Educating Yourself With Attention Deficit Disorder Research
If you are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the most important thing you can do is to educate yourself. ADHD is a complex and nuanced diagnosis, and it’s difficult to live with if you don’t know how it impacts every area of your life. Read on for six must-read pieces of information on living with ADHD and how to cope in a world that doesn’t always accommodate your needs.
This post aims to be educational about ADHD, which is not an easy topic for sufferers or those who care about them. It seeks to answer questions that many people have about the disorder and share resources that can be helpful in dealing with it.
Note that this article is not meant to be an exhaustive guide, but rather a jumping off point. There are far too many good pieces of content on the subject to list them all here. And everyone with ADHD is different, so there’s no “one size fits all” list of helpful articles – though if you have others you recommend, please don’t hesitate to leave them in comments!
1) What is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?
In short: ADD is really ADHD – it just doesn’t fit the DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing it.
People with ADD are often misdiagnosed as having ADHD, because the symptoms are similar. But there are also important differences. For example, people with ADD can get very focused on things (hyperfocus), but ADHD sufferers will often lose focus when studying or working for long periods of time. Additionally, people with ADD can be distractible; however, those with ADHD have trouble staying on task – their hyperfocus is more in their imagination than their actions.
ADD sufferers also tend to have a more organized mind. They can hyperfocus and find tasks that interest them to be very fulfilling, but they often feel overwhelmed by mundane tasks or having too many things to do in a short period of time. Additionally, people with ADD get distracted from their primary task due to the allure of other tasks (multitasking). People with ADHD, on the other hand, are distracted from their task because the task is too hard for them (under-focusing). People with ADD tend to have problems with time management, organization, and prioritization. People with ADHD, on the other hand, often have ADD-like behaviors but struggle with inattention and hyperfocusing (eg: “daydreaming” or getting distracted by all the options), rather than not being able to prioritize their tasks.
So, if you are living with a diagnosis of ADD and are told that you have ADHD – take this diagnosis seriously! Although the symptoms can be similar enough for an outsider to mistake one for the other, but they are different diagnoses entirely.
2) Is it a Labeled Disorder?
Yes. The U.S. and Canada have been recognizing ADD as a disorder for more than 50 years, and it has had this status in Europe and some other countries for years as well. The DSM-5 actually combined the ADHD diagnosis with a diagnosis of ADD, but research and studies suggest that there are important differences between the disorders – though both can coexist with one another.
3) What is Hyperactivity?
Hyperactivity refers to the impulsivity that results in seemingly constant movement of a person’s body (otherwise known as psychomotor agitation). Someone with hyperactivity may fidget, squirm, jump from place to place, or have trouble sitting still for any length of time.
4) What is Fidgetiness?
Fidgetiness refers to the restlessness one feels when they are trying to focus. It’s not just about movement; fidgetiness can also be manifested as mood changes and an inability to sit still for long periods of time. It’s sort of like ADD; it’s a hyperfocus away from the task at hand, but it’s not a distraction. Someone with fidgetiness will lose interest in tasks or become distracted (often by their own thoughts and imagination), but it won’t result in a lack of focus on tasks unless the task is very challenging or boring.
5) What is Hyperfocus?
Those with hyperfocus are often very interested in a subject or task and will lose interest in everything around them as soon as they get bored or lose momentum. They tend to be very self-concerned and often don’t listen to others – unless they are obsessed with the topic. Many people with ADHD experience a degree of hyperfocus, but it doesn’t have the same intensity as the hyperfocus that occurs in someone with ADD. People can become more focused on their tasks because they need to do so to solve a problem on the inside (but often without noticing their physical movements until later). Their focus becomes more internal than external.
6) What is Multitasking?
When people multitask, they are trying to complete more than one task at once. This can be a time-consuming process, and it can lead to many kinds of mistakes. People with ADHD will often get off task, being distracted by their own thoughts and imaginations when trying to do multiple tasks at once (also known as “getting sidetracked”). They may also get frustrated or bored with their tasks, which will then cause them to lose focus and self-concentrate on their off task actions (eg: “daydreaming”).
7) What is Over-Clocking?
When people over-clock, they are trying to do too many tasks at once. It’s sort of like trying to work at the maximum speed of their motor. Not everyone who is hyperfocused will over-clock, but most people with ADHD experience this eventually, whether they have ADD or not.
8) What are the Different Types of Attention Deficit Disorder?
ADHD – ADD is just one type among many. There are three common types – the classic ADHD, a hyperactive form of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). The classic ADHD is the most common type, but children can also have a social or impulsive/inattentive form of ADD (or any combination).
The CBS News article on ADD also offers a good breakdown of the different subtypes, which comes from the DSM-5.
9) What are some personality traits associated with ADD?
People with ADD tend to have more mechanical movement and may have difficulty sitting still for long periods of time.
Conclusion
Of course, there’s always room for error in any diagnostic process. But, with mindfulness and awareness you can learn to identify your own diagnostic symptoms without a doctor.
ADD vs ADHD: Do you have one of these conditions? Do you have both? It may seem like a silly question to ask, but it is important to understand the difference between the two, so that you can better relate with yourself (and others).
We hope this article has helped you determine whether or not you have ADD or ADHD. If so, please share it with others who may be suffering from confusion over the differences between ADD and ADHD.