{"id":134614,"date":"2024-11-09T14:53:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T18:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=134614"},"modified":"2025-09-15T11:09:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:09:34","slug":"how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Adults Get Diagnosed With ADHD by Doctors?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Did you know children aren&#8217;t the only ones who can get an ADHD diagnosis? How do adults get diagnosed with ADHD?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the overwhelming majority of cases, ADHD symptoms begin during people\u2019s formative years. However, while some are diagnosed early, others don\u2019t learn that they have ADHD until well into adulthood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s how doctors determine if an adult has ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/society-culture\/psychology\/adhd-guide\/\">Shortform&#8217;s guide on ADHD<\/a>.\u00a0If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-diagnosing-adhd\"><strong>Diagnosing ADHD<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>ADHD disrupts your ability to function in numerous ways, but the world of an adult is starkly different than the world of a child\u2014as such, Russell A. Barkley says that ADHD presents itself differently in adults than in children. So, how do adults get diagnosed with ADHD? To diagnose adult ADHD, doctors assess the following range of factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>You\u2019re easily distracted <\/strong>and find it challenging to focus on tasks or activities.<strong> <\/strong>For example, during meetings at work or social gatherings, you constantly check your phone, go off on conversational tangents, or get lost in your thoughts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You make impulsive decisions <\/strong>and find it difficult to stop unproductive behaviors. For instance, you might frequently buy things you don\u2019t need without considering your budget, or you might spend every morning scrolling through social media instead of starting your work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You have a hard time following lists of instructions <\/strong>or doing the steps in the right order. For example, you assemble furniture without reading the instructions first, or you might mix up the sequence of steps in preparing a recipe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You struggle to honor commitments.<\/strong> You forget about plans you\u2019ve made with friends, fail to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-complete-a-task-successfully\/\">complete tasks<\/a> you\u2019ve promised to do, and frequently show up late to appointments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You have trouble engaging in leisure activities. <\/strong>You prefer high-intensity activities that involve constant movement because you\u2019re too restless to participate in relaxing pastimes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You drive too fast. <\/strong>You have a hard time following the rules of the road, are frequently pulled over and ticketed, and may have a history of automobile accidents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Neuroscience Behind ADHD\u2019s Symptoms<\/strong><br><br>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/adhd-2-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>ADHD 2.0<\/em><\/a>, Edward Hallowell and John Ratey explain that many of the symptoms Barkley mentions come from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/adhd-2-0#adhd-challenges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an inability to shift between two types of brain activity<\/a>\u2014the <em>task-positive network <\/em>(TPN) and the <em>default-mode network <\/em>(DMN). The TPN engages when you\u2019re absorbed in a task and need to concentrate. In contrast, when the DMN is active, you\u2019re in a more thoughtful, imaginative state.&nbsp;In neurotypical people (those whose brains function in a way that\u2019s similar to most of their peers), these two types of brain activity switch as needed. But in people with ADHD\u2014considered <em>neurodivergent<\/em> because their brains process information in an atypical way\u2014both systems are often active <em>at the same time<\/em>, so that even when you\u2019re trying to focus on a task, your imagination is still running wild.<br><br>Hallowell and Ratey\u2019s interpretation explains many of Barkley\u2019s criteria listed above. If the brain\u2019s default-mode network is stuck \u201con,\u201d then constant distractibility is a given. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-control-impulses\/\">Impulse control<\/a>, honoring commitments, and following instructions will also likewise suffer if your brain\u2019s task-positive network, which would keep you on point, is being overridden. But what about Barkley\u2019s last two examples\u2014driving too fast and craving high-intensity activities?<br><br>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/thriving-with-adult-adhd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Thriving With Adult ADHD<\/em><\/a>, Phil Boissiere points to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/thriving-with-adult-adhd#adhd-in-the-brain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the brain\u2019s prefrontal cortex, which plays a strong role in emotional regulation<\/a>. People with ADHD struggle because their prefrontal cortexes developed differently than those of the average, neurotypical adult. Unrestrained emotions can trigger any number of \u201cfight or flight\u201d behaviors such as those Barkley mentions. They may seem like voluntary actions\u2014such as driving your car in a dangerous manner\u2014but they\u2019re all in response to what the brain perceives as an intense flood of emotions.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To be clear, most people can lay claim to some or all of the above-listed symptoms from time to time, but <strong>in ADHD, these symptoms are persistent and severe enough that they derail your ability to lead a normal life.<\/strong> To receive an ADHD diagnosis, you must have experienced symptoms for at least six months,<strong> <\/strong>and they had to have begun <em>before <\/em>the age of 16. Barkley says that if your symptoms started during adulthood, they\u2019re probably due to something <em>other<\/em> than ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Barkley explicitly refutes the myth that \u201ceveryone\u2019s a little ADHD,\u201d but he doesn\u2019t go into detail about how that myth is harmful. To begin with, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adhdawarenessmonth.org\/everyone-has-little-adhd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">it trivializes the challenges that individuals with ADHD face<\/a> in their daily lives. It also misrepresents the neurological basis of ADHD, and it undermines the need to get diagnosed by suggesting that ADHD is a universal experience. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/common-misconceptions-about-adhd\/\">Myths about ADHD<\/a> only serve to shame people with the disorder, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.additudemag.com\/adhd-myths-and-facts-learn-the-truth-about-attention-deficit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">they get in the way of helping people get the treatment they need<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For some people, being diagnosed with ADHD can be freeing\u2014at last they have an explanation for their struggles. The bad news is that ADHD rarely comes alone. <strong>Four out of every five people with ADHD have accompanying psychiatric problems,<\/strong> including antisocial behavior, anxiety, depression, and problems with substance abuse. It\u2019s possible that some of these are <em>caused <\/em>by the stress of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-live-with-adhd\/\">living with ADHD<\/a>, but this is why Barkley says it\u2019s important to be properly diagnosed\u2014it\u2019s only when you understand your challenges in full that you and your doctors will be able to tackle them head-on. We\u2019ll cover treatment options in the second half of this guide, but first, let\u2019s explore what having ADHD as an adult is like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: One factor that\u2019s come to light in recent years which Barkley doesn\u2019t cover is how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetransmitter.org\/spectrum\/decoding-overlap-autism-adhd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently seem to go hand-in-hand<\/a>. Until 2013, the American Psychiatric Association considered ADHD and ASD to be mutually exclusive diagnoses, but new research has shown that more than half of people on the autism spectrum also fit the diagnosis for ADHD, while a slightly smaller percentage of people diagnosed with ADHD also present with ASD symptoms. The underlying connection between the two is unclear, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6331660\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">research into their shared genetic and neurological roots is ongoing<\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know children aren&#8217;t the only ones who can get an ADHD diagnosis? How do adults get diagnosed with ADHD? In the overwhelming majority of cases, ADHD symptoms begin during people\u2019s formative years. However, while some are diagnosed early, others don\u2019t learn that they have ADHD until well into adulthood. Here&#8217;s how doctors determine if an adult has ADHD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":134682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,9,43],"tags":[1650],"class_list":["post-134614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-taking-charge-of-adult-adhd","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Do Adults Get Diagnosed With ADHD by Doctors? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For some people with ADHD, symptoms don&#039;t even pop up until adulthood. Check out how adults get diagnosed with ADHD by doctors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Do Adults Get Diagnosed With ADHD by Doctors?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For some people with ADHD, symptoms don&#039;t even pop up until adulthood. Check out how adults get diagnosed with ADHD by doctors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-09T18:53:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-15T15:09:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/psychiatrist-discussion.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"616\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katie Doll\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katie Doll\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Katie Doll\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937\"},\"headline\":\"How Do Adults Get Diagnosed With ADHD by Doctors?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-09T18:53:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-15T15:09:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/\"},\"wordCount\":1067,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/psychiatrist-discussion.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Taking Charge of Adult ADHD\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\",\"Psychology\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/\",\"name\":\"How Do Adults Get Diagnosed With ADHD by Doctors? - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-adults-get-diagnosed-with-adhd\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/psychiatrist-discussion.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-09T18:53:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-15T15:09:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"For some people with ADHD, symptoms don't even pop up until adulthood. 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