Episode 10
ADHD Symptoms Explained by a Psychiatrist | What You're Actually Missing
What a thorough ADHD evaluation includes, which conditions imitate ADHD, and why so many adults were never assessed as children.
Episode summary
Dr. Martinez outlines what a real adult ADHD assessment covers: developmental history, school records or collateral report, current functional impairment across settings, and a careful review of sleep, mood, anxiety, substances, and trauma.
He explains the imitators — insufficient sleep, depression, anxiety, thyroid disease, and unmanaged stress — and why a single online questionnaire cannot separate them.
The episode ends with treatment as a package: medication when indicated, plus structure, external memory systems, and sleep repair, all of which decide whether the medication actually helps.
This is an edited written summary of the conversation, not a verbatim transcript.
Highlighted notes
- Lifelong pattern
- Adult ADHD is not new-onset; the history has to reach back to childhood.
- Common misses
- Girls and quiet, inattentive students were often never referred.
- Rule out first
- Sleep deprivation and depression imitate ADHD convincingly.
Key takeaways
- Bring collateral information — old report cards, a parent, or a partner's observations.
- Expect the evaluation to look at sleep and mood before concluding anything.
- Medication works better alongside structure and consistent sleep.
Related care and reading
Pages on this site that cover the same topic as this episode.
- Psychiatrist in Lombard, IL
In-person and telepsychiatry evaluations for adults and adolescents in DuPage County.
- Frequently asked questions about evaluations
What an adult ADHD assessment includes and what it rules out.
- Request an adult ADHD evaluation
Contact the practice to ask about availability and insurance.
- Books by Dr. Daniel B. Martinez
What She Told Me and Going Back to Mexico, written for families.
- Adult ADHD and why it gets missed
The history, collateral information, and imitators a proper evaluation covers.
- What to expect at a psychiatric evaluation
A step-by-step walkthrough of the first appointment.
Want care, not just information?
This episode is educational and is not medical advice. For an evaluation, see psychiatric care in Lombard, IL or contact the practice. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.