[Music]
hey secta goers
do you have trouble paying attention for
example zoning out while watching this
video
do you think you have adhd because of
this
oftentimes people mistake symptoms of
anxiety as adhd because of some of the
similar traits they share according to
the center for disease control and
prevention data about three in ten
children with adhd have anxiety so to
help you get a better understanding of
the difference between adhd and anxiety
here are six signs to look out for
number one
you have poor focus because of worrying
thoughts are you always distracted by
your worries so much so that you're
unable to focus on the things you're
doing
when fear and apprehension dominate your
thoughts it may cause you to become
restless have trouble with sitting still
paying attention or staying focused in
class according to john waldrop md from
wale cornell medical college when you
experience anxiety your prefrontal
cortex the part of the brain which is
essential for thinking learning and
remembering is shut down your brain is
concentrated on staying safe
in contrast with adhd you aren't
consumed by worrying thoughts instead it
has more to do with an imbalance in your
hormones dopamine and norepinephrine
which causes you to be distracted number
two you don't tend to have as many
problems with impulsivity
do you often find yourself speaking out
loud in class without raising your hand
perhaps you were even labeled as the
troublemaker in school because of the
way you can never sit still
according to dr john a person with adhd
may feel as if there are dozens of
controllers trying to control their
brain at the same time without checking
in with each other first
so if you find that you don't appear to
have as many problems with impulsivity
but just struggle to speak up or stand
up because of your nerves then you may
have anxiety rather than adhd
number three
you have trouble completing your
schoolwork because of perfectionism
do you have trouble completing your
schoolwork perhaps you find yourself
procrastinating even if you only have
just one assignment due
this struggle could be because you have
so many points you want to make and so
many ways to phrase the words that it
leaves you wanting to throw up your
hands and ignore them
you're avoiding starting your
assignments because you can't have it be
less than perfect
if you can relate to this then it's more
likely you're struggling with anxiety
and not adhd
dr john stated that while people with
adhd may experience difficulty
completing their schoolwork or
performing tasks
it's often due to trouble with
concentration rather than perfectionism
number four
you are generally more sensitive to
social cues
are you very sensitive to how you come
across to other people
do you find yourself often uncomfortable
with your social environment
perhaps you find it challenging to eat
in front of other people or tend to
avoid speaking in public because of an
overwhelming fear that people will judge
you negatively
according to dr john if your answers are
yes to the above questions it's more
likely that you have anxiety rather than
adhd this is because people with adhd
usually struggle with understanding or
missing social cues rather than being
hypersensitive to them
number five you experience a racing
heart clamminess tense muscles headaches
nausea or dizziness
do you often experience headaches nausea
or dizziness
these are just some of the symptoms of
anxiety dr john stated that anxiety
comes from a tiny almond-shaped part at
the back of your brain called the
amygdala as a watchman for your brain it
is constantly watching out for danger
and whenever it detects danger it
triggers a fight or flight response
however for people who are anxious the
amygdala is large and hypersensitive
because of this it ends up sending out a
lot of false alarms
you can think of it as a watchman who
cries wolf too often as a result your
brain may sense threats even in
non-threatening situations and number
six
you are unlikely to show problem
behaviors when you're feeling calm safe
and doing things you enjoy
how do you act when you're having fun
whether it's listening to your favorite
music or playing video games you may
find yourself feeling calm and safe
while doing the things that you
genuinely enjoy
you are neither restless nor feeling
like you need to catch your breath
according to dr john anxious individuals
are unlikely to display any problem
behaviors when feeling calm safe and
doing something they enjoy
on the contrary people with adhd will
experience problem behaviors even when
they engage in a particular fun or
exciting activity
for example a person with adhd may
become so engrossed with painting a
picture that they tune out or completely
ignore everything else
this behavior is known as hyperfocus
did you relate to any of the signs we've
mentioned let us know in the comments
below if you found this video helpful be
sure to like subscribe and share this
video with those who might benefit from
it and don't forget to hit the
notification bell icon to get notified
whenever psyc2go posts a new video as
always the references and studies used
in this video are added in the
description below thanks so much for
watching and see you in our next video