Startle response, hair trigger, interruptions

[Anonymous]

The show got me to thinking about my ADD. I’ve been aware of it for several years. I think of it as Attention Deficit Advantage. It spurs my relentless curiosity.

I can see links to my previous lack of self esteem and general confusion. But now I’m wondering if my extreme startle response is ADD-related. When my wife walks into the room and at first I don’t notice, I nearly jump out of my chair when I realize she’s there. I’m hypersensitive to loud noises, too.

I have a hair-trigger. Interrupt me and I snarl.

Is this ADD at work or something else?

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I’m like that, too. Don’t know quite how it relates to the ADD, but I startle easily. I’m a teacher and my students think it’s hilarious when there’s a sudden loud noise and I jump a foot into the air :-p

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Me 3. I HATE sudden loud noises. That’s why I hate kids and animals they make the most ear splitting noises that my head wants to explode. People around me think I’m weird because of that so I don’t get invited to parties very much.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

How about general irritability?

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

YEah that too definitely

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

I thought I was alone in this one. I can be startled with the smallest of sounds. I also jump and I assume that I can never fix that because of its being a physical reaction that is out of my control. I think of it as I do pain, I have a very high tolerance for pain (also uncontrolable by me) but once in pain, I seem to be very sensitive.

I do feel irritated but have gotten better at just smiling, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. I don’t have to like it, but I don’t have to act like a wild person because of it.

BTW – The “Tags (comma seperated)” should say – “Tags (comma separated)” I also have a low tolerance for misspellings, word misuse and bad grammar. Is that ADD too???

REPORT ABUSE

[trashman]

jaycross when i read your post i asked her if it was anyone you know and she said to me thats you.i think you sould keep reading i think you are one the right path. good luck.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

I’m not really jumpy, but I’m more irritable than in the past. I’m not certain if it’s ADD-related, or if it’s Irritable Male Syndrome. The older I get, the less I’m able to tolerate things that frustrate me.

REPORT ABUSE

[trashman]

BOB L you could be right, to know if some of these things are because of adhd or is something else. it would be nice to have a list and check it twice. ha ha. any way you all know what i mean.

REPORT ABUSE

[billd]

Bob L is just a grumpy old man I guess… Just kidding!

jaycross – yeah, that’s pretty much me, although I may not startle as easily as you, it’s SO simply for folks to get the jump on me like that.

I don’t like being out in the woods at night………..

I snarl, and I hate being interrupted.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Jaycross,

Yes, your hypersensitivy is a hallmarkof ADD. I jump when startled. Your hair trigger temper is as well. I can get pissed in an instant at timesk.

REPORT ABUSE

[powcat]

Im also very jumpy. People that startle me laugh at my reaction, but its very unpleasant to have your heart nearly jump out of your skin! :S

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

I can identify with the jumpiness, irritability and if interrupted when I’m talking I can get a little pissed off (usually because I’ll lose my train of thought). I laughed out loud at Miguel’s post, it sounded so much like me. What I notice regarding this hyper arousal thing is that I have an elevated startle response when I am going to sleep at night. If a noise occurs when I’m just on the cusp of falling asleep my whole nervous system reacts, if I’m in bed with someone and they jerk or roll over abruptly when I’m in this state, I react strongly, my heart rate increases my system gets switched to super arousal and I’m awake for hours after this. Once I’m asleep I usually sleep well, but this period just prior to sleep is actually kind of scary to me, because, I realize that if there is a loud noise, a sudden movement or even a here-to-fore unnoticed ticking or other small ongoing irritant I won’t be falling asleep for awhile. So, usually I don’t go to bed until I’m tired enough to get through this weird (transitory) period and fall asleep rather quickly. One of my previous girlfriends suggested that I was afraid to let go of consciousness and surrender to sleep, implying that it was a control issue. I actually don’t think it’s that Freudian, not that I’m immune to control issues, but I think it’s more physiological. To me it feels like someone threw cold water on me, sometimes, the jolt can be that jarring. It seems like it’s the time of day that my “hunter” is on alert and ready to respond to any threat…reminding him that it’s not 10000 BC and there are no Saber-tooths at the mouth of my cave rarely helps, some nights I wish I was a farmer, and not a hunter.

REPORT ABUSE

[Robbo]

What a crappy thing to have in common. Most of my life I never liked scary movies. Strong smells, loud people aggravate me to the extreme. I carry earplugs. As I’ve gotten older, and able to know scary movies are not real. I laugh my butt off at the freaky imagination of people like Steven King. Crazy people are funny. That’s why some people like us!

Maybe I’m jumpy cuz I’m so dang accident prone. Like some part of me is terrified about the next impending disaster… I probably drop things because I’m distracted by the fear of dropping things. Just last night I was watching some TV show, and a dad handed his 4 or 5 hour old newborn baby to his 13 year old son who was standing up!. I was almost horrified at the fear he would suddenly trip and drop the baby!

Babies are not footballs!!! Don’t fumble!!

Hey! watch out, it’s your shadow!

It’s fun to make kids laugh by saying don’t laugh, huh? it was torture when my older brothers n sisters did that to me. The horrors of being bashful…

Boring we are not! :o) Imagine life without a sense of humor?

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Robmac7…

I really can relate to everything in your post!

A loud noise at bedtime and BANG!

I’m done for the night….sleep will not come easily.

Suddenly my hyper-hearing becomes super-hyper hearing, my body is on full alert and my Spidey-senses are tingling.

The hunter has been called forth………unfortunately, there’s nothing to hunt…

(Except dust bunnies, but my trusty Swiffer can take them out in a flash, day or night)

aarrgghhh………where did I put the Melatonin?

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts