Everyone has trouble focusing once in a while. Regular issues with concentrating can signal a mental health condition, such as ADHD, anxiety, or depression.
Having trouble concentrating may mean you’re less able to make decisions, meet your goals, and remember important information. If it happens regularly, this can have a real impact on your schoolwork, professional life, and personal life.
Difficulty concentrating is one of the most common symptoms in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR), especially in conditions that affect your mood and anxiety levels.
There are many ways to improve your concentration. For some people, this means making more time for sleep and self-care. Depending on the cause, some may benefit from mental health treatments, such as therapy or medication.
1. ADHD
Photography by Luis Velasco/Stocksy United
Having trouble concentrating is one of the main symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most common mental health conditions. ADHD can affect adults and children but is more often identified in children.
People with the inattentive type of ADHD have difficulty paying attention, concentrating, and following instructions. Those with the hyperactive type are overly active and impulsive, finding it hard to sit still. Both forms can get in the way of your ability to concentrate.
Other symptoms of ADHD include:
being easily distracted
being unable to complete tasks
interrupting conversations
difficulty thinking clearly
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is an outdated term for ADHD. The change happened in 2013 with the release of the DSM-5.
Treatments for ADHD
Treatment for ADHD includes lifestyle strategies, therapy, and medication.
Lifestyle strategies that can help you manage symptoms of ADHD are:
Along with lifestyle factors and therapy, they may also prescribe medication to relieve your symptoms, which often helps improve your concentration. ADHD medications are classed as stimulants and nonstimulants.
If you need help covering the cost of medications, Optum Perks free Discount Card could help you save up to 80% off prescription drugs. Follow the links on drug names to see how much you may be able to save on that medication or search for a specific drug here.
100% online care
Treatment plans in 15 minutes or less for 40+ conditions.
Difficulty focusing and thinking clearly is a common symptom of mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders. This is sometimes called brain fog.
A 2017 study found that 90% of people with generalized anxiety disorder experienced trouble focusing. They tended to have more trouble concentrating when their worry levels were high.
Other symptoms of anxiety include:
fatigue
feeling restless or nervous
irritability
sleep problems
Treatments for anxiety
If you live with anxiety, receiving treatment that helps you manage your anxiety may also improve your concentration.
Treatments for anxiety include:
Therapy: Psychotherapy like CBT for anxiety can help you recognize thought patterns. It can help you learn coping methods to disrupt these patterns and relieve symptoms of anxiety.
Lifestyle strategies: Regular exercise, meditation, and journaling can help relieve anxiety.
Medication: Common anxiety medications include beta-blockers, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
3. Depression
Along with low mood, fatigue, and appetite changes, depression often affects your cognitive (thinking) abilities.
A 2022 study found that depression can affect some components of attention, and a 2019 study found that people with depression had increased distractibility.
Other symptoms of depression include:
feeling of hopelessness
loss of interest in activities you usually enjoy
changes in appetite and weight
fatigue
Treatments for depression
Like anxiety treatments, therapies like CBT and lifestyle strategies can help you manage symptoms of depression.
Medications to treat depression symptoms are known as antidepressants, which:
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
Stress can affect your attention and ability to concentrate.
A 2016 study found that chronic stress affects learning and memory among students. And a 2020 study found that people with chronic stress were slower to complete tasks that required focus than people without stress.
Symptoms of chronic stress, in addition to difficulty focusing, include:
If you’re experiencing stress and difficulty concentrating, lifestyle strategies can help you manage your symptoms. These include:
sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day
practicing self-care, which includes exercising, eating a balanced diet, and practicing relaxation techniques
reducing your consumption of caffeine and alcohol
If stress is part of an underlying condition, such as anxiety and depression, your doctor may prescribe medication. Be sure to talk with your doctor about your symptoms to find the best treatment option.
Other causes
Trouble concentrating is also a sign of other conditions, such as:
Treatment and management of symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating, will depend on each condition. Talk with your doctor to identify a diagnosis and find the best course of treatment.
When to talk with a doctor
If you’re worried about a recent change in your concentration levels or you have long lasting trouble focusing, consider talking with a healthcare professional or a therapist.
Seek medical attention if you have trouble focusing along with:
severe fatigue
problems with memory
chest pain and headache
speech problems
Tips to improve focus
There are many things you can do to improve your focus, such as:
We all experience trouble focusing once in a while. But when this is consistent and frequent, it may be a symptom of a health condition, such as depression and ADHD.
There are ways to improve your ability to concentrate, from lifestyle strategies like getting more sleep and exercise to therapy or medications for underlying conditions. It may help to talk with a doctor about the best treatment options for you.
Hallon LS, et al. (2017). Difficulty concentrating in generalized anxiety disorder: An evaluation of incremental utility and relationship to worry. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5748347/
Liu Q, et al. (2020). Impact of chronic stress on attention control: Evidence from behavioral and event-related potential analyses. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7674527/
