Have you heard of the seven types of adhd? And what do you think of it?
Hello friend!
Personally, I think the seven types is not useful. It doesn’t specify all, there are way more ‘types’. It doesn’t work well becuase there may be a mix of the types. It just sets out types that personally feels pressuring that we have to fit under a label. Nobody has the same exact issues as another, may be similar, but not the same. That is my take on it. - B
I agree with B. My reading of the seven types is that they really describe different types of things. Because I am procrastinating on going to bed, I’ll break it down for you. (The information about the seven types is coming directly from Dr Amen’s web site. Note that the only thing I find helpful about Amen is the ideas in his book Healing ADHD. Aside from that, I think his seven types of ADHD are bogus and SPECT scans are really not a good way to diagnose ADHD.)
This is really long, so I’m putting in a cut.
All types include these “core symptoms”: A short attention span for regular, routine, everyday tasks (homework, chores, etc.); Distractibility; Organization problems (like having a disorganized room and/or always running late); Procrastination; Problems with follow-through; Poor impulse control (saying or doing something before thinking it through).
1. “Classic ADD”---Symptoms include: Inattentive; Easily distracted; Disorganized; Impulsive; Poor follow through; Trouble listening when others talk to them; Making careless mistakes/poor attention to detail; Forgetfulness; Restlessness; Being fidgety; Difficulty awaiting their turn; Act as though driven by a motor; Being noisy; Talking excessively; Interrupting others. The description says that babies are colicky, active, and wiggly; children are restless, talkative, noisy, and demanding.
This reads like Hyperactive/Impulsive ADHD to me.
2. “Inattentive ADD”---Symptoms include: Trouble focusing; Easily distracted; Disorganized; Poor follow through; Trouble listening when others talk to them; Problems with time management; Tendency to lose things; Making careless mistakes; poor attention to detail; Forgetfulness; Excessive daydreaming; Complaints of being bored; Appearing unmotivated or apathetic; Being tired, sluggish or slow moving; Appearing “spacey” or preoccupied. This is the type that is why they refuse to use “ADHD” as the name for the disorder, because not all people who have ADHD are hyperactive. It gets missed because these people don’t cause the problems those with “Classic ADD” cause.
This is definitely Inattentive ADHD. I want to note that technically there is supposed to be a / in the middle, so it’s actually AD/HD, indicating that hyperactivity may or may not be present. But anyway. Pedant and all that.
3. “Over-focused ADD”---Symptoms include: Core symptoms of ADD; Excessive or senseless worrying; Getting stuck in loops of negative thoughts; Oppositional and argumentative; Tendency toward compulsive behaviors; Difficulty seeing options; Excessive worrying; Tendency to hold grudges; Difficulty shifting attention from subject to subject; Tendency to hold onto own opinion and not listen to others; Needing to have things done a certain way or they get upset; May or may not be hyperactive. Apparently the hallmark of this one is hyperfocus. And people who are related to addicts or alcoholics are more likely to have this type.
Considering the fact that most ADHDers hyperfocus, this must be the most common type, right? Not according to Amen. WTF, dude, this is like a hallmark of ADHD. It’s not a necessary thing, but almost all of us hypefocus.
4. “Temporal Lobe ADD”---Symptoms include: Core symptoms of ADD; Memory problems; Auditory processing issues; Irritability; Episodes of quick temper; Periods of spaciness or confusion; Periods of panic and/or fear for no reason; Visual changes such as seeing shadows or objects changing shape; Episodes of déjà vu; Sensitivity or mild paranoia; Headaches or abdominal pain of uncertain origin; History of head injury; Dark thoughts (may involve suicidal or homicidal thoughts); Possible learning disabilities; May or may not be hyperactive. As you see in the list of symptoms, this is the type found in people with brain injury.
I’m going to leave aside the stuff about brain injury, because it’s a known fact that brain injury can cause a lot of ADHD symptoms, and in some cases stimulant medication can be really helpful. Instead, let’s look at the fact that the list of emotion-related symptoms are incredibly common among all ADHDers. I’m also not sure how having a learning disorder can be a symptom of ADHD. Comorbid, definitely. But a symptom? Nah, that’s weird.
5. “Limbic ADD”---Symptoms include: Core symptoms of ADD; Moodiness; Negativity; Low energy; Frequent irritability; Tendency for social isolation; Feelings of hopelessness; Perceived helplessness; Feelings of guilt; Loss of interest in things; Sleep changes (too much or too little); Chronic low self-esteem; May or may not be hyperactive. The SPECT scans show subtle differences between this and depression, so that plus developmental history helps to diagnose.
Sorry not sorry, this sounds like depression and the differences in the SPECT scans (which, as I said at the beginning, are suspect) are probably due to the fact that the person also has ADHD.
6. “Ring of Fire ADD”---Symptoms include: Core symptoms of ADD; Sensitive to noise, light, clothes or touch; Cyclic mood changes (highs and lows); Inflexible rigid thinking; Oppositional; Demanding to have their way; Periods of mean, nasty or insensitive behavior; Periods of increased talkativeness; Unpredictable behavior; Periods of increased impulsivity; Grandiose or “larger than life” thinking; Talks fast; Racing thoughts; Appears anxious or fearful; Irritability; May or may not be hyperactive. This is the one that can be confused with bipolar disorder, but apparently with this type of ADHD you have the behaviour issues all the time. Also, more subtle differences in the SPECT scans.
This sounds like ADHD with comorbid bipolar disorder and sensory processing disorder. The clarifying paragraph talks about “bipolar kids” and to my knowledge, it is incredibly rare for children to have bipolar disorder. It states that adults with bipolar will have mania while those who just have this type of ADHD will not. Given that a lot of these symptoms are pretty common ADHD symptoms regardless of type, I call bull.
7. “Anxious ADD”---Symptoms include: Core symptoms of ADD; Frequently anxious or nervous; Physical stress symptoms such as headaches; Tendency to freeze in social situations; Dislikes or gets excessively nervous speaking in public; Predicts the worse; Conflict avoidant; Fear of being judged. There’s not much else here beyond SPECT scan information.
Anyone else recognize signs of rejection sensitive dysphoria here? RSD is practically universal. Aside from that, you can actually have ADHD plus an anxiety disorder.
So here’s the main problem with this whole idea: while it’s certainly possible (and likely) that the current three types in the DSM-5 are not an accurate sorting method, neither are these seven types. He’s conflating ADHD plus comorbid disorders AND confusing comorbid disorders (and common symptoms of ADHD in general) with symptoms of these specific types.
He says that it’s important to know which type you are so that you can tailor treatment to your type. The whole basis for all of this is the SPECT scans, which show differences in blood flow during concentration. The thing is, we know that the ADHD brain actually develops differently from the non-ADHD brain. Some structures are simply not the same. So I’m not sure if blood flow is even relevant, since it could be related to which brain structures have developed in which ways.
He also says multiple times that since ADHD is different for everyone, there’s not really a one-size-fits-all treatment. While I agree with that, I’m confused about why that means we need more boxes to squeeze us into. I mean, reading the symptoms lists I fit into at least three different types on his list of seven... probably because I have Combined ADHD.
So anyway, that’s the breakdown. I’m sure someone out there has more science about why this is bunk, and I’d love to share if you want to submit the information.
-J
