Discussion Forum > ADHD
Cricket:
"That is a perfect description of ADHD, and I suspect it describes many of us here."
ADD is a good fit for that description as well. My guess is more participating forum members would fall under that descriptor than ADHD with its physical hyperactivity and heightened restlessness. Though extremely distractible, ADD, with its exceptional mental processing and pattern recognition speed (as with ADHD), is also described as a capability to be "Calm and serene, not in the least hyperactive".
"That is a perfect description of ADHD, and I suspect it describes many of us here."
ADD is a good fit for that description as well. My guess is more participating forum members would fall under that descriptor than ADHD with its physical hyperactivity and heightened restlessness. Though extremely distractible, ADD, with its exceptional mental processing and pattern recognition speed (as with ADHD), is also described as a capability to be "Calm and serene, not in the least hyperactive".
March 19, 2016 at 22:04 |
Michael B.
Michael B.
After further reading, I've learned there are now three "official" types of "ADHD" and ADD is now an outdated term, having been folded into ADHD. I feel they're missing one and have added it below:
1. Inattentive Style ADHD (Easy Distractibility)
When someone uses the term ADD, this is what they're describing. Symptoms of inattention, but not hyperactive or impulsive.
2. Hyperactive-Impulsive Style ADHD
Symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity but not inattention.
3. Combined Style ADHD
Symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
And finally, the "unofficial" one they missed:
4. Inattentive-Impulsive Style ADHD
Symptoms of inattention and impulsivity but not hyperactivity.
1. Inattentive Style ADHD (Easy Distractibility)
When someone uses the term ADD, this is what they're describing. Symptoms of inattention, but not hyperactive or impulsive.
2. Hyperactive-Impulsive Style ADHD
Symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity but not inattention.
3. Combined Style ADHD
Symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
And finally, the "unofficial" one they missed:
4. Inattentive-Impulsive Style ADHD
Symptoms of inattention and impulsivity but not hyperactivity.
March 19, 2016 at 23:15 |
Michael B.
Michael B.
The ADD / ADHD / Combined distinction is a good start, but it's still an over-simplification. There are many more sub-types than just those. Plus individual differences due to habits and environment and early training.
It's more like a menu. I'll have a small helping of distractability, a large helping of hyper-focus for this task, but none for that, and, today at least, leave out the hyperactivity.
One pattern is poor handwriting often goes with poor bladder-awareness. The therapist who helped my son with handwriting told us that, but our doctor thought it was random.
They used to think that people outgrew the hyperactivity component, but now we know that we don't.
"They may not be jumping out of their chairs and going, “Oh, Boss, I know the answer, I know!” but they can still feel restless. Sometimes the feeling is turned into nervous tension like a sports car that has no place to go. But they want to go somewhere and that is what is frustrating. They want to do something, anything. It gets worse when something is boring so they fight to keep their brain on by keeping their body busy. The engine is idling. They want to race."
-- http://totallyadd.com/the-boring-meeting/
I'm the opposite. As a kid, I was able to sit still fairly well. School interested me, and I was a high achiever. As a young teen, Mom insisted I do crafts when watching TV so I didn't pick at my nails. (It only worked sometimes.) I was also able to focus better. Now, though, if I'm struggling to focus, I bounce all over the place.
As for forgetting things? Rarely happened. My parents believed that all responsible people used calendars and lists, so I did. Nowdays I get physically anxious if I don't write things down immediately and check for conflicts. I know from experience that bad things will happen if I don't!
It's more like a menu. I'll have a small helping of distractability, a large helping of hyper-focus for this task, but none for that, and, today at least, leave out the hyperactivity.
One pattern is poor handwriting often goes with poor bladder-awareness. The therapist who helped my son with handwriting told us that, but our doctor thought it was random.
They used to think that people outgrew the hyperactivity component, but now we know that we don't.
"They may not be jumping out of their chairs and going, “Oh, Boss, I know the answer, I know!” but they can still feel restless. Sometimes the feeling is turned into nervous tension like a sports car that has no place to go. But they want to go somewhere and that is what is frustrating. They want to do something, anything. It gets worse when something is boring so they fight to keep their brain on by keeping their body busy. The engine is idling. They want to race."
-- http://totallyadd.com/the-boring-meeting/
I'm the opposite. As a kid, I was able to sit still fairly well. School interested me, and I was a high achiever. As a young teen, Mom insisted I do crafts when watching TV so I didn't pick at my nails. (It only worked sometimes.) I was also able to focus better. Now, though, if I'm struggling to focus, I bounce all over the place.
As for forgetting things? Rarely happened. My parents believed that all responsible people used calendars and lists, so I did. Nowdays I get physically anxious if I don't write things down immediately and check for conflicts. I know from experience that bad things will happen if I don't!
March 20, 2016 at 1:24 |
Cricket
Cricket
"It would probably work well with people who are slightly impulsive, easily distracted but also hyper-focused when engaged, impatient, and like flexibility in sequencing."
That is a perfect description of ADHD, and I suspect it describes many of us here. Maybe all the time, but often. Some days the strengths win, other days the weaknesses win. Most days it's a bit of both.
Hyper-focus. That's something most people don't realize. "He can focus when he wants to" does not mean he doesn't have ADHD. Quite the opposite!
I can go on forever about it. I'm informally diagnosed; I don't need an official statement so didn't pay for the full tests. My two kids are formally diagnosed. It runs in my extended family, especially among the high achievers. (As far as I know, though, we're the only household that acknowledges it.)
It's not a disease, but it is real. Denying the patterns can lead to bad decisions, often many in a row. Or it can be a series of letting people down, including yourself.
There are many good resources, filled with facts and wonderful people who will share their experiences. There are also many bad resources, filled with pity-parties and myths and scare-tactics and well-meaning people who make things worse.
Meds are not evil, but are complex, especially with kids. They're much easier with teens and adults, who can monitor their own symptoms and adjust as needed. Less-disruptive is good, but shouldn't be the only test. Able to do homework in the same time your friends do (vs 4x the time) and making fewer little mistakes (almost fail math test vs almost perfect) is huge!
totallyADD.com is a good place to start. It's run by Rick Green, who is a high-achieving Canadian comedian who was diagnosed as an adult. He takes responsibility seriously, and uses humour to communicate.
Wide variety of tools: Short Bill's ADDventures (only ADDers think they're funny). Rants about myths and stupid rules and bad advice. Short and in-depth interviews with ADDers and medical experts and coaches. Forum that's about sharing experience and support rather than a pity-party.
http://totallyadd.com/me-adhd-going-steady/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP74rAOxG9I (explanations vs excuses)
http://totallyadd.com/category/rick-rants/ (especially the earlier ones)