How To Know If You Have ADHD 

When the teacher says “pay attention this is important” and you’re so focused on focusing that you don’t know wtf she just said.

Lesson learned: ADHD can mess up a life as much as it can make life interesting.

I watched this video and was like 'that sounds like me', told my mom and she told me I was diagnosed with ADD. She just never told me. Thanks Ryan.

I could remember several years ago, I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Was actually diagnosed with ADHD. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

Me: **silently checks off everything** also me: nah im probably over-exaggerating..

me, someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD: oh wow maybe i have ADHD

Totally normal for people to relate to some of these from time to time. An ADHD person experiences most of these on a daily basis without fail. This video is upbeat but living with ADHD isn't a walk in the park but with a few quirky differences. when your brain bombards you with 100 thoughts at once, all day, all night... and it's like that every single day, it becomes extremely stressful and leads to pretty bad anxiety as well. My brain doesn't shut off, ever. It plays a role in everything, I'm 30 years old and my whole life I tried to pretend I didn't need help... and that I could do this all on my own, well here I am finally seeking help. This video was awesome btw I don't know how im barely seeing this now. I use to watch Ryan every day.

I'm not diagnosed or ever thought of the possibility of have ADHD but after watch that video I realize how much I can relate

we're not forgetful, we're just distractful.

We're in the comments because we aren't paying attention

This video really was so far ahead of its time compared to the awareness of adhd that we have now. I love this, thank you for being a part of my childhood I can revisit.

I love the fast speaking. Keeps me focused on what he's telling and I have the same style. Friends often complain about it. Got finally diagnosed with adhd Dec 2nd ✌🏼and for me it's not the butterflies (at least not that often) but dogs and different vehicles (for my sons) outside 😅

I remember watching this video and thinking, "oh aren't all people like this?" only to get diagnosed years later lol

Me: Trying to convince myself I don’t have ADHD. Also me: being freaked out at how many things he said that were so specific but true.

wow.. years ago my brothers and I watched this because we watched alllllll your videos, and adored them. 10 years later I think it's because your humor and style was just so captivating and relatable to the way we all think... when you started freeztyling at the end there.. too real. I feel fortunate to have a similar brain configuration to yours!! ☺️ a very specific, extraordinary way of processing the world, despite all the logistical struggles of living in this world

Instant subscribe. The talking speed was smooth as butter, very pleasant to listen to and that's a big deal for me. So much relatability here! I would love tips on managing untreated adhd. I'm currently fighting it and all of its chaotic consequences

i can’t be the only one who sits down and talks to themself like “okay i’m going to get all of my homework done for once” and the second they read the first sentence it reminds of them of something on youtube and before you realize it your watching indians build temples at 3am

Do y’all ever start working on something and 90% of the “working” time you’re giving yourself a tour throughout the house, getting snacks, and going on your phone?

as you said "ppl with adhd never sit still, they are usually shaking they're leg, playing with something in their hands, nodding their head to music that isnt there.." etc, i was doing almost all of those. and yes i have been diagnosed iwth adhd

I remember watching this and relating to everything. I always felt like I understood exactly what you meant whenever you talked about your ADHD. I just got diagnosed and I start my medication soon, so I wonder how different my thought process will be.

me: *Has all these symptoms* also me: “Nah, I’m just overeacting”

“You work better when your under pressure” Me: *does homework 10 minutes before class* I have no idea what your talking about

I got this video recommend to me on RU-vid again and it hurts to see that this video is 8 years old now :( Ryan literally raised me from his videos and it’s so sad that I won’t ever be able to watch a video like this ever again

Not diagnosed with any mental issues, but this was highly relatable. Especially the restless legs, smiling, procrastination, over concentration on certain things and forgetting to do what I'm told to do.

"you are either rapidly shaking your leg bla bla.." Me: *stops bouncing my leg*

When you realize you do every single thing he said:

I feel so called out (i love this, i relate to all of it) I literally thought i was the only one who had the face problem, i'm not alone!

This had me cracking up with recognition! I have never been officially diagnosed with ADHD, but the thought process I have. match what you described!

When you finish doing something in your room, and then realize that's not why you came into your room.

nobody: Me: diagnosed with ADHD my family: No, you are just dumb

I relate to all of these examples and I can still concentrate well when I want to. These things happen to me everyday when something isn't really important so it's not a big deal if I don't do it right away or if I miss it. I consider myself more of a dreamer rather than having attention trouble.

Best list and depictions of ADHD I’ve seen. Especially the train of thought. My daughter loves when I describe how I got to the other end of our conversations. That’s what it looks like.

When you can relate to everything but you’re too afraid to tell someone because it will be really awkward when it turns out you don’t have adhd ._____.

NOT EVEN LYING I WAS WATCHING THE VID AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I STARTED MAKING UP FAKE SCENARIOS IN MY HEAD AND MISSED A MINUTE OF THE VIDEO

Omg watching this video and trying to keep up with u made me anxious. I have ADHD and i can relate with some of the stuff you're saying . Its really hard to control our brain and think about one thing only . Cheers bro

Oh my gosh this video just popped up in my feed probably because I've been watching a lot of ADHD videos lately. Bro you look soo young here LOL This video takes me way back to my early RU-vid days. Miss those days. Simpler times!

I actually thought the video title was, “How to know if you have AIDS”.

You have ADHD when u scroll through the comments while watching the video and u forget what he said then u have to rewatch but then u get to focused on the recommended videos down below and end up clicking those instead of rewatching the vid...

This is so hilarious and 100% accurate! I don't really remember being diagnosed with ADHD because I was really young. The things you describe in this video are pretty much my every day life.

Oh my god....I was only diagnosed about a year ago and I'm nearly 50 and this has been me my whole life. He so perfectly describes exactly what has been going on in my head for ever. And, I love how fast he talks, I am always told to slow down, don't speak so fast. I heard someone respond when told to slow down, why don't you keep up? That's how I've always felt. Unfortunately, I got diagnosed because I have been having SO much trouble with my career, which is possibly failing the PhD I started before I realised I was ridiculously bad at project managing a 'giant' idea into a really tiny focused piece and not realising about the every thought leading to another would be a bad thing - worked great all the way up to no at Uni and in life, but anyhoo...It is just really frustrating bc it feels like I'm failing and I so know all about the subject and its brilliant but I just can't figure out all the little boring bits that I needed to do, but nobody told me and there was no way that I'd figure it out, and there is nobody who can really help me at the university, so I am doing a paper equal to about 6 months work in a few weeks - which is great, because I need the pressure but I just feel rather isolated because Im sure from their perspective it would be completely frustrating working with me just as its completely frustrating getting given pretty straight forward instructions, and at the time when they give them to me I think, yeah thats simple I can do that but then when I begin the work myself, I get completely confused and over-complicate it and am always behind because of being too embarassed to ask for help for what feels like ALL THE TIME!!!! Phew, didn't mean to write that much, thanks for the confessional

I don't have ADHD but i thought these were normal to others and myself

i remember the post that said something like "either people with adhd need to stop being so relatable or i need to go to the doctor" and honestly that's just my life right there lol

This was one of the videos that made me ask for an ADHD analysis a few years back. Just got diagnosed a week ago, thanks rayan

Your rapid fire presentation is awesome. I really liked the talking to someone and figuring out which eye to pick! ALSO I can NEVER remember if I washed my hair in the shower or not. Seriously. It happens at least every 10 days. One thing as an ADHD person, I never take long to figure out what to order. In fact, I take up everything and everyone in my environment, the elast thing I spend time on is what to order. It's so easy. With ADHD, you see the entire menu in a snap, and instantly know what you're getting. I even let everyone else order then make my decision after a few seconds glance at the menu. Of course I'll make it difficult with a special request like a lime, or extra sauce etc.

"i still got my A's and B's, and i also cheated a lot" omfg 100% relatable

Me relating to everything but still not sure if I have ADHD: 👁👄👁 Edit: Turns out i do have adhd, just got diagnosed with it 😶

i still remember that one time i had a camp at middle school... MIDDLE SCHOOL! not some kid elementary school. like some sort of club camp... and we're doing some ice breaking game time or some shit. The game is someone in charge will say a simple line to all of the line group leaders AT THE SAME TIME IN A CIRCLE. and every groups leads (like the most front person) will go back to their own line of people have to pass "that simple line" to the second person through whispering. Then the fastest group to pass that line till the end wins. (the last person in that particular line will need to say it to the person in charge to win) I was literally the front most person at my group line so I had to go with the other groups' front most people to that "person in charge" to hear to line. I was too focus on focusing the line that I literally forgot what he says like 2 seconds later when I had to go back and pass it down to the other guy. ITS JUST A SIMPLE LINE (something like "after this game we'll go back to the classroom" or some shit) AND I CAN'T FKIN DO IT OMFG I WAS SO FKIN EMBARRASSED AND thank god that "person" told me again jesus.... THAT MOMENT WAS SO EMBARRASSING THAT I STILL REMEMBERED IT VIVIDLY UNTIL NOW... AND THAT WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.... LIKE A BIG BOY NOT SOME SMOL BOY JESUS I WANNA DIE AT THAT TIME FML

as a person with adhd, I really appreciate how fast you talk -- this is one of the few videos I don't have to watch on 1.25 or higher speed in order to be able to pay attention.

Fun Fact: He's very accurate in most of his wording. (Totally not from someone with ADHD)

People with adhd watching and realizing that they do all this stuff subconsciously and now they can’t stop concentrating on it 😂

How is all of this me? I was diagnosed in first grade, and everything in this video happens to me on a daily basis. I laughed out loud throughout that whole "free-style" rant, too. I'm constantly thinking about everything and everything 24/7. I really appreciate when people create these videos because it gives people who don't have ADHD a perspective on how we live.

Okay.. I'm Not Sure In This Situation.... I'm Always Fiddling With Something Or Like Wiggling My Leg. I Can't Stand Still For Long. I Always Do Something When I'm On The Phone Or Texting, And I Always Write Down What Other People Are Saying. I Work Best Under Pressure And I Always Have Infinite Thoughts From Just One Thought. So Do I Have It Or Not?

remember everybody: ADHD is a spectrum. everybody's experience with ADHD is different and no one is exactly the same. so if you can relate to some of these, but not all, it is still advisable to see a doctor, just to be sure. 😊

"You work best when you're under pressure" sounds like me😂😂

I watched this when I was 14 and the video first came out. Didn't know what ADHD was at the time and thought "hahaha another funny AND relatable Ryan Higa video". Now I'm 23 and down in the pits, losing my goddamn mind trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me and found this video again, and has really summed up my existence for me.

I always thought that there's something wrong with me cos I used to score great in exams, people knew me at school for my grades and all of it was amazing till it wasn't anymore. Age 12 is when things started to change and my grades started to suffer, people thought I'm becoming lazy and lost interest in studies. Teachers started to hurt me with their comments, telling me that I should study properly. I even took my own life cos I felt like I'm a failure in life. I can't do anything and everyone else is better than me. I remember, scoring bad grades and still trying to study while constantly getting distracted by things around me. I don't know, m still trying and I hope people treat everyone with kindness cos everyone has their own theory❤

I relate to everything here but I fon't know if I have ADHD or not. Edit:nvm I was at a therapist and got diagnosed with autism.

Is it just me or have y’all ever just zoned in and out of class on a daily and you are trying your harder to stay focus but you keep zoning out

There are some traits of ADHD that can be very positive but it just depends to what degree they impair the other aspects of your life. Like procrastination can be a really bad one if it isn't kept under control. Or lack of focus can make it difficult to get all your basic tasks done within a reasonable period of time or maintain a job. But definitely under the right conditions creativity, fast-thinking and spontaneity can be awesome traits that lead to some great outcomes.

Watched this as a kid not knowing what ADHD was and here I am now - diagnosed with ADHD myself Feel like a chosen disciple ngl lol

Anyone else goes to do homework ,for example, and ends up having a whole conversation with themselves and forgets to do homework till they procrastinate to do something else and end up remembering about it?

You just made a bunch of people who don’t have ADHD, think they have ADHD

I was diagnosed with Autism, but I also definitely have ADD/ADHD but wasn't diagnosed with it, everything you listed was very relatable. Looking at what my teachers said, they would say that I was a good student, but has problems with listening, focusing and paying attention in class and was very disorganized.

Lmfaooo I don't appreciate being called out like this 😂... In all seriousness, he just retold my life. I just got diagnosed with ADHD at 22, and I've been feeling uneasy about said diagnosis... But, as I am watching ADHD RU-vid, i am seeing so many similarities between my experience and this... Btw, the "ruminations" that Nigahiga did, did actually distract me leading to this comment being started way before the video was finished 😂

My brother and I watched this 6 years ago and joked about how I do all of these things.... I got diagnosed with ADHD nine months ago. I wish I didn't wait until I was in my 20s to get the help I needed. I should've listened to Ryan sooner lol

Me:relating to every single symptom in most of these videos Also me:nah I don't wanna self diagnose and can't go to a professional

I remember watching this when I was younger, I couldn't relate to it and now as an adult this is the most relatable thing ever

3:36 It’s amazing hearing someone understand how wild my brain goes!! You’ve perfectly described me in this video

That moment when you’ve lost focus in class and then you remember a funny joke and randomly burst out laughing happens a lot when you have ADHD or ADD

being in group discussions over zoom is so mentally draining because most of the time the people in my group think that im not participating, but the problem is that what they are contributing is distracting me from what i wanted to say. by the time we have to go back to the main group, i havent said anything because i couldnt find a spot to fit in my idea or i forgot my idea due to the other people sharing. edit: pls do not self-diagnose if you can relate to my comment !! this can happen to people without adhd also!! this is not a specifically adhd trait! i just wanted to share my experience!

Finally got diagnosed this year. Saw this video back when it came out and thought it was all too familiar haha

I miss Ryan's vids so much I''ve been watching his vids these last couple days. It's now the 66th(ish) video.

When you have adhd and anxiety it's like one anxious thought leads to another anxious thought and before you realise it, you're now freaking out about walking past people laughing because you think they're laughing at you and then you freak out about looking funny, and then about being ugly, and about them talking about you , and and and etc..

The one thing that people ALWAYS forget is : Hyper-focus. It's when all the distraction lining up into one straight line and you can't be distracted by anything else. When all the random thoughts are supporting each other. Usually when some thing is super interesting that an ADHD mind will focus in only that one thing and the thousand aspects surrounding that interesting thing

I just got diagnosed with ADHD and seeing this video again feels different, thanks Ryan! 😂 Take care, everyone!

i`m actually glad this is short `cause a lot of people always make things like this long

When you can't concentrate in what the teacher is trying to say for 5 minutes but you can stay 9 hours straight playing videogames and watching stuff youtube reccomends you.

most annoying thing about ADHD is when you start talking to a friend about the weather, but then you have to stop to backtrack to find out how you got onto the subject of nuclear fission.

Yes!!! Totally relate to these especially the eyes example! Or if they have one pupil larger than the other… or don’t get me started on if one eye is lazy… my thoughts are like “where are they looking? Am I looking at the right eye? Can they see the whole room at once? Oh wait they just asked me a question… I’ll go with … erm yes?” Thanks for sharing! I’m actually going to enquire with my G.P for an official diagnosis. So this vid is helpful for me.

Rewatching it in 2024 and missing Ryan's videos so much!!! 🥲🥲🥲

It’s amazing how I can forget something so fast but remember that one small thing that happened a thousand years ago

Anyone else while thinking of too many things at ones just randomly forget about what you were thinking and you are just like ‘wait wtf was I thinking about’ and tries to remember the first thought that started this whole train of thought but get distracted again by thoughts while doing that... and you are now just confused and frustrated??

I’ve never felt happier than now that I hear somebody speak my brain out 😃

I Appreciate the fast talk.... ALMOST lost me on the intro 😂 Good one.

other (lesser known) symptoms of ADHD that i have, and maybe you do too: - hyperfocus: basically the opposite of the cliche “ooh butterfly”, where for an amount of time, usually between matter of hours to a couple days, you’re super focused on one thing, almost to the point of not being able to stop, even to the point (in severe cases), not eating or sleeping for days at a time solely because you couldn’t tear your focus away from doing one thing for even a short period of time. - self medication: some people that don’t take prescribed medication for their adhd are able to self medicate with caffeine, like coffee or energy drinks (yellow redbull is my favorite). It gives roughly the same effect as taking meds, i.e., less fidgeting and better focus. - can’t learn things from videos: i’m not sure why this happens, but if a lecture is uploaded in a video form, it’s a billion times harder to learn and take notes, even with the ability to rewind. - adhd depression: where it feels like there’s nothing to do, nothing sounds fun or appealing. you don’t want to read, watch youtube or netflix, exercise, etc, so life just feels bleak and boring and you usually just end up sleeping a lot, because although it’s boring, at least its something to do. i hope you got some education, or further understanding of the enigma that is ADHD, and i hope you have an amazing day!

"To you, there's no such thing as sitting still. You don't realize it until someone tells you to stop," only at that moment noticed then I was bouncing my knee and itching my head, caught me off guard bad lmao

I got A's and B's through school until I hit college, ADHD is fucking hysterical in the way that it makes you fail when it matters most. I'm also a recovering alcoholic, and I have destroyed three relationships because of how focused I am on random topics that just so happen to interest me.

We all miss Raynhiga’s old skit funny videos. We wish he would make them again. 😊^-^

DEAR EVERYONE WHO ARE CONCERNED THAT THEY MAY HAVE ADHD BUT ARE BEING DISCOURAGED BY COMMENTS SAYIJG HOW THEY HATE SELF DIAGNOSERS, DONT LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU FROM FINDING A REAL DOCTOR AND SEEING FOR YOURSELF!!!

I always called my thinking “chain thinking” because one thought leads to another which leads to another which leads to another, maybe I do have adhd

When I first saw this I was around 12 or 13 years old. The thought of being ADHD was always in the back of my mind but by that point I knew what self diagnosis was and I didn’t want to do that. I wish I had gone with my gut feeling and developed some better coping mechanisms because I was just diagnosed today at 20 and I feel like I could have treated myself better if I knew. I used to be able to do that word association thing and go backtrack it to the origin before I even saw this video, but I can’t anymore, my brain is too clouded. Don’t wait, if you suspect you have it try and find a way to get diagnosed. If you don’t have it, that’s some wasted money, but you might waste much of your life hating a part of you that isn’t bad, just misunderstood

I was diagnosed as a kid and this is probably the most accurate video I’ve watched about it

Alright I'm pretty much convinced I at least have mild ADHD, the example of not smiling in a group setting is so relatable, I constantly get told I look so emotionless or sad but it's because I'm constantly thinking of other stuff.

When you're typing in your password and you screw up and you correct it but you're still not sure if it's right or not so you type it in again. Anyone else suffer this?

That was amazing your a legend! 🔥🔥🔥🧠🧠

Idk but this videos just makes completely sense to me and he's speaking fast and I like it. I'm not diagnosed yet.

ADHD things: (don’t self diagnose from these or convince yourself that you do them because self diagnosed looking for an excuse are so annoying but if yup genuinely do relate to these maybe get checked out) Finding a lump, bump or pimple and picking at it without realising and forgetting not to, making the pain or problem worse Replying to conversations and then asking what you just replied to (lack of focus) Constantly moving, even if it’s small movements like moving your teeth or fingers because you’ve had to mask it to fit in Getting random ass waves of anger, sadness or full on crackhead Getting really into things (like TV shows or bands) really intensely, but getting sick of it pretty quick Good at doing things fast (like typing, talking, running) Gets distracted very easily Has lots of tabs open on laptop Cannot stay focused on one subject during study Constantly has a million thoughts at once Zones out all the time Good reaction time Forgets what they are doing while they are doing it Can remember lots of people's names but randomly forgets the people close to them sometimes When you're taking notes and then a random thought pops up so now you've accidentally written that thought instead of what you're trying to copy Like if you can relate and comment any others so I can add them

idk if it’s just me, but when he started talking fast i just listened without thinking abt the things he was saying.

Maybe that's why I love Ryan's videos cause all his nonsense makes sense

this is word by word exactly what goes arround in my head