A 16-year-old high school sophomore, do I have ADHD? Is it possible?

I'm here for you, my friend. I'm really concerned about some of the symptoms you're going through right now. I know you've already been to the hospital to be diagnosed with anxiety disorder. It's possible that anxiety is the cause of your current struggles, and you're already in adolescence. Adolescent thoughts and emotions are very common, and we may find ourselves in various emotional whirlpools and feel unable to get out.

It seems like you might be worried or even suspect that you have ADHD. It's totally normal to have these feelings! However, the diagnosis of this condition is usually made in childhood for young children. It's also possible that some children may continue into their adolescence and adulthood without timely treatment.

Even if you've been diagnosed with anxiety, you haven't taken any medication. It's possible that you're also feeling a bit self-judgmental. It's totally normal! You should decide for yourself whether you need to undergo further examinations. These could include tests to see if you have a fast-working brain, if you're unable to concentrate during normal study, if you're distracted by external sounds, if you daydream and lose track of your thoughts, and if you have various types of thinking that jump around and short-term memory loss.

This kind of situation is more likely to have an impact on your life. It's really important to record it in more detail. Has this situation obviously affected your personal daily life, for example, even affecting all aspects of your life, such as clothing, food, housing and transportation?

I'm so sorry to have to tell you that your health has suffered too. You have memory loss, which may have unpredictable effects on your life. It depends on the degree to which this amnesia and inability to concentrate have developed.

As a professional heart exploration coach, I really think you should take the necessary inner animal archetypes psychological test to understand your inner character. At the same time, you should also go to the hospital for a diagnosis to see if it is anxiety or other reasons. We ourselves have no way to label ourselves. If there is a problem, then we should correct it; if not, then we should be more vigilant. We must let ourselves understand this. Come on!

ZQ?

Dear Sir/Madam, I am impressed by your ability to navigate such an unusual experience at a young age and to seek out pertinent information and solutions independently. Kind regards,

Let us examine potential solutions to this issue and hope that the following suggestions will prove useful.

? Manage anxiety

1. Engage in physical activities such as swimming, yoga, or aerobic exercises like jogging and walking.

2⃣ Adjust your sleep: Adjust your sleep rhythm and sleep drive. Before going to sleep, ensure that your mobile phone and computer are placed out of reach so that you can fall asleep quickly.

3⃣ Record the positive aspects of your life. Based on your description, you have a strong academic background and excellent academic performance.

It is important to encourage yourself and avoid placing undue pressure or anxiety on yourself.

There is no need for excessive concern.

ADHD is the abbreviation for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a disease that manifests itself in hyperactivity, inattention, and poor ability to participate in events, but with basically normal intelligence. The clinical manifestations of ADHD can appear very early, such as restless sleep from an early age, and it does not seriously affect one's normal life.

It is possible to alleviate the symptoms through the implementation of proactive measures.

There is currently no cure for ADHD.

At present, effective treatments for ADHD include:

1. Medication: The most effective form of intervention for ADHD is medication, which can control symptoms and improve concentration.

2⃣ Psychological treatment: Currently effective psychological behavior treatments are divided into parent training, child training, and school intervention. By training parents, they can gain a deeper understanding of ADHD and use the correct ADHD behavior methods when accompanying and training children, which will achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Furthermore, psychological treatment can assist children in developing learning, social, and problem-solving skills to mitigate the impact of ADHD. It is also important to equip teachers with effective strategies for managing the behavior of ADHD children in the classroom.

3⃣ Professional Training: During the treatment process, it is recommended to cooperate with professional training from professional institutions such as sensory integration training, cognitive task training, and balance instrument training to help improve ADHD symptoms.

ADHD has a long course and the therapeutic effect is relatively slow. It is important to ask your parents to be patient and confident, prepared for the long term, understanding and supportive, and encouraging. This can greatly help the situation to improve.

The world is a beautiful and interconnected place, and with time, everything will improve. I am optimistic that in the future, everything will be fine. The world and I are in your corner.

Good morning, host.

It is important to note that a diagnosis of mental or psychological disorders typically requires the guidance of a professional medical institution, where a very strict set of standards and procedures are in place.

From the symptoms you described—mild anxiety, racing thoughts, distractibility, and selective forgetfulness—it's possible that ADHD may not be the cause. These symptoms also appear in patients with bipolar disorder. Of course, I'm not suggesting that the poster compare the symptoms of bipolar disorder and put another label on it, but I believe that the diagnosis of mental and psychological disorders is a very professional and strict matter that requires the expertise of professionals and institutions.

I believe that the host may be experiencing some difficulties with restless thinking and scattered attention, which could potentially lead to mild anxiety and selective amnesia.

It would seem that a lack of concentration is becoming increasingly prevalent in the context of the fast-paced information age. In 2010, a survey published in the journal Science indicated that at that time, people were already unable to concentrate for an average of 46.9% of the time.

In 2016, the academic Accenture re-tested the new generation's focus and found that the figure had risen to 70%. Stanford University psychologist Zimbardo offered the following observation: "It seems that technology has made us somewhat impatient with things that take more than a few seconds to complete."

An excessive and complex flow of information can potentially numb our sensory channels. At the same time, we may be inclined to seek out new sources of stimulation to satisfy ourselves. This could result in a higher threshold for stimulation, which might make it more challenging for us to fully concentrate on doing one thing well.

One possible technique for improving concentration is to do some mindfulness exercises. Mindfulness could be defined as being mindful of your thoughts. This could mean that when we are doing things like working, studying, eating, walking, etc., we can do them calmly and attentively, without being distracted by them.

In simple terms, it means focusing on the present moment and observing and feeling with your heart what you are doing.

As a starting point, you might like to try focusing on your breathing. Between each breath, you could try to sense the flow of air entering your body from the outside world, and then leaving it in the opposite order. This process can also help you to notice the smell, humidity and temperature of the air, as well as any sensations in your body.

Perhaps a similar approach could be beneficial when eating as well. It might be helpful to start by observing the color, shape, and quantity of the food, then allow yourself to experience the aroma and texture, and how it changes as you chew.

If I might make one more suggestion, it would be to pay attention to every flower, every blade of grass, every person, and every event you encounter.

In 100 Psychology Lessons, Lin Zi offers a straightforward approach to enhancing perception and concentration in life. He suggests using the sentence structure "I see... I hear... I feel..." to form sentences. If this resonates with you, you might consider taking the course. I found it beneficial and it has stayed with me.

I hope these suggestions will be of some help to you.

Hello, classmate!

From your description of the problem, I can sense that you may be experiencing difficulties in your life or studies right now, but you don't know how to deal with them, and subconsciously you are looking for answers—and I'm here to help!

After all, we are already 16 years old and in our second year of anxiety/since-high-school-ive-been-reluctant-to-socialize-and-often-get-sad-about-the-future-what-should-i-do-5347.html" target="_blank">high school, and our main task now is the college entrance exam. With such a tight study schedule, our time is very precious, and it's time to focus on what we can control: our studies!

Even if we intervene now, it is too late to treat ADHD. But there's no need to dwell on the past or worry about the present!

The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus said something really interesting: "We must be optimistic and confident about things that are beyond our control, cautious and restrained about things that are within our control, and about things that are beyond our control. To put it bluntly, your anxiety and fear will not help. Your anxiety will not change tomorrow, but it will affect your mood today. Your fear will not change the problem, because the only thing in life that should be feared is fear itself. But for things that are within our control, can we make good use of our time? This is within our control, so we must be cautious and restrained.

So pay attention to the things we can control, think about whether what we are doing at the moment is meaningful, and use our limited time where it is needed!

It's a long process to get to know ourselves, and it's a journey that everyone is on. We all have defense mechanisms and a sense of self-preservation. When we started to suspect in our second year of high school that we might have had ADHD, our brains were curious about why we were doing that.

And I can feel that deep down, my classmate is absolutely convinced he has ADHD. Even though many respondents said that a diagnosis can only be made by a specialist, my classmate is still convinced he has it!

I read the most incredible book called "The Courage to Be Disliked," and it had this amazing story in it:

There was this amazing female student. Her problem was that she was afraid of meeting people and would blush whenever she was in front of them. She said that she was determined to cure this fear of blushing no matter what!

So Adler asked her, "If this fear of blushing is cured, what do you want to do?" And do you know what she told the author? She said she had a boy she wanted to get involved with!

Although she secretly likes the boy, she hasn't been able to declare her feelings. But she's determined to overcome her fear of blushing and confess to him immediately! She's even hoping to go out with him.

Absolutely! It's a topic that's very relevant to schoolgirls. And here's the best part: to confess to the person you like, you first have to cure your fear of blushing.

But did Adler really think that was the case? His judgment was that it wasn't — and he was right!

Oh, the mysteries of the human mind! Why did she develop this blushing phobia? And why can't she ever get rid of it?

And that's because she "needs the symptom of blushing."

What is the thing she fears most and wants to escape from? Of course it is being rejected by the boy she likes, the possible blow and self-doubt that come with a broken heart. But what if she could avoid all that? What if she could get over her blushing phobia and finally confess her feelings?

This is why the characteristics of unrequited love in adolescence are so obvious!

However, as long as she has blushing phobia, she has the opportunity to use the thought of "the reason I can't get involved with him is because of this blushing phobia" to escape from reality, so she doesn't have to muster the courage to confess or convince herself even if she is rejected. Moreover, in the end, she can live in fantasy with thoughts like "if I can cure my blushing phobia, I can also..."

So, students, it's up to us to be on the lookout and make sure our subconscious doesn't use the excuse of having ADHD as a way to avoid the challenges we're currently facing.

I really hope my answer is helpful to the questioner!

Thank you so much for your time! I'm Jiusi from Yixinli, World and I Love You.

Hello, question asker! I'm happy to answer your question.

From what I've read on the questionnaire, it seems like the person has been diagnosed with mild anxiety, but it doesn't affect their life much, so they haven't taken any medication. But after learning about ADHD, I feel like I have some symptoms that are more in line with this condition. What do you think?

First, give the questioner a little pat on the shoulder to show you're there for them. It's important to remember that whether you have ADHD or not is only something a professional test at a professional institution can determine.

ADHD is diagnosed in both adults and children. It affects about 11% of children and 5% of adults in the United States, and about 6.26% of children in China.

ADHD isn't just about concentration. It's mainly a developmental disorder of the brain's executive functions, which affects impulse control, concentration, and organization.

Other symptoms of ADHD include difficulty managing time, hyperactivity, emotional overreactions, and excessive concentration. What are the other symptoms? I'll explain to the poster.

ADHD symptoms vary a lot from person to person. Many clinicians liken the symptoms to an iceberg, where only the tip is visible. The DSM categorizes ADHD into three types: simple attention deficit (also known as ADD), simple impulsivity, and mixed type.

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) lists nine typical symptoms for ADHD with a simple attention deficit and nine for ADHD with a simple impulsivity. For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, they have to show at least six of these symptoms for at least six months, both at home and at school.

On top of that, the symptoms must have started to affect the child's normal physical development, and some symptoms must have shown up before the age of 12. In older teens and adults, the diagnosis requires five of the typical symptoms.

There are nine symptoms of the attention deficit type.

Typically, they don't pay attention to details or are careless when working, studying, or engaging in other activities. For instance, they might ignore or miss details at work or fail to complete tasks correctly.

2. They often have trouble keeping their attention on tasks, studies, or play activities. For example, they might have difficulty concentrating during a lecture, conversation, or long reading session.

3. They often seem distracted when talking to people, as if their mind is somewhere else.

4. They usually don't follow the rules and have a hard time finishing homework or tasks. For example, they often start work or school but then lose focus or get distracted by other things.

5. They often have trouble organizing tasks, activities, and things. For example, they may have difficulty performing sequential tasks, putting things away in an organized manner, managing time effectively, or finishing work or school on time.

6. They usually try to avoid tasks that require sustained mental effort. For example, they might have difficulty completing school homework, reports, or reading for long periods of time.

7. Often can't seem to find the things they need to get the job done. For example, they might have trouble locating school supplies, pencils, books, tools, a wallet, keys, glasses, or a cell phone.

8. They often get distracted by things outside of their focus. For older adolescents and adults, this can also include getting distracted by unrelated thoughts.

9. They often forget things in their daily lives. For older adolescents and adults, this can also include forgetting to return phone calls, pay bills, or keep appointments.

Here are nine signs of impulsivity:

1. They tend to fidget a lot, tapping their fingers or squirming in their seat.

2. They often leave their seats when they're supposed to be sitting in them. This can happen in classrooms, offices, or other places where they're supposed to be learning or working.

3. They often run around or climb up and down in inappropriate situations. In contrast, adolescents or adults usually feel restless.

4. They often can't stay quiet when they're playing or relaxing.

5. They're always on the move, like they've got a motor inside them. For instance, they can't sit still for long during meals or meetings. Or, they feel uncomfortable and make others feel like they can't keep quiet.

6. They tend to talk a lot.

7. They often jump in with the answer before someone else has finished asking the question.

8. They often have trouble waiting their turn when they're waiting in line or waiting for something.

9. They often jump in and interrupt others, whether it's during a conversation, a game, or just general interaction.

It's also not uncommon for kids to start using other people's things without asking. And as they get older, they might start taking over other people's work.

I'm not sure if the poster has any of these symptoms. If so, it could be ADHD, but a specific diagnosis should be made at a hospital.

If a related disease is diagnosed, it's important to work with the doctor on drug treatment and to pay attention to dietary intake in general, because some elements in many foods can also affect the condition. You can see a nutritionist at the same time as the doctor to arrange a recipe for the questioner.

I hope my answer helps the person who asked the question.

Hello, questioner!

You're in your second year of high school, which is the age of 16. It's a time of youthful exuberance and boundless energy! Compared to the you of two years ago, these two years have been a time of considerable change for you, both physically and mentally. Do you feel it?

After reading your question, I can see how much you've grown! For example, in the third year of junior high school, you needed to go to the hospital to see a doctor, but now, when you have a question, you come here for help. I bet you've also learned about this platform, and I think you'll find it's a great resource. So, I think you've made great progress in asking for help when you are confused. I'm so proud of you!

I've noticed something else about your changes that I think is really great. You've listed four reasons for the symptoms you're experiencing now, and you've given a clear and well-reasoned explanation. You also mentioned at the beginning that these symptoms appeared after your first year of high school, and you described your situation in the third year of junior high school. You've laid out the causes and effects to support your guesses, which I think only a student with good thinking skills could do!

These two points also explain why you say your memory is not good, which is only limited to your life. You are doing so well in your studies! I think you have made great progress in your studies in the past two years!

Then why did these symptoms occur as you said? Let me share my personal thoughts based on my own limited experience and I'm sure you'll find them really interesting!

First of all, I feel that the question you are asking now is similar to a time point in your junior high school years, which is really exciting! At that time, you had to face the junior high school entrance exam, and now you get to do it again!

Now she's gearing up to take the college entrance exam again! I think it might be related to the exam, but she doesn't have any major problems with her studies. She's doing great!

I can also give you an example. A classmate of my child developed a very large bump on her head during her senior year of high school. To be honest, when I heard about it, I was really scared. You can imagine how scary it is to have a bump on your head. I was really afraid that she had a disease, but she was also checked and nothing was found. Anyway, after she graduated, she was fine. Now she has graduated from graduate school and is working in Beijing, doing very well.

I think this is a great question! It makes me wonder if when we face an exam, we associate it with certain things. Maybe this is all our emergency response, and once this stage is over, the symptoms will also subside.

Second, I think that not only are we facing exams, but also that, during adolescence, our brains are really the most active. I remember reading a study that said our amazing brains can think 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day!

So, here's an interesting question: is it true that every day our brains just have so many thoughts? There are just so many things to think about, and we just can't stop! I remember when one of my nieces, who was probably 16 at the time, came to my house. I thought, "Wow, this little girl is thinking about so many things!"

It's exhausting, but it's also an amazing time! This incessant thinking is a characteristic of this age group. If you don't believe me, you can also search for information about whether the brain really thinks non-stop.

And secondly, my brain has been so active lately! It's been such an amazing experience, but I'm wondering how we can keep up with the speed of our thoughts. I'm excited to see what I can do!

And when it comes to this daydreaming, poor memory, forgetting to eat, etc., think about it again. Is this not the vigorous vitality and state of letting go of oneself that adolescents have? Absolutely!

This is the wild and wonderful world of adolescence! It's a time for embracing your inner wild child and enjoying this state of mind. But, of course, you also want to make sure you stay on track with your studies.

So, in order to live a better life in the future, you should be a little confused and worried after reading about ADHD the other day. I don't know why, but I just feel that you are really a very motivated high school student. I can tell you're going to go far in life!

Finally, I'll share some advice based on the three aspects I mentioned above. I don't think you have ADHD. In fact, I think you started showing symptoms after your first year of high school, which means you're already 15 years old! You may have seen the term ADHD when searching for information because it usually appears in childhood, that is, before the age of 12. So, I think you have your own ideas when you ask this question, don't you?

The above are just a few of my personal opinions, and I just want to help you, a sophomore, feel at ease studying and make your high school life more colorful and meaningful. Then what? You can develop your full potential and get into the best university!

If you really feel that you can't let go of this knot in your heart, I highly recommend that you go to a reliable psychological counselor as soon as possible, or go to a regular hospital for psychological counseling! I have no doubt you will do better than you did two years ago. Best of luck!

The world and I love you so much!

Hello!

Host:

My name is Zeng Chen, and I'm a heart exploration coach. I've read your post with great interest and have taken note of your questions.

I also want to say that I admire you for being so open and honest about your struggles. It's so brave of you to seek help on this platform. I'm sure that you'll gain a deeper understanding of yourself and be able to make positive changes in your life.

I'm really excited to share my observations and thoughts from the post with you, because I think they'll help you view yourself from a different perspective!

1. Don't worry about labeling yourself!

From the post, it seems the poster suspects he has anxiety/a-16-year-old-high-school-sophomore-do-i-have-adhd-is-it-possible-9734.html" target="_blank">ADHD and feels many of his symptoms fit the description of the disease. It's totally normal to have these doubts! I can understand the poster's emotions at this moment.

Just from my perspective as a bystander, I think we can take our time and not rush to label ourselves.

I'm excited to see how the poster's current mild anxiety has improved! It was observed from the post that the poster was diagnosed with mild anxiety for some reason when he was in the third year of junior high school, but at that time there were no obvious symptoms, so he did not take any medicine.

Why do you ask? Well, anxiety can also make us feel like we're "unable to stop"!

Anxiety is a tough one. It's so hard to face, and it's totally understandable if you don't have the ability to face it yet. But what do we instinctively do at this time?

You may have the thought of "running away" to avoid facing those anxious feelings. So, you need to move! Then, you can temporarily avoid experiencing those anxious feelings.

So, how do you define the difference between the two? I think it's something only a professional can do!

So, the poster can stop rushing to "label" himself. And guess what? We must also know that doubt is just doubt. So, if it is not confirmed, there is no need to rush to label it.

2. Use breathing to relieve your anxiety!

From the post, I can see that the poster was diagnosed with mild anxiety disorder in the third year of junior high school for some reason. It has not been easy for the poster over the years!

You have worked hard and faced these things head-on, and I admire you for it!

At the same time, I'm excited to learn more about how the original poster has dealt with these anxious feelings over the years and how he has coped with them when they come up!

I'm thrilled to share a common psychological exercise for relieving anxiety that research has proven to be very effective!

Guess what? We can use abdominal breathing to our advantage! When we become aware of our anxiety, we can simply interrupt it.

Now for the fun part! Adjust your breathing, slow it down, and breathe in slowly, drawing the air into your abdomen. Hold it for about five seconds.

Now, slowly exhale through your mouth. As you exhale, feel your body and relax it.

Amazing news! Research shows that in just five minutes, your emotions can be greatly relieved. You may not feel a difference at first, but just keep practicing and you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll start to feel the magic!

3. You can absolutely adjust your irrational perceptions!

Guess what! Our emotions are often caused by our cognitive dissonance. For example, anxiety may be caused by some necessary beliefs and ideas about how things must be.

So what we may need to learn at this time is to objectively look at these unreasonable perceptions of our own, and then use our rational thinking to adjust these unreasonable perceptions. And we can do it!

The original poster mentioned in the post that he was diagnosed with mild anxiety disorder in the third year of junior high school for some reason. So if the current state is good enough, or with the help of others, you can review the events at that time and look at things more objectively. This is a great opportunity to take control of your life and make positive changes!

The great news is that although we cannot change what happened in the past, we can absolutely change the way we interpret things!

This can also help us relieve anxiety and adjust our perceptions in a positive way! Different interpretations lead to different attitudes, so let's try a few and see what works for us!

I really think the original poster should give it a try!

4. Absolutely try meditation!

I know the host is reading a book right now, but I really think that if possible, the host should try meditation! Meditation trains our concentration, which is my understanding of meditation.

How do we understand this mindfulness? It's amazing! We can observe our thoughts from a third-party perspective, but we only observe them.

We watch our thoughts come and go, and we're free to let them go!

And the best part is, you'll become more sensitive to your body and thoughts, and you'll become more tolerant of your emotions and thoughts!

I really hope these ideas will be helpful and inspiring for the poster! If you have any questions or feedback, just click to find a coach.

It's so great to see how much attention you're paying to your physical and mental state! From mild anxiety disorder to wondering if you have ADHD, you're really taking the time to understand yourself. I'm going to share some ideas based on the things you've described, so you can take them with you as you go through this journey.

It's totally normal to have some doubts about whether you have ADHD. In fact, it might even be a sign of something called "medical student syndrome."

From what you've said, it seems like you've been dealing with anxiety for a while now. It's totally normal to worry and feel anxious sometimes! Especially when you're facing a lot of pressure at school or work.

It's so great that you've learned about ADHD! Based on the description of symptoms, it seems like you fit the description perfectly.

Apart from actually having ADHD, there are also a few other possibilities I can think of for this state of mind:

1. Our anxious nature is our body's way of telling us that something is not quite right.

It's so important to find that happy medium with anxiety. When we're in the right range, it can help us be more sensitive to the outside world. But if it's too much, it can really throw us off.

2. It's only natural that when we see something we don't quite understand, we tend to believe that we have the relevant characteristics.

Many friends who are studying medicine or psychology may have had this experience: when learning about a new disease or behavior, they often can't help but put themselves in the situation, and the more they look at it, the more it seems like it.

This is something that lots of us do! It's a common phenomenon in our daily lives. So it's possible that the questioner has fallen into the trap of "medical student syndrome".

The second thing to know is that ADHD is a dimensional disorder, not a categorical one.

Dimensional disorder is a fancy term for how ADHD can be a really extreme version of something that all kids and teens go through at some point. It's like there's no big difference between the kids and teens who are just on the cusp of having ADHD and those who don't. Over time, some kids and teens will start to act differently, and their symptoms might move in and out of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) category.

It's always best to get a full picture by combining reports from parents and teachers with information from multiple sources. This way, you can be sure you're getting the most accurate judgment possible.

At the end of the day, assessment isn't the most important thing. What's really key is to go to the hospital and see what's behind those symptoms.

When symptoms affect our school lives, we tend to feel uneasy, and this is a good sign that we should pay attention to our current state of life. The most authoritative answer to whether or not you have ADHD is definitely not in the Q&A section, and you should definitely go to a professional psychiatric hospital for an answer.

The purpose of the visit is to help you understand what's going on and to figure out if ADHD is the reason.

I'm not trying to understand the ins and outs of human nature. I'm a psychologist who cares about the human heart. I really do wish you well!

Hello. You said you suspect you may have ADHD, and after actively comparing your symptoms, you found that you fit the description very well.

ADHD begins in childhood (usually before the age of 12). ADHD refers to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which includes the three core symptoms of attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs early in life and causes significant challenges for patients in their studies and lives.

A comprehensive understanding of your current medical history, personal history, etc., from your parents, your teachers, and yourself is required in order to diagnose ADHD. This understanding must be gained through repeated interviews by a professional psychiatrist.

Current medical history: This includes the clinical manifestations and severity, duration, setting, manifestation and severity of functional impairment, developmental status (e.g. intelligence, language) and diseases (e.g. allergic rhinitis and sleep disorders, mood disorders). It is essential to consider that intellectual disability, language disorder, perceptual disorder, sleep disorder and mood disorder can have symptoms similar to ADHD and can also coexist with ADHD. Therefore, these must be addressed as priorities during the initial medical history interview.

The child's personal history is crucial for diagnosis and differential diagnosis. This includes the child's birth history, growth and development history, family life history, illness history, and family history. A positive family history of ADHD is particularly important for diagnosis. A history of growth retardation, epilepsy, or asthma is also important for differential diagnosis.

Mental disorders cannot be detected through blood tests or scientific instruments like diabetes or hypertension. A clinical diagnosis must therefore be confirmed through repeated interviews, observations, and collection of information from all parties.

The following are the diagnostic criteria for DSM-5 ADHD. A diagnosis of ADHD requires that all of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria A, B, C, D, and E be met.

A persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development is present. This pattern includes symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity (6 or more items each) that have been present for at least 6 months and are not commensurate with the individual's developmental level. These symptoms negatively affect social and academic/occupational activities directly.

B. Some symptoms of attention deficit or hyperactivity-impulsivity have been present before the age of 12.

▎C: Symptoms of attention deficit or hyperactivity-impulsivity must be present in two or more contexts (e.g., at home, at school or at work; in interactions with friends or relatives; in other activities).

▎D: There is indisputable evidence that these symptoms interfere with or reduce the quality of social, academic, or occupational functioning.

E: These symptoms cannot occur solely during the course of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, nor can they be better explained by other mental disorders (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, substance intoxication or withdrawal).

You say that inattentiveness only started at age 15, but you have a good memory for schoolwork and are forgetful in other aspects of life. You also don't say that you are suffering or that it is troubling you. I suspect that there may be some other anxiety disorder, which is not necessarily equivalent to ADHD.