5 Ways Undiagnosed ADHD Negatively Affects You

ADHD, also known as Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition. There are three major types of ADHD: inattentive, also known as ADD, hyperactive, and combined. It is usually diagnosed in childhood and often persists into adulthood. But what if it's left undiagnosed?

People with ADHD tend to be impulsive, hyperactive, inattentive, distractible, or a mix of everything. And it's can be even more traumatizing if it's left undiagnosed. If you have undiagnosed ADHD, they have a high chance of facing issues concerning family, relationships, education, employment, and more.

The goal of this topic is to encourage people who suspect they have undiagnosed ADHD to get a diagnosis professionally to better their lives and get the help they need. So here are a few ways undiagnosed ADHD can negatively affect you.

FRIENDLY DISCLAIMER: This video was not created to attack anyone who is diagnosed with ADHD or who may display these symptoms. It was created to understand them and bring more awareness to the topic. Please don’t use it as a means of self-diagnosis. Instead, reach out to a licensed medical professional for an accurate one. Not every person with ADHD will relate to this video as it is generalized and inferred from numerous studies. Lastly, please remember that being diagnosed with ADHD doesn’t indicate laziness, being “dumb”, or any negative quality. You’re an amazing person!

Writer/Research: Chamae Quiachon & Sid Thompson
Editor: Sid Thompson
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
Animator: sarimopi
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

REFERENCES:

[tjbarke]

Society generally hates you if you have ADHD. There's some niches where it can be an asset, but most of the time it's a major liability, if not outright disability. So it's no wonder that it can lead to depression, anxiety, etc. Especially if you don't even realize you have it.

[unknown]

0:26 prone to accidents
1:09 can be life altering
1:25 coping mechanism
2:03 likely to have a lower quality of life
2:59 high chance on unemployment
3:36 financial trauma
3:46 low self esteem

I believe i got them all(i mean with the timestamps)

[JoiaSkywing]

Funnily enough, i just booked an appointment to go get a mental evaluation because my father said (on Christmas eve) “ADHD? Oh yeah! Thats the thing i was diagnosed as a kid!”

I’m 23 now. Suddenly my younger life is making a lot more sense

[chiba]

I'm diagnosed with ADHD and I still struggle with lots of these points.

[MaxGamerwastaken]

Yeah, having undiagnosed ADHD can be pretty bad, but as someone diagnosed, it makes me wonder if my situation is somehow worse. I was diagnosed at a young age, but at 16, my parents believe I grew out of it, despite any attempts to convince them otherwise.

[LOLbitTheLollyFox]

People bullied me all the time. I was VERY emotional so I'd cry about ANYTHING. Now, I realize there's a HIGH possibility i have ADHD.

[ft.meganmccarthy]

I haven't been *officially* diagnosed, but my therapist and I are pretty much sure I have ADHD.
The sad thing is, when I was about 14 going through a lot of mental health struggles, my parents didn't believe me, and called me dramatic. As my depression became a worse and worse issue, my parents and grandparents decided to send me for a super expensive psych brain scan.
There was one meeting where my dad and I discussed my symptoms with the doc, one where I was scanned after being intentionally stressed, one after being left in a dark room for 20 minutes, and finally a meeting to discuss the findings.
I didn't remember much from the last meeting, and my parents didn't send me for better treatment after that (felt like they just wanted to prove I wasn't faking all my issues.)
So imagine my surprise and disappointment when I was 19 and asked for the old brain scan paperwork, only to find ADHD on the list of findings. That suggestion had been ignored to the point where I have ZERO memory of that coming up.
All things considered, my ADHD symptoms haven't been that hard to manage on my own, but wouldn't it have been nice if I wasn't on my own? I'm proud of my problem solving, and the ways I've learned to make things work for me, but it would have been a whole lot easier (and would probably include less self loathing) if I knew what was happening.

[tandikeza]

I'm a young adult and a couple of years ago I realized that I might have ADHD (most likely inattentive type). I've tried to make excuses and avoid it especially because I've always been gifted, but I'm planning on being tested soon. Thanks for the video, because it's difficult having to face these struggles every day.

[matthewbooth]

If you suspect you have it get tested. I was diagnosed in 1998 and waited too long to find coping mechanisms that caused me countless problems, unnecessary drama and negatively affected me socially. On a brighter note, i am in Kenya living and training with Kenyan runners for two weeks now (as part of a runners training camp), and pursuing a lifelong dream to learn from the best long-distance runners in the world. Don't ever give up. Even if you have ADD, you never know what is possible and what you can accomplish!

[luckyduchesse]

This video made me realise the impact my undiagnosed ADD had on me growing up (I got my diagnostic around 16 yo because I insisted to see a professional 😅). I had terrible self-estime, I was so mad at myself for being this...incompetent. And my family kept telling me how bad I was and how they would never trust me with anything. I couldn't make friends because of my low self-estime and I couldn't focus when talking to someone. Honestly, I felt like I was such a burden to everyone...It was a relief to know it wasn't entierely my fault. I was just born this way and I always gave my best. My family keep thinking that my ADD is just "an excuse" and I should just try harder but oh well. At least I feel more at peace now.

[volts_gaming_official]

Although I haven't been diagnosed, I believe that I have ADHD. Something I love doing is fidgeting with things like pens or screwdrivers. I also believe I have some cases of autism and I am very depressed. I started watching this channel just yesterday and I am already binging on the videos. I have booked an appointment with my student counsellor for Monday. High school is hard socially and it's hard to make friends. When I was 6 my family went through a custody court case. Even though I didn't know what to think back then, the realisation of the situation back then really hit me. I am just a 14-year-old with a very complex life with ongoing family issues, school issues and some possible disorders. Your videos, however, have made me reflect on my life and current state. Thank you very much, you have earned my subscription and like.

[sarahtafoya]

I've always had the suspicion of me having ADHD. I just never asked my mom to get diagnosed, because I'm afraid to ask her.
I honestly don't know why I'm afraid to ask her. I'm just used to being denied. She'll probably just say "That's just how your personality is!" or something like that. I've also had problems in school.

[markharry]

I'm not usually one for over sharing but I've just finished my first week of chemotherapy and I won't lie I'm scared of how it's affecting me, but your enthusiasm for the topic helped put my mind at ease. So thank you, you have no idea how much I needed this today

[Lazyanimator]

I feel like I have Adhd, I've been thinking about it for so long and questioned about it. But I don't wanna self diagnosed myself since it's bad. I wanna tell this to my parents if I have the courage to do so.

[Aan]

Timestamps
1). Prone to accidents 0:24
2). Inclination to substance abuse 1:10
3). Likely to have lower quality of life 2:02
4). High chance of unemployment and lower wage 2:57
5). Low self-esteem 3:44


Hope this helps you out. Hope you have a nice day. Sorry this is so late. 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

[danielnesterov]

As an ADHD adult (I'm 24 years old) I can surely confirm that my life would be much easier if my parents and I in my childhood understood what's going on with me. Sadly, that didn't happen, but I got my therapist 4 years ago, and now I can understand how to work with myself and my "bouts of impulsivity". I can admit on my own experience, that you can never let go your ADHD, you can only learn how to live with it and how to react to your thoughts and emotions (CBT comes in chat)

So, everybody with ADHD — don't forget that you are really special. I'm actually glad that I have ADHD now, but only now, when I know how to work with myself. Take care

[thundermarisol]

What a timing. My French Teacher (who studied Psychology with an industrial speciality) realized that I started to ask questions about things she _just_ explained. So she asked me if by any chance I had something like ADHD. I am planning on getting a check up soon, and this video couldn't have showed up in a better time!

[Valks]

I've needed to hear this, I'm a 14 year old that's been diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 6 and well, parents really don't understand much of it. I would personally love to show this video to my parents when one of them would be able to speak english at a pretty good level. (my dad's learning)

ADHD has been really stuck with me for the worse, I suspect that I have depression, I'm always worried about my future (adulthood) and get distracted too easily when I'm focusing on something (likely school) and there's something around me that I can do instead. my difficulties are pretty much ignored and hopefully I'll get help in the future.

I, myself, didn't know what I have been/could be going through as a whole. thank you so much

[kenrickbautista]

As someone who's neurodivergent, I can relate to some of these signs, same with autism. Being impulsive and indistractable is how I am at times.

[Yudentheepicboy]

I was professionally diagnosed with extreme ADHD as a child, and I have never been treated for it, at all. So it's no wonder I get distracted as easily as I do, and how forgetful I am. Like every day I get into arguments with parents over trivial stuff that I should remember but don't and they yell at me and tell me to start using sticky notes to remember everything and anything like I really wonder if they know anything about ADHD