Anxiety can often be part of the package if you have Attention Deficit Disorder. In fact, studies indicate that 25-40% of people with ADHD also have anxiety, and that includes children.
Anxiety often comes along with, or worsens, depression, which is another co-morbidity associated with ADHD.
Anxiety can make ADHD symptoms much worse and more difficult to manage. It can disrupt your sleep, which will make ADHD symptoms more prominent. Also, it is difficult to treat both anxiety and Attention Deficit Disorder with medications. Most ADHD medications are stimulants, which makes anxiety more pronounced. Most doctors and their patients choose to use medication for anxiety and learn to manage ADHD symptoms in other ways.
My youngest daughter, who is ADHD, also has anxiety. It can be very difficult for her at times, because the least little thing can trigger an anxiety attack. I think ADHD makes anxiety worse, too, because your mind tends to wander a lot. Anxiety can turn those wandering thoughts into worries in an instant.
Parents often don’t think of anxiety as a childhood condition, and even adults may not realize that they are overly anxious. With our daughter, we noticed early on that she would worry about everything. When she found out that she was supposed to use the lid of the thermos that came with her lunchbox as a cup, she panicked. She had been drinking directly from the thermos and was sure that there would be dire consequences to her health as a result.
I rarely take a stand one way or another when it comes to medication. It’s a personal choice, and everybody has their own reasons to medicate or not. However, when it comes to anxiety, I firmly believe that medication is often the wisest choice. There are herbal solutions that can be used, but I believe they are best used as supplemental aids, and only with a doctor’s approval. And of course, there are natural ways to treat ADHD.
If you think that you might have anxiety, please get it checked by your doctor. I have witnessed the pain that my daughter goes through and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
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Anxiety can truly be debilitating, I know first hand since I have suffered with it for 20 years. I have taken anti-anxiety medicines but they didn’t work as well as when I took a stimulant with it. There are days where my anxiety is high and I know it’s because I feel overwhelmed. It’s not easy to get out of your head when you have anxiety and ADHD, especially when you have insomnia from both. I have learned to meditate and breathe deeply when I feel overly anxious. I have also found that writing in my journal and running or doing high intensity exercise helps when my anxiety is extremely high.
I completely understand what you’re saying. I have seen firsthand how my daughter struggles with it at times. Sleep is a huge issue for her as well. I am embarrassed to say that it took me a long time to understand what she goes through; I often dismissed her worries as “drama”. I am so thankful that now I have a better idea of what life is like for her.
And it’s hard to tell if the ADD/ADHD causes the anxiety or if the anxiety exasperates the ADD/ADHD tendencies. My son takes meds for anxiety that calm him down and ADD that rev him up. Maybe they cancel each other out?!
That’s a really good point. I can see how ADHD could make anxiety worse and how anxiety would make you distracted, forgetful, etc.
I know that my daughter’s doctor chose to treat just the anxiety with medication and urged her to use other methods to treat her ADHD. He even told her that too much caffeine could make anxiety worse.
Great info here , i am looking forward for next posts , Great Blogs also.
Thanks
Roy
Anxiety attack can be lessened by learning relaxation techniques like those used in meditation. some food supplements like 5-HTP helps in easing the symptoms of anxiety attack.
Thank you for the information!
Often doctors are quick to prescribe medications for anxiety, which can really be helpful for some people. For people who are nervous about taking medications, there are many more natural treatments that can calm that uncomfortable feeling. For example…
Breath. We are constantly rushing. Between getting the kids off to school, traffic and meetings, we rarely “stop to smell the roses”. Perhaps this phrase is more than just a reminder to appreciate the beauty around us, but also a reminder to breath! Practice deep breathing for two minutes… in through your nose, and out though your mouth…
Turn off your electronics! Turn off your cell phone/email/blackberry/ computer for 15 minutes each day and enjoy the quiet. Don’t worry, your emails will be there when you come back.
Exercise. For at least 10 minutes a day. Go for a walk with your spouse, a friend, kids or pets. Park at the far side of the parking lot and walk to the building. While watching TV, get up and do jumping jacks or stretches, or get up and dance during the commercial breaks.
Practice these techniques for one week and email me with what kind of difference you notice! Email Amy at AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com.
Alright everybody – you’ve been challenged!
Thanks for the tips Amy!
My son is having a hard time with anxiety and he is ADHD. We are currently having trouble with test anxiety. He doesn’t want to put down an answer that he is not 100% sure about. This leads to the class moving on without him and this increases his anxiety. Any suggestions?
Because of his ADHD, your son is entitled to accommodations such as having him take his test in a different location and/or giving him extra time. Extra time is usually time and a half and the test would be given in a different location.
Is he on medication for his ADHD or anxiety? It’s often better to treat the anxiety rather than the ADHD because ADD meds will make anxiety worse.
I realize that his anxiety is centered around having the “right” answer and that’s what his concerns are, but you could try this technique: as soon as he gets his test, have him look over the whole thing without answering any questions. Then tell him to find one that he is sure he knows the answer to and answer that one. Repeat the process with all of the questions he is sure about or pretty sure about – I realize his anxiety is making him second guess everything.
If he can do this, it will increase his confidence and give him a better chance at a good grade.
Visualization is also a powerful tool and one that professional athletes use often. When your son is studying for a test, reinforce the fact that he does know the material.
Then work with him to visualize taking the test. Have him imagine it in as much detail as possible. Have him imagine sitting at his desk, how that feels. He has his pencil in his hand and he gets the test. He looks at it and feels confident that he knows the answers because he studied and worked hard. He answers each question confidently.
The more real that you can make this for him in his mind, the more effective it will be. He needs to close his eyes and really experience sitting at his desk in his classroom. what does it feel like? What does he hear? I would suggest doing this at least once a night.
What will eventually happen with repeated efforts is that when he takes a test, his subconscious mind will say “oh, we’ve been here before – this is easy” and his body will automatically relax.
Here’s a link to a site that explains it: http://www.telecollege.dcccd.edu/Services/studyhelp/StudySkills/sub/anxiety.htm
Hope this helps.
I am an adult suffering from adhd and anxiety. I am a firm believer in alternative medicine. However debilitating anxiety is much different than getting a little anxious and breathing deeply to get over it. Sometimes medication is absolutely necessary as well as natural things. It is very irresponsible and dangerous to encourage people to dismiss drugs completely as evil terrible things. They sometimes do serve a purpose.
Thanks for your comments, Toby. I hope it was clear to you that we are both in agreement on this. I also prefer natural alternatives if I can find them and they work, but there are times when modern medicine and prescription drugs are the best answer. For anxiety in particular, I think that is the best route.
I have adult ADD and anxiety. The anxiety wasn’t the problem it is now until the last four or five years, and particularly the last year and a half or so. The thing is, for me, the anxiety is less about ruminating and worry (although I do ruminate and worry; just not as badly since therapy and medication) and more about physical symptoms. I feel an almost-painful pressure in my chest and have heart palpitations. I went through a series of tests a little over a year ago to rule out heart issues and everything is fine, physically.
What’s weird, to me, is that when I’m on my medication (Concerta), those feelings go away almost completely, and once it wears off, they come back. I always know what time it is, based on the pressure in my chest – it begins a little over 12 hours after taking the med, which lasts 12 hours for me.
I’m not sure what to do to relieve that feeling during the hours when I’m not on my medication. Sometimes coffee helps. I know that sounds crazy, but not any crazier than the fact that amphetamines calm me down.
That does sound backwards, doesn’t it? A lot of people who have ADHD also have anxiety; one of those little things that comes along with ADHD.
Could it be that an underlying cause of your anxiety is your ADHD symptoms? After all, not paying attention or blurting things out or forgetting something can make your life more stressful.
Maybe underneath you’re worried about making a mistake or doing something that might embarrass you because you know that your symptoms are not being controlled by medication.
There are a lot of techniques that you can try to see if they will help minimize your anxiety. I find that counted breathing works well for me.
I breathe in deeply for a count of 4 or 5, hold it for the same count, exhale for 4 or 5 counts, then hold again for the same count. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Make sure your breaths are relaxed but deep; you’re not inhaling deeply in order to dive underwater.
Another good technique is guided meditation, especially with imagery. I find that a guided meditation helps you focus; traditional meditation – clear your mind – sounds impossible.
If you use a guided meditation and then focus on a picture that you relate with relaxation – a tropical beach or a nature scene – you will find that eventually you can calm yourself by just recalling the image.
You can do the same thing with scent. Use an essential oil that has a fragrance you like when you meditate and then carry that scent with you. Be careful when choosing one; you want to make sure that you can apply it as is. Some oils need a carrier oil in order to be able to apply them to your skin.
You may want to try meditation while you are on your medication at first so that you can focus better.
I hope that you try these techniques and that they help.
I had Googled anxiety and ADHD and found myself here. My son, who is 12, was recently diagnosed with ADHD, predominately inattentive, and reading disorder. I also suffered from reading comprehension problems in school and still do. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder 7 years ago when I was questioning if I had ADD. Reading the posts, it sounds just like me. I too have trouble getting out of my head and move from one worry to another. It is exhausting and everything seems to take so much effort. I went for about a year and a half without the anxiety and felt like a new person. It seems to be cyclical and triggered by a challenging, emotional event and seems to gather momentum like a rock rolling down a hill until I just burn out. The relaxation techniques worked well, but I had gotten away from them. Self-discipline is something I struggle with too. Any suggestions?
I think you’ve summed up a lot of why we struggle so much with our ADHD symptoms: not enough self discipline!
It might help if you could work some of these positive habits into your daily routine. i would start with the one that seems to make the most difference and see if you can turn it into a habit.
Lately, I’ve been relying on two things to keep me calm: Valerian capsules and Get Happy tea.
Valerian is an herb that they make Valium from. It smells really, really bad, but it works very well. A little can calm you, more will help you sleep.
Get Happy tea is from the Republic of Tea. I don’t generally like herbal teas, but I do like this and I was very surprised at how well it worked.
I’ve got certain things that, when they come up, can really trigger the depression and anxiety monsters. In those times, I try to be pro-active if I can or to at least address it as soon as possible and do something about it.
Other things I find helpful are spending some time outside, meditating, exercise – especially yoga, and trying to put things in proper perspective.
A good friend of mine says that a strong peppermint (like Altoids) has the power to distract her focus long enough for her to take a step back and get a grip on things.
Hope this helps.
My son was dx with ADHD at 5. He is nine now. Since the age of 6 he has been on 5 different meds. They all make him so depressed that it breaks my heart. he was on Daytrana patch this Summer and it was working better than anything. No depression, still had anxiety though. But, he was like a normal little boy. Then he started getting allergic and it was practically eating his skin off. Now we are on intuniv and it was ok the first week (which was the first week of school!!) and now it is making him sick and sleepy all of the time. I am sick to my stomach. I don’t know what to do next. I can’t get him in to a specialist until the end of Sept. and his Pschiatryst is never in and when I call the nurse she just says take him to the ER. He is very smart and is being tested for the gifted class at school but I’m worried that with all of the problems with his meds that he will not test good. I also have him on a 504, but I’m not sure he is getting all of the accommodations that he needs. My son also struggles with fine motor skills and still cannot tie his shoes ride a bike and has terrible handwriting. He has terrible anxiety and gets depressed. He will not go into a room alone. I wish that I didn’t have to work and I could be there more for him. I really need some guidence and good advice.
I can appreciate how hard it is for both of you; my heart goes out to you.
Does he really struggle with his ADHD when he is not on meds? With the side effects he is experiencing, they seem to be doing more harm than good. They will also make his anxiety worse.
Also, age 5 is very young to be diagnosed with ADHD. DSM IV guidelines suggest age 7 as the baseline for diagnosis.
Have you considered treating the anxiety rather than the ADHD?
Of course, these considerations will need the help and advice of a professional, and you have some time before you can get iin.
How is his diet? You might want to try putting him on a gluten free diet for a week or so and see how he does. A lot of research suggests that it can help ADHD and I personally know a few families who have had remarkable results with it. So remarkable, in fact, that they opened a gluten free store in our town.
In general, you would take wheat and other grains out of his diet. You would also have to be careful about any processed foods. Let me know if you need specifics; I have been gluten free for years.
Also, you might want to consider a good multi-vitamin if he doesn’t already take them. Vitamin D (good for depression) and Vitamin B are especially important.
A diet high in lean protein will help, as well as making sure he is drinking enough water.
As for the fine motor skills, there are all kinds of simple activities that you could do with him to help improve those. Do a search and you will find a lot.
BTW – I had the same problems as a child. Like me, he will outgrow them.
I suspect that his delay in developing those skills is partly due to poor spatial awareness when it comes to his body. That’s pretty common for people with ADHD.
Any kind of sports or movement would help with that. Have you considered martial arts? It’s often effective for kids with ADHD and seems like it would be a good fit for him.
Finally, you might want to consider a different psychiatrist. I know how hard it is to find a good one, but this one seems to be making your life more stressful and that doesn’t help. Also, telling you to take your son to the ER for anything related to his ADHD seems ludicrous at best.
If I can help further, let me know.
One more thing – does he have a history of ear infections or allergies? You might want to consider testing for that.
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