Seeking a Diagnosis for Adult ADHD

Adults with ADHD typically answer yes to certain questions about their behavior patterns. Obviously, many people exhibit some of these behaviors some of the time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have ADHD. The number of symptoms, the frequency of those symptoms, and the severity of those symptoms all become factors in the diagnosis of ADHD. The important thing for you to understand is that you should not attempt to diagnose yourself. The questions below are meant as a guide:

• Do you frequently feel stuck, unable to “get your act together,” or unable to meet your goals?
• Do you find yourself with too many projects at once, so many that you can’t follow through with any of them?
• Are you easily distracted or unable to focus?
• Is it difficult for you to get organized?
• Do you frequently procrastinate, resisting the idea of beginning your work?
• Are you frequently impulsive?
• Do you frequently speak without thinking about the consequences of your words?
• Do you forget the consequences of past actions, thereby repeating mistakes?
• Do you have problems with self-acceptance and self-esteem?
• Are you too easily bored, too easily attracted to some new stimulus?
• Do you frequently begin projects enthusiastically, only to lose interest

If you answered yes to most of the questions, you should get an actual diagnosis to make sure that other factors are not also at work.