ADHD femmenist

Personal blog explaining how adhd can impact a life. I enjoy writing about ADHD as a self-reflection tool. I am committed to raising awareness about neurodiversity.

[adhdfemmenist]

ADHD: Professional Dopamine Hunter

One of the most important things to understand about the ADHD brain is that it’s a hungry hungry hippo for dopamine. Many struggles of people with ADHD brains are a direct result of their brain searching for dopamine by any means necessary. This can sometimes lead to taking more risks and making unwise choices at the price of satisfying your brain. People with ADHD are more at risk to self-medicate (consciously or not) with alcohol, huge amounts of caffeine, drugs, compulsive shopping, gambling or sex, All of these activities can give a person the dopamine rush their brain craves.

While ADHD people are at an increased risk for these behaviors there are also plenty of activities (as well as prescription medication) that give the brain dopamine. If you do notice that your friend or partner (who you know is ADHD) is engaging in some of these behaviors, taking more risks or doing “wild” out of character things it is a POSSIBLE sign that they are having a hard time managing their ADHD.

The other aspect of this is that a person’s mood and capabilities fluctuate depending on the level of dopamine in their brain. For this reason exercise such as jumping jacks or talking walks during the day (or whatever physical activity you’re into) can help ADHD brained people increase, manage and stabilize their dopamine levels. When your brain is dopamine happy it’s easier to accomplish tasks ADHD people normally find almost impossible because they’re boring. I like to do laundry or dishes (or other things I don’t find engaging) right after I am physically active because I know that’s when it will be easiest for me.

[adhdfemmenist]

What is ADD/ADHD?

DISCLAIMER: In my posts I will refer to my own experience, make generalizations based on common themes I’ve noticed from the online ADHD community and include information I've learned through research. Please don’t take it to heart if something I write doesn’t match up with your own experience. I highly recommend everyone reading Google “neurodiversity”.

 I have ADHD and have put time into researching my own condition but I am not a medical professional. This is not meant to be a diagnostic tool.

WHAT IS ADHD/ADD?

First off let’s go over some acronyms and define some terms:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD* Attention Deficit Disorder- ADD* Autism Spectrum Disorder - ASD Neurotypical - NT, someone who doesn’t have a neurobiological condition Neurodivergent** - ND, the presence of ADHD, ASD, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Dyslexia…(I might be missing something so don’t take this as a comprehensive list)

ADHD is a neurobiological developmental disorder of self-regulation that impairs executive function. ASD is a different diagnosis but some characteristics are similar including emotional dysregulation and sensory sensitivity. This link will take you to a visual representation of the ADHD spectrum.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEdMJD8Dj7W/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

I think of ADHD like a pick your own adventure style disorder or a behavior buffet (except without the choice). There are a certain agreed upon set of ADHD behaviors but not everyone experiences all of them and the severity differs person to person.

ADHD often runs in families (but not always). Personally I have 6 other ADHD extended family members (but I'm the only woman) and it is present in all 3 currently living generations.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

Historically (and sometimes currently) there has been a lot of gender bias present in the diagnosis and study of ADHD. Most women don’t get diagnosed until they have kids and decide to get tested themselves after their children are diagnosed (check out @adhd.her on Instagram). The stereotype of an ADHD kid is a hyperactive disruptive little white boy who does poorly in school. That is just the tip of the iceberg and is not wholly representative of how it presents in people. I am putting time into writing this because I think there needs to be more representation of ADHD brained women.

*Terms change based on research gains and personal preference. Some people with Inattentive ADHD identify with the term ADD more because they are not hyperactive. Some people who were diagnosed before 1994 when the term changed from ADD to ADHD prefer to use the term ADD to describe themselves. ADHD/ADD presentation is classified as either Hyperactive-Impulsive, Inattentive or Combination.

**Neurodivergent is an emerging identity category for people who fall under the umbrella. Personally I find it empowering to remind myself that there is nothing wrong with me. Not everyone who has a condition that falls into this category identifies with it and that’s totally okay.