What Are The Effects Of ADHD On Sexuality?

Written By-Ruby Alice

 • Published: 12/12/2025

• Updated: 12/12/2025

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Aditya Shah

Trusted Source

Dr. Aditya Shah

Expert In Clinical Pharmacology And Drug SafetyView more

ADHD, as the word states, has attention deficit in it. It includes hyperactivity, which means a patient with ADHD will do many things without thinking a bit about it. He cannot concentrate on one thing for more time and with his restlessness, he does many things that keep others in awe. It can happen both in adults and children. While some children, as they grow, adult recovers from it, many remain like that even in their adulthood.

Now, when you talk about the effect of ADHD on sexuality, yes, there can definitely be some effect of ADHD on sexuality and at times, there can be some serious issues or annoying issues for the partner.

When you need a better overview of the same, a smarter approach will be to develop a clear idea about ADHD itself at the beginning and then move on to the effect of the same on sexuality.

Do ADHD Effects Affect Sexuality?

ADHD is a disorder that includes neurodevelopmental traits. Hence, the effect of the same is sure to be cast on the behaviour of the patient. Coming to the attributes he will show, there are three major things that he will exhibit –

• Sudden Change In Mood –

An ADHD patient often leaves a task while he is about to finish it. He might leave the thing in the mid, too. But it looks more awkward when he leaves the activity at the finishing point. Actually, he loses interest in the thing at that point of time, which can happen anytime in the middle.

On the other side, while he will be doing the activity, it will seem that he was born to do this activity alone. However, the matter is such that all the activities are not meant to be completed within a short time. Hence, in such cases, he might seem to be a disaster.

• Hyperactivity –

Restlessness, unable to sit at one place and concentrate on one thing, is another behavioural trait of an ADHD patient. It is often seen in children. There too, parents become worried about that and sometimes feel annoyed too. However, in adulthood, if the same persists, then the same can be too much problematic for him or for the person nearby to him.

Talking too much and consistently forcing someone to talk about something, and when the person starts talking, he leaves the spot without listening. These are the common things, which all represent how much unstable his mind remains.

• Impulsive Nature –

He faces excessive disturbance when he has to wait for his turn. This remains persistent every time with an ADHD patient. For the same he often interrupts others’ talks and activities. However, people with ultra maturity also show the same behaviour, as they realise your mentality with a few words uttered by you. You will quite often observe the same in the HRM representative interviewing you during a job.

Make it clear that there is a big difference between the two. One is interrupting because he understood your mindset, and an ADHD patient loses interest in listening to you.

Effect Of ADHD On Sexuality –

Sexuality is something that needs concentration, focus, attentiveness, and carefulness. Many have a notion that this is just a natural interaction that is made for fun or for enjoyment and pleasure. Yes, of course, enjoyment, pleasure and joy are all attached to sexuality, but these all come at the end of the interaction.

For the interaction, there is a need for attention and sincerity. An ADHD patient often lacks them. Hence, the effect of ADHD on sexuality is sure to happen. Here are the major effects that you will often observe –

↪ Effect On Libido –

Libido is the urge for intimacy, and you can see both the extreme feelings in an ADHD patient regarding male libido. He or she might either be too eager to intimate at times, while on other days, he/she might feel irritated to intimate.

↪ Arousal And Defocus –

Often you will find that he or she is aroused all of a sudden, and at times, you might find him/her to completely get distracted from the intercourse and feeling too uncomfortable in the intimacy or sexual activity. Females often face difficulty for the same in reaching orgasm.

↪ Can Have Many Partners –

Due to the inconsistency of mindset, he or she might feel bored being intimate with one partner and move on to a second partner or a third one. This often happens with an ADHD patient, and many times, without understanding this behavioural trait, they take divorce from their partner.

↪ Non-Protective Behaviour –

Suddenly, he will refuse to use a condom, or when you will try to make him understand the same, he might have a mood swing and deny to be intimate that day. On some other days, he might be mad for a condom and might deny to be intimate without a favourable condom.

↪ Feeling Of Discomfort –

Discomfort with the place where you are trying to be intimate, and even discomfort with body hair, all of a sudden, might distract ADHD patients from a sexual encounter. The matter is such that he or she was comfortable with the same condition on the last day, and on the next day, all of a sudden, they will feel uneasy.

What To Do In Order To Keep An ADHD Patient Focused On Sexual Activity?

Where there is a problem, there has to be some solution. For ADHD patients, here are the treatments that are followed –

• He/she might be provided with Cognitive therapy (CBT) to help him/her from the condition and focus on the sexual intimacy.
• Some stimulants can help an ADHD patient with their behaviour during intimacy.
• Commitment therapy (ACT) also helps to make the patient focused on whatever activity he/she is pursuing.
• Foreplay can help out ADHD patients and make them deeply focused on intimacy. Foreplay often leads to orgasm, and thereby, the happy hormones make her focused during intimacy.
• Keeping him/her engaged in some hobbies that he/she likes to be in can help him/her come out of the ADHD.

Hence, be careful of the behaviour of an ADHD patient and patiently handle the same to make your life enjoyable.