6 Work Habits that May Indicate Adult ADHD: Expert Insights from Huffpost

ADHD is also associated with hyperactivity or is called a so-called ‘attention deficit disorder’. And although children are often diagnosed with this disorder, many adults also suffer from it. However, not much is done about this at an older age. And that can be quite difficult in terms of your career. Huffpost a number of experts therefore spoke about the work habits that can indicate ADHD.

ADHD

“Each person with ADHD is unique and the symptoms of ADHD can vary from person to person,” states Sean Abraham, clinical social worker. “While one person with this condition may not enjoy a certain type of career because of the symptoms, another may succeed in the same role.” And although there are major differences between different people, there are certainly signs in the workplace that can indicate ADHD. Various experts explain these signals.

1. Everything has to be perfect

Several people in the workplace who have ADHD may have perfectionistic tendencies, says a psychologist Grandfather O’Shea. “ADHD affects part of the brain and how you divide your attention. In people with ADHD, that control area does not work properly. So they really can’t focus on what they have to do. They keep going back and forth between all these different ideas. And so that perfectionism can sometimes arise as a way of coping with that and thinking, ‘Okay, once I’ve done everything right, then I can only start.’ And that’s where they get into trouble, because they never get to that point where they feel like everything is perfect enough to really start.”

2. Postpone until the last minute

“Among the popular ‘work archetypes’, the ‘procrastinator’ would be one way in which adult ADHD presents itself,” says clinical associate professor of psychiatry Dr. Deepti Anbarasan. “This can be attributed to their problems with executive functioning and structuring their tasks in a timely manner.”

“Work archetypes in people with ADHD are as diverse as in any other group. Some may procrastinate, and others may use urgency as a motivator to combat procrastination.”

3. Always being late to meetings and work

People with ADHD can sometimes have trouble arriving on time. ADHD is also known as ‘time blindness’, where people who suffer from ADHD may have difficulty estimating how much time they need to get where they want to go. O’Shea says, “What I often hear is that people with ADHD have to be at work at 9 a.m., so they have 9 o’clock in their heads, which is exactly the time when they leave their house, because all they’re doing is 9 hours of thinking.”

4. Breaking down when work becomes too stressful

The so-called ‘prefrontal cortex’ ensures that your brain regulates your attention and emotional responses. In people with ADHD, that area may be underdeveloped,” O’Shea said. “If they can’t control all those different thoughts and emotions in a stressful situation, it can lead to dysregulation, a kind of mental breakdown. A lot of people just blank out because of that disruption, or have an outburst and get really emotional and irritable.”

“Because people with ADHD already have difficulty with their responsiveness, that extra bit, when there is a change, can lead to that emotional dysregulation,” O’Shea said.

5. Email errors

“Executive functioning is like the manager in your brain – it’s something that helps you stay organized,” O’Shea explains. “And in people with ADHD, their executive functioning may be impaired and they may have difficulty concentrating when necessary. They always tend to rush what they are doing. They may feel like, ‘Okay, I’m working…’, but they still aren’t able to pay attention and read and process all the information. It’s hard for their brains to stay stimulated long enough for tasks like reading emails. The ADHD brain needs a lot of constant stimulation.”

6. Brainstorming creative ideas that they may find difficult to implement later

People with ADHD often think in creative solutions. However, these people may also experience problems due to reduced executive functioning. “In the workplace, people with ADHD can be known as great creative thinkers, but passionate and someone you want on your team. But at the same time, they can still have problems because they don’t really know how to figure things out to actually get started.”

Source: Huffpost | Image: Adobe Stock

2023-12-02 08:00:26
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