Undiagnosed ADHD Can Exacerbate Mental Health Concerns
Living with ADHD can impact a person’s mental health to the extent that they develop additional disorders alongside their ADHD. Often, co-occurring mental health disorders have a more debilitating impact on the person’s well-being than ADHD symptoms.
When a person’s ADHD goes undiagnosed, the lack of support and understanding for their challenging behaviors can harm the person’s self-esteem. Low self-esteem, in turn, can lead to anxiety disorders, depression, and anger problems. Those with undiagnosed ADHD are also more likely to experience traumatic life events as a result of their impulsive behavior or having family members with undiagnosed ADHD or other mental health issues that aren’t well managed.
Self-esteem
Living with the symptoms of ADHD can mean challenges for the person in their family and school. The inability to focus attention in the classroom impacts their learning; impulsivity makes it challenging to regulate their emotions, and physical hyperactivity makes the child fidgety and unable to sit still. Mental hyperactivity, not seen but felt by the child with the inattentive type of ADHD, makes it hard for the child to not get bored with school work. The child may be labeled with unfavorable labels such as lazy, unmotivated, self-centered--, which impacts the child’s self-esteem. Additionally, when the child cannot achieve things, they develop a poor self-image, which can stay with them throughout life. Low self-esteem and poor self-image can lead to ongoing mental health problems.
Anger
When a person is required to manage their undiagnosed ADHD symptoms in an unsympathetic environment, it can lead to frustration and anger. A child who cannot regulate their emotions may respond overtly and be viewed by others as aggressive. Some will internalize their feelings of frustration, which may lead to depression or self-harm. It is essential to help young people acknowledge their anger and accept their complicated feelings even when we don’t know it is caused by their undiagnosed ADHD.
Anxiety
Not understanding yourself and feeling like you have no control over yourself can lead to anxiety. Some may feel anxious about being perfect, believing, “If I am not perfect, no one will love me. I will mess up if I don’t always try hard.” The child may experience anxiety as worry or fear and could create emotional, psychological, and physical symptoms and be a source of panic.
Depression
A young person with ADHD may have unacceptable and disruptive behavior which are difficult for them to manage. They could become a management problem for their family members, peers, and teachers as well.. As the child believes himself unacceptable, he may withdraw from activities and people and be sad. We need to recognize that a child’s withdrawal or argumentative behavior negatively impacts his mood. To help, engage the child in activities that give her a sense of achievement, closeness with others, and enjoyment of life.
Children with ADHD can have happy childhoods and grow up to be thriving and contented adults. If we accept them, help them and understand why they might be acting certain ways, it will make a huge difference
Modified from an article at ADHD Ireland.