ADHD vs Anxiety: Which Is It?

People often confuse attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with anxiety and vice versa. These two conditions share some common symptoms that can make pinpointing the root of the problem tricky.

As a parent, you want to ensure your child gets the best start in life possible. This includes ensuring they receive the right diagnosis so they can obtain the best treatment possible, leading to them becoming well-functioning adults. So, how do you know if your child has ADHD or anxiety? Let’s take a closer look.

Does My Child Have ADHD or Anxiety?

Despite the similarities in symptoms between these two conditions, they involve different factors and require different approaches.

Both ADHD and anxiety share two main symptoms: trouble focusing or paying attention and constant restlessness. However, some symptoms are more indicative of one condition over the other.

Common anxiety symptoms include:

• Constant irrational fears
• Experiencing dread or panic
• Rapid heart rate and hyperventilation
• Being tense most of the time
• Inability to think clearly
• Insomnia

Common ADHD symptoms include:

• Having difficulty in completing tasks and following instructions
• Easily distracted
• Forgetfulness
• Impaired conversational skills (unable to hold conversations)
• Being disorganized

If your child shows any of the aforementioned symptoms, then they most likely have the corresponding condition. Still, the best way to be sure of a diagnosis is to consult a health professional for a complete evaluation of your child.

Another thing to consider is that a person can have both ADHD and anxiety. So, if your child shows symptoms of both ADHD and anxiety, then there is a chance that they may have both conditions.

Moreover, children with ADHD are also likely to have an anxiety disorder. Research shows that up to 30% of children diagnosed with ADHD also have anxiety.

Finding Appropriate Treatment for ADHD

When left untreated, children with ADHD may face challenges both at school and at home. Research shows that children with ADHD have significantly lower social skills compared to children who do not have the condition. Although this doesn’t mean they won’t be able to socialize, they will find it harder to do so.

Children with ADHD may also perform poorly at school since they have a difficult time paying attention in class. Therefore, the best way to help your child is to consult a health professional as soon as you observe possible symptoms of ADHD.

The Pathways Neuropsychology Associates team is committed to helping you and your child treat and manage ADHD to improve their quality of life. Our comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation can help differentiate between anxiety and ADHD symptoms by getting an IQ measure to determine academic potential, ruling out significant cognitive strengths and weaknesses which could explain her current difficulties, assess for mood complaints or personality issues which could be impacting functioning and explain symptoms, and more thoroughly assess for the presence of ADHD symptoms across settings. A clear diagnosis will help direct treatment. Contact us today for more information.