ANXIETY & ADHD: Knowing the connections and differences

By: Jess Dinsmore – Administrative Coordinator

 Have you ever felt anxious in the middle of a conversation worrying about your ability to pay attention--let alone respond?

Worried that you are going to forget a task or miss a work deadline?

Maybe you're overly irritated by your children or partner?


You are not alone.
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​I have had many conversations with adults seeking an ADHD diagnosis after feeling misunderstood for many years. Quite often, they are experiencing high levels of anxiety or have even been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder by their doctor. This makes sense because they are experiencing symptoms such as challenges with concentration, restlessness, muscle tension, frustration, irritation, or high stress levels. The problem is that being treated for anxiety doesn’t seem to be helping them much.
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Why? Well, most people don't realize that ADHD and anxiety often coexist, commonly resulting in misdiagnosis and challenges in managing symptoms. Let’s talk about why this is.

For starters, many individuals diagnosed with ADHD will be diagnosed with a comorbid disorder such as a mood disorder, substance abuse disorder, personality disorder, or anxiety disorder. The challenge with diagnosing ADHD compared to anxiety disorders is that anxiety can often mask ADHD symptoms.

Many symptoms overlap between anxiety and ADHD. This includes:

• Difficulty sleeping
• Low GABA levels
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Intrusive thoughts
• Higher rates of GI issues
• Restlessness
• Muscle tension
• Irritability

It’s important to be able to distinguish between anxiety symptoms and ADHD symptoms, even when they are intertwined. So, what are the main differences between ADHD and anxiety that may tell the two apart?

ADHD symptoms include:

• Inattentiveness
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsivity
• Forgetfulness        

On the other hand, anxiety symptoms typically include:

• Excessive and uncontrollable worry or fear
• The fear is often disproportionate to the actual trigger and occurs regularly

With this knowledge, it can help us understand when an anxiety disorder may be present versus when anxiety is a result of ADHD symptoms. When the symptoms of ADHD impact daily life, it often results in increased anxiety in academic, social, personal, and work settings. So yes, it makes sense that you may feel anxious regarding your ability to pay attention and respond in conversations, or that you may forget a work or personal deadline.

​Understanding the complexity of ADHD and anxiety can help individuals navigate these challenges and receive the proper support and treatment to manage symptoms daily. Awareness surrounding this anxiety helps us break the cycle of anxiety that sometimes feels never-ending.

Receiving an ADHD assessment can help individuals receive a diagnosis and recommendations on how to manage these symptoms. The good news is that both ADHD and anxiety are manageable once we have the proper resources available to us. 

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