So, I was writing up an extremely long masterpost for studying with AD/HD when I realized that most people donât truly know what AD/HD is.Â
Below is a general information guide to AD/HD, created so that my âHOW TO STUDY WITH ADHDâ masterpost (to be posted tomorrow if this gets some traction) is less dense with definition and more with guidance.Â
Please reblog to spread the information (and tell me if you would like this in infographic form) ! Many people will apprehensively scroll past this thinking that it doesnât apply to them, when it could very well apply to them or a friend. Many people deny that AD/HD even exists and abuse its medication copiously, so imagine the stigma behind asking for help as a struggling student.Â
Please, do not be afraid to message me regarding any kind of struggles youâre having!! I am no professional, but I can be a friend.Â
What is AD/HD?
Someone once told me that AD/HD is like inertia; if we manage to start, we keep on going until we crash into something. However, once we stop, our momentum disrupted, we likely wonât be able to start until something propels us forward (good luck with this, by the way.)
Firstly, AD/HD isnât inherently a bad or good thing. It just is, merely a name tacked onto a brainâs anomalous way of handling self regulation. ADHD is also not just a deficit of attention, as the name frustratingly implies. Itâs an inability to regulate your attention span to focus on desired tasks, which consequently leads to many of the symptoms listed below.Â
There are three commonly diagnosed forms of AD/HD:
Predominantly Inattentive:
FOCUS is typically divided into parts: we pick something that needs attention, we sustain the attention, we resist by actively ignoring temptations, and we shift attention when needed. Most people can more or less do this with some lazy slip ups here and there. People with AD/HD have extreme difficulty in one, some, or all of the process above. This difficulty is not just inconveniencing, it can be crippling. Youâll see this in people who:
are routinely carelessness despite how much effort they put into thingsÂ
cannot sustain attention even thought they want to, particularly with boring things
hyper-focus constantly (more on this later)
often cannot follow through with instructions the the fullest degree
cannot work ahead of time/on time and are only able to possibly work when a deadline is a hairline away
cannot organize personal tasks well/complete them
loses things frequently
are very forgetful in daily activities, etcâŚ
I still suffer from this the most, despite being under major reformation. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I AM this. Â I crave neatness, completion, organization, and order yet, in the past, I was unable to implement it myself because I was also ridiculously forgetful, careless, and terrible with time management.Â
I used to feel immense stress on a daily basis having to get ready for school because I was so confused and stressed all of the time that it was a nightmare to go through any regimen. This wasnât a small inconvenience, it considerably impacted my entire life, and that is usually the deciding factor in diagnosing AD/HD.Â
Thankfully, Iâve finally reigned in some control over this, but not without extensive self care and planning. It hurts to keep trying, but itâs worth it, my friends.Â
Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive
Hyperactivity and Impulsivity are the most commonly attributed symptoms of AD/HD, and itâs also the largest reason why a lot of peopleâs symptoms (primarily females) go unnoticed by teachers and family. Not everyone is uncontrollably hyperactive, but here are some common symptoms. People who exhibit this type of AD/HD:
fidget with their hands/feet/ squirms in their seat;
cannot stand sitting still, even when sitting still is required
constantly feel restless
find it difficult to partake in leisurely activities quietly
talk excessively
have trouble filtering their speech
find it difficult to articulate themselves (their mind is running a mile a minute)
EXAMPLE: I exhibit some of these symptoms. I have a nasty habit of drumming my fingers and hands on everything, shaking my leg, etc⌠particularly when Iâm bored or nervous, but most people donât think much of it. I can sit still and stay home comfortably; Iâve been told that Iâm a great public speaker, but I feel exhausted because I have millions of things running through my mind 24/7. Every relative thing of interest drains my mental energy because sometimes I focus too much on the topic at hand. I ramble in casual conversation because I have so much I want to say and not enough time to say it before someone gets bored. I tend to talk very quickly if I donât catch myself, because my brain does not yet naturally know how to pace itself (although, this is so useful when it comes to improvisation, which is why I usually sound articulate.)Â
This goes to prove that you do not need to be the stereotypical âhyperactiveâ kid in order to be diagnosed with AD/HD. Donât let a misconception of a mental disorder hinder you from seeking the help that you need. Â
Combined
Obviously, Iâm combined but my hyperactivity is almost completely in my brain instead of exhibited physically. This is not terribly uncommon, especially within females, but it only makes it that much harder for parents and teachers to notice.Â
So, does this mean that people with AD/HD canât ever focus?Â
Absolutely not! In fact, one of the most serious issues accompanied with AD/HD includes a much lesser known term called âhyperfocus.â I didnât know used it to describe myself before I realized it was a technical term. Iâm glad I did the research back then because it explains so much now.
Hyperfocus is a state of being where an individual with AD/HD latches onto a topic, idea, or action and is virtually unable to break focus to do something else. Usually, the topics they focus on are of interest to them. This is why AD/HD is not a âdeficitâ of attention, but an abundance of attention thatâs incredibly difficult to modulate. Imagine having 2600 tangerines and only two hands to hold them- thatâs what our attention spans look and feel like.
This can be a blessing in disguise or a one way visit to Hell. You could end up writing your Biology notes and cleaning your room, or you could suddenly feel unable to function correctly until youâve googled the history of nutella.
This applies to conversation, too. If you get started talking about something youâre passionate about, it get incredibly frustrating to have to stop. Think, uncontrollably restricting.Â
People with AD/HD tend to lose track of time all of the time; unfortunately, itâs a naturally cultivated bad habit due to the way our brains self regulate, leading us to be bad with time management, completion, and prioritization.Â
If you meet successful AD/HD students, theyâll probably be some of the most structured and hardworking individuals youâll meet. This is for reasons that Iâll discuss soon!Â
Wait, but doesnât everyone experience that?
Yes! This rings especially true with youtube, netflix, and other distracting media; itâs incredibly easy for people to get distracted for hours instead of doing their work. The discrepancy is that theyâre able to stop at one point and do their work, or simply choose not to because they donât feel like it. This probably, in turn, doesnât affect their lives everyday.
Itâs not impossible to break hyperfocus, but itâs incredibly difficult to control if left unrealized. Hyperfocus is a complex topic to explain if you do not experience it on a daily basis, because it is not merely a temptation, but a cognitive switch telling you that you just have to focus on this or that for minutes, hours, or days at a time before you can do anything else.Â
Imagine feeling like you have to change your bedsheets while in class. How are you going to satiate that desire in public? Now imagine that thought embedding itself at the forefront of your mind to the point where you canât think of anything but changing your bedsheets (this actually has happened to me, and itâs really inconvenient.)Â
They donât have a substantial grasp on their ability to steer themselves back on track, so they need to train really, really, hard in order to culminate this skill.Â
Whatâs the link between AD/HD and other mental illnesses?Â
Itâs been shown that individuals with AD/HD tend to also suffer from depression and anxiety (although this is absolutely untrue the other way around.) The chaotic dispersement of energy /focus that AD/HD causes can very well lead into situational depression because you can easily lose your way if you never had a direction to begin with. Please be considerate and donât dismiss the fact that mental illnesses and disorders can bleed into one another.Â
Can you cure AD/HD?
Not really. The issue never goes away, even if youâve been able to manage your time well, find study methods that work, and stay at the top of the class rankings, you still have to actively fight against your natural urges everyday. People with AD/HD donât develop productive habits very easily, and we have to accept that; we just have to keep fighting until we see the results we want.Â
There is medication, but some people opt not to choose that route, and the more power to them because it IS possible to improve without it  (tips to be posted tomorrow if all goes well!)  Itâs just even more difficult if you also suffer from other external and/or mental issues. But hey, itâs definitely 100% not impossible.Â
Medication, in this case, is not necessary, but so wonderful for people who need a push in kickstarting their productivity. Itâs not a magic pill, but it very well could be if you also work hard alongside it to improve yourself.Â
That being said, the only person who can really help yourself is you. You need to train yourself incessantly, every single day, every single minute, in order to see improvement in your lifestyle and it will be a painâŚeverywhere. But it could also completely change your disposition in this world. A life where youâre able to get stuff done and feel confident about it? Doesnât that sound lovely? I hope it does, because itâs actually completely possible if you have the right guidance.Â
Check out some of these sources for more information:
Informal questionnaire based on how psychologists survey patients
THIS IS NOT A DIAGNOSIS, JUST A SPREADSHEET OF SYMPTOMS.
What is AD/HD?
DISCLAIMER: Everybody naturally exhibits behavior that closely resembles the symptoms of AD/HD, or most other mental illnesses and disorders, for that matter. This does not mean you have AD/HD. First, you must distinguish how much it impacts you. A disorder is not the presence of an entirely new collection of symptoms, itâs the absence of typical systematic function, resulting in chaos. This is why mental disorders are sometimes difficult to distinguish from temporary environmental stressors.
If youâre having a myriad of problems with the aforementioned topics despite how hard you try to fix things, you may want to consult a school counselor, parents, psychologist, etc⌠to sort things out. And, Iâm always here! Iâm not a professional, but I know myself better than anyone and I can hopefully offer a second opinion before you talk to a professional ^^Â
