ADHD in Adults can be very challenging as it can have a massive affect in their daily lives, adults who suspect they have ADHD and haven't had the chance for a diagnosis could be facing a whole lot of troubles, I will list them below.

Trouble concentrating and staying focused
Adults with ADHD are able to focus on tasks they find stimulating or engaging, but have difficulty staying focused on and attending to mundane tasks. They may become easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds, bounce from one activity to another, or become bored quickly. Symptoms in this category are sometimes overlooked because they are less outwardly disruptive than the ADHD symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity but they can be every bit as troublesome.
- Becoming easily distracted by low-priority activities or external events that others tend to ignore.
- Having so many simultaneous thoughts that it’s difficult to follow just one.
- Difficulty paying attention or focusing, such as when reading or listening to others.
- Frequently daydreaming or “zoning out” without realizing it, even in the middle of a conversation.
- Struggling to complete tasks, even ones that seem simple.
- A tendency to overlook details, leading to errors or incomplete work.
- Poor listening skills; for example, having a hard time remembering conversations and following directions.
- Getting quickly bored and seeking out new stimulating experiences.

Disorganization and forgetfulness symptoms
When you have adult ADHD, life often seems chaotic and out of control. Staying organized and on top of things can be extremely challenging—as is sorting out what information is relevant for the task at hand, prioritizing your to-do list, keeping track of tasks and responsibilities, and managing your time. Common symptoms of disorganization and forgetfulness include
- Poor organisational skills (home, office, desk, or car is extremely messy and cluttered)
- Tendency to procrastinate
- Trouble starting and finishing projects
- Chronic lateness
- Frequently forgetting appointments, commitments or deadlines
- Constantly losing or misplacing things (keys, wallet, phone, documents, bills)
- Underestimating the time it will take to complete tasks

Impulsivity Symptoms
If you suffer from symptoms in this category, you may have trouble inhibiting your behaviours, comments, and responses. You might act before thinking, or react without considering consequences. You may find yourself interrupting others, blurting out comments, and rushing through tasks without reading instructions. If you have impulse problems, staying patient is extremely difficult. For better or for worse, you may dive headlong into situations and find yourself in potentially risky circumstances. Symptoms include
- Frequently interrupting others or talking over them
- Poor self-control, addictive tendencies
- Blurting out thoughts that are rude or inappropriate without thinking
- Acting recklessly or spontaneously without regard for consequences
- Trouble behaving in socially appropriate ways (such as sitting still during a long meeting)

Emotional symptoms
Many adults with ADHD have a hard time managing their feelings, especially when it comes to emotions like anger or frustration. Common emotional symptoms of adult ADHD include
- Being easily flustered and stressed out
- Irritability or short, often explosive, temper
- Low self-esteem and sense of insecurity or underachievement
- Trouble staying motivated
- Hypersensitivity to criticism

Hyperactivity or restlessness in adult ADHD
Hyperactivity in adults with ADHD may appear the same as it does in kids. You may be highly energetic and perpetually “on the go” as if driven by a motor. For many people with ADHD, however, the symptoms of hyperactivity become more subtle and internal as they grow older. Common symptoms of hyperactivity in adults include
- Feelings of inner restlessness, agitation, racing thoughts
- Getting bored easily, craving excitement, tendency to take risks
- Talking excessively, doing a million things at once
- Trouble sitting still, constant fidgeting

Effects of adult ADHD
If you are just discovering you have adult ADHD, chances are you’ve suffered over the years due to the unrecognized problem. You may feel like you’ve been struggling to keep your head above water, overwhelmed by the constant stress caused by procrastination, disorganization, and handling demands at the last minute. People may have labelled you “lazy,” “irresponsible,” or “stupid” because of your forgetfulness or difficulty completing certain tasks, and you may have begun to think of yourself in these negative terms as well.

ADHD that is undiagnosed and untreated can have wide-reaching effects and cause problems in virtually every area of your life.

Physical and mental health problems
The symptoms of ADHD can contribute to a variety of health problems, including compulsive eating, substance abuse, anxiety, chronic stress and tension, and low self-esteem. You may also run into trouble due to neglecting important check-ups, skipping doctor appointments, ignoring medical instructions, and forgetting to take vital medications.

Work and financial difficulties. Adults with ADHD often experience career difficulties and feel a strong sense of underachievement. You may have trouble keeping a job, following corporate rules, meeting deadlines, and sticking to a 9-to-5 routine. Managing finances may also pose a problem: you may struggle with unpaid bills, lost paperwork, late fees, or debt due to impulsive spending.

Relationship problems
The symptoms of ADHD can put a strain on your work, love, and family relationships. You may be fed up with constant nagging from loved ones to tidy up, listen more closely, or get organized. Those close to you, on the other hand, may feel hurt and resentful over your perceived “irresponsibility” or “insensitivity.”

he wide-reaching effects of ADHD can lead to embarrassment, frustration, hopelessness, disappointment, and loss of confidence. You may feel like you’ll never be able to get your life under control or fulfil your potential. That’s why a diagnosis of adult ADHD can be an enormous source of relief and hope. It helps you understand what you’re up against for the first time and realize that you’re not to blame. The difficulties you’ve experienced stem from attention deficit disorder—they are not a result of personal weakness or a character flaw.

Understanding The Impact of Undiagnosed Autism in Adults

It is estimated there are 700,000 adults and children in the UK with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social communication, behaviour, and sensory perception.

While there is a big focus on diagnosing and treating children with ASD, there are many individuals who go undiagnosed with autism until later in life. Astonishingly, in July 2022, around 125,000 people with a ‘suspected autism’ referral were waiting for a diagnosis – and 84% waited for more than 13 weeks to even get their first appointment. This delay can often lead to significant developmental challenges, which have a tremendous impact on a person’s health, social and professional life.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Autism in Adults

Autism is a multifaceted condition that affects individuals differently. With its complex nature, each person can have varying degrees of social, communication and behavioural challenges. 

Some of the most common signs in adults include
- Social difficulties, including trouble reading facial expressions, missing social cues and problems with conversation
- Strong interest in a particular subject or topic
- Restricted and repetitive behaviours (i.e. stimming) 
- Difficulty with transitions or changes in routine
- Hyposensitivity and or hypersensitivity to certain stimuli
Many autistic adults are not diagnosed at an earlier age because their cases weren’t obvious at the time. Symptoms may be subtle or easily explained away as shyness or eccentric behaviour. Additionally, doctors and psychologists sometimes misdiagnose a child or young person with autism as having a language delay or ADHD. 

More and more research is also highlighting that girls are frequently being missed or misdiagnosed until reaching adulthood. It’s estimated that for every four boys diagnosed with autism, only one girl is. This discrepancy could be due to a number of factors, including social norms that encourage girls to conform and ‘mask’ their differences, a lack of understanding of how autism presents in females, and biases in diagnostic tools that were developed based on studying boys.

The Challenges Faced by Undiagnosed Autistic Individuals

Undiagnosed autism in adults can have many negative consequences on overall wellness, social interactions, and daily activities, leading to a sense of frustration and overwhelm. Autistic individuals may struggle with a range of issues across various domains of their lives. For example

Negative Mental Health Outcomes
Undiagnosed autistic individuals are more susceptible to developing mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem because they find it hard to express their emotions and connect with their peers, which can induce further withdrawal. 

Social Isolation
People who aren’t diagnosed may experience difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships. Communicating their feelings, preferences, interests, and needs effectively is often a daunting task, leaving them vulnerable to bullying, social exclusion, and feelings of loneliness. 

Employment Issues
Undiagnosed autism can pose unique challenges for adults in the workplace. Sensory sensitivities to noise, difficulty with social nuances, and the ability to work in teams may impede productivity and job performance, making it difficult to secure or retain jobs. 

Safety Risks
Unfortunately, undiagnosed autistic adults are more at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and encounter dangerous situations due to impaired judgement, making them more liable to being taken advantage of and may struggle to identify red flags in interpersonal relationships.

What is at stake?

Whether it is that an adult believes they have undiagnosed ADHD or Autism, both these disabilities will be causing many problems for them whether it is personal, relationships or employment.

Many adults are on the waiting list through the NHS to get an assessment and diagnosis for either disability but the waiting lists are long with over 170,000 people waiting for an autism assessment and an estimated 200,000 adults waiting for an ADHD screening.

I am fully aware that there is children who are also on the waiting list but I am doing this for adults as I've been told time and time again that it is difficult for adults.

My story:

Hello! My name is Kyle, I am 23 years old and I was born in Greater Manchester before moving to Preston when my mother met her new partner. I have a younger brother who is high on the spectrum for Autism and who has had over 40 operations, he can't work and doesn't have many friends. I have grew up with him and have saw the difficulties he has had to face on a daily basis whether it is personal, relationships or education.

I have had a troubled childhood, my biological father walked out on us at a young age because he didn't want to have "anything" to do with us and he wasn't exactly the nicest of men. When we came up to Preston, I had to join a new high school in Tarleton and let's just say, the students there weren't exactly nice to me because they figured out I came from Manchester and thought I was this "tough" guy but in reality, I was timid and liked to keep to myself. 

As I grew up, my mother and father (the one who my mother met and I see him as my biological father) started seeing similarities in me and Autism/ADHD though they can't pinpoint exactly what could be the answer to be troubles. I don't have many friends, I am popular but there are only a few I would actually go out of my way to talk too. I deal with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety which I believe had skyrocketed due to me being bullied in the new high school I moved too. I barely leave my room unless I have too, I tend to keep to myself and the only people I actually talk to is my family. The bullying resulted in me never attending school and I was missing a lot of lessons which resulted in me getting bad grades.

However, I had another shot when I got into contact with Preston's College who said I could retake my GCSE English and GCSE Math exams which I passed with flying colours which I was extremely proud about. I did have people who I classed as friends who I was lucky enough to form a bond with when I was attending Preston's College, I was there for 4 years and gained many qualifications. I got as far as a Level 3 qualification in Games Design and I was able to get into the University of Central Lancashire to do a 3 year course for Games Design.

The first academic year went extremely well, passing with flying colours and as the second academic year started, that's when things spiralled. I started to get very depressed and anxious which resulted in me not attending my lessons (not of personal choice), I never wanted to leave my room and just wanted to hide away from the world. The times I did actually "force" myself to get to my classes, it wasn't any better. My tolerance for being around people had gone down, there was always arguments and I struggled to see other people's points on things so I just stopped going all together then I eventually pulled out of university. It is 2024 now, my depression and anxiety had only gotten more worse which resulted in me being put on Mirtazapine for a time but it wasn't helping so my GP put me on Sertraline and I am on two different strengths which are 100MG and 50MG, I will say they have done a lot more for me but I still deal with my daily problems which I want to get sorted.

My message to the Government:

Something needs to be done about the waiting lists because no human being should have to live like this, always feeling worried about everyday life and what people could be thinking about them. Not only that, the symptoms that ADHD and Autism can throw towards an individual. People who have been undiagnosed want to sort this out and get out there to make a living for themselves but sadly, it is not as easy for us. We suffer on the backend and we are afraid of speaking out because some people will just label us as "lazy" or "unwilling" which I think is entirely wrong.