ADHD Masking: What It Is, the Signs, and the Cost of Hiding Your Symptoms

Short answer: ADHD masking means hiding the signs of ADHD, or working hard to make up for them, so you seem to fit in. It isn’t an official ADHD symptom or diagnosis,¹ but it seems to be common: in a survey cited by an Australian Senate inquiry, 86% of more than 570 respondents said they had tried to mask or hide their ADHD at school or work.² Girls and women with ADHD often learn to mask and often go unrecognised,³² and in one large survey, people who masked more reported lower quality of life.⁴

What is ADHD masking?

Masking, sometimes called camouflaging or compensating, means hiding ADHD traits or working around them so other people don’t notice. An expert consensus statement on girls and women with ADHD notes that girls often mask their difficulties with compensatory behaviours.³ In everyday life, that might mean building rigid systems to stay on top of things, putting in extra hours to keep up, or carefully copying how other people behave.

Masking isn’t on the official list of ADHD symptoms,¹ and it isn’t a diagnosis. It’s a way of coping with symptoms, and it can become so automatic that it doesn’t feel like masking at all — just how you get through the day.

Everyone adapts to their surroundings to some extent. Masking becomes a problem when it takes constant effort, leaves you exhausted, or hides difficulties you need help with.

How common is ADHD masking?

Both of the studies below are surveys, so they rely on people’s own reports, but they suggest masking is widespread:

• Australian Senate inquiry: a survey of more than 570 people, cited in the inquiry’s 2023 report on ADHD assessment and support, found 86% had tried to mask or hide their ADHD at school or work to fit in.²
• Norway: in a 2025 survey of 1,056 adults aged 18–35 with ADHD, autism or both, 83% reported a high level of masking at school or work, 57% with family and 21% around other neurodivergent people.⁴

So masking tends to depend on where you are and who you’re with. Keep in mind that 79% of the Norwegian participants were women and about a quarter had autism, with or without ADHD,⁴ so the results may not apply to everyone with ADHD.

Signs you might be masking

Masking looks different for everyone, and none of these signs on its own means you have ADHD. But you might recognise some of them:

• over-preparing for meetings, appointments or social plans, or rehearsing conversations in your head
• copying how other people talk, dress or act so you don’t stand out
• checking and re-checking emails, work or your bag so you don’t slip up
• hiding fidgeting or other stimming, such as keeping a jiggling foot out of sight
• staying back late or working weekends to keep up with what others seem to manage in normal hours
• holding back in conversations so you don’t interrupt or talk too much
• making a joke or an excuse before anyone notices you’re late or have forgotten something
• feeling wiped out after socialising or a day at work, even when it went well
• people being surprised when you tell them you’re struggling

What matters is how often you do these things, how much effort they take and what they cost you. If you’ve achieved a lot this way but still feel like a fraud, see ADHD and imposter syndrome.

ADHD masking in women and girls

Masking is often described in girls and women with ADHD. The expert consensus statement notes that girls with ADHD often go unrecognised, and are more likely to be diagnosed first with an internalising condition (such as anxiety or depression) or a personality disorder, which delays the ADHD diagnosis.³ A 2022 review similarly found that ADHD in girls and women is under-identified, with inattentive symptoms tending to predominate.⁵ Quieter symptoms such as drifting off or disorganisation can be easy to overlook, especially in someone working hard to hide them.

In Australia, the Senate inquiry heard that girls and women are commonly misdiagnosed with other mental health conditions first, and often learn to mask their symptoms.² Diagnosis may also come later: in a large Swedish register study, females were about four years older than males at their first ADHD diagnosis (23.5 vs 19.6 years).⁶

Masking isn’t limited to women, though. Anyone with ADHD can mask. For more, see undiagnosed ADHD in women.

The cost of masking

Masking can get you through a job interview or a busy week, but keeping it up day after day takes energy.

In the Norwegian survey, people who masked more, whether at school or work, with family or around other neurodivergent people, reported lower quality of life.⁴ A survey like this shows a link, not cause and effect: people who are struggling more may also mask more.

Living with ADHD that hasn’t been recognised can take a toll too. A systematic review of research on women diagnosed with ADHD as adults found recurring themes of impacts on social and emotional wellbeing, difficult relationships and a sense of lack of control, as well as self-acceptance after diagnosis.⁷ People with ADHD may also experience low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and chronic stress.⁸

If you’re feeling exhausted, flat or burnt out, talk to your GP, because these feelings can have more than one cause. ADHD burnout vs depression explains how the two can differ.

Unmasking safely

Unmasking doesn’t mean dropping every strategy you’ve built, or telling everyone you have ADHD. It means choosing where you can ease off, and keeping the strategies that genuinely help.

• Start with people you trust. Try being more open with a partner, a close friend or other people with ADHD, where it feels safe.
• Sort helpful strategies from draining ones. Phone reminders and a shared calendar may be worth keeping. Hours of re-checking, or forcing yourself to sit perfectly still, may not be.
• Let yourself move. If keeping still takes all your concentration, a fidget item, standing up or short walking breaks might help.
• Decide what to share at work. You don’t have to tell your employer about your ADHD. If you do, adjustments might include written instructions, a quieter workspace or flexible hours. Under Australian law, if an adjustment could help an employee with disability, the employer must make it unless it would cause unjustifiable hardship.⁹ To see how this can apply to ADHD, read is ADHD a disability in Australia?
• Get support. A psychologist can help you work out which habits to keep and which to let go. The Australian ADHD Guideline recommends that CBT be offered to adults with ADHD.¹⁰

Masking and getting an ADHD assessment

Masking can make ADHD harder to spot, for doctors as well as for you. Submitters to the Senate inquiry said ADHD assessment tools don’t account for masking strategies.² The Australian ADHD Guideline also warns that a co-occurring condition can lead to ADHD being missed, or the other condition being missed when ADHD symptoms are present.¹¹

If you’re seeking an assessment:

• Describe the effort, not just the result. Tell the doctor what it costs you to appear “fine” — the extra hours, the checking, the exhaustion afterwards — not just how things look from the outside.
• Think back to childhood. An adult ADHD diagnosis needs evidence that symptoms began in childhood,¹² so school reports and people who knew you as a child can help, especially if you hid your difficulties well.
• Mention other diagnoses. Tell the doctor about any past diagnoses, such as anxiety or depression, and how treatment went.

If masking is wearing you down, or you suspect your ADHD has been missed, talk to your GP. See how to get an ADHD assessment in Australia for what’s involved.

Getting support

You don’t need a diagnosis to ask for help, and your GP is a good place to start. For 24-hour support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. If you or someone else is in crisis and needs help now, call 000.¹³

Frequently asked questions

What is ADHD masking?

It’s when you hide the signs of ADHD, or work extra hard to make up for them, so that you blend in. Masking isn’t an official symptom or a diagnosis, but surveys suggest many people with ADHD do it, especially at school or work.

What are the signs of ADHD masking?

Examples include over-preparing, rehearsing conversations, copying other people, constantly double-checking, hiding fidgeting, working late to keep up and feeling drained after socialising. These signs alone can’t tell you whether you have ADHD.

Why is ADHD masking often linked to women?

Girls and women with ADHD often learn to mask, and their ADHD is often missed, diagnosed as something else first, or diagnosed later. But anyone with ADHD can mask.

Can masking hide ADHD from doctors?

It can make ADHD harder to recognise. Submitters to an Australian Senate inquiry said assessment tools don’t account for masking, so tell your doctor how much effort it takes you to seem “fine”.

Is masking bad for you?

Some adapting to your surroundings is normal. But in a Norwegian survey of young adults with ADHD or autism, people who masked more reported lower quality of life, although a study like that can’t prove masking was the cause.

How do you stop masking ADHD?

Start small, with people you trust and in places where it feels safe. Keep the strategies that genuinely help, let go of the ones that drain you, and remember you don’t have to tell everyone about your ADHD.

Next steps

Read ADHD in women and ADHD at work, or start with the free ADHD self-assessment.

This article is general information only and is not medical advice. Only a qualified health professional can diagnose ADHD. ADHD GP is a private telehealth clinic staffed by AHPRA-registered Australian GPs.

Book your ADHD assessment

References

1. American Psychiatric Association. What is ADHD?. 2025. www.psychiatry.org — ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children; symptoms must be present before age 12; an estimated 8.4% of children and 2.5% of adults have ADHD; listed symptoms include fidgeting, feeling restless (in adults), talking too much and forgetting daily tasks.
2. Parliament of Australia — Senate Community Affairs References Committee. Assessment and support services for people with ADHD — Chapter 3: barriers to assessment and diagnosis. 2023. www.aph.gov.au — Almost all adult ADHD assessment and diagnosis in Australia is done through the private sector, and cost is a barrier to diagnosis. The committee heard that gender bias has led to under- and misdiagnosis of ADHD in girls and women, who are commonly misdiagnosed with other mental health conditions first and often learn to mask their symptoms; a survey cited by the committee found 86% of more than 570 respondents had tried to mask or hide their ADHD at school or work.
3. Young S, Adamo N, Ásgeirsdóttir BB, et al. Females with ADHD: An expert consensus statement taking a lifespan approach providing guidance for the identification and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in girls and women. BMC Psychiatry. 2020; 20:404. PubMed PMID 32787804 — Expert consensus: the gap between males and females diagnosed with ADHD is due at least in part to lack of recognition and referral bias in females; many girls with ADHD are likely to remain unidentified and untreated, often mask with compensatory behaviours, and are more likely to first be diagnosed with an internalising or personality disorder, delaying the ADHD diagnosis.
4. Wurth P, Fuermaier ABM, Strand AH, et al. Diagnosis acceptance, masking, and perceived benefits and challenges in adults with ADHD and ASD: associations with quality of life. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2025. PubMed PMID 41169493 — Survey of 1,056 Norwegian adults aged 18–35 with ADHD and/or autism: 83% reported high masking at school or work, 57% with family, 21% with neurodivergent peers; more masking, lower quality of life.
5. Hinshaw SP, Nguyen PT, O’Grady SM, Rosenthal EA. Annual Research Review: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in girls and women: underrepresentation, longitudinal processes, and key directions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2022. PubMed PMID 34231220 — Review of presentation, under-identification and outcomes of ADHD in girls and women, including the predominance of inattentive symptoms.
6. Skoglund C, Sundström Poromaa I, Leksell D, et al. Time after time: failure to identify and support females with ADHD — a Swedish population register study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2024. PubMed PMID 38016697 — Females were about four years older than males at first ADHD diagnosis (23.5 vs 19.6 years).
7. Attoe DE, Climie EA. Miss. Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of ADHD in Adult Women. Journal of Attention Disorders. 2023; 27(7):645–657. PubMed PMID 36995125 — Systematic review of the impact of living with undiagnosed ADHD and adult diagnosis on women; themes were impacts on social-emotional wellbeing, difficult relationships, lack of control, and self-acceptance after diagnosis.
8. Healthy Male (funded by the Australian Government). Adult ADHD diagnosis in Australia: What you need to know. 2026. healthymale.org.au — In adults, impulsivity can look like excessive spending, risk-taking, conflict with others, interrupting and talking excessively; managing finances and meeting work deadlines can be difficult; some adults ‘hyperfocus’ for hours on activities that interest them, and hyperactivity can show as feeling restless and unable to relax.
9. JobAccess (Australian Government). Guidelines for reasonable adjustment. 2026. jobaccess.gov.au — If an adjustment could help an employee with disability, the law says the employer must make it, unless it causes unjustifiable hardship.
10. Australian ADHD Professionals Association. Australian ADHD Guideline — summary of recommendations. 2022. adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au — Medication is the most effective treatment for core symptoms, with non-medication treatments adding support (3.1.1); diagnosing clinicians should be registered and trained in ADHD assessment (2.1.1); the diagnosis must be confirmed before starting medication (5.1.2); CBT should be offered to adults (4.2.11); stimulants are first-line for impairing adult ADHD, with heart rate, blood pressure, weight, sleep, mood and anxiety monitored during titration; co-occurring conditions get best-practice treatment.
11. Australian ADHD Professionals Association. Australian ADHD Guideline — Chapter 2: diagnosis. 2022. adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au — Clinicians should know which conditions commonly co-occur with ADHD, as a co-occurring condition may result in a missed ADHD diagnosis, or a missed co-occurring condition when ADHD symptoms are present.
12. healthdirect (Australian Government). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 2025. www.healthdirect.gov.au — ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that begins in early childhood; around 1 in 20 people in Australia has ADHD; it is partly genetic; an adult diagnosis requires evidence that symptoms began in childhood; learning difficulties can occur alongside it.
13. healthdirect (Australian Government). Mental health helplines. 2025. www.healthdirect.gov.au — Lifeline (13 11 14) offers 24-hour crisis support and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) is available 24/7; if someone is in crisis and needs help now, call triple zero (000).

Sources were last checked on 5 October 2026. See all sources used on this site on our Sources page.