#adhd-pi

[fennmaybe]

Shout out to my research notes from when I was suspecting ADHD

So thorough so clear /sar

[piyangg]

Anyways, what'd I miss?

[katarh-mest]

got my formal diagnosis of ADHD-PI this morning

it's nice to feel vindicated

[adhd-pi]

Notes from Seminar 1/4: Emotions

ADHD involves the brain; the brain is where emotions occur: it follows that emotions may be affected by ADHD.

Expressions of ADHD in emotions, as bullet points:

experience more-intense emotions

emotions last longer compared to neurotypical peers

difficulty with redirecting attention away from triggering events and associated emotions

a slight uncertainty in someone's reaction to a suggestion may lead you to interpret it as criticism; an outburst of inappropriate self-defense without listening carefully to the response

low frustration tolerance

impulsivity leads to an increased likelihood to act out from intense emotions

not paying attention to others' emotions

decreased function of brain connectivity networks carrying information related to emotion

working-memory impairments allow momentary emotions to persist, flooding the brain with that emotion

social anxiety

rejection-sensitive dysphoria

difficulty distinguishing between dangerous threats and minor problems

To manage that sort of stuff:

Learn about your emotions and others' emotions.

Talk Therapy helps manage fear or low self-esteem. Coaching may help deal with boredom-aversion.

Mindfulness meditation, either self-driven or through apps like Headspace, Calm, Buddify, and 10% Happier

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

the STOP Skill: Stop, Take a step back, Observe, Proceed

the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique for anxiety: 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste ("Mouth.")

Walk Away

Distract, Don't Dwell

Journaling

Exercise

Specifically for changing emotions:

check the facts

problem solve

act opposite to your emotions

experiences thoughts/urges as a wave (surfing/floating/Bene Gesserit?)

Remember that thoughts, feelings, and emotions are not facts!

challenge negative thoughts

(These notes may come with a certain amount of sarcasm or scepticism; the presenter was new to the course and to the course materials, and was reading from the slides a lot. The slides contained a lot of pop-science infographics, and there were some missed connections in the presentation.)

[adhd-pi]

Notes from Seminar 1/4: Sleep

ADHD ain't just hyperactivity.

"Skills not pills," they say, since part of ADHD treatment is to provide people with coping mechanisms that will let them work around the difficulties of their neurotype. Part of "skills" is awareness of how your brain works and how that affects your life.

How ADHD affects sleep:

You might forget to go to bed, go to bed later, or experience insomnia

a burst of energy as night falls, or Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder. These symptoms may arise from smaller pineal glands, irregularities in clock genes, and later melatonin release. Things that may help are Bright Light Therapy as you wake up, or melatonin to help you fall asleep, or timers and alarms to remind you to go to bed.

preferring the nighttime hours as a time to "hyperfocus" on stuff

a "disrupted" sleep-wake schedule that doesn't fit the typical 9-5 job

Restless Leg Syndrome or other limb movement disorders occur in 50% of people with ADHD. May be caused by iron or dopamine deficiencies; treated with iron supplements or dopaminergics.

Trouble waking up or shaking off drowsiness; excessive sleepiness.

To help combat sleep disorders, the presentation recommended:

cut out sugar, caffeine, and alcohol within a few hours of bedtime

avoid screen time for an hour before bed (ask me about my canned rant on this)

avoid stimulating activities and projects that require focus in the evening

make the bed a stress-free zone "reserved for sleep and sex"

get exercise and sunlight during the day

develop a bedtime routine that you enjoy and look forwards to

keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet

blanket outside noise using a noise machine or a nature-sounds recording, or calming music

keep a consistent sleep schedule, making sure to get enough sleep for your age group

use a weighted blanket

meditation

basically anything that counts as "soothing", including essential oil diffusers (doubt.jpg)

To help get out of bed in the morning:

bright lights, including Bright Light Therapy, east-facing bedrooms, timers that turn on bright lamps, or alarm clocks that turn on a light gradually.

you may benefit for a specific form of CBT: CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I)

talk to your doc about sleep meds or adjusting your sleep schedule to optimize it for sleep.

(These notes may come with a certain amount of sarcasm or scepticism; the presenter was new to the course and to the course materials, and was reading from the slides a lot. The slides contained a lot of pop-science infographics, and there were some missed connections in the presentation.)

[elyjm1313]

Heyo! Guess who just remembered that one time rejection sensitivity hit me so hard that it literally triggered my vasovagal syncope and I had to lay down with my legs in the air to avoid fainting.

[tfw-adhd]

My mom: Yknow you are super fidgety! Just like your dad! It’s part of his adhd but you can focus so it couldn’t be that for you!!! It’s nit like you exhibit every other sypmptom.... nooooooo... anyway that’s my rant cus people seem to think that just cus I did good in school when the teachers gave us super specific directions lmao.

Oh, that’s the worst, I’m sorry!

Obviously I don’t know anything about your life, but based solely on this post it sounds like maybe your dad has ADHD-Hyperactive, and you might have ADHD-PI? ( All that hyperactivity is internal instead, so people don’t usually notice it. ) Maybe that could be something to look into. ( And presenting it as a separate thing like that might help your mum see what you’re seeing. )

[tfw-adhd]

Hi ive just been diagnosed with adhd, but haven't been given much info on what adhd symptoms i have. Is excessive daydreaming part of adhd? Like I would daydream a story when I'm bored and sometimes I get so into it that when I focus back from it, so much time has passed. And I've been doing this for years that it eventually became 1 full story that I would go back to and continue it when I'm bored. I realized that most people don't do this.

That can be a part of ADHD, yeah! It’s especially common in people with ADHD-PI (primarily inattentive, formerly known as ADD) as their hyperactivity is internal, and expresses itself as daydreaming and wandering thoughts. And we have time blindness (which means we don’t naturally sense time passing and have no idea how long we’ve spent doing something).