Do I have ADHD or am I just lazy?

While everyone sits around or runs late sometimes, doing these things despite trying your hardest not to could man you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Those with ADHD are often labeled as “lazy,” but they’re not. People with ADHD simply may work harder than someone with a neurotypical brain to stay focused, remember important things, and curb impulsivity. 

To help you stop wondering and  find out, this article helps you answer the question: do I have ADHD or am I just lazy? We explain what ADHD is and how it compares to everyday laziness and other conditions.

Do you suspect your laziness is really ADHD? On Klarity Health, find a licensed ADHD health professional who can evaluate your symptoms, provide a diagnosis, and start you on a journey to effectively managing your symptoms. 

Do I have “ordinary” laziness or ADHD and what’s the difference?

The biggest difference between “ordinary” laziness and ADHD is that those who are lazy don’t typically make an effort to complete tasks — and they don’t usually feel anxiety or guilt when they don’t complete them. Laziness is defined as an unwillingness to work.

Those with ADHD aren’t unwilling. Sure, they have lazy days like anyone else. But when they want to complete something or be on time, they often feel anxious or nervous about completing tasks and put significant effort into focusing long enough to get things done, and may still not finish.

Laziness is a lack of effort or concern about a task, whereas people with ADHD put in effort and care. They may even put significant effort into a task and become upset or frustrated when they feel it’s incomplete, done incorrectly, or simply can’t focus enough to feel like they’re moving forward.

Do I have ADHD?

Many adults who had symptoms of ADHD as children, such as absent-mindedness, frequent daydreaming, general restlessness, and difficulty paying attention in class or concentrating on schoolwork were never diagnosed butl have ADHD. And as adults, their symptoms may be even less noticeable to the outside observer but make it hard to manage daily life. 

So how do you know if you have ADHD or not? The best way is to work with a health professional. They’ll assess you, likely have you do some psychological testing, and possible talk to a family member to give you a diagnosis or rule out ADHD.

If you’re wondering if you should make an appointment, here are a few signs and symptoms that may help you decide.

Signs you may have ADHD and aren’t just lazy

Symptoms of ADHD as an adult often swing between different states, including feeling: 

• Energized or even euphoric
• Overwhelmed or filled with dread
• Stuck, unable to move forward

Although adults with ADHD may have less hyperactivity compared to younger people, the intensity of symptoms is significant. Constantly transitioning from one project to another, experiencing hyperfocus on a single task, feeling restless without a clear cause, and having racing thoughts can all impact your quality of life. 

The inherent dopamine-seeking nature of the ADHD brain keeps individuals in a perpetual state of movement, both internally and externally. It leaves little room for rest and limits attention to details, such as schedules and routine tasks.

How a person with ADHD thinks

Someone with ADHD thinks just like everyone else. But biological differences in brain structure, function, and chemistry make it more difficult for a person with ADHD to stay organized, develop schedules, concentrate, and manage impulsive behaviors. 

On the flip side, the ADHD brain is tremendously creative, often connecting seemingly unrelated events and ideas to innovate, problem-solve, and strategize much more easily than a neurotypical person. 

I have low energy. How can I have ADHD?

While ADHD is usually associated with hyperactivity and restlessness, the combination of racing thoughts and frenetic physical energy can interrupt your sleep patterns and make it hard to get the rest you need, which can lead to fatigue and low energy. 

The absent-mindedness associated with ADHD can also force you to habitually backtrack to look for misplaced items and complete unfinished tasks. This cycle, if left unmanaged, becomes exhausting.

What about procrastination vs laziness?

ADHD procrastination is real. And like laziness vs ADHD procrastination, is more profound than “normal” procrastination. A neurotypical person may put off starting things because they don’t want to do that thing or just don’t care. ADHD procrastination though is marked by a chronic inability to start or complete tasks because you: 

• Don’t find them interesting enough to hold your focus and focus is hampered by ADHD
• Get frustrated by a part of the task and set it aside
• Forget about the task because you lack object permanence, which means once you no longer see the object, you forget it or don’t realize it exists.
• Lose momentum when a task is almost finished.

ADHD procrastination is linked to insufficient dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, which are neurotransmitters or chemical messengers that affect motivation and attention. If a task doesn’t produce enough of these neurotransmitters for you, it’s less desirable to your ADHD brain and more difficult to accomplish. 

Signs you don’t have ADHD and may just be lazy

If you can generally complete tasks or finish projects when you want, remember important dates and appointments, and have a good sense of time and time management, chances are you don’t have ADHD. And if not completing a task or being late isn’t particularly stressful for you, it may not be a symptom of ADHD.

There’s also a difference between a short attention span and ADHD. For instance, when a neurotypical person needs to focus on something, they can usually shut out distractions and “power through.” 

But, if you have ADHD, it may not be possible to filter out distractions simply by choosing to. Even if you want to complete an assignment or task, your mind may still wander to the last interesting conversation you had, the high-pitched whine of nearby fluorescent lighting, or someone humming 2 desks over.   

ADHD though may be something else and something serious. ADHD shares many characteristics with other mental health issues, such as: 

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

ADHD can also be comorbid (exist at the same time) with each of these mood disorders. If you think you have one or more of these conditions, a medical evaluation can help determine which one (or ones) you have and get the right treatment.

Do I have ADHD or am I just depressed?

ADHD and depressive disorder share many of the same symptoms. And people with ADHD are more prone to developing depression as a result of the overwhelming stressors they experience daily. Both conditions cause an inability to concentrate, low energy, disturbed sleep, and acute apathy. 

Someone with depression will experience these symptoms constantly, while someone with ADHD experiences them in a specific context. 

People with depression also experience sleep disturbances differently. Depression may make it easy to fall asleep, but cause frequent waking throughout the night. ADHD makes it difficult to fall asleep due to racing thoughts or hyper-fixation on a specific task.

Do I have ADHD or anxiety?

Anxiety often goes hand-in-hand with ADHD. Adults with ADHD may have an anxiety disorder as a comorbid condition or simply feel anxiety more often or intensely than a neurotypical person does. Both conditions can cause panic attacks, disordered sleep, and gastrointestinal problems. 

The easiest way to determine whether your symptoms are from ADHD or anxiety is to pay attention to when they happen. Symptoms of anxiety are situational and usually only occur around certain people or in certain contexts. ADHD symptoms happen regularly and in any context or situation. 

Do I have OCD or ADHD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition that causes unwanted intrusive thoughts — called obsessions — combined with repetitive behaviors referred to as compulsions. The repetitive behaviors help regulate and dispel the often overwhelming obsessive thoughts. 

Though ADHD and OCD share symptoms, like difficulty concentrating, disturbed sleep, and gastrointestinal issues, they’re quite different. Challenging ADHD symptoms occur when interacting with or responding to external stimuli. Those with OCD internalize their stressors, which then manifest as intrusive thoughts that need to be regulated with repetitive movements or activities. OCD treatment aims to help alleviate the obsessive thoughts so compulsive actions have a less disruptive effect on a person’s daily life.

What happens if ADHD is left untreated in adults?

If you think you have ADHD and aren’t just lazy, it’s important to talk to a professional. Adults with untreated ADHD endure a lot of stress and frustration when it comes to: 

• Adhering to a schedule
• Being organized at school or work
• Keeping track of important items (car keys, wallet, etc.)
• Having energy for low-stimulus tasks (housekeeping, folding laundry, cooking food)
• Regulating emotions and mood

Unmanaged ADHD can also lead to coinciding problems like depression, anxiety, panic disorders, or substance abuse. These conditions result from the body and brain’s unsuccessful attempts to regulate your nervous system without help. 

Treatments like ADHD medication and counseling help with most unpleasant symptoms and help you learn healthy coping skills and techniques for accommodating your needs so you can function more easily and with less stress.

Find out for sure if you have ADHD or are just lazy

Stop wondering, “Do I have ADHD or am I just lazy?,” and find out. It’s easy. Simply find an ADHD provider on Klarity Health who can assess you for ADHD and treat or help you get treatment if needed. Find an ADHD provider now and have an appointment in less than 24 hours.  

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health. Providers on Klarity are independent practitioners with full medical authority. No diagnosis result or treatment option is guaranteed for the services rendered through the Klarity platform.

If you’re having a mental health crisis or experiencing a psychiatric emergency, it’s crucial to seek immediate help from a mental healthcare professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist. You can also call your local emergency services, visit your nearest emergency room, or contact a crisis hotline, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, by calling or texting 988 or dialing the Lifeline’s previous phone number, 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) in the U.S.

How we reviewed this article: This article goes through rigorous fact-checking by a team of medical reviewers. Reviewers are trained medical professionals who ensure each article contains the most up-to-date information, and that medical details have been correctly interpreted by the author.