Have you been wondering what ADHD is really like? This will not be biased towards one minority of people who have ADHD. It will be focused on the big picture.
This document will explain the seriousness of ADHD and everything that may come with it. Make sure to do more research into ADHD, as I am not an expert (although I, myself, have ADHD). In this, I go into detail about different aspects of ADHD and why it should not be taken lightly.
(Note: Not everyone with ADHD has these symptoms. They can vary from person to person.)
Constant activity going on internally (Hyperactivity)
Depression (Co-occurring)
Sensory Processing Disorder
Auditory Processing Disorder (Co-occurring)
Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
Difficulty switching tasks
Inability to stick to one task
Difficulty regulating emotions
Trouble recalling things, such as commonly used words
Overstimulation / Sensory Overload
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (Co-occurring)
Executive Dysfunction/ADHD Paralysis:
A feeling of constantly ‘waiting for something’, without knowing what or why.
Confusion as to how to start or do a task.
A feeling of being completely overwhelmed, even by mundane tasks, to a point of being unable to do the task or function.
A very good description of how this can feel is “a fuzzy-restless feeling when you need to do something but your brain won’t focus on anything… you’re silently begging yourself to just do one thing but instead you’re [sitting there] even though you don’t even want to be. It’s like your head is filled with heavy electric cotton… you’re both uncomfortable and unable to stop.”
This is not the same thing as procrastination or laziness. This occurs with tasks that the person is afraid to do, does not want to do, or even wants to do. Laziness means that a person does not feel like doing something, but they could if they wanted to. Executive dysfunction/ADHD paralysis can be described as something a person has been trying to do for [insert amount of time between minutes and months/years], but they physically cannot do the task and end up feeling like a failure because of that. It is debilitating.
Hyperfixation/Hyperfocus:
An extreme obsession over something. This can be creating something, finding out everything about something, or just something that creates extreme emotions in somebody.
This obsession can easily become unhealthy as the person may forget to take care of themselves due to it. However, these hyperfixations cause extreme joy or curiosity in the person.
Difficulty switching tasks:
“When you have ADHD, task switching can often be difficult. You might feel like you're stuck in a gear. It might be you're trying to start, and your gears just keep on grinding. Other times you may want to stop but the gear just stays in place because you're hyper-focusing on whatever you're doing.”
Inability to stick to one task:
People with ADHD often have issues with motivation, which leads to many unfinished projects.
If a task does not give a person with ADHD dopamine, they are often unable to complete the task (i.e. homework; chores).
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome:
Instead of having a regular circadian rhythm, with sleeping hours from 11 pm to 7 am, people have an irregular pattern of 2 am to about 10 am.
These times are flexible. However, this means that people with ADHD tend to have issues with falling asleep at a “normal time”.
People with ADHD have issues with dopamine and serotonin.
There are moments when boredom can be painful. People with ADHD can be bored to tears due to extreme emotions and a lack of dopamine.
If somebody has to leave at 8 am and they wake up at 5:30, they will think that they have two hours or less to get ready. Time seems to pass without a pattern or rhythm.
“Today is Monday, but tomorrow is Tuesday and I have class. After that is Wednesday: I’m having lunch with my mom. Then on Thursday, I have a night class which means it’s basically already Friday and this week is already over.”
Not knowing how much time has passed based on their ‘internal clock’; they don’t have one!
Being completely unaware of how much time something will take.
With ADHD, memory can be greatly affected. Some things will be forgotten very quickly, and some things can be over-remembered.
Difficulty regulating emotions:
“Processing emotions starts in the brain. Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion.” -Thomas Brown, PhD
Brain imaging shows that delayed rewards don’t register for people with ADHD. They are more motivated by the instant gratification that strong emotions deliver.
As a result, a person with ADHD may struggle to deal rationally and realistically with events that are stressful, but not of grave concern.
People with ADHD have much lower levels of dopamine than those without ADHD. This causes the brain to constantly crave dopamine.
If a task is not providing the dopamine the brain wants, it will make a person with ADHD less motivated to complete the task, or even start it.
Overstimulation / Sensory Overload:
Information reaching the senses feels like an assault of competing stimuli.
Outside stimuli are dulled, as if a shade has been pulled over the environment, muting sights, sounds, and touch. These people crave extra stimulation to feel alive.
Feeling fatigued and tired all the time can actually be related to ADHD. Due to low dopamine levels, people with ADHD can feel exhausted even after getting ample amounts of sleep.
Ironically, people can get bursts of energy from ADHD as well. This can be from hyperactivity or high amounts of dopamine.
Feeling like a fraud and doubting your own abilities.
Somebody who is intelligent and who has ADHD can have imposter syndrome towards both. They are not related to each other, but the ways they are portrayed in media causes imposter syndrome.
Auditory Processing Disorder:
Things can take longer to process when somebody hears them than when they see/read them.
The amount or complexity of noise around somebody can affect how they hear things.
Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria:
Extreme anxiety towards being criticized or rejected by others, despite their relationship with the person.
Extreme pain or emotional sensitivity is caused by a sense of ‘rejection’.
This is not always visible, if at all. There is constant activity going on inside of a person’s head when they have ADHD.
This creates difficulty with sleep and relaxation.
If visible, it usually takes the form of fidgeting or stimming.
ADHD cannot be fixed, but some things can help people work with it. The coping mechanisms vary from person to person, and they aren’t always going to work. Getting diagnosed with ADHD is the best step to take before anything else, as trained professionals can help with ADHD symptoms.
It is important to understand that ADHD is a learning and doing disability. It affects every aspect of life, but it isn’t a bad thing! Many things with ADHD can be positive as well. Hyperfocusing can lead to a lot of productivity! Additionally, people with ADHD are known to be more creative and inventive (according to numerous studies). Empathy and compassion are higher in individuals with ADHD. People with ADHD even have a stronger moral compass!
