Experts say that these 6 common work habits can actually be signs of ADHD in adults

ADHD, or attention shortages hyperactivity disorder, often remains untreated in adulthood. Although an estimated 10 million people have it in the US, only 1 in 10 received treatment for this.

Many adults with ADHD lead successful careers, but the condition can cause work challenges. Impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention are characteristics of ADHD, although the symptoms vary.

“Every person with ADHD is unique and the symptoms of ADHD can differ from one person to another,” said Sean Abraham, a recognized clinical social worker at Grow Therapy. “Although one person with the condition may not enjoy or thrive in one type of career because of their symptoms, another can succeed in the same position.”

Below, doctors shared personality traits and work behavior that are often associated with ADHD:

1. Need everything to be perfect.

There may be an overlap between people who have ADHD and employees with the tendencies of perfectionist, said Dede O’Shea, a psychologist based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who is also a member of the faculty at Tufts University.

“ADHD does influence part of the brain that determines how you focus your attention. People with ADHD, that control area is not working properly. So they really can’t focus on what they need to be done. It just keeps going back and forth between all these different ideas. And sometimes that perfectionism can come about as a way to deal with it and to think: “Ok, if I get everything well done, I can start,” O’Shea said.

“That is where they get into trouble, because they never come to that point where they feel that everything is perfect enough to really get started.”

2. Postpone until the very last moment.

“Of the popular work archetypes, the ‘postponement’ would be a way that adult ADHD presents,” said Dr. Deepti Anbarasan, a clinical university teacher psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “This can be attributed to their difficulty in performing functioning and with the timely structuring of their duties. “

For employees with ADHD, the inability to get deadlines can often be due to fear.

“Work archetypes among people with ADHD are just as diverse as in any other group. Some may show a deferment defender style, where overwhelming fear leads to paralysis, “said Megan Anna Neff, a clinical psychologist. “Others can use urgency as a motivator to fight delay.”

3. Consistent too late to meetings and work.

People with ADHD may have difficulty coming on time for meetings and to work despite their efforts. “Being your own boss or getting deadlines can be difficult,” said Abraham.

Although many of us are occasionally late, people with ADHD experience what is known as’ time blindness’, where ‘they may have trouble measuring how much time they need to go where they want, or they have alone In their thoughts the time they have to arrive, “said O’Shea.

“What I hear a lot is that they have to be working at 9 a.m., and so they have 9 o’clock in mind in mind and that is when they leave the house, because everything they could think in their minds, 9 am wax “

4. Have meltdowns when the work becomes stressful.

The prefrontal cortex of your brain controls your attention and your emotional reactions, and for people with ADHD that area can be underdeveloped, O’Shea said.

“If they cannot control all those different thoughts, all those different emotions that are going on in a stressful situation, then that can lead to the disruption, a kind of mental breakdown, really unable to get a hand of their feelings, “She said. “Many people just go empty with that disruption, or also have an eruption and become really emotional, really irritable, under that high pressure, high stress environment.”

At work it can mean that there are excessive reactions when there is an unexpected new task or setback.

Because people with ADHD are already inclined to have problems with their reactivity, “when there is a change, something unexpected or from their usual routine, that can lead to that emotional disruption,” O’Shea said.

5. Usually e -mail with errors.

“Executive functioning is like the manager in your brain – it’s what helps you stay organized,” said O’Shea. And for people with ADHD their executive functioning can be affected, and they may have trouble concentrating when needed and the tendency to hurry what they do, she said.

“They can feel:” Ok, I’m on task “… but they are still unable to control that attention to read and all the information that lies for them,” said O’Shea. “It is difficult for their brains to stay stimulated long enough to really do that kind of boring, more boring tasks that look like reading e -mails, looking at paperwork. The ADHD brain needs a lot of constant stimulation. “

If colleagues always have to follow or repair what you are doing as a result of making carefree mistakes or you miss important details from e -mails or paperwork, that can be a sign of how ADHD influences your work, O’Shea said.

6. Brainstorm about creative ideas that you have problems later.

People with ADHD are usually creative problem solvers, but because of their reduced functioning of managers, these employees can also have difficulty having those creative solutions take place.

“In the workplace, people with ADHD can be known as great creative thinkers, really passionate, someone you want in the team to be truly imaginative,” said O’Shea. “But they can still have problems at the same time because of that difficulty to know how they can get things to actually work on the project and to be able to concentrate on how they can actually get things done.”

What to do if you suspect you have ADHD

O’Shea said it can help to get a feeling first if people see you at work is in accordance with how you look at yourself.

You can do this without immediately announcing that you think you have ADHD. Ask a trusted colleague: “How do you see my behavior in the office? Do I have trouble getting things done, by getting the deadlines that are classified? Do other people in the office have the same kind of problems? Like, is everyone under stress? “She said.

That way you can measure how you are doing, compared to the productivity and stress levels of others in your team.

If you think you have ADHD, a good starting point consultation with your primary care provider or a clinical psychologist who specializes in ADHD for adults, Neff said.

“Online ADHD Screeners can be a first step, but it is important to keep in mind that these are only a few data points and that high scores can be for various reasons,” Neff said. “For some, medication can be useful, but this requires an official diagnosis and consultation with a healthcare provider. Starting the conversation with your first -line doctor is often the best first step towards an assessment. “

You can then get started with a treatment plan.

“Adult ADHD can respond well to both behavioral and pharmacological interventions. Effective treatment can significantly improve the quality of life and functioning, not only in the workplace, but also personal and social, “Anbarasan said.

For adults with ADHD, a treatment plan can also ask your company to include accommodations in the workplace. Abraham gave the example of moving to a desk with fewer distractions, the use of project management software for a better organization and the provision of written instructions instead of spoken instructions such as some examples of what those adjustments could look like.

“You must emphasize that the accommodations will help you offer the best results for your company and enable you to take advantage of your skills and skills,” said Abraham.

This article originally appeared on Huffpost.