“Why do I feel both wired and wiped out?”
“How can I be hyper one minute and spaced out the next?”
If you’ve ever asked those questions, you’re already halfway into understanding what is combined ADHD really looks like.
I’m Errin from PhilanthroPeak Coaching, and we help ADHD entrepreneurs, creatives, and business owners turn chaos into clarity — without forcing rigid systems that don’t work for ADHD brains.
Today, let’s break it down: what is combined ADHD, why it matters, and what it actually looks like day-to-day.
No fluff. No diagnosis drama.
Just real talk.
Quick Overview: The Different Types of ADHD
When people think about ADHD, most imagine the kid bouncing off the walls.
But that’s just one slice of it.
There are three main types of ADHD (officially called “presentations” in the DSM-5):
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Inattentive presentation — mostly zoning out, forgetfulness, losing focus
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Hyperactive-impulsive presentation — mostly high energy, constant movement, interrupting
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Combined presentation — a mix of both focus struggles and hyperactive, impulsive behaviours
If you’re someone who spaces out and talks a mile a minute, you’ve probably asked yourself what is combined ADHD — because living at both ends of the spectrum can get seriously messy.
What Is Combined ADHD?
Let’s get clear: what is combined ADHD?
Combined ADHD is when you show both strong signs of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity.
It’s not two disorders smashed together.
It’s one brain doing a little bit of everything — running out of focus at the same time as running out of patience.
According to the DSM-5, someone is considered “combined presentation” if they meet the clinical traits for both attention struggles and hyperactive/impulsive behaviour.
But honestly, you don’t need a textbook to know it’s real if you live it every day.
When you’re wondering what is combined ADHD, the lived experience tells you more than any checklist ever could.
Common Traits of Combined ADHD
Wondering what is combined ADHD really like?
Here’s what it looks like in real life:
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Forgetfulness — missing appointments, misplacing everything
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Losing stuff constantly — keys, phone, wallet, all gone…again
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Talking too much — filling every silence without even meaning to
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Interrupting without thinking — blurting ideas because you’ll forget if you wait
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Fidgeting — tapping, bouncing legs, shifting non-stop
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Struggling to finish tasks — starting strong, but drifting off halfway through
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Difficulty managing time — underestimating how long things take (and overbooking yourself)
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Emotional swings — from excitement to frustration at lightning speed
If you’re ticking most of that list, you’re living with the classic signs of combined ADHD — described well by resources like ADDitude Magazine.
Why It’s Called “Combined”
If you’re still asking what is combined ADHD, here’s why it’s called “combined.”
It’s not two different types squashed together.
It’s one presentation where your brain struggles with:
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Regulating attention
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Regulating energy and impulses
You might:
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Zone out during a conversation and jump in too early with an answer
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Start writing a report and open ten tabs on impulse
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Get stuck in idea mode and lose track of execution completely
That’s the “combined” part: not separate problems, but one brain juggling different challenges.
Understanding what is combined ADHD helps you realise it’s not your fault you can’t just “pick a lane.”
Your brain blends the lanes into one busy, brilliant, messy highway.
That’s why we built the Automated ADHDpreneur™ Method — so entrepreneurs with combined ADHD could build systems that don’t fall apart when life gets chaotic.
Real-World Impact of Combined ADHD
What is combined ADHD doing in your everyday life?
It shows up everywhere:
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Work — deadlines missed because you got stuck starting or couldn’t stay on task
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Business — chaos between bursts of genius and stretches of total paralysis
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Relationships — zoning out, talking over people, forgetting important dates
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Money — impulsive buys then forgetting to pay bills
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Self-esteem — because traditional systems make you feel like a failure when your brain just works differently
If any of that sounds familiar, understanding what is combined ADHD might just unlock a huge wave of self-compassion for you.
And building better systems — not tougher willpower — is the actual move.
That’s exactly what we do inside PhilanthroPeak Coaching.
Combined ADHD and Executive Dysfunction
If you’re asking what is combined ADHD, you need to meet its sidekick: executive dysfunction.
Executive function skills help you:
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Plan
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Start tasks
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Stay focused
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Regulate emotions
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Finish what you start
Combined ADHD means struggles on both sides of the executive function fence — focus and action control.
You might:
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Forget an important meeting and impulsively schedule three new ones without thinking
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Plan a new project and jump to a totally different one without warning
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Get hyperfocused on tiny tasks but freeze on the big stuff
Executive dysfunction isn’t laziness.
It’s your brain’s project manager being permanently late to work.
That’s why we don’t teach rigid, neurotypical planning inside Automated ADHDpreneur™ Method — we build flexible, repeatable systems that work even when your brain wants to sprint or nap.
Myths About Combined ADHD
A few things you’ve probably heard (and why they’re wrong):
Myth 1: “You can’t be hyper and distracted at the same time.”
Yes, you can.
That’s literally what combined ADHD means — bouncing between focus crashes and energy spikes.
Myth 2: “You’ll grow out of ADHD.”
Nope.
Adults experience what is combined ADHD symptoms too.
It might look different from childhood, but the brain wiring is still there.
Myth 3: “If you can hyperfocus, you don’t have ADHD.”
Hyperfocus — locking onto one task with extreme attention — is actually a common ADHD trait.
It doesn’t cancel out the struggles with attention switching or emotional regulation.
Knowing what is combined ADHD means recognising both the “locked-in” moments and the scatter moments are part of the same story.
FAQs About Combined ADHD
What is combined ADHD in simple terms?
Combined ADHD means you experience both inattention (like zoning out, losing track) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (like fidgeting, acting quickly without thinking).
Understanding what is combined ADHD helps you explain why your brain feels like it’s racing and stuck at the same time.
What’s the difference between what is combined ADHD and other types?
With inattentive ADHD, you mostly struggle with focus.
With hyperactive-impulsive ADHD, you mostly deal with restlessness.
With what is combined ADHD, you wrestle with both daily.
Is what is combined ADHD considered worse than other ADHD types?
Nope.
It’s not worse — just different.
What is combined ADHD simply means you experience a broader range of executive function challenges.
Can adults experience what is combined ADHD symptoms too?
Absolutely.
Adults often realise later that years of focus crashes, impulsive moves, and chaotic schedules were signs of what is combined ADHD all along.
So… What Is Combined ADHD?
If you’ve been wondering what is combined ADHD, here’s the no-fluff version:
It’s a brain that struggles to regulate focus and regulate action.
It’s distraction mixed with hyperdrive.
It’s ambition clashing with executive dysfunction.
But it’s also:
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Fast thinking
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Big creativity
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Endless ideas
Once you know what is combined ADHD, you stop trying to “fix” yourself and start building a world that works with your brain, not against it.
That’s what we do with the Automated ADHDpreneur™ Method — real systems, real structure, built by and for real ADHD brains.
You’re not broken.
You’re just wired differently.
And you can build something epic when you lean into how your brain actually works.
