Is There a Psychological Disorder That Relates to Procrastination?

Essay For All
4 min readJan 24, 2022

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Procrastination is avoiding undesirable or stressful crucial tasks and replacing them with less stressful activities whose worth is insignificant.

In most cases, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with procrastination. Individuals with ADHD find it challenging to manage their time effectively. As a result, they procrastinate more often than other people.

When Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) co-occurs with bipolar, procrastination becomes more often.

Procrastination is a mental health disorder characterized by particular mental health features. Chronic procrastination can occur as a symptom; however, it can contribute to ongoing mental and emotional disorders.

Studies show that individuals with ADHD have higher indecision and procrastination rates. Most people with inattentive ADHD are more likely to be distracted easily.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can cause relationship problems when one continues to put off things. Chronic procrastination is caused by forgetfulness, disorganization, lack of time management, and distraction.

As a result, persons with ADHD find it difficult to complete tasks they have already started because of forgetfulness.

How to avoid procrastination among persons with ADHD

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Procrastination is a psychological disorder associated with ADHD that can be avoided. The first strategy is being realistic about the time to accomplish a scheduled activity.

Secondly, persons with ADHD can avoid procrastination by working on large projects bit by bit to avoid being overwhelmed. Huge tasks can be tiresome; thus, getting work done in small portions can be more manageable.

Finally, you can set a deadline for your tasks to avoid procrastination. People delay when they believe they have all the time to accomplish their tasks. Therefore, setting deadlines for projects is necessary.

Other psychological disorders relating to procrastination are:

Anxiety

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Persons experiencing anxiety tend to be preoccupied with the fear of failure. The fear usually emanates from a lack of confidence in their ability to complete a task.

As a result, this can result in procrastination to avoid failure in the short term.

Anxiety linked to procrastination continues to fester and grows over time. In some instances, anxiety can become so uncomfortable, making the affected persons seek relief, hoping there are better ways to tolerate unaccomplished tasks.

Therefore, persons with anxiety symptoms are moved by their worries and nervousness. As a result, they may fail to meet a deadline.

The primary cause of procrastination among individuals experiencing anxiety is avoidance. However, this makes tasks more daunting than they are.

Depression

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Most people suffering from depression have low self-esteem, associated with procrastination. Persons doubting their ability to finish a task successfully may be more likely to delay starting it or avoid it altogether.

Distressed persons usually lose interest in things they routinely enjoy. As a result, they become susceptible to procrastination about various activities.

In some situations, depressed persons can purpose to attend an event of interest; however, in the end, they may hesitate about committing to such activities because of fear.

Depression is also associated with avoidance and ruminating. These symptoms make them avoid or postpone particular activities or functions.

Individuals suffering from depression believe that procrastination brings momentary relief. Procrastination is a way of coping with the emotions and other physical symptoms accompanying depression.

How depressed persons experience procrastination

  • Barriers in organizing thoughts and actions- they find it challenging to follow their schedules and plans. The same applies to individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
  • Most depressed persons usually feel overwhelmed, resulting in an inability to try to complete tasks
  • In some circumstances, depressed persons may desire to punish their friends or associates by putting things off because they feel annoyed by them.

People also look at:

Why do people procrastinate?

People procrastinate for several reasons. First, individuals procrastinate for fear of failure. For example, people can avoid doing particular things for fear that their results will not be appealing. As a result, they resort to delaying tactics. I know you’ve tried this tactic at one point.

Secondly, people procrastinate because they are disinterested in particular things. Some individuals procrastinate because they see no value in the activities they are required to handle. In some cases, people procrastinate because a project is dull. All people procrastinate; however, it is more common among people with ADHD, anxiety, and depression.

Have you ever procrastinated because of the above reasons or any other reasons? I would like to get your thoughts.

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Responses (5)

Write a response

Dear Wilson Larrau,
I really enjoyed your article. I probably have either ADD or ADHD & definitely depression. I’m getting help with depression, but procrastinating is still something I do like a pro. It’s an ongoing battle - why is doing something…

19

I used to procrastinate, but lately I've been putting it off.

21

Hi, Wilson!
Thank you very much for following me in Medium. I really appreciate it.
I have been reading some of your stories. They are very interesting for me, as I belong to the Linguistics field and don't know anything about this psychological or…

51