The Difference Between ADHD and Anxiety Signs

According to the CDC, 3 in 10 children with ADHD also have anxiety. The ADHD symptoms are so similar to anxiety, that sometimes, the two actually are so similar that you are not sure which is which. To help raise awareness on living with ADHD and anxiety, we made this video to highlight the key difference between ADHD and depression.

As a disclaimer, do NOT use this video to self diagnose. The INTENT of this video is to bring awareness to the topic of ADHD and Anxiety.

Script Writer: Isadora Ho
Script Editor: Syazwana Amirah
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
Animator: Lesly
Voice: Amanda Silvera
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong
Thumbnail by: Sam Rain

REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (5th Edition). Arlington, United States of America

[Raghav-txym]

0:30 You have poor focus because of worrying thoughts.
1:20 You don’t tend to have as many problems with impulsivity.
1:55 You have trouble completing your school work because of perfectionism.
2:38 You’re generally more sensitive to social cues.
3:22 You experience racing heart, clamminess, tense muscles, headaches, nausea or dizziness.
4:05 You’re unlikely to show problem behaviours when you’re feeling calm, safe and doing things you enjoy.

[khalilahd.]

It’s something about her soothing voice and the animations that always make learning about these tough conditions a little bit easier 💛 thanks Psych2go

[zacharyonagoruwa]

I was diagnosed with both ADHD and anxiety. I can relate to everything here.

[foxyloon]

Although ADHD and anxiety are commonly misdiagnosed for each other, I've since learned it's very common for people with undiagnosed ADHD to struggle with anxiety and depression later on in their lives. Since the condition can negatively affect self esteem without proper guidance, an early diagnosis is important. It's much easier to learn to cope with it from a young age than to have to learn as such while struggling with anxiety and depression on top of it. I'm one of those people who was only very recently diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, and I'd been struggling with anxiety and depression for years before that point.

With help from a therapist, I realized that my low self esteem came about from years of my impulsivity and other ADHD related quirks causing problems in daily life. That mindset led to me eventually succumbing to negative beliefs and persistent doubts of my self worth.

I felt a profound sense of relief when I realized that all of the quirks and bad habits I've been ridiculed for in the past was all due to having ADHD, and that there were coping strategies that will mitigate those issues as well. I finally felt like I had a sensible explanation for the way things played out in my life, and learning some effective coping tools helped me to learn and heal from it. Now I can more readily control my quirks or even leverage them for beneficial purposes. (Hyperfocusing is a very nice ability to have when applied in a helpful way.)

My point here is that if you relate to the ADHD side of the points made at earlier stages of your life, yet also experienced the anxiety side later on in life, you could very well be struggling with undiagnosed ADHD symptoms. Even if the discovery is made later on in life, it's very beneficial for drastically improving one's quality of life overall!

[jlbuell]

You failed to mention that ADHD is actually often paired with anxiety. I get anxiety due to my ADHD symptoms. I do sometimes have trouble with social cues and because of that I am anxious in social situations because I’m afraid I will say the wrong thing or mess up in some way. I’ve also been told most of my life that I am too much, this has led to anxiety later in life because I am trying so hard to suppress my personality. Saying it is either one or the other is dangerous for some people because if you have both treating just the anxiety will not help make you feel better. Also it may seem like just anxiety so you treat that. But if you treated the ADHD first the anxiety could go away on its own.

[nerdyhatter]

This is actually refreshing to know. I have had problems with anxiety for years. I was bullied severely back in 2018 during an old school I went too. Teachers completely dismissed me and neglected me as a student, whilst other people physically and emotionally abused me to the point where I felt incredibly low... No one helped, which of course didn’t help me at all. I suffered with headaches, heart races and worrying thoughts because of the behaviour. A few years later after homeschooling for a year I went back into mainstream school education and have the same problems again. I have classmates targeting me and often made fun of because of my anxiety, autism and identity. I can’t change who I am, and although I have the same anxious effects now like I did then, I have my ways of handling it. To anyone out there who can relate, just know you can get through this, we will get through this all together. I’m sitting my GCES from now and I had lost my Nan before Christmas, so all has been hard. But sometimes the bad things will come first before the greater changes happen. Hope everyone has a great day and good luck to all! <3 and thank you for this video!

[lillyblossom]

Bro your voice is so smooth I almost fell asleep and it's only noon

[puppybooidk]

My brain: "Both, both is good"

[thegoatarmy]

This is quite difficult to determine if I have adhd or anxiety. I have a hard time focusing because of worrying thoughts, and I can easily get distracted by a fly passing by. I was born with stress and anxiety do to many nightmares I used to have, and yes, stress and anxiety causes nightmares. I don't remember my behavior at school, I don't remember if I wasn't focus because of worrying thoughts or lack of focus, but I do remember talking way too loud.

[NoNameVIP]

The way you point out and make me completely acknowledge all the symptoms of depression I’m going through made me cry

[abbymcgrew]

Thank you so much for this channel. I’ve suffered from severe perfectionism and anxiety for a while now. It’s good to figure myself out

[KadeofCavarsh]

As someone who has been diagnosed with both ADHD and anxiety disorder, I related to almost everything except for the headaches. I don't often get headaches. But I do constantly worry too much about how I come across to others and yet I can't seem to stay focused on important things or I'm paying attention to everything at the same time and ineffectively getting things done and that is regardless of what kind of mood I'm in or mental state

[ideac.]

literally the video that i needed
and every sign that were shown in the video is exactly what happens to me on a daily basis

honestly, ever since i went back to school after quarantine, my signs of anxiety just became more clear. i feel incredibly uncomfortable at public, when im not talking to anyone, mainly when im near people that i know (classmates). i always hesitate to ask questions or anything similar. i always stutter a lot when talking with new people
not only i feel all of that but now that im back at school my grades are absolutely horrible, i study as much as i can, i forget about what i just read just after a few minutes. when im doing homework or even an exam i think of SO MANY THINGS, i literally cant concentrate 100%. it is absolutely horrible, i wish i could see a therapist but my parents are incredibly religious and conservative so they think that therapists are only for depressed people or whatever
good to see that this channel can teach me better about mental health

[IIFrozenFlame]

I really like how this channel has different animators that work on these nice videos, and they get pretty distinct. I liked this one in particular.

[EmptyCerealbox_]

As someone that has social anxiety i relate to all of these points. I can never focus during school because of my overthinking. For eg: While my teacher is explaining smth i will be thinking about what others are thinking of me at that particular moment. "Am i sitting weird? " "does my face look weird?" etc
I would sometimes when i feel uncomfortable bc of the way im sitting. I would not have the couragae to change the position in which im sitting. "Will the chair make a squeaking sound?"
It is really difficult to cope with these problems

[ItsBillyTripp]

This has helped me better understand my anxiety. I'm still suffering from clinical depression and want everyone to not let everything defeat what they want to achieve. Thanks for understanding and supporting me y'all and thanks for the heartwarming content @Psych2go 💗💗💗

[kleakatrah]

Thank you!! This hits home big time!! I am always so distracted and often procrastinate!! I know I have anxiety & probably even worse than ever!! I never used to be this way. My whole life I’ve had a lot of friends, acquaintances, and a good life for the most part. Then it came time to take care of my parents completely by myself until they passed. I lost a lot of friends at that time. You find out who your real friends are when you’re going through hard times. No family anywhere near & many good friends moved out of state. I’ve never found it easy to ask for help because I’ve always been self-sufficient.
Now I feel total anxiety AND depression; I feel that way right now just typing it. I feel mortified of my predicament & don’t even want to be around anybody. I’m always feeling so distracted & can’t accomplishing priorities. I often ask myself “What is wrong with me!!! I feel like I have PTSD
So many of us need this info so thank you!!

[Dallas]

I love this channel a lot but I'm really happy that you guys covered ADHD problems. I've been diagnosed with mild anxiety as well

[nickmarch]

Anxiety or ADHD..
We'll overcome all these one day.
Oh ! deep in my heart I do belive..

[michaelsearcy]

Can we all appreciate how well the animation has improved over time? Very great! 👍👍👍