ttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), known more popularly as a condition affecting only children, is actually an under-diagnosed condition in adults. It usually develops in childhood and often persists in adulthood.
More often than not, it’s diagnosed after it has caused much distress in occupational functioning and strain in romantic and family relationships. Knowing that you (or someone you know) may possibly be affected by ADHD may help you seek professional help for it.

8. Careless mistakes

Most people with adult ADHD overlook the small details and often end up ” tunnel visioning”. This is often manifested when they are assigned tasks they may find difficult, repetitive or routinary. They see the task accomplishment as the light at the end of the tunnel but on the way to that goal, they miss on the details, making them prone to having careless mistakes.

7. Forgetful in daily tasks

Ever gone home to your condo unit in total darkness and discovering that you’d actually forgotten to pay your power bill? Or have you ever gotten a call from your dentist’s secretary asking you if you’d be pushing through with your scheduled appointment (which you totally forgot)? Adults with ADHD have difficulty remembering appointments or obligations and often suffer its consequences.

6. Delaying tasks that require focus

Most adults with ADHD report feeling spiteful of the fact that they have to do repetitive activities which require them to exert sustained focus and attention. Defining these activities as “untinteresting” for them makes them shove these off to their “I hope I don’t have to do these activities” list. They end up procrastinating on tasks and doing them at the last minute.

5. Problems in organizing tasks or projects

If you have been your office’s awardee as the person who consistently fails to meet deadlines, then maybe it is a symptom you might want to explore and not just dismiss as some form of “katamaran.” Most people with adult ADHD have problems in organizing tasks and projects. They fail to do things in a particular sequence and are often perceived to have poor time management skills. Although everyone experiences this in varying extents, it’s a symptom that may be worth looking into if there is a suspicion of adult ADHD.

4. Restless and fidgety

Do you often feel like wanting to leave your office seat because of restlessness? Do you tap your desk with your fingers in boredom or from the thought that you would be trapped in your office for the next few hours? Most people with adult ADHD feel uneasy whenever they are expected to stay in one place for an extended period of time.

3. Often “on the go”

Do you always feel overly active and energized or with an inner need to do things? Most adults with ADHD report that they experience the feeling of being always “on the go.” The feeling can be compared to being a toy robot with a fresh change of long lasting batteries or a race car in full speed

2. Easily distracted

Have you ever “tuned out” in a conversation, eventually realizing that your mind had been wandering in another realm, ignited by thoughts about the music playing in your background. Most adults with ADHD are easily distracted by external stimuli. Some are branded as fickle-minded as they are unable to finish a task and, in a instant, decide to start on another task.

1. Often loses important things

Have you lost track of the number of cellphones, wallets, locker keys and identification cards that you’ve lost? Most adults with ADHD are inattentive with their personal belongings. They often unintentionally lose things.
These are just some common symptoms of ADHD in adults. It is deemed advisable to seek professional help if you suspect the presence of the said condition. An accurate diagnosis will allow you to receive the appropriate treatment or care.
Mary Daryl Joyce Lindo-Calleja, MD is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow.