Social phobia or social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most misunderstood mental health ailments.

Often, the condition is mistaken for:

  • Shyness
  • Low self-esteem
  • ADHD

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The main reason behind this is that ADHD and social anxiety symptoms usually overlap, making them complicated to diagnose and treat.

Typically, SAD patients experience the persistent worry of being negatively judged by others.

Therefore, they struggle attending social events, talking, or even eating in public. In addition, SAD affects personal relationships and performance in work or school.

In this piece, we will expound on the link between ADHD and social anxiety. Furthermore, we will mention common symptoms and how to treat ADHD and social anxiety.

Can You Have ADHD and Social Anxiety?

Due to limited analysis of adult ADHD and social anxiety, it is uncertain why these conditions crop up in some people and not others.

Still, medics wonder why ADHD and social anxiety tend to affect individuals simultaneously. 

According to a recent survey, approximately 47% of adults who have ADHD experience several types of anxiety. [1*] SAD takes a leading position by affecting about 30% of ADHD patients.

Although there is scanty evidence supporting the interrelation between SAD and ADHD, experts suspect that environmental toxins, premature birth, or genetics play a significant role. 

It is worth noting that common ADHD symptoms like hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention increase rejection, bullying, and teasing incidents.

ADHD and Social Anxiety

ADHD and Social Anxiety Symptoms

With affected individuals worrying about further rejection, some withdraw or avoid social settings altogether. If the condition is not handled on time, a patient with ADHD may portray social anxiety symptoms.

Does ADHD Make You Socially Awkward?

ADHD patients exhibit a whole load of behaviors like aggressiveness, sensitivity, emotional breakdown, or disorder. Mainly, their social interaction with other people frequently leads to plenty of misunderstandings.

In other words, patients portraying symptoms of ADHD and social anxiety disorder have a turbulent social life with their:

  • Parents
  • Siblings
  • Spouses
  • Friends
  • Colleagues

Thanks to their inability to regulate their reactions and behaviors, it leads to exceedingly fragile and tense relationships.

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Jobs for People With ADHD and Social Anxiety

We cannot forget to mention that these patients find it tough to get jobs for people with ADHD and social anxiety.

Given that these patients struggle with:

  • Procrastination
  • Distractibility
  • Communication skills
  • Careers 

Some of the most fulfilling jobs revolve around the following areas:

  • Passion-Oriented

Primarily, these are jobs that individuals are overly obsessive about and have a deep interest in.

Popular jobs for people with ADHD and social anxiety in this category include:

  • Teaching
  • Nursing
  • Veterinarian
  • Social worker
  • Psychologist
  • Creativity

These jobs usually merge problem-solving and creativity where SAD and ADHD patients impressively excel.

Perfect jobs are interior designers, mechanics, musicians, dancers, fashion designers, inventors, graphic designers, etc.

  • Ultra-Structured 

Structured jobs are defined tasks with specific routines and workflow.
Typical jobs for people with ADHD
and social anxiety include:

  • Bank tellers
  • Accountants
  • Lawyers
  • Military officers
  • Data analysts
  • Project managers
  • High-Intensity 

Given that ADHD and social anxiety patients are motivated by urgency and intensity, this is an ideal platform to thrive.

Most fulfilling careers in the category are:

  • Firefighters
  • Detectives
  • Correctional officers
  • Sports coaches
  • Police
ADHD and Social Anxiety

How to Treat ADHD and Social Anxiety Disorder?

Can You Be Shy With ADHD?

Undeniably, the link between ADHD and social anxiety goes all the way to personality traits. In such situations, adult ADHD and social anxiety patients get characterized as withdrawn or shy.

Additionally, they feel shameful for their inability to perform like other people in academics and workplaces. 

What’s more, there is the potential embarrassment of blurting out impulsively or breaking standard social rules. Furthermore, past awkward episodes may trigger fear and withdrawal from social gatherings.

Fortunately, qualified medics can diagnose and treat the condition at ease.

Do ADHD Meds Help With Social Anxiety?

Medics often find it hard to distinguish what medications best treat ADHD and social anxiety amongst several options.

While concluding on how to treat ADHD and social anxiety is not rocket science, it requires a qualified expert to diagnose and prescribe proper treatment. 

One advantage associated with ADHD is that patients usually receive treatment for ADHD and social anxiety disorder or other related ailments.

This is because ADHD patients often have other anxiety-related conditions like SAD or depression.

Luckily, this translates to double treatment for the price of one. Even if there is no specific treatment for ADHD and social anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy has repeatedly bear positive results.

Most impressive CBT helps patients recognize common causes for anxiety episodes.

Moreover, the program teaches helpful techniques like mindfulness and relaxation tactics. If need be, some medics prescribe medications to regulate anxiety.

Nonetheless, a combination of both programs is highly likely to give better results.

Click the button below to book an appointment with an expert and get your ADHD symptoms controlled. 

Final Word

Tackling medical conditions with almost similar symptoms is never a walk in the park.

For this reason, it is common for patients to bombard mental health experts with these questions, can you have ADHD and social anxiety? or what medications best treat ADHD and social anxiety?

While different medics use varied therapies, remember that a long-lasting solution always revolves around proper diagnoses and treatment.

Contact our qualified doctors at the EZCare clinic for guaranteed results and a less daunting recovery journey now.

Sources

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  1. Anxiety Disorders
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Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of experts strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers
in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.