The primary symptoms of adult ADHD include impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity. They are called primary symptoms because they constitute the main indicators medical doctors look for when diagnosing the disorder. Each of the three symptoms has related problems.

The Problems with Impulsivity

If you're an adult with ADHD symptoms of impulsivity, you probably do a lot of things for emotional, rather than logical, reasons. Maybe you engage in impulse spending at the mall, or you choose tasks that offer immediate gratification and a short-term payoff while avoiding long-term projects that may not show results for months or years.

Although there are hundreds of different ways that impulsivity in adult ADHD can manifest itself, here are some common behaviors associated with impulsivity that you may recognize in yourself or in others with adult ADHD.

• You tend to blurt out inappropriate comments or put your foot in your mouth in social settings.

• You may constantly interrupt conversations or intrude without seeming to realize you're doing so.

• You often act without regard for future consequences; for instance, you engage in risky behavior like driving too fast or investing in risky financial schemes.

• You may have a short temper and struggle to contain your emotions. You may throw child-like temper tantrums at home when things don't go your way.

• You often display a lack of patience for societal niceties and regulations. For instance, you may refuse to wait in line at the grocery store or bank and butt in line, or you may decide you're in too much of a rush to wait and run a red light.

From Inattentive to Totally Zoned Out

If you suffer from inattention, you tend to zone out when the topic at hand isn't interesting or fascinating to you. You have a tendency to avoid, put off, or shirk tasks you consider mundane or boring. The flip side of being inattentive is being hyperattentive, or being so obsessed with one aspect of a task that not even repeated warnings from your boss can get you back on track.

Because you're usually operating at one extreme of inattention or the other, it seems you're always screwing up without understanding why. The following are some common ways that inattention can manifest itself in your life:

• You may be unable to stay focused on projects and tasks at work or at home.

• You often have trouble listening carefully when addressed directly by a boss, colleague, spouse, or significant other.

• You tend to have difficulty organizing and planning.

• You often can't be bothered with reading or following instructions or directions.

• You struggle to meet deadlines.

• You tend to misplace things you need to complete assignments and projects.

• You're likely to become bored, distracted, and withdrawn when you consider a subject or task boring or beneath you.

• You may routinely forget to do important things at home, such as taking out the garbage or picking up the mail.

Hyperactivity

If you have hyperactive symptoms, you're likely to be an on-the-go type who has trouble sitting still for long. You may be so impatient, wired, and restless that sitting through a meeting or even a movie is torture for you.

When it comes to your social life, you're likely to be a live wire in all the wrong ways. You may put your foot in your mouth often, jump into conversations or situations where you're not welcome, or wear out and exhaust your friends, colleagues, and family with your manic chatter or wacko, off-the-wall behavior.

The following are some other tell-tale signs that you may be suffering from hyperactivity symptoms of adult ADHD.

• You may need to be busy simply for the sake of being busy.

• You often talk incessantly and constantly interrupt people.

• You tend to drive way too fast for the road and weather conditions.

• You may have trouble slowing down enough to enjoy leisure activities like reading, sex, watching a movie, or getting a massage.

• You may have a number of nervous tics, such as tapping your feet, drumming your fingers, or tapping your pencil.

• When given a complicated assignment at work, you try to do everything at once instead of breaking it down into smaller pieces. You soon become so overwhelmed and panic-stricken that you shut down long before the project is completed.

• You abuse street drugs and alcohol to help yourself relax.

• You don't get much sleep.

Poor Executive Functioning

One of the biggest tell-tale signs of adult ADHD is a lack of “executive functioning,” or the ability to redirect attention, inhibit inappropriate behavior, make decisions, switch problem-solving strategies, organize, prioritize, and get things done on time. Because executive functioning affects all areas of your life, especially your job, it can make getting and keeping a job an absolute nightmare. People with adult ADHD tend to disappoint and baffle their bosses and spouses, and this may isolate them even more.