15 Sneaky ADHD Symptoms No One Ever Tells You About

Woman with ADHD Brain. Arrows coming out of her head pointing in all directions.Photo bypathdoc via Shutterstock

Many people suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in silence because they don’t recognize their symptoms in most “you might have ADHD if” posts.

The Focus on Hyperactivity

The problem lies in society’s focus on the hyperactive side of the disorder. People with hyperactive ADHD often display impulsive and disruptive behaviors, making it easy for teachers, parents, and society as a whole to spot.

Hyperactive vs. Inattentive

There’s another sneakier side of the disorder that many people don’t know about: the inattentive side.

People with ADHD can have three different types: Hyperactive, Inattentive, or a combination.

Symptoms of Inattentive ADHD

I have inattentive ADHD. In speaking with my therapist and many other people with this version, I've uncovered a laundry list of hidden symptoms people don't think about.

If any of these common symptoms of Inattentive ADHD speak to you, you might want to see a medical professional.

Hyperfocus

ADHD seems like a misnomer for some sufferers who get so caught up in a single task that they completely forget about everything else around them.

Or Your Brain Refuses To Focus

Have you ever fought with your own mind, trying everything you can to force it to focus on the task at hand, yet it simply refuses to cooperate?

What Did I Just Read?

People with ADHD may struggle to read things their brains don’t find interesting. You may read an entire page but have no idea what you just read.

What Do You Mean, Check My Work?

In school, they tell you always to go back and check your work. For some with ADHD, the brain refuses to do so. You’ll have to turn the assignment in as is because there’s no way you’re going back to look at something you just completed.

I Have No Idea What You Just Said

People with inattentive ADHD may struggle to pay attention in conversations. They want to listen, but their brain is off doing other things.

Pro tip: write anything important down.

No Concept of Time

Time blindness occurs when you have no concept of how time passes. Five minutes and two hours are exactly the same.

Obsession with Time

Many who lived with ADHD time blindness, not realizing they had an actual disorder, developed unconscious strategies for managing time, like obsessively watching the clock and overcompensating to ensure they’re never late.

Stupid Mistakes

The inattentive ADHD brain is constantly searching for excitement. When you force it to do something mundane, it rushes through. It’s why I always got the calculus portion right while messing up on the simple equations, like adding 2 + 3, in math class.

It Just Goes Here Now

You meant to put it away; you really did. But once it left your hands, your brain completely forgot it even existed. Now, it lives wherever you initially put it.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

I once put a cat carrier in the closet nearest the door, and then two months later, I tore my entire house apart looking for the carrier. I forgot the closet even existed.

A Bit Messy

My father once evicted me from my bedroom when I was a kid. He put a sign on the door saying the room was condemned.

I’m better as an adult, but I must force myself to see the messes.

And Disorganized

If you have trouble keeping track of your schedule, essential papers, and basically everything else in your life, you may have inattentive ADHD.

Easily Distracted

My parents tried really hard to get me to clean my room, but oh, look, a random book!

Constantly Losing Things

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left my car keys on the counter at Starbucks.

All the New Hobbies

Today, it’s scrapbooking; tomorrow, it’s making jewelry. And when you go to the store to grab all your new basket weaving supplies, you rediscover your love of pottery!

Meanwhile, all your half-finished projects lay abandoned in the closet.

Everything Feels Like a Rejection

People with ADHD often sometimes experience rejection dysmorphia. They always feel like everything is their fault, and everyone is upset with them.

Isn’t Everyone Like This?

The common struggle for those wrestling with whether to see a professional is the idea that everyone experiences these things.

Everyone can be careless, forgetful, or messy. What makes it a disorder?

How It Impacts Your Life

Though everyone does struggle with this stuff every now and again, the difference is people with ADHD have these problems all the time, and it impacts their lives. They must try harder to finish their work, spend more energy forcing themselves to focus, and constantly risk their livelihoods over their carelessness.

Treatment is World-Changing

Many people who didn’t realize they had ADHD until adulthood find that treatment changes their lives. It’s like they were living life on hard mode, and treatment was the key to switching it back down to normal.

Only a Professional Will Know for Sure

If any of this sounds familiar, seek guidance from a medical professional. They can help you determine whether you do actually have ADHD or if you have something else, like anxiety or depression, that causes similar symptoms.

This article was produced and syndicated by Partners in Fire.