Do I Have ADHD, Or Am I Just Lazy?

What Is the Difference Between ADHD & Laziness?

Although some symptoms of ADHD may look like laziness, it’s important to differentiate the two. ADHD is a real neurodevelopmental disorder that can impact one’s ability to start tasks, regulate emotions, and concentrate due to genetic and environmental factors. Laziness, on the other hand, is a term used more for lack of motivation and is not a medical or psychological condition.

How To Know If You Have ADHD Or Laziness

If you’re wondering if you have ADHD or are just lazy, consider how long the problem has existed. ADHD often starts in childhood and persists into adulthood. Laziness, on the other hand, comes and goes in temporary periods of procrastination. Getting a clinical diagnosis is an important step to differentiating between laziness and ADHD or any other physical or mental health issues.

Signs & Symptoms of ADHD

Common signs and symptoms of ADHD include impulsivity, time blindness, emotional dysregulation, distractibility, and inability to multitask. ADHD can present as three different types: inattentive ADHD, hyperactive-impulsive ADHD, and combined ADHD, which will have symptoms of both inattentive and hyperactive.

Common symptoms of inattentive ADHD include:

• Difficulty paying attention and easily distracted
• Forgetfulness
• Trouble staying focused
• ADHD paralysis

Common symptoms of hyperactive-impulsive ADHD include:

• Difficulty focusing on tasks
• Impulsive behaviors without regard for consequences
• Difficulty with emotion regulation
• Disorganization
• Poor time management
• Low frustration tolerance

How ADHD Brain Differences Can Cause “Laziness”

Research shows that four regions of the ADHD brain are different from a non-ADHD brain: the prefrontal cortex, limbic system, basal ganglia and reticular activating system (RAS).¹ These differences impact how people with ADHD function daily. However, many of these symptoms are at the bottom of the ADHD iceberg, making them invisible to others and therefore, can cause people with ADHD to appear lazy.

Here is how ADHD brain difference can cause laziness-like symptoms:

• Prefrontal cortex: Research shows that the prefrontal cortex is often smaller in those with ADHD.¹ This can result in poor time management and difficulty completing tasks efficiently, making them appear unproductive or disinterested.
• Limbic system: The limbic system controls emotional regulation, and those with ADHD can struggle with mood swings. When overwhelmed or frustrated by tasks, they may quickly disengage or avoid these activities altogether, which can be perceived as laziness
• Basal ganglia: ADHD symptoms due to differences in the basal ganglia can include ADHD-induced impulsivity and hyperactivity. This may result in someone with ADHD shifting from one uncompleted task to another or engaging in more pleasurable activities instead of necessary responsibilities, which can be viewed as laziness.
• Reticular activating system (RAS): Dysregulation in the RAS can cause insomnia for people with ADHD. A lack of sleep can exacerbate ADHD symptoms, including daytime sleepiness and ADHD brain fog, further contributing to perceptions of laziness.

ADHD Executive Dysfunction & Laziness

People with ADHD struggle with executive dysfunction due to the changes in their prefrontal cortex.¹ This negatively impacts their time management, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, and working memory, which makes these tasks more difficult to complete.² The symptoms that result from ADHD executive dysfunction can be confused for low motivation to complete tasks and be misinterpreted as laziness.

ADHD Brain Chemistry & Laziness

Neurotransmitters are messengers that use chemicals to carry messages from one nerve fiber to another. They are molecules that give our brain information on breathing, digestion, mood, and more. Individuals with ADHD have a dopamine deficiency and also have lower levels of norepinephrine, GABA, and serotonin. Differences may be due to insufficient receptors, a lack of certain neurotransmitters, or the body not processing them correctly.

Lower levels of these neurotransmitters can result in low motivation, trouble with self-starting, or distractibility, which may be mistaken for laziness. However, these symptoms are not a choice someone with ADHD is making but are caused by chemical changes in the brain.

Neurotransmitters that are different in people with ADHD include:

• Dopamine: Dopamine allows us to feel pleasure, motivation, and satisfaction. People with ADHD may have low dopamine levels, sometimes causing them to seek ways to get instant gratification. However, it can also cause you to be less motivated, which could be masked as “laziness”.
• Norepinephrine: Norepinephrine regulates stress reactions, attention, arousal, and cognitive function. People with ADHD have low levels of norepinephrine, which can cause depression and chronic fatigue, symptoms that look like laziness but are, in fact, due to a chemical imbalance.
• Serotonin: Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that manages happiness, optimism, and mood, which can sometimes be lower in the ADHD brain. Low serotonin is also linked to fatigue, which can manifest physically as low mood or motivation, looking like laziness.³

How to Cope With ADHD Laziness

Coping with ADHD symptoms that resemble laziness can feel overwhelming or like they’re out of your control. However, there are things you can do to manage these symptoms better and decrease the impact they may be having on your day-to-day functioning. Just starting with one tool or lifestyle change can make a big difference in motivation and your overall mood.

Here are eight coping skills to help with ADHD lazy-like symptoms:

1. Use organization tools: Using apps like RescueTime, Habitica, or even the notes app on your phone can help you manage tasks like paying bills on time or following up with a friend to avoid forgetting. Organization tools can also help a person with ADHD to focus by providing an external structure that can be difficult to find internally.
2. Lean on support or delegate: Use the people or resources in your life to help when needed. For example, you can outsource house cleaning or grocery shopping. Alternatively, you can try using a body double to hold you accountable for getting things done. Apps such as Inflow can also provide support through accountability coaching, as well as access to a community of people who have ADHD and understand your struggles.
3. Try external motivation: Rewarding yourself for completing a task can help with motivation or even getting started. Try to match the difficulty of the task with the size of the reward. For tasks that are within your reach, plan to gift yourself with an ice cream. For tasks that feel incredibly overwhelming, save some money for a nice pair of sunglasses or an expensive dinner.
4. Use short-term goals: It may be hard to conceptualize how long something can take, so break them into smaller, more achievable steps so you don’t feel overwhelmed and paralyzed by your ADHD.
5. Write everything down: Forgetfulness is common with ADHD, so write everything down in a journal or use sticky notes to ensure you don’t forget important tasks.
6. Set reminders: It can be really easy just to read a text or email and think you won’t forget to respond or miss a deadline, but as soon as you miss a deadline, you may have moved on to the next thing. Set reminders in your calendar to help, no matter how small!
7. Practice meditation: ADHD meditation can strengthen executive function and assist with ADHD-related laziness by enhancing focus, reducing stress, and improving emotional regulation. The more you practice meditation, the easier it will become.
8. Exercise daily: Exercising for ADHD doesn’t mean you need to do 60 minutes of intense cardio every day! Just moving your body a small amount daily by walking, doing yoga, or gentle stretching has a profound impact on your mood and brain health.

Free Worksheet for Setting SMART Goals

Setting SMART Goals With ADHD Worksheet

SMART Goals is a structured goal-setting method that can help individuals with ADHD to create clear, actionable objectives.

Download

When to Seek Professional Support

You should seek professional help If you find that your ADHD “laziness” is getting in the way of the career or relationships you wish to develop. A therapist can help you develop coping skills for your ADHD. If you are struggling with others stigmatizing you as lazy, a therapist can help you learn how to advocate for yourself, as well as put up healthy boundaries with those individuals.

A local therapist directory is a great way to find a therapist who specializes in ADHD and takes your insurance. There are also many different online ADHD treatment services that make accessing therapy and medication easy and affordable.

If It’s Not ADHD Laziness, What Is It?

If a person does not have ADHD but is struggling with laziness, it is likely they have another mental health disorder. Conditions such as anxiety, depression, or complex PTSD can exhibit symptoms resembling laziness. These disorders often involve imbalances in neurotransmitters, resulting in low mood or a lack of motivation. Understanding these connections can be a crucial step in addressing and treating these symptoms.

Other mental health disorders that can cause laziness-like symptoms include:

• Depression: Individuals with depression are also often labeled as “lazy.” Depression and ADHD share many symptoms, including a loss of energy, sleeping too much (or too little), and feeling hopeless or empty. These symptoms can make someone appear lazy. However, this is not a choice but a symptom of the underlying condition.
• Complex PTSD (CPTSD): Another condition that can mirror “laziness” is CPTSD which is when a person experiences multiple traumatic experiences. Because those with CPTSD will often suffer from sleep disturbances, avoidance of certain triggers (this could be a place, a person, or an event), and mood swings, those symptoms can look like someone not wanting to motivate or self-start.
• Anxiety: It can be difficult to parse apart “laziness” caused by anxiety vs. ADHD because they exhibit similar symptoms, such as racing thoughts and difficulty concentrating. The constant state of hypervigilance can cause people with anxiety to struggle with forgetfulness, focus, and attention, which are all symptoms of laziness. However, someone with anxiety is struggling with these symptoms due to the impact their condition has on their daily functioning.
• Bipolar disorder: Depressive episodes of bipolar disorder and ADHD “laziness” both involve low energy, reduced motivation, and struggling with basic tasks. Symptoms of bipolar mania, such as racing thoughts and impulsivity, can make it hard to concentrate and also appear like laziness. It’s important to recognize that this is a symptom of the disorder, not a choice.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): People with OCD may appear lazy because their obsessions and compulsions are so consuming they struggle to complete basic tasks. Symptoms of OCD are often internal, and therefore it can be especially hard not to assume the individual is lazy.⁴
• Autism: Folks with autism often approach the world and complete activities differently from people who are neurotypical. They often have difficulty focusing on tasks they aren’t interested in and trouble shifting focus.⁵ This often causes the misconception that they are lazy or inefficient as it differs from the “norm”.