PROCRASTINATION AND ADHD

There are a number of reasons that any person might have difficulty concentrating or focusing.  I have had young adults in their 20's come to me convinced that they have Alzheimer's [Dementia] because they can't remember to do things even after a short amount of time.  Inevitably, they are experiencing stress and their brains automatically devote brain activity [and energy] to trying to understand and reduce the stress. The things that the person is trying to remember are not a high priority for their brain and so it is not remembered.  Once the stress is reduced or eliminated, the person's concentration [and memory] returns. People who are depressed also will not concentrate well, likely for the same reason as it represents a stress that the brain automatically focuses on.  Also, infectious illnesses, hormone imbalances, sleep disturbances, and other illnesses can reduce focusing and concentration. Once these problems are resolved, the concentration returns to normal.

Differentiating concentration problems that are related to ADHD is helped if there is a childhood onset of distractibility and difficulty sustaining concentration, except for preferred activities.  Also, reading comprehension is often compromised.  In addition, there is a tendency to interrupt others, become irritable during longer conversations and have difficulty making decisions.

I have found that procrastination [waiting until the last minute to complete a task]  is found very frequently in people who have ADHD.  Other people might procrastinate and yet those with ADHD actually use the deadline pressure to complete the task and are not overwelmed by the last minute pressure to finish the task.  Other people without ADHD who procrastinate are often so stressed by the deadline that they cannot finish the task.  

As with some of the other symptoms [behavior patterns] that are associated with ADHD, procrastination serves a purpose and actually helps the person complete the task.