neurodivergientqueerthoughts

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

My Dysfunctional Family

The car rolled to a stop for the fourth time since my family and I left for home. We’d gotten in the car around mid-morning, not expecting to be in the car for nearly as long as we were; the ride that usually takes us five hours was inching closer to fifteen by the minute. My younger sisters, as always, were the first out of the car, while I was shaking my foot, trying to wake it up after being trapped between the two of them for hours. I prayed to whatever force that had been causing problems for us all day, asking for some peace at this shady gas station. Unfortunately for me, God had other plans. The gas station was unusually full considering the time and the single-stall bathroom had a line of nearly ten people waiting to use it. I, being the oldest and most mature, didn’t feel like telling the whole gas station about my constant need for snacks, unlike my sisters, who made me very aware of the barren shelves within moments of getting in line. My parents looked exhausted beyond belief and slipped them a few dollars each for snacks, trying to placate them. Their attempts to keep my sisters quiet failed; by the time we finally left the gas station, dozens of strangers knew far too much about myself and my dysfunctional family.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Yuu is a boy in all ways but one– his build. His heart holds the soul of a boy, his dress does not. His mom flaunts her hate, a slow stream spills out her mouth with his news. His dad says it’s a phase, opts to use his old name. Nurse won’t write his name, his sex, won’t write the truth. Forms ask for his birth sex, folks ask for proof. Boys don’t have breasts, he doesn’t have boy parts. Should have known by now, they say. Too young to know, they cry. He sees the clear strained smiles from clerks when he brings his not-boy self to buy boy stuff. Holds his tongue when kids call him her, his not-boy dress tells all. If he could fix it, if he could start fresh, he would go to the place where he could be new. All he can do now, though, is bind his breasts, cut his hair, and hide who he used to be.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Emetophobia

You’re nearly twelve years old. It’s Christmas Eve. You woke up bright and early, excited to play games and open presents tomorrow. Your younger brother, now 10, and your sister, 8, eat breakfast with you and you show them some music by twenty-one pilots. You play Roblox until your dad tells you to hop in the car for a Christmas grocery trip. He has bags of cans and bottles for you all to recycle for money. He’s even going to let you all buy snacks with the money you earn! In the car, you realize that you have your iPod, but you don’t have any pockets to hold it in! Your brother graciously lets you put your iPod in his coat pocket. Once you’re there, you start helping put the cans and bottles into the machines when you hear your brother say, “my stomach hurts.” You don’t think too much of it at the time and just continue earning snack money. When you get into the store, your brother heads to the bathroom, where you all wait outside for him for the next half hour. You’re holding his coat the entire time. You begin shopping and he asks for the bathroom a second time. This is when you begin to worry about him. You all wait for him again for quite a while, you still carrying his things. When he asks to go to the bathroom for a third time, you’re tasked with staying there with him while your dad and sister get the actual groceries. It takes forever, but he finally comes back out. You joke around with him as you meet up with your dad and get your hard-earned snack money. You and your sister pick out a few snacks, including a pack of powdered sugar donettes, while your brother sits on the bottom shelf of a large aisle next to your standing dad. You get in line to check out. All seems to be going well until you hear something from behind you. “Dad, I’m gonna throw up.” You stand there in shock and watch your brother throw up on the floor, some of it getting on your Uggs. Your ears stop working, they’re ringing. You cover them. You run to the corner in the front of the store and crouch down into a ball, making sure not to touch your shoes. You realize that tears are streaming down your face and you’re not sure why. After what feels like an eternity, your brother grabs your arm (when did he appear?) and tells you to get up, trying to make you feel better. You sit back in your seat in the back left of the car, right next to where your brother had previously been seated in the middle. During the car ride home, your brother throws up in a plastic bag twice. You’re trapped. You finally get out of the car and your dad dumps out the bags in the yard next to the door. You’ll always remember that spot and avoid it when you walk in the yard, even when it’s snowy. You take your Uggs off downstairs to be sterilized and run to your room with your sister. You sanitize your iPod out of fear of getting as sick as your brother. Then your sister starts getting sick. You can’t escape. When you go to bed, you sleep on the floor next to a trash can, certain that you’ll catch it too. You stay awake most of the night listening to your sister throw up in her bed beside you. The next day is Christmas. It doesn’t feel so joyful anymore. You all open your presents between the two of them throwing up. You haven’t eaten since you had breakfast yesterday. You still can’t eat. You can’t get what they have. Christmas Eve was the worst day of your life, and you’ll never forget that.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Death

Death isn’t peaceful

It’s gruesome

Horrid

Impossible to watch

Death is sudden

Painful

Death can happen

Without a single inkling of hope

Death can strike

The ones who cared for you most

In an instant

One moment

You’re putting off traveling to see them

The next

They call and tell you they have cancer

Stage four

Unhealable

In only one month

They’re completely gone

And you never even got to say a proper goodbye

You never thought that this would happen

You still had an inkling of hope

You thought that maybe they would get better

But they didn’t

And now they’re gone

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Living in a World of Ignorance and Stereotypes

How many times have you heard people talking about autism like it’s a worse fate than death? In recent years, anti-vax movements were fueled by the idea that vaccines cause autism. More often than not, I hear autism being discussed in ways that portray autistic people as inhuman. However, autism is actually very similar to another neurological disorder—ADHD. 

Although they are distinctly different neurodevelopmental disorders, most people fail to notice the crossover between the two. The social impairment often associated with autism also appears in those with ADHD. ADHD is known for impulsivity and inattention; autism can come with that, too. According to Neuropsychopharmacology Reports, a study was done on the similarities between ADHD and autism, proving the overlap between symptoms of ADHD and autism.

So why are ADHD and autism treated so vastly differently? When a person with ADHD struggles to communicate, they’re called shy, but when an autistic person has the same struggles, they’re labeled as low-functioning.

Stereotypes surrounding neurodevelopmental disorders create stigma against people with disabilities. Rather than doing research on certain topics, people tend to listen to stereotypes. This has been shown throughout history with queer people, neurodivergent people, disabled people, and people of color.

Not only are stereotypes harmful to people who they are targeted towards, but they make it difficult for people to realize the truth about diagnosable disabilities, such as ADHD and autism. I was never taught about disabilities; I was only taught the stereotypes behind disabilities. Even those who were diagnosed with ADHD at a young age were not taught about it. Consequently, people who have experienced this struggle to understand why they act and think in certain ways.

The people who said that ADHD is a ruse also believe that being autistic is worse than being dead. These are the very same people who watched me struggle to perform even the simplest tasks, things that I wanted to do so badly. These people created and upheld the stereotype that ADHD was a diagnosis that belonged to hyperactive elementary school boys, which prevented me from getting a diagnosis until sixteen. It continues to stand as a barrier between people who were assigned female at birth and adults who have ADHD. A diagnosis could aid them in significantly improving their quality of life and give them an understanding behind the difficulties they face daily.

Blatant ignorance cannot be cured, but the spread of misinformation can be stopped with the aid of others. Ignorance, even with positive intentions, can prevent people from finding the resources necessary to help them succeed and understand their disabilities. The best way to counteract this effect is to spread awareness.

Works Cited

"Nearly One-Third of Children with Autism also have ADHD: Kennedy Krieger Researchers Find Children with Co-Occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders Face Greater Impairments." PR Newswire, Jun 05, 2013. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/nearly-one-third-children-with-autism-also-have/docview/1364743401/se-2.

"New Study: Children with Autism may be Over-Diagnosed with ADHD: --CHOP Autism and ADHD Experts Say Current Measuring Tools for ADHD may Not Work for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders." PR Newswire, Oct 27, 2016. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/new-study-children-with-autism-may-be-over/docview/1832762433/se-2.

"Trait-Based Dimensions Discriminating Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and, Co-Occurring ADHD/ASD." Brain Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, 2021, pp. 18. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/trait-based-dimensions-discriminating-adults-with/docview/2474350124/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11010018.

Bakombo, Schwab, Paulette Ewalefo, and Anne T. M. Konkle. "The Influence of Social Media on the Perception of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Content Analysis of Public Discourse on YouTube Videos." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 4, 2023, pp. 3246. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/influence-social-media-on-perception-autism/docview/2779565377/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043246.

Bialik, Carl. "Health Data that May Leave You of Two Minds." Wall Street Journal (Online), May 24, 2013. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/health-data-that-may-leave-you-two-minds/docview/1355172100/se-2.

Fuermaier, Anselm B. M., et al. "Measurement of Stigmatization Towards Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." PLoS One, vol. 7, no. 12, 2012. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/measurement-stigmatization-towards-adults-with/docview/1327188205/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051755.

Malwane, Michelle I., et al. "A Delayed Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Setting of Complex Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." Cureus, vol. 14, no. 6, 2022. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/delayed-diagnosis-autism-spectrum-disorder/docview/2696783946/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.25825.

Mooney, Jonathan. "At Risk in the Culture of ‘Normal’: Disability."ProQuest, Oct 09, 2019, https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/at-risk-culture-normal/docview/2302333023/se-2.

Morris, Amanda. "Fetterman’s Debate Performance Reveals a Divide about Disability."ProQuest, Oct 27, 2022, https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/fetterman-s-debate-performance-reveals-divide/docview/2729299346/se-2.

Nakagawa, Akari, et al. "Similarity of Subjective Symptoms between Autism Spectrum Disorder and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity Disorder in Adults: Preliminary Findings." Neuropsychopharmacology Reports, vol. 41, no. 2, 2021, pp. 237-241. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/similarity-subjective-symptoms-between-autism/docview/2535774172/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/npr2.12170.

Solomon, Andrew. "What Happens when You’re Disabled but Nobody can Tell [with Graphic(s)]." New York Times, Jul 11, 2020. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/what-happens-when-you-re-disabled-nobody-can-tell/docview/2422341808/se-2.

Somashekhar, Sandhya. "In Autism, a Sense of Comfort and Identity, Not Dread." The Washington Post, Jul 21, 2015. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/autism-sense-comfort-identity-not-dread/docview/1697372193/se-2.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Adhd and autism: coming soon

*i sent in a whole essay about the similarities between adhd and autism and pointed out the differences in stigma to the New York Times for a contest, but I can’t post it until they finish the contest. I promise to post it as soon as I can!!

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

I drew Lapis Lazuli (full video on TikTok under jayyce_draws)!

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Sweat: the comic

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

The days where you wake up and feel like shit

Do you guys ever wake up having a panic attack? I have days where I’ll wake up having one or on the verge of having one and I just know that the day is going to be pretty awful. When I wake up like that, I have waves of panic attacks for the rest of the day. I’m actually having one of those days right now. It makes me not want to eat or drink despite needing to do those to live. It makes me need to be doing something or watching something to stave off the constant panic attacks— it doesn’t get rid of them, but it can help. GAD sucks.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

No one tells you just how much periods suck

No one tells you that you’ll end up getting your first period on the first day of school

No one tells you that you’ll end up with a huge red splotch across the front of your dress before 8 am

No one tells you that you’ll skip an entire class just to try and scrub it out in the bathroom

No one tells you that you’ll get a week’s worth of hell every month

No one tells you that cramps will feel like Satan’s claws ripping into your abdomen

No one tells you that your cramps won’t go away, they’ll just become a bit of pressure against your back and stomach

No one tells you that there will be some moments where it’s so painful you can’t catch your breath

No one tells you how you’ll just want to sit with your legs to your chin to stop the pain, but you know you’ll bleed straight through your clothes like that

No one tells you that, no matter how long you’ve been dealing with this, you’ll still ruin at least one clothing item each month, sometimes making it completely unsalvageable

No one tells you that people will cower when they hear anything about periods

No one tells you that you’ll risk bleeding through your pants over getting up to go to the bathroom while others stare

No one tells you that you’ll be exhausted beyond belief

No one tells you that you’ll be so emotionally drained that you’ll tear up for no reason

No one tells you that you’ll be afraid to discuss any of this with your friends

No one tells you

Anything

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Panic Attack

Before I even open my eyes, I notice that something feels off. 

Something feels wrong.

The world is fuzzier than usual and my stomach is more resentful; refusing appetite almost entirely.

My mouth tastes odd and there’s too much saliva.

My heartbeat quickens at random, making my stomach cramp with it.

Silence is no longer my friend.

Noise can keep it at bay, kind of.

My day is filled with anguish.

I wish I could end the day now.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Would anybody be interested in a few posts about the manga i have been writing? lmk if so; i can post little spoilers (pieces of my script) and some of the base artwork/planning ive done. i think i can post a bit about some of the main characters, too, if you guys would like.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

adhd "tip" that i'm gonna try out bc i'm making it up as i go: try to do something at least once a week if you want to improve (i.e. drawing, learning a language, writing)

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

We need to stop discrimination and hatred towards minority groups. So much misplaced rage.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

ADHD In Perspective

Have you been wondering what ADHD is really like? This document will explain the seriousness of ADHD and everything that may come with it. Make sure to do more research into ADHD, as I am not an expert (although I, myself, have ADHD). In this, I go into detail about different aspects of ADHD and why it should not be taken lightly. Actually, most children with ADHD have been insulted and/or criticized 20,000 times more than their neurotypical peers by the age of 12.

What is ADHD?

(Note: Not everyone with ADHD has these symptoms. They can vary from person to person.)

One common symptom of ADHD is called executive dysfunction, also referred to as ADHD paralysis. This typically comes with a feeling of constantly waiting for something, without knowing what or why. This leads to feeling completely overwhelmed, even by mundane tasks, to a point of being unable to do the task or function. However, sometimes this is caused simply by confusion as to how to start or do a task. In general, executive dysfunction feels like “a fuzzy-restless feeling when you need to do something but your brain won’t focus on anything… you’re silently begging yourself to just do one thing but instead you’re [sitting there] even though you don’t even want to be. It’s like your head is filled with heavy electric cotton… you’re both uncomfortable and unable to stop,” (Anonymous).

This is not the same thing as procrastination or laziness. This occurs with tasks that the person is afraid to do, does not want to do, or even wants to do. Laziness means that a person does not feel like doing something, but they could if they wanted to. Executive dysfunction can be described as something a person has been trying to do for any amount of time between minutes and years, but they physically cannot do the task and end up feeling like a failure because of that. It is debilitating.

Another telltale sign of ADHD is hyperfocus or hyperfixation. It is an extreme obsession over something. This can be creating something, finding out everything about a topic, or just something that creates extreme emotions in the person. This obsession can easily become unhealthy as the person may forget to take care of themselves due to it. However, these hyperfixations cause extreme joy or curiosity in the person.

A sign of ADHD is having difficulty switching tasks. As a person with ADHD, task switching can become more difficult when you hyperfocus on something. “When you have ADHD task switching can often be difficult. You might feel like you're stuck in a gear. It might be you're trying to start, and your gears just keep on grinding. Other times you may want to stop but the gear just stays in place because you're hyper-focusing on whatever you're doing,” (Marla Cummins, ADHD Coach).

On the contrary, people with ADHD may have an inability to stick to one task. People with ADHD often have issues with motivation, which leads to many unfinished projects. If a task does not give a person with ADHD dopamine, they are often unable to complete the task (i.e. homework; chores).

People with ADHD have issues with dopamine and serotonin. There are moments when boredom can be painful. People with ADHD can be bored to tears due to extreme emotions and a lack of dopamine.

Many people with ADHD have issues with time processing, also called time blindness. This is [not knowing how much time has passed based on their ‘internal clock’; they don’t have one!] This leads to people being completely unaware of how much time something will take.

With ADHD, memory can be greatly affected. Some things will be forgotten very quickly, and some things can be over-remembered.

Brain imaging shows that delayed rewards don’t register for people with ADHD. They are more motivated by the instant gratification that strong emotions deliver. “Processing emotions starts in the brain. Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion,” (Thomas Brown, PhD). As a result, a person with ADHD may struggle to deal rationally and realistically with events that are stressful, but not of grave concern.

People with ADHD have much lower levels of dopamine than those without ADHD. This causes the brain to constantly crave dopamine. If a task is not providing the dopamine the brain wants, it will make a person with ADHD less motivated to complete the task, or even start it.

With overstimulation, information reaching the senses feels like an assault of competing stimuli. However, with understimulation, outside stimuli are dulled, as if a shade has been pulled over the environment, muting sights, sounds, and touch. These people crave extra stimulation to feel alive.

Feeling tired all the time can be related to ADHD. Due to low dopamine levels, people with ADHD can feel exhausted even after getting ample amounts of sleep. Inversely, people can get bursts of energy from ADHD as well. This can be from hyperactivity or high amounts of dopamine.

Somebody who is intelligent and who has ADHD can have imposter syndrome towards both. They are not related to each other, but the ways they are portrayed in media causes imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is feeling like a fraud and doubting your abilities.

Rejection sensitivity dysphoria is extreme anxiety towards being criticized or rejected by others, despite their relationship with the person. Extreme pain or emotional sensitivity is caused by a sense of ‘rejection’.

Hyperactivity is not always visible, if at all. There is constant activity going on inside of a person’s head when they have ADHD. This creates difficulty with sleep and relaxation. If visible, it usually takes the form of fidgeting or stimming.

Co-occurring Conditions

People with ADHD commonly suffer from depression. This is usually caused by the constant berating and/or criticisms they receive. It is one of the most common signs of ADHD, especially when the person who has ADHD has gone undiagnosed.

Anxiety is common in people with ADHD. Typically, it develops as a way to mask ADHD. The way anxiety can mask ADHD is by creating a constant sense of perfectionism. Rather than being constantly late or forgetful, a person with ADHD may be extremely early and over-remember small details.

Many people with ADHD also have auditory processing disorder. Things can take longer to process when somebody hears them than when they see or read them. The amount or complexity of noise around somebody can affect how they hear things.

Instead of having a regular circadian rhythm, with sleeping hours from 11 pm to 7 am, some people with ADHD have an irregular pattern of 2 am to about 10 am. These times are flexible. However, this means that people with ADHD tend to have issues with falling asleep at a “normal time”. This is more commonly known as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS).

“Dealing” with ADHD

ADHD cannot be fixed, but some things can help people work with it. The coping mechanisms vary from person to person, and they aren’t always going to work. Getting diagnosed with ADHD is the best step to take before anything else, as trained professionals can help with ADHD symptoms.

It is important to understand that ADHD is less of a learning disability and more of a doing disability. It affects every aspect of life, but it isn’t a bad thing! Many things with ADHD can be positive as well. Hyperfocusing can lead to a lot of productivity! Additionally, people with ADHD are known to be more creative and inventive (according to numerous studies). Empathy and compassion are higher in individuals with ADHD. People with ADHD even have a stronger moral compass!

ADHD and autism are distinctly similar in the medical world, despite the stigmatisms behind each of them. In some cases, they can be co-occurring. Treating ADHD as something that shouldn’t be taken seriously is very common today, while autism is seen as something that is not worth living with (courtesy of anti-vaxxers). I hope that these stigmatisms can be changed, as well as what people believe to be “normal” in society.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

being a trans guy part 1

really wanted to talk about figuring out gender identity. for me, i was fine for *years*. i didn’t care if i was a girl or a guy because there wasn’t really a difference in my head at the time (although i was very fascinated by male anatomy, i hate admitting this lol). the problems started when i started middle school. i started getting a chest and it just felt... bad? i don’t know how else to describe it. it felt so wrong and weird. i didn’t really think about it, but i started hiding in baggier clothes and fought going to stores for bras. it was kind of just a subconscious reaction-- i didn’t know why, but i didn’t like going into that section of the store and it embarrassed me. seventh grade was basically a spiral of depression and anxiety (and undiagnosed adhd, but whatever). when i got my period in eighth grade, dysphoria hit me HARD. i hated talking about it. i wore more sweatshirts and hid in the bathroom constantly (until a student would come in to find me). it was not fun. my whole body felt so, so wrong. i still had no idea what was so wrong with my body. by ninth grade, i decided to just be as feminine as possible. maybe that would make me feel better about my body? it didn’t work. i felt more uncomfortable and constantly wished i could just cut my chest off. by the end of ninth grade, i started questioning my gender identity. not super fun. when i came to school in tenth grade with a new name, it was terrifying. people would still call me the only name they knew me as and i lost a few friends due to that. now i’m in eleventh grade, and i think i’m doing okay. i still haven’t even figured out if i will be able to start hormones (my parents have some problems with that..) and i have a single binder that i got without them knowing (again, they don’t really like this stuff). i’ll probably have to discuss hormones with them soon because i feel like it’s going to be too late if i wait much longer. my voice is too high-pitched and my figure is too feminine. basically, life has been a huge rollercoaster for the past five years.

[neurodivergientqueerthoughts]

Introduction

Have you been wondering what ADHD is really like? This will not be biased towards one minority of people who have ADHD. It will be focused on the big picture.

This document will explain the seriousness of ADHD and everything that may come with it. Make sure to do more research into ADHD, as I am not an expert (although I, myself, have ADHD). In this, I go into detail about different aspects of ADHD and why it should not be taken lightly.

What is ADHD?

(Note: Not everyone with ADHD has these symptoms. They can vary from person to person.)

Constant activity going on internally (Hyperactivity)

Hyperfixations

Hyperfocusing

Depression (Co-occurring)

Anxiety (Co-occurring)

Sensory Processing Disorder

Executive Dysfunction

Auditory Processing Disorder (Co-occurring)

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria

Insomnia / Sleep issues

Inability to focus

Difficulty switching tasks

Inability to stick to one task

Mood swings

Difficulty regulating emotions

Choice paralysis

Problems with focusing

Poor impulse control

Trouble recalling things, such as commonly used words

Exhaustion levels

Imposter syndrome

Overwhelm

Overstimulation / Sensory Overload

Understimulation

Memory issues

Motivation issues

Time blindness

Poor sense of time

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (Co-occurring)

Extreme boredom

Going into Detail

Executive Dysfunction/ADHD Paralysis:

A feeling of constantly ‘waiting for something’, without knowing what or why.

Confusion as to how to start or do a task.

A feeling of being completely overwhelmed, even by mundane tasks, to a point of being unable to do the task or function.

A very good description of how this can feel is “a fuzzy-restless feeling when you need to do something but your brain won’t focus on anything… you’re silently begging yourself to just do one thing but instead you’re [sitting there] even though you don’t even want to be. It’s like your head is filled with heavy electric cotton… you’re both uncomfortable and unable to stop.”

This is not the same thing as procrastination or laziness. This occurs with tasks that the person is afraid to do, does not want to do, or even wants to do. Laziness means that a person does not feel like doing something, but they could if they wanted to. Executive dysfunction/ADHD paralysis can be described as something a person has been trying to do for [insert amount of time between minutes and months/years], but they physically cannot do the task and end up feeling like a failure because of that. It is debilitating.

Hyperfixation/Hyperfocus:

An extreme obsession over something. This can be creating something, finding out everything about something, or just something that creates extreme emotions in somebody.

This obsession can easily become unhealthy as the person may forget to take care of themselves due to it. However, these hyperfixations cause extreme joy or curiosity in the person.

Difficulty switching tasks:

“When you have ADHD, task switching can often be difficult. You might feel like you're stuck in a gear. It might be you're trying to start, and your gears just keep on grinding. Other times you may want to stop but the gear just stays in place because you're hyper-focusing on whatever you're doing.”

Inability to stick to one task:

People with ADHD often have issues with motivation, which leads to many unfinished projects.

If a task does not give a person with ADHD dopamine, they are often unable to complete the task (i.e. homework; chores).

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome:

Instead of having a regular circadian rhythm, with sleeping hours from 11 pm to 7 am, people have an irregular pattern of 2 am to about 10 am.

These times are flexible. However, this means that people with ADHD tend to have issues with falling asleep at a “normal time”.

Extreme boredom:

People with ADHD have issues with dopamine and serotonin.

There are moments when boredom can be painful. People with ADHD can be bored to tears due to extreme emotions and a lack of dopamine.

Time Processing:

If somebody has to leave at 8 am and they wake up at 5:30, they will think that they have two hours or less to get ready. Time seems to pass without a pattern or rhythm.

“Today is Monday, but tomorrow is Tuesday and I have class. After that is Wednesday: I’m having lunch with my mom. Then on Thursday, I have a night class which means it’s basically already Friday and this week is already over.”

Time Blindness:

Not knowing how much time has passed based on their ‘internal clock’; they don’t have one!

Being completely unaware of how much time something will take.

Memory issues:

With ADHD, memory can be greatly affected. Some things will be forgotten very quickly, and some things can be over-remembered.

Difficulty regulating emotions:

“Processing emotions starts in the brain. Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion.” -Thomas Brown, PhD

Brain imaging shows that delayed rewards don’t register for people with ADHD. They are more motivated by the instant gratification that strong emotions deliver.

As a result, a person with ADHD may struggle to deal rationally and realistically with events that are stressful, but not of grave concern.

Motivation issues:

People with ADHD have much lower levels of dopamine than those without ADHD. This causes the brain to constantly crave dopamine.

If a task is not providing the dopamine the brain wants, it will make a person with ADHD less motivated to complete the task, or even start it.

Overstimulation / Sensory Overload:

Information reaching the senses feels like an assault of competing stimuli.

Understimulation:

Outside stimuli are dulled, as if a shade has been pulled over the environment, muting sights, sounds, and touch. These people crave extra stimulation to feel alive.

Exhaustion levels:

Feeling fatigued and tired all the time can actually be related to ADHD. Due to low dopamine levels, people with ADHD can feel exhausted even after getting ample amounts of sleep.

Ironically, people can get bursts of energy from ADHD as well. This can be from hyperactivity or high amounts of dopamine.

Imposter Syndrome:

Feeling like a fraud and doubting your own abilities.

Somebody who is intelligent and who has ADHD can have imposter syndrome towards both. They are not related to each other, but the ways they are portrayed in media causes imposter syndrome.

Auditory Processing Disorder:

Things can take longer to process when somebody hears them than when they see/read them.

The amount or complexity of noise around somebody can affect how they hear things.

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria:

Extreme anxiety towards being criticized or rejected by others, despite their relationship with the person.

Extreme pain or emotional sensitivity is caused by a sense of ‘rejection’.

Hyperactivity:

This is not always visible, if at all. There is constant activity going on inside of a person’s head when they have ADHD.

This creates difficulty with sleep and relaxation.

If visible, it usually takes the form of fidgeting or stimming.

“Dealing” with ADHD

ADHD cannot be fixed, but some things can help people work with it. The coping mechanisms vary from person to person, and they aren’t always going to work. Getting diagnosed with ADHD is the best step to take before anything else, as trained professionals can help with ADHD symptoms.

It is important to understand that ADHD is a learning and doing disability. It affects every aspect of life, but it isn’t a bad thing! Many things with ADHD can be positive as well. Hyperfocusing can lead to a lot of productivity! Additionally, people with ADHD are known to be more creative and inventive (according to numerous studies). Empathy and compassion are higher in individuals with ADHD. People with ADHD even have a stronger moral compass!