Four Signs Your Partner May Have ADHD

While having ADHD can cause problems at school or work, it can become particularly damaging when it comes to relationships. If you or your partner have ADHD, problems controlling emotions, issues with focus, forgetfulness, and time management can cause deep feelings of frustration and resentment to grow. Read more about these four signs to see if you or your partner you may benefit from executive function skills training or neurodiverse couples counseling. 

1. Your partner has trouble controlling themself.

Trouble managing emotions is a common ADHD symptom and more than half of people with ADHD have trouble controlling their emotions. This can lead to depression and anxiety. Problems with impulse control can make it easy for someone with ADHD to become focused on what they are feeling to the detriment of others around them. This can create problems like behaving unpredictably, losing sight of other people’s perspectives, saying things that they later regret, and showing intense anger. All of these symptoms can wreak havoc on a relationship where stability builds trust and connection. 

2. Your partner has problems focusing.

ADHD is a disorder of having too much attention which makes it difficult to focus. Because of this if your partner suffers from ADHD you may find they tend to make careless mistakes. Additionally, your partner may have trouble staying on topic while talking and not listening to others. They may also become easily distracted by things like trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others.

3. Your partner is forgetful.

Because working memory, an executive function, is impaired in people with ADHD, forgetfulness is much more common than for people without ADHD. With impaired working memory remembering things or completing assignments becomes difficult because of a lack of focus and concentration. If your partner has ADHD you may notice they regularly may miss important dates, forget to pay bills, or misplace items around the house or at work.

4. Your partner has trouble with time management.

People with ADHD often have trouble with time perception. Meaning, things may feel like they take a lot shorter than they do. This can manifest in waiting until the last minute to get something done, arriving late to engagements, or paying bills late. Also, things feel like they can be done in a shorter amount of time people with ADHD often find themselves over-committing. Over-committing and problems with time perception can make it very difficult to be on time for responsibilities and cause problems in your relationship. 

If you or your partner suffer from ADHD and are having problems in your relationship the counselors at the Thriving Wellness Center in New York and New Jersey are here to help. We offer virtual therapy sessions and in-person therapy in New York and New Jersey. Our couples counseling in New York and New Jersey focuses on couples where one or both members have ADHD or ASD. Contact us to learn how we can help.