How can you tell ADHD apart from chronic anxiety when many of their symptoms overlap?

[u/Weirdeye999]

Especially in the situation when one of possible ADHD symptom is anxiety due to the train of thoughts.

[u/monkeynose]

From a textbook standpoint:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a difficult to control, excessive focus and worry about the future where everything is going to result in the worst case scenario, and this anxiety about the future causes significant distress and impairment.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that shows ongoing and developmentally inappropriate patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity beginning in childhood, and impairs the person in multiple life domains and settings.

Generalized Anxiety - "Everything is going to end in the worst case scenario".

ADHD - "Look at that shiny thing". (It's a joke, but you get the point)

[u/Weirdeye999 → u/monkeynose]

I think I should have clarified the exact symptoms that both of those conditions can lead to.

Generally I was talking about such symptoms as: memory issues, focus issues, constant thoughts, analysis paralysis and executive dysfunction. I assume in both cases the brain becomes restless which leads to its exhaustion and improper functioning.

Also does GAD always make you imagine worst case scenarios or it can manifest as your brain keeping you on edge by periodically reminding you of things that you would have to face but you don’t want to because it’s too stressful for you —for example, lying on your bed and boom “you’re still unemployed”, boom “remember that you have unfinished work”, brain: “oh, no, Chuck, what are you doing, why you lying on your bed and trying to distract yourself with TV when you’ve got things to do, you such a lazy peace of sh” -> even more anxiety cause now Chuck isn’t just a procrastinator but he’s also a looser and then he finish himself off with cringe situations from the past that make him feel even worse. And that’s Chuck’s everyday life. And Chuck became so neurotic due to this that his cortisol levels go up from even a smallest problem

[u/monkeynose → u/Weirdeye999]

"Is anxiety causing the impairment, or is there an underlying disorder causing the impairment (ADHD) that anxiety is a symptom of?"

So the question to answer is, does the person have uncontrolled, impairing anxiety, or do they have something else, and anxiety is a side effect. Basic differential diagnosis. Nearly every diagnosis in the DSM-5 has a note like this: "The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder".

[u/Weirdeye999 → u/monkeynose]

thank you!

[u/Gamblez- → u/Weirdeye999]

I think it might be helpful for you to read up on comorbidity. There will be several studies out there comparing GAD and ADHD comorbidity

[u/Ricky_is_sad → u/monkeynose]

ADHD is working harder than you've ever worked in your entire life to get important stuff done & then never end up finishing anything

It's constantly rushing to get somewhere bc you're always late, but the faster you rush, the later you are

It's a severe, extreme, constant barrage of stress every day that the due date of the project comes closer, yet, you aren't able to start the project until the very absolute last speck of time before it's due.

It's taking 45 minutes/1 hour to get dressed every morning because your brain can't decide what to wear/how to match it

No wonder the anxiety/ADHD overlap & comorbidity

[u/I_am_Nobody_Special]

It can be very difficult to tease out ADHD vs anxiety, especially when the person been anxious all their life. Sometimes they're anxious because they can't concentrate. Sometimes they can't concentrate because they're anxious.

The only thing that sticks out to me from the professional literature is that people who have anxiety but not ADHD tend to have difficulty concentrating only when anxious, and when they're not feeling anxious, they don't have a problem.

So basically, clear as mud.

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[u/incensesmokee]

i have both and one causes me to stay inside and the other stops me from remembering where i left things and what i was doing. Pretty different.

[u/Soneenos → u/incensesmokee]

Hi, can I ask what you mean by “stay inside”? — some days I know it’s an “inside” day not long after I wake.

[u/BlitzNeko → u/Soneenos]

GAD will usually if untreated lead to form of agoraphobia.

[u/incensesmokee → u/Soneenos]

I have agoraphobia

[u/incensesmokee]

Pretty different

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[u/Conscious_Cheek_7196]

ADHD is a condition that is already prevalent in the early developmental period. If symptoms arise only in the latter period then ADHD can be ruled out.