I’m always researching and reading about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) since I have been diagnosed with it.  Some of you might find some of this information interesting or useful.  For the rest of you, I went ahead and put the majority of it behind the cut.  The “Recipe For Depression” is also behind the cut.  It pretty much sums up how I’ve felt a good portion of my life.

ADHD CHARACTERISTICS

ADHD has been characterized as “an addiction to the present.” [1]  “Just as an alcoholic feels he must drink to survive, ADHD individuals seek the intensity of the present because their attention and reward systems are fueled by the pursuit of immediate pleasures.” [2]

There is a general consensus that the hallmark of ADHD is a lack of inhibition. [3]  Individuals with ADHD are unable to stop themselves from immediately responding to stimuli and are more spontaneous than the average person. [4]  “They often lack the intermediate reflective step between impulse and action.  This can be charming and innovative, or it can be annoying and disruptive, depending upon the impulse and the action.” [5]

The ADHD trademark lack of inhibition leads to almost all of the other symptoms of ADHD, including disruptive behavior, impulsivity, restlessness, uneven attention span, disorganization, tactlessness, irritability, impatience, and risk-taking behavior. [6]  It also leads to many of the positive qualities of ADHD, such as creativity, spontaneity, intuitiveness, high energy, and openness. [7]

The “Wandering Mind Syndrome” refers to the tendency to “daydream and drift among loosely and tenuously connected thoughts.” [8]  An individual with ADHD  (“ADDer”) might have a difficult time controlling his daydreaming when he should be working or listening in class, which could affect his note-taking, comprehension, and future exam performance. On the other hand, an ADDer can also use his “wandering mind syndrome” to notice things others miss and create new and interesting connections between ideas. [9]

The “One Channel Operational System” involves giving everything and anything the opportunity to grab the attention span. [10]  An ADDer is unable to filter the distracting stimuli in the environment and in his own mind. [11]

The “Locking In and Blocking Out Phenomenon” is an interesting paradox of ADHD.  “An ADDer expends great energy and effort to shut out the distractions of other channels.” [12]  Once he finally does focus on a task, he may overpersist and can sit for hours working oblivious to anyone or anything else. [13]  While this ability can be used to good advantage, it can also be counterproductive.

Perhaps a result of the tendency to hyperfocus, “The Intractable Time Tyrant” also characteristically underestimates the time it will take to do anything. [14]  While overpersisting on a task, hours seem to fly by in an instant.

The “Defective Filter” syndrome does not permit an ADHD brain to select what it needs to concentrate on and filter out extraneous distractions. [15]  Rather, a person with ADHD “experiences the world as a barrage to the senses – noises, sights, and smells rush in without barriers or protection.  Normal noise levels can interfere with his ability to hear conversations or maintain a train of thought.” [16]

People with ADHD often experience “Roller Coaster Emotions,” including mood swings and extreme alterations in the highs and lows. [17]  

They may also experience “Intense INTENSITY,” in which their feelings are amplified and exhibited with little restraint. [18]  Because of this intensity, low moods may feel like end of the world to a person with ADHD. [19] 

Recipe for Depression

“Take someone who is constantly failing to successfully create and maintain order and direction in life.  Add a lifetime of dealing with the inability to control an inner world of chaos consisting of ricocheting thoughts, fleeting ideas, and negative self-talk.  Mix in the all too familiar experiences of intense frustration and underachievement.  Let that simmer for years with repeated reminders of being lazy, stubborn, irresponsible, immature, dumb, weird, and just too sensitive.  Blend this with chronic inconsistencies and disorganization, a multitude of incomplete projects, frequent job changes, unsatisfying relationships, and social isolation.  More often than not, a recipe such as this will produce a state of depression.  I mean, after all!” [20]

 

SOURCES

[1] John J. Ratey, M.D., A User’s Guide To The Brain:  Perception, Attention and The Four Theaters of  The Brain (Vintage Books 2001), supra note 117, at 117.

[2] Id,. at 126.

[3] Adult ADHD:  Evaluation and Treatment in Family Medicine, American Family Physician Vol.62, No. 9 Nov.1, 2000.

[4] Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. and John J. Ratey, M.D., Answers To Distraction (Bantam Books 1996), supra note 110, at 5.

[5] Id.

[6] Hallowell, supra note 119, at 180.

[7] Id. at 181.  (asking “What else is creativity but impulsivity gone right?”)

[8] Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo, You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?! (Scribner 1993), at 47.

[9] Id.

[10] Id. at 48.

[11] Id.

[12] Id. at 50.

[13] id. at 50.

[14] Id. at 58-59.

[15] Id.

[16] Id.

[17] Id. at 52.

[18] Id.

[19] Id. at 53.

[20] Kimberly Carver Holderby, PD, ADD – Recipe for Depression? at www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3167.asp.