Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by ongoing patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that can disrupt everyday functioning and development. It is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders, impacting both children and adults, and its symptoms can vary significantly from person to person.
I think that many people with Pure OCD have ADHD but are unaware of it.
My thoughts on ADHD and anxiety
Here are some snippets of wisdom from my twenty years of experience as a therapist, dedicated to helping the parents, partners, friends, and caregivers of individuals with ADHD—Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (and my wife has ADHD, so I have first-hand experience).
This brain configuration tends to make individuals (in childhood) spontaneous, excitable, daydreamy, optimistic, self-indulgent, forgetful, disorganised, trancey and easily distracted.
They may struggle with time management and are prone to procrastinate even though they know what needs to be done.
Their fast and creative inner imagination is often so rich, powerful, and immersive that they may get easily diverted and forget what they are doing in the real world.
As a result, they frequently fail to follow directions and often leave everything until the last minute.
However, when emotionally healthy, these extraordinary individuals bring a wealth of positive qualities to enrich and stimulate society. They infuse fun, vitality, creativity, freedom, bravery, uniqueness of expression, exploration, adventure, change and cheekiness into our lives.
And I would imagine (evolutionarily speaking) that nature intended these people to be a little different from their tribe, thus compelling mankind to have some small group that would always be investigating, pushing boundaries, communicating, creating, and trying new things.
They have the amazing ability to completely engage themselves, losing track of time, space and context as their inner and outer worlds intertwine with imagination, emotion and action in the present moment.
Their rich inner imagination triggers their bodies into quick floods of excitement, and their bodies meld with the outer reality of the moment, allowing their innate extrovert to be fully present in that instant, unconcerned about others’ opinions or experiences.
When emotionally balanced, they are happy, creative, energised and enjoy living in the now, as advised by our great spiritual teachers.
They love stimulation, having new experiences and they change their minds every minute or two as they adapt to what is happening around them, and they dislike the perceived restrictions of rules, plans, and details which may hinder their search for the next wave of interest and excitement.
One of the most frustrating traits about people with this brain configuration is that, even though they often know what they want or need to do, they procrastinate like crazy and find it hard to take action towards those intentions unless painful deadlines, smart strategies or other people are in place to keep reminding and prodding them into taking action.
Strangely, despite their struggles to act on their own intentions, their natural loyalty and kindness do somewhat motivate them to help others.
I don’t think ADHD should be called a disorder; rather, just a slightly different brain configuration from the norm.
Their creative brains seem to lack the function that directs them to take prompt action on their life plans naturally, so perhaps we might call it IDC Intention Deficit Configuration – or MDC Motivation Deficit Configuration.
In the time they are not taking action on their intentions, they may hedonistically follow a dopamine trail and distract themselves from their chaotic brains with music, watching videos, exercising, sports or playing computer games, which tend to calm and engage their naturally(fomo-based) inquisitive and scatty brain.
However, if exhausted, and when their emotional batteries become depleted, this (unconscious) hedonistic strategy fails because (though they repeatedly distract themselves), it no longer feels good to do so.
Now, because I dislike the label ADHD, I’d rather refer to this group of people as CHEFS, which is an anagram for Creative, Hedonistic, Extroverted, Fun and Spontaneous.
I’m told that about five per cent of the population are CHEFS, but I believe it’s closer to fifteen per cent during childhood.
I think this is because intelligent children with ADHD often develop coping skills to force themselves to look like they are concentrating. They learned to resist randomly talking without thinking, and they found ways to dampen their innate curiosity and impulsiveness.
Though these learned strategies may have stopped parents and teachers from shouting at them for being late, loud, talkative, cheeky and disorganised or blaming them for everything they lost or went wrong – these ‘fitting in’ strategies often came at the expense of suppressing their natural ‘joie du vie’ – angry frustration and intense creativity/imagination.
Additionally, their natural talent, intelligence, and resourcefulness often allowed them to procrastinate until the last minute, yet they could still find ways to succeed.
Very often, if their true nomadic nature was suppressed as a child by being constantly told off or blamed for being late, things going wrong or not paying attention by a dominant parent or teacher, their brains get programmed in such a way that they feel overly guilty, even if they haven’t done anything wrong!
When coupled with a creative imagination (in some people), this may present itself in the type of obsessive ruminations which focus on them trying to predict what might go wrong, which they may be blamed for – thus causing them to overly check what they write or send in emails or to retain receipts to prove they actually purchased something so they won’t be accused or convicted.
This may extend to their fear of leaving fingerprints, DNA, video evidence, or voice messages that may somehow be misconstrued or used against them.
These individuals must learn to stop looking for external reassurance from their partners, learn to trust their good nature and doubt their overactive imaginations. Video 30 about trust and sabotage may help with this.
I am sharing this information with you (the people who live with them) because you are far more likely to watch this video to the end than their brains will allow them to—and you are more likely to take action on their behalf—and this is just the way it is – therefore, (I think) common sense.
So, I’ve called this short video – Light blue touch paper – and stay!
Key Features of ADHD
ADHD is broadly categorised into three subtypes, each with distinct symptoms:
1. Inattentive Presentation:
- Difficulty sustaining attention on tasks or activities.
- Frequent careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities.
- Appearing not to listen when spoken to directly.
- Difficulty organizing tasks and managing time.
- Avoidance or dislike of tasks requiring sustained mental effort.
- Losing items frequently (e.g., keys, books, tools).
- Easily distracted by external stimuli or unrelated thoughts.
2. Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation:
- Fidgeting, tapping hands, or squirming in seats.
- Difficulty remaining seated or still when expected.
- Feelings of restlessness or being “on the go.”
- Talking excessively or blurting out answers before a question is completed.
- Interrupting or intruding on others’ conversations or activities.
- Difficulty waiting for one’s turn in situations like games or lines.
3. Combined Presentation:
- A mix of both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms.
Here’s a list of alternative names for ADHD:
- ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder) – An older term, still used informally, often referring to ADHD without hyperactivity.
- Hyperactivity Disorder – Focuses on the hyperactive symptoms.
- Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD) – An outdated term used in the mid-20th century.
- Hyperkinetic Disorder – A term used in some international classifications, such as the ICD (International Classification of Diseases).
- Attention-Deficit Syndrome – Highlights the inattention aspect of ADHD.
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Syndrome (ADHS) – A variation used in some regions.
- Neurodevelopmental Attention Disorder – A descriptive term emphasising the neurodevelopmental origin.
- Executive Function Disorder – A term used to describe associated difficulties with planning, organising, and impulse control.
- Inattentive ADHD – Refers specifically to the subtype where inattention is the dominant symptom.
- Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD – Refers to the subtype where hyperactivity and impulsivity dominate.
These terms reflect the evolving understanding of ADHD and its various presentations over time.
Here are some examples of behaviours commonly associated with ADHD:
1. Inattention:
– Difficulty focusing on tasks, often leading to incomplete work.
– Frequently losing track of time or forgetting deadlines.
– Struggling to follow through on instructions, resulting in mistakes.
2. Hyperactivity:
– Inability to stay still, often fidgeting or tapping feet or hands.
– Talking excessively, interrupting others during conversations.
– Finding it hard to engage in quiet activities, like reading.
3. Impulsivity:
– Acting without thinking, which may lead to risky behaviours.
– Blurting out answers in class before questions are completed.
– Difficulty waiting for one’s turn in games or group settings.
4. Disorganisation:
– Trouble keeping track of personal belongings or school materials.
– Difficulty prioritising tasks, leading to missed assignments.
– Using a disorganised approach to daily routines, making it hard to complete goals.
5. Emotional Dysregulation:
– Experiencing intense frustration or anger over small setbacks.
– Quick shifts in mood, making it hard to manage emotions in social situations.
– Difficulty coping with stress, leading to emotional outbursts.
These behaviours can vary significantly among individuals and may occur in different settings, such as at home, school, or work.
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