Part 1 of 2 part series!
It might seem as though everywhere you look – social media, friendship circles, the news – ADHD is a hot topic of discussion. Perhaps a friend has seen some posts on TikTok that have resonated with her and she is considering talking to her therapist about the possibility of ADHD. Maybe a colleague confided that he has recently received an ADHD diagnosis and has been trialling new medication. Articles on the news seem to pop up weekly that explore the “trending” nature of ADHD. But what does ADHD look like? For many of us, we picture the restless young boy that is bouncing off the walls at school and at home. However, for many people with ADHD, their experience looks and feels incredibly different.
Firstly, what is ADHD? Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning that it’s a condition that exists from the early stages in a child’s development, and differences in brain structures and functions remain throughout the individual’s life
“There are three types of ADHD: predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, predominantly inattentive, and combined type (all of the above)”
While the condition would have been present since childhood, adults that have lived with undiagnosed ADHD for decades might have done so by “masking” their symptoms, finding workarounds or creating alternative explanations for their behaviour. Let’s explore some common symptoms and traits associated with ADHD and how these might present in adulthood.
Rejection sensitivity or Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)
- Being extremely sensitive to criticism (real or perceived), often beyond what they might expect would be proportionate for the situation
- People-pleasing to avoid conflict
- Sometimes experiencing physical pain or discomfort when rejected or criticism
- Working memory challenges
- Losing track of what they’re talking about mid-sentence
- Forgetting why they entered a room
- Forgetting information that they spoke about or were working on just moments before
Difference in time perception
- Being unable to correctly estimate how long tasks will take, often underestimating and ending up running out of time to complete the tasks
- Being chronically late or extremely early (often to avoid the possibility of otherwise being late)
- Having no concept of time passing, especially when engaging in an activity they enjoy
Object invisibility (or difficulty with object permanence)
- Buying the same item multiple times because they forget they already own it (such as household items, articles of clothing, or grocery products)
- Forgetting that particular pieces of clothing or food items they already have exist until they see them again
- Losing contact with friends they haven't seen in a while because they simply forget about them
Procrastination
- Feeling physically unable to begin a task, whether or not they’re interested in it
- Starting an irrelevant task instead (and bonus if it’s a “productive” task like cleaning the house or listing discarded clothes on Marketplace – this has been dubbed “procrastivity”)
- Engaging in self-sabotaging behaviours to avoid a task (e.g. phone scrolling for extended periods, although this experience is often unpleasant and unenjoyable as it’s likely tainted with guilt about not doing the task required)
Fidgeting and “stimming”
- Constantly readjusting their seat or position, particularly when seated for long periods
- Often leaving situations where they’re expected to remain still/seated to go to the bathroom, get a glass of water, make a cup of tea, etc.
- Skin-picking, nail-picking/biting, joint cracking, pen clicking, foot tapping
- Excessive throat-clearing, humming, making repetitive noises, sighing
Emotion dysregulation
- Experiencing more dramatic mood swings than others
- Feeling out of control of their emotions
- Often "overreacting" to situations and displaying emotions that seem disproportionate to the situation
Hyperfocus
- Becoming extremely interested in or obsessed with a certain topic/hobby/meal/person and being unable to "turn off" the focus for hours, weeks or even months
- Losing track of time when learning about or engaging in the task or activity in hyperfocus
- Forgetting to attend to self-care tasks like eating, drinking water, going to the bathroom or getting up to stretch while they’re engrossed in a hyperfocused state
There are plenty more shared experiences among adults with ADHD. Stay tuned for another part to this blog post where explore more lesser known examples of adult ADHD symptoms and traits.
If you feel you resonate with some of the experiences above, it might be worthwhile raising this with your therapist and exploring the possibility of ADHD by talking through what you’ve noticed and completing an ADHD screening questionnaire. They will be able to help you better understand what is going on and guide you on how to move forward with any new found insights!