Acting without consideration of the consequences beforehand (impulsivity)
Further, ADHD is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, which requires that some symptoms must have been present prior to age 12 for diagnosis. Anxiety symptoms, in contrast, can start at any age and still qualify for a diagnosis.
Complicating matters a bit further, a person can have both ADHD and a separate anxiety disorder. Research suggests that up to half of people with ADHD have a diagnosable anxiety disorder as well. Moreover, a person with ADHD can experience anxious feelings even if they don’t meet full criteria to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In this case, anxious feelings often relate to issues or challenges that arise from ADHD symptoms rather than being more general.
What’s next?
If any of this information has you wondering about yourself, the next step is to consult with a licensed medical or mental health professional to ensure accurate diagnosis. A qualified professional will take a detailed history to determine whether you meet diagnostic for one or multiple mental health conditions. If an evaluation does result in a diagnosis, know that both ADHD and anxiety have evidence-based treatment options that produce symptom reduction and quality of life improvement.
Please note: This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a licensed mental health provider or other healthcare professional for guidance related to your specific mental health or medical concerns.
