Today’s blog post was written by USP Psychotherapist David J. Bright, PHD, LMHC, NCC
It’s true! ADHD is more complicated than a high energy kid or a teenager who can’t seem to pay attention in class. Put simply, ADHD is a different way that certain brains operate and think. Although ADHD commonly has a negative connotation due to traditional education methods and work expectations, the reality is that individuals with ADHD have brains that are gifted in their own way. ADHD brains are creative, dynamic, excitable, and able to fixate on things they have a passion for more deeply than most others.
You can imagine an ADHD brain as a computer browser with dozens of tabs open. Each tab is an interesting thought, idea, or action. Some tabs take up more processing power than others. It can be wonderful to have all of this information
at your disposal, but if your task is supposed to be wholly focused on one browser window, you have a problem. It can be hard to close all of those browser windows and to resist the temptation to open them up again. ADHD can be a superpower, but often the contexts we live in make it difficult for an individual with ADHD to succeed, causing frustration and self-judgment.
There are three types of ADHD:
Inattentive ADHD presents as a difficulty focusing and paying attention. Think back to the example of having too many browser windows open. Prolonged focus may feel impossible or utterly draining as it requires significant effort and energy. The symptoms often manifest internally as daydreaming or zoning out and easily becoming distracted. There are rarely the physical or external symptoms we associate with hyperactivity or arousal; the hyperactivity is internal, occurring within the person’s mind.
Hyperactive ADHD mainly presents externally in physical actions that are more easily observable by others. An individual might be notably restless, as he or she struggles to tolerate prolonged periods of inactivity, and impulsive, making decisions or moving their body with little to no forethought. This type of ADHD is rare, and is frequently misdiagnosed when the individual’s inattention or hyperactivity is better explained by anxiety.
Combined ADHD has characteristics of both. The individual has difficulty focusing and paying attention while also feeling restless if not physically active. Such individuals often like to get moving to do new things or seek stimulation through distractions. They’re frequently kinesthetic learners and retain information most effectively through doing.
It is important to remember that, as with any diagnosis, these characteristics exist on a spectrum, and all humans experience them to some degree. We all get bored, distracted, or restless from time to time. The question is the degree to which distraction and restlessness become a challenge or impediment to learning and everyday functioning. In the case of untreated ADHD, difficulty focusing leads to emotional and physical struggles as efforts to sit still and pay attention are draining both physically and emotionally.
Often a client is diagnosed with ADHD after initially seeking treatment for depression or anxiety. Throughout the course of treatment, the intersections between mood and anxiety symptoms and ADHD become clear. Anxiety and ADHD frequently have a cyclical relationship as inattention leads to increased anxiety (often worries about performance, intelligence, self-image), which subsequently exacerbates inattention. Increasingly, ADHD is treated with psychopharmacology and talk therapy in conjunction with executive functioning coaching, as individuals in the competitive private schooling and corporate spaces understand that improvement in symptom management can make tangible impacts in their lives.
To learn more about ADHD, how it is diagnosed and subsequently treated, visit our pages on ADHD and neuropsychological testing and evaluations.