ADHD and anxiety disorders are among the most common co-occurring conditions in both children and adults. Research suggests that approximately 50% of people with ADHD also have a diagnosed anxiety disorder — making this combination more the rule than the exception.

Is It ADHD, Anxiety, or Both?

ADHD and anxiety share many overlapping symptoms. Both can cause difficulty concentrating, restlessness, sleep problems, avoidance of tasks, and irritability. However, the underlying cause is different:

Why ADHD and Anxiety So Often Co-occur

• Secondary anxiety: Years of struggling with ADHD — missing deadlines, forgetting commitments, underperforming — creates a pattern of failure and shame that generates genuine anxiety. The anxiety is real, but it developed as a consequence of unmanaged ADHD.
• Shared neurobiology: Both conditions involve dysregulation of the same neurotransmitter systems (dopamine and norepinephrine).
• Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Intense emotional reactivity to perceived rejection or failure is common in ADHD and can be mistaken for social anxiety disorder.

How BNC Assesses and Treats ADHD with Anxiety

BNC's assessment process routinely screens for both ADHD and co-occurring anxiety. If both are identified, treatment is tailored to address both conditions simultaneously:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): The most evidence-based approach for anxiety, adapted for ADHD presentations
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Helps individuals develop a different relationship with anxious thoughts while building behavioural activation skills
• ADHD-specific behavioural strategies: Practical tools for organisation, task management and reducing the daily failures that fuel secondary anxiety
• Nutritional assessment: Some nutritional factors have been shown to affect both anxiety and ADHD symptoms
• Medication coordination: The presence of both ADHD and anxiety affects medication decisions — BNC liaises with prescribing doctors accordingly