The mind-boggling fact about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is that it’s more prevalent in boys than girls. Additionally, millions of children and adults in the U.S. are clinically diagnosed with ADHD annually.
Since ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is an older term used for this disorder, some people aren’t aware of the updated term, which is ADHD.
With ADHD, folks face problems such as inattention, difficulty focusing, and continuous shifting in the brain’s attention levels. Simply put, the executive brain functions of someone going through this clinical issue don’t work properly.
The lack of motivation in ADHD is something most people associate with laziness. Though, it’s just a stigma.
ADHD and laziness are entirely different things. A lazy person doesn’t perform a task for the sake of his comfort. While someone with ADHD is reluctant to do a particular thing because he wants to save his energy for other tasks. It can also be narrated as if they keep on changing their priorities from one task o another without having much control over them.
This article intends to provide more in-depth information about ADHD and laziness. Keep reading if you want to know about the symptoms of ADHD as well.
Let’s dive into it…
Laziness
Laziness can be explained as the condition when you can undertake a certain task but choose not to do so; instead, you lie around and waste time. In other words, you’re unwilling to do a particular task and postpone it for a while.
If you want to know how to overcome laziness, this video might greatly help.
ADHD/ADD
The more suitable and updated term for ADD is ADHD. It’s believed that this disorder is more prevalent in the U.S. Despite this, research has found that it is as common elsewhere in the world as in the U.S.
Let me tell you that there are different types of ADHD. In some cases, individuals with ADHD only face the problem of inattention. In which they’re in a completely different zone. If you’re talking to them, they’re probably not listening because they’re busy daydreaming.
Sometimes, the only symptoms present are impulsivity, hyperactivity and a sheer inability to sit at one place for a certain amount of time. Adults are also hyperactive however, they usually learn to cope up with it over time But children face a hard time adjusting themselves with pre-set societal standards.
One of the symptoms of ADHD is distress caused by inattentiveness. Additionally, you’re incapable of building motivation to do something.
If you skip the task at hand for a brief period of time only to get back to it later, you may forget it altogether. Something else may catch your attention,, and the previous task will completely fade from your memory. Later, when you remember the incomplete task, you may not feel motivated enough to finish it because your attention is now focused elsewhere.
Is ADHD An Excuse For Being Lazy?
Absolutely not! Someone with ADHD sees himself as lazy because this is what society feeds into their brains. While in reality, they behave in this manner because their brain functions like that.
One of the main stigmas regarding this disorder is that it’s a societal issue. Let me tell you that ADHD is a neurobiological condition. However, how society treats people with this clinical condition can make it better or worse. You might need the services of a medical health professional to cope and deal with this condition.
| ADHD | Laziness |
| Unable to start or finish a task due to lack of motivation | Unable to start a task due to unwillingness |
| No problem with hyper-focusing | No problem of hyper-focusing |
| Forget their important things such as keys, paying bills | They may remember when to pay the bills or where they’ve put their keys but deliberately avoid doing the chores |
| They do things without taking consequences into account | They may think about the consequences |
| They prioritize unimportant tasks | They’re aware of what is important and needs to get done first |
What Are The Symptoms Of ADHD?
Here are the 12 symptoms of ADHD;
- Short attention span
- Hyper-focus
- Poor impulse control
- Leaving things unfinished
- Mood swings
- Lack of motivation
- Emotional dysregulation
- Less patience
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Daydreaming
- Restlessness
Not all these symptoms need to be present once to fall under the criteria of ADHD.
How Does ADHD Feel Like?
These examples may give you some insights into what ADHD feels like;
- You don’t put things back where they needed to be
- Your keys are always lost.
- Your bills are not paid on time
- The simplest things seem to be the most difficult ones.
- Writing an email seems like a never-ending task.
- You don’t go to the gym.
- You leave the cup in the room, which remains there for days.
These are a few examples that might have helped you understand what ADHD feels like. Someone with ADHD knows they’re wasting their time, yet they can’t stop procrastinating.
How Does ADHD In Adults Differentiate From ADHD In Kids?
The signs of this disorder will start developing in childhood, but not everyone in their childhood can be diagnosed with this. If it goes unnoticed during childhood year, it may get diagnosed at the age of 35 to 40 years. Although it is fairly easy to identify the symptoms, parents sometimes ignore them and attribute them to childish behaviors.
According to NHS, the experience of ADHD in adulthood doesn’t feel the same as in childhood. The ratio of this clinical disorder is higher in children (9%) than in adults (4%). This is because many adults recover or can manage this.
How Does Depression Correlate With ADHD?
Depression sometimes is the result of ADHD. According to research, children with ADHD have a percentage of 9 to 36 who have depression. Since it’s hard to differentiate whether or not it’s ADHD that is causing depression, such cases are challenging to treat.
Due to this disorder, everyday routine matters and tasks become too overwhelming and hard to handle. It’s worth mentioning that even making schedules doesn’t help. Underperforming at school, life, and other stuff also causes anxiety, all the while taking matters to another worse level.
Conclusion
- ADHD is a condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It affects millions of children and adults in the U.S. each year. It is more common in boys than girls.
- ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is an older term for ADHD.
- ADHD is characterized by inattention, difficulty focusing, and shifting attention levels.
- Lack of motivation in ADHD is often mistakenly associated with laziness. However, this is a misconception.
- Laziness is the unwillingness to perform tasks. In contrast, individuals with ADHD struggle with performing tasks. It is due to their brain’s functioning, often shifting priorities.
- ADHD symptoms include short attention span, hyper-focus, and poor impulse control. It also includes mood swings, lack of motivation, and more.
- Society’s stigma sometimes mislabels ADHD as laziness, but it’s a neurobiological condition.
- Depression can be linked to ADHD. The challenges posed by the disorder can lead to overwhelming feelings in daily life.