OMG, he’s so annoyi…he’s like a lot. He’s, you know, I think like, very ADHD, you know what I mean?
An acquaintance vents at me, as we catch up at a party. Her new co-worker sounds like a real treat. I smile politely and nod, then hold her gaze and bite my lip.
Should I?
Yeah, the night is young.
“Oh, is ADHD synonymous for annoying?” I ask innocently.
Her eyes widen and she re-assesses me. Perhaps it wasn’t as innocent as I thought.
The ‘Are you…? I didn’t mean to… You don’t seem…’ unfinished whisps of assertion and questioning flow rapidly.
What does five percent of the population ‘seem’?
ADHD stands for ‘attention deficit hyperactive disorder’, ADD is just without the hyperactivity symptom. There’s also the combined type, which is a little of both categories. For the sake of this article, I’ll use the term ADHD.
It’s a neurological condition that affects the frontal lobe – specifically, the dopamine receptors aren’t receiving the amount of dopamine they should. The frontal lobe is responsible for memory, motivation, impulse control, social behaviour, planning, attention, delaying gratification, decision making and language. So, nothing too important. People have symptoms to varying degrees and may have some that barely present themselves.
Women are, comparatively significantly underdiagnosed and are more likely to get diagnosed in adulthood, rather than childhood.
Symptoms do need to be present from childhood to achieve diagnosis in adulthood. Forgetting your keys or being a little disorganised from time to time may seem like an ordinary thing for some that happens from time to time. Which leads to the popular, ‘aren’t we all a little ADHD?’ rhetorical question you’ll often hear posed. For ADHD people, however, their symptoms are always present and as a collective, not everyone ‘loses their keys’.
The consistent forgetful nature or lapses of someone that others notice from time to time, may be illustrative of strained coping mechanisms, used to hide the extra effort used for certain tasks; to run where others walk.
The dopamine deficit leads one’s brain to look for sources, which seemingly speeds it up as it takes in the entirety of an environment in search. Our brains constantly multitask throughout our waking hours at such a pace, that sometimes the smaller details can be overlooked, when looking at not just the bigger picture, but all the pictures at once.
However, we can also really focus and zone in at times, so ‘attention deficit’, is quite the misnomer. There’s a symptom called ‘hyper focus’ where one can sit and have a high level of attention for long bursts and often produce incredible work.
Personally, I’ve had it pop up for essays where I’ve spent up to eleven hours sitting still, not daring to get up for food or chance a sip of water, whilst completely absorbed in my work.This singular and intense focus is often offered as a reason for ADHD people make up the bulk of entrepreneurs. When we have a vision, we put in that extra mile. We’re great outside-of-the-box thinkers, academics, artists, and creators. Whatever we love, really, we excel at.
Women are, comparatively significantly underdiagnosed and are more likely to get diagnosed in adulthood, rather than childhood. It’s still thought of as a loud boy’s disorder, but a chatty girl with ‘needs to talk less/try harder’ is an equally good indicator – as well as being a chronic ‘daydreamer’. As the brain is trying to correct a dopamine deficit, it seeks out stimulating environments, which may just be a stimulating conversation or a daydream rather than maths class. It presents a little differently for adults, but if the childhood pattern is there, it’s a good indicator.
Medication is often shamed; it corrects the dopamine deficit to a near normal level and won’t get a person ‘high’. I personally find myself wanting a nap, as even though I can focus with ease, it’s a bit tiring to have the world quieten down a little. However, personally, it’s a necessity, given the contrast. For most patients, medication is deemed as the most effective tool in tackling it, as it helps to minimise most symptoms.
Sure, I could not take medication, just like I could go without my glasses. With my 20cm of clear vision, I could achieve all my tasks in a day, it would just take a lot more time and effort, and would be incredibly draining. I would figure out coping strategies and shortcuts, I’m sure, but it wouldn’t stop the process from being frustrating, especially when there’s a significantly easier way.
I have an inordinate number of friends who are also ADHD, some only recently diagnosed. None of whom fit the stereotypes seen in media or attributed broadly to a set of behaviours. My ones are all inspired, passionate, empathetic, fast-talking beauties with such a fascinating myriad of expertise.
Perhaps that is a lot, for one to be. Although, aside from the labels above, I’d struggle to create a list of what they ‘must be’, due to one shared factor out of the plethora of elements and experiences that make them who they are.
Words – Bella Sampson
