![A garden shelf holding one small labelled specimen jar and a long row of empty ones](https://viacara.com/img/content/burnout-adhd-feature-light.webp) # ADHD and Burnout There is no good evidence on ADHD and burnout. One Swedish study of 20 working adults, what it found, and what nobody has measured yet. We went looking, and this page reports what we found rather than what we hoped for. No validated measure of ADHD burnout exists. No large study has followed adults with ADHD into burnout and out again. This is the shortest page in this section, and that is the finding. ## The *nearest* study The closest evidence comes from Sweden. Researchers interviewed 20 working adults with ADHD in 2021 about stress and work-related mental illness. It is not a burnout study. Participants used the word exhaustion, and the researchers reported it that way. Source: [Oscarsson et al. 2022](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/adhd-and-burnout/#ref-1) ## What people *described* The mechanism the participants named was compensation. > Some compensated by being exceedingly thorough or working overtime, further depleting their energy reserve. Several participants described being "weathered" by years of stressful work and repeated relapses of exhaustion. Working harder to reach the same result costs energy. Doing that for years is what people described as wearing them down. The study found something about workplaces too. Where accommodations existed, the job of designing and asking for them fell to the employee. > the responsibility for designing and implementing accommodations was often appointed the individual Source: [Oscarsson et al. 2022](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/adhd-and-burnout/#ref-1) ![A lavender armchair by the garden shelf, one labelled jar and a mug set out on the wooden ledge](https://viacara.com/img/content/burnout-adhd-mid-light.webp) The one study we could verify ## What that study is *not* One country, 20 people, all volunteers from an ADHD membership organisation. Three quarters of them were women. The authors flag their own recruitment problem. The advert named stress and mental illness, which probably drew people who had experienced both. Nothing here transfers cleanly to a UK workplace. It is the only study on this we could verify, and it is small. ## What we left out Two further papers came up in our search and we could not verify either one. We have left them out rather than pad the page. You will find confident articles about ADHD burnout elsewhere. Ask each one which study it is citing. ## What is *reasonable* to expect This section is inference rather than evidence, and we are labelling it as such. ADHD and exhaustion at work plainly travel together. A professional who understands executive function is likelier to be useful than one treating tiredness on its own. The Swedish participants asked for that directly. They wanted help aimed at executive function rather than at basic organisation skills. Source: [Oscarsson et al. 2022](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/adhd-and-burnout/#ref-1) ## Where the *official* word stops The World Health Organization restricts burn-out to the occupational context. Nothing in ICD-11 covers an ADHD version of it. If work is the setting, our [burnout at work page](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/burnout-at-work/) carries the definition and the UK numbers. Source: [WHO: burnout occupational phenomenon](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/adhd-and-burnout/#ref-2) ## Support that is *not* therapy If a professional feels like too much right now, these are lighter places to start. [ADHDadultUK](https://www.adhdadult.uk) Adults with ADHD Peer-led resources, a podcast and a community forum, run by adults with ADHD. Not a helpline. [See the resources](https://www.adhdadult.uk/resources/) [Mind Infoline](https://www.mind.org.uk) Adults England Wales Information on mental health support and where to find it, including support at work. Standard call rates Weekdays 9am to 6pm closed on bank holidays [Call](tel:+443001233393) Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment. ## Want someone who understands executive function? We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit. Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you. This conversation helps us find you the right support. What you share helps us understand what you're looking for and find someone who fits. Your email keeps you updated on what's happening next and isn't shared with anyone we introduce you to. [Privacy policy](https://viacara.com/privacy) [Terms of service](https://viacara.com/terms) ## References 1. Oscarsson, M., Nelson, M., Rozental, A., Ginsberg, Y., Carlbring, P. & Jonsson, F. (2022). *Stress and work-related mental illness among working adults with ADHD: a qualitative study*. BMC Psychiatry. [doi:10.1186/s12888-022-04409-w](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04409-w) 2. World Health Organization (2019). *Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases*. [Link](https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases) ## Related ### [Burnout at Work](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/burnout-at-work/) Burnout has one official definition and it stops at the job. The three dimensions, the UK numbers and what a professional can change. ### [Therapy When You Have ADHD](https://viacara.com/support/neurodivergence/adhd/) ADHD is under-recognised in UK adults and the waiting lists are enormous. Here is what talking therapy can and cannot do alongside that. ### [Autism and ADHD Together](https://viacara.com/support/neurodivergence/audhd/) Often called AuDHD. Until 2013 nobody was allowed to be given both diagnoses, which is why many adults were only ever told half the story. ### [Burnout or Depression](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/burnout-or-depression/) Is this burnout or depression? The workplace research says the line is fragile. The autistic burnout research says the difference matters.