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Are you an active member of a new-parent support group?
Missing a night of sleep impacts the prefrontal lobes in the same way ADHD does, says Nadeau. It can make you feel distracted, forgetful and jittery—but not so out of it that you forget your Sunday-afternoon gripe sessions.
Why it might not be ADHD: While you may be able to find solace in the misery of other similarly overwhelmed caregivers, the new parent with ADHD probably can't even make it to the meetings. A major life change with new responsibilities—like taking care of a baby, an elderly parent or an injured spouse—also has the effect of bringing ADHD to the forefront. For those people, that double whammy is especially challenging.
