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Many people who find it difficult to focus believe they suffer from ADHD. There are, however, other factors that can cause similar symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and a lack of sleep.
In my 25 years as a therapist, I have seen a dramatic increase in teens and adults who struggle with focus and attention. I often receive questions from patients asking if they suffer from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adult ADHD medication prescriptions have increased in recent years, which is consistent with this concern.
In response to increasing media coverage of ADHD, some individuals have rushed to judgment and self-diagnosed. In my practice, many teenagers and young adults have expressed concern that they, too, may have ADHD after watching social media videos. There is at least the possibility that half of these videos are misleading, according to one study.
It is possible that their struggles have other explanations. Increasing levels of depression, anxiety, and insufficient sleep, as well as technological advancements that pull us in different directions, all contribute to our deteriorating attention.
Putting a pathologized label on human experience risks undermining human resilience, penalizing neurodiversity, and overmedicating people.
ADHD diagnosis
In order to assess ADHD, a comprehensive clinical interview with the patient as well as other people who knew the patient as a child or tween is required, as is neuropsychological testing of cognitive, executive, and attentional functions.
Neuropsychological assessments, however, are long and expensive. Most diagnoses of ADHD, instead, come during a shorter visit to a primary care doctor or mental health professional.
At a minimum, these visits should include a thorough clinical interview to assess not only symptoms but also age at onset and how pervasive and impairing they are. Symptoms of ADHD must appear by the age of 12 in people over 17 who are inattentive or hyperactive/impulsive.
Adults are more likely to experience the following inattentive symptoms:
- Details are often missing.
- Errors made carelessly.
- Losing or forgetting important things.
- Having trouble focusing, avoiding distractions, following instructions, listening, organizing, and persisting.
Symptoms of hyperactivity include:
- Talking excessively.
- Blurting out answers.
- Not being able to sit still, wait for a turn, or be quiet.
- Having a fidgety nature.
- Always being “on the go.”
- Disrupting others.
A person with ADHD must have these symptoms in at least two domains of his or her life – for example, attention problems in another context besides work – to be diagnosed. It is also necessary for symptoms to negatively affect different aspects of their lives.
1 in 5 children with ADHD were improperly diagnosed by doctors, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is important for individuals to consider whether other factors, such as depression, anxiety, sleep deficiencies, and overdependence on technology, are more likely to explain their attention problems.
In addition to attention deficits, there are many other conditions that can cause the deficit, such as autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, learning disabilities, chronic fatigue syndrome, and traumatic brain injuries.
Anxiety disorders and depression
Even undemanding tasks such as watching a movie are difficult for my patients with depression and anxiety.
Researchers have shown that depressed individuals can have difficulty paying attention and ignoring distracting information. This is one of the symptoms of major depressive disorder.
The ability to focus, organize, stay on task, and persist is a deficit in anxiety and related disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. In addition to having trouble concentrating, going blank, and being restless, generalized anxiety disorder also causes insomnia.
The hypervigilance and heightened arousal of Vietnam veterans with PTSD contributed to their attention problems, according to a study.
ADHD is unlikely to be the cause of attention problems if they begin as a result of depression or anxiety.
Sleep deprivation
Insufficient or poor sleep makes it hard to concentrate. The quality and quantity of sleep are both related to attention problems, according to research.
During the night, the mind replenishes its attention and other cognitive resources. Focus attention is one of the first things to go when people lose sleep, says Charles A. Czeisler, professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Technology overuse
According to a Pew Research Center study conducted from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021, 31 percent of U.S. adults are online “almost constantly.” On average, we look at screens for over 11 hours every day.
Patients’ reliance on phones, computers, and tablets has also changed over the past decade. There is an increase in reports of attention difficulties in correlation with the use of these devices.
There are many complaints about being unable to concentrate due to constant interruptions and feeling compelled to check emails, text messages, social media or dating apps – even with notifications turned off. Consequently, we end up depleting our attentional resources when trying to do two or more things at once. According to a study of Dutch young teens, those who multitask more often had more problems paying attention to time.
In cases of significant attention problems, individuals should seek medical attention. A person needs to be able to distinguish between ADHD and other factors that are causing their attention difficulties in order to receive proper treatment.
The post Is your mind wandering? Aside from ADHD, here are some other factors to consider. appeared first on Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute.