If you’ve been wondering whether your “anxiety” might actually be ADHD (or both), this episode helps you sort through the overlap by focusing on the driver behind your symptoms—so you can get clarity, support, and the right tools.

Why anxiety and ADHD can look identical on the outside (and why misdiagnosis is so common)
The key differentiator: how to tell whether a symptom is fear/relief-driven or dopamine/stimulation-driven
Real-life examples of what “can’t focus” looks like in anxiety vs. ADHD (including studying, restlessness, and racing thoughts)
How OCD intrusive thoughts can get mistaken for ADHD “ping-pong” thinking—and what to look for instead
Procrastination breakdown: what it means in ADHD vs. anxiety (and why the “why” matters)
Practical treatment tools that actually fit each brain—accommodations, medication considerations, and ADHD-friendly strategies like body doubling and rewards

Is It Anxiety… or ADHD? How to Tell What’s Really Driving Your Symptoms

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “Maybe this isn’t just anxiety… maybe it’s ADHD?” If so, you’re in good company.

In a conversation on Your Anxiety Toolkit, OCD and anxiety specialist Kimberley Quinlan sits down with licensed therapist and mental health educator Kati Morton to untangle why anxiety and ADHD can look so similar on the outside—and how to start telling them apart on the inside.

The biggest takeaway from their conversation?

It’s not only about the symptom. It’s about what’s driving the symptom.

Let’s break it down in a way that helps you understand your brain with more clarity (and a lot more compassion).

Content

Why Anxiety and ADHD Get Confused So Often

Kati validates what so many people feel: there’s a ton of overlap.

Both anxiety and ADHD can show up as:

Restlessness or fidgeting
Trouble concentrating
Racing thoughts
Feeling overwhelmed
Procrastination
Emotional reactivity

So if you’ve been bouncing between “I think I’m anxious” and “I think I have ADHD,” it makes sense. From the outside, the behaviors can look almost identical.

The Most Important Question: What’s Driving the Symptom?

Kati offers a simple (but powerful) framework:

Ask: “What is fueling this?”

For example, difficulty focusing might be caused by:

Anxiety: your brain is stuck in worry, threat-scanning, or spiraling about consequences
ADHD: your brain is seeking stimulation, novelty, or a “dopamine hit”

Same symptom. Different engine.

That driver is the difference.

Focus Struggles: Anxiety Spiral vs. ADHD Ping-Pong

Kimberley brings up a super relatable example: you sit down to study, and your attention won’t stay on the material.

Kati explains how she’d assess this in session:

If it’s anxiety-driven…

Your mind tends to spiral around threat:

“What if I fail?”
“What if I can’t remember anything?”
“What if I mess up my future?”

Your attention gets hijacked by worry and uncertainty.

If it’s ADHD-driven…

Your mind “ping-pongs” toward what’s more interesting or rewarding:

“I can’t stop thinking about that party”
“I really want that new thing”
“I wonder what’s happening with my friend”
“I’m excited for tomorrow”

Kati describes ADHD as often involving dopamine-seeking—your brain pulling you toward stimulation, novelty, and reward.

What ADHD Symptoms Can Look Like

Kati describes ADHD as falling under one umbrella with two main “clusters”:

1) Hyperactivity (external or internal)

Feeling physically restless
Feeling like sitting still is hard (body or mind)
Thoughts moving quickly and feeling hard to “catch”

2) Attention and regulation challenges

Difficulty sustaining focus
Forgetting what you just read
Time blindness (getting lost in something and not realizing time passed)
Disorganization
Impulsivity
Hyperfocus (getting locked in on one thing and tuning everything else out)

A key point Kimberley adds: ADHD accommodations can be genuinely helpful—especially in school or testing environments.

ADHD Impulsivity vs. Anxiety Urgency

This part is important because it’s where people often feel the most confused.

With ADHD, impulsivity is often dopamine-driven

Kati explains that when something feels rewarding, exciting, or urgent right now, ADHD brains may:

act quickly
chase the “now” reward
struggle with long-term planning

This can show up in overspending, risky behavior, binge eating, or overdrinking—not because someone is “bad,” but because the brain is trying to regulate through reward.

With anxiety, urgency is relief-driven

Anxiety urgency usually shows up as:

fixing, planning, problem-solving
needing immediate certainty
doing something to reduce fear or discomfort

From the outside, both can look like “I have to do something NOW,” but the reason is different.

OCD vs. ADHD: Racing Thoughts Aren’t Always the Same Thing

Kimberley raises a big concern for OCD listeners: intrusive thoughts can “ping-pong” too.

Kati offers a clarifying distinction:

With OCD:

thoughts feel intrusive and unwanted
often ego-dystonic (not aligned with your values)
create intense discomfort
trigger compulsions to relieve anxiety or uncertainty

And when you do the compulsion, you often feel brief relief.

With ADHD:

there may be constant seeking or shifting attention
relief doesn’t come from a compulsion
focus often shifts until something “hooks” you (hyperfocus)

Sensory Needs, Fidgeting, and the “Why” Behind It

Kimberley brings up fidgeting—pen clicking, knee bouncing, fidget tools—and asks where that fits.

Kati again returns to the driver:

Anxiety fidgeting: “I’m stressed, overwhelmed, worried”
ADHD fidgeting: “I’m under-stimulated, uncomfortable, trapped in monotony”
Autism sensory regulation: repetitive movement can be soothing because it feels regulating or calming

Different reasons. Similar behaviors.

Where to Get a Clear Diagnosis

Both Kimberley and Kati emphasize:

Go to someone who specializes in assessment and testing.

Kimberley shares that her clinic can confidently assess anxiety disorders, but refers out for ADHD testing—because accurate diagnosis requires specific training.

Look for:

psychologists or clinicians who offer testing and assessment
providers who regularly evaluate ADHD/autism (not just occasional screening)

And if a provider tells you to “get your anxiety under control first,” Kati encourages seeking a second opinion—because quality assessments are designed to account for overlap.

Anxiety vs. ADHD Procrastination: What’s the Difference?

Kati describes how procrastination can look very different depending on the driver:

ADHD procrastination often looks like:

tasks being avoided because they’re not rewarding
getting distracted and starting 7 other things
time blindness (accidentally losing hours)
“revenge bedtime procrastination” (staying up late because it feels like the only personal/free time)

Anxiety procrastination often looks like:

avoiding the discomfort of fear
avoiding uncertainty
avoiding perceived judgment or “what if” outcomes
putting off actions because they trigger anxiety (like making a phone call)

Why ADHD Is Often Missed in Girls and Women

Kati explains that many girls and women are diagnosed later because:

symptoms may be more internal than external
women tend to mask and “hold it together”
many become high achievers through sheer effort
the cost shows up later as exhaustion, burnout, emotional sensitivity, and feeling wiped out after social demands

Kimberley adds that women may come home completely depleted—either from managing anxiety, or from managing the internal chaos of ADHD—again making it hard to tell without looking at the driver.

What Treatment Looks Like for ADHD

Kati shares that medication is often considered the gold standard (stimulant options like Ritalin/Vyvanse), but emphasizes that medication decisions should be made with a prescriber and individualized based on history and side effects.

She also offers practical, non-medication strategies that help you work with your brain:

Body doubling

Having someone else present (in person or on Zoom) working alongside you can help your brain stay “on task.”

Rewards and dopamine-friendly breaks

Use small rewards to create momentum:

“If I do 30 minutes, then I get a break / walk / treat / quick reset.”

Exercise for focus

Kati notes that cardio movement can create a “focus window” afterward—so schedule harder tasks after movement when possible.

Design your environment to support your brain

shorter meetings (30 minutes instead of 60)
sensory tools (chairs, wobble boards, fidgets)
study music that supports focus without distracting lyrics

Kimberley adds a key point: some strategies that help ADHD (like reward systems) are not the same tools you’d use for anxiety—because again, the driver is different.

What If You Have Both Anxiety and ADHD?

Kati’s answer is reassuring:

You can treat both at the same time.

The real focus is identifying:

What symptoms are most disruptive for you right now
Which tools match the “driver” underneath those symptoms

It may include a mix of:

CBT or exposure-based tools (ERP) for anxiety/OCD
ADHD supports (meds, body doubling, reward systems, environment design)
regulation tools for stress and reactivity

The goal isn’t to force your brain to be different.

It’s to build a plan that helps you function, feel steadier, and live with more self-trust.

A Gentle Next Step

If you’ve been stuck in the loop of “Is it anxiety? Is it ADHD? Is it both?” start here:

When the symptom shows up, ask:

What is my brain trying to get right now?
Relief from fear? Or stimulation/reward?
Avoiding discomfort? Or seeking dopamine?

That curiosity alone can be a powerful beginning.

The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans, and if they currently take your insurance, head over to https://learn.nocd.com/youranxietytoolkit

Share this article with your favorite people