[takjackson]

Does you brain feel like the staticky tv channel when you get done hyper focusing too? That’s what mine does, and I am worthless for the next few hours to the next day. Though I was actually wondering if it might just mean I need stimulation when I’m in that state. Lots of it. Not too long ago I was having a super fatigued day and tried about everything to ease the numbness. When I finally started to feel it easing off, I became aware and started questioning it… I had the TV on, my laptop in my lap, I can’t remember what was playing on which, but I know I had music going from one of them, and at that moment I had my phone in front of my face and was scrolling through pictures on imgur. It was like I needed to bombard myself with stimulation to calm myself down.

I usually get lost in movies and books. All the stimulation is purposeful and take you on a journey. You see and hear what you are intended to and are just along for the ride.

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[takjackson]

Hey Coldhandedman,

It sounds like you have ADHD subtype Hyperactive/Impulsive. The diagnosis of ADHD is not always considered to be inattentitive. It’s sort of a blanket category that is ever changing. They don’t even diagnose with the title ADD anymore. It’s all recognized as ADHD. At the moment according to the big book of symptoms and lables, ADHD has 3 subtypes: primarily inattentive(formally ADD), primarily hyperactive/impulsive (this sounds like what you are describing), and a combo inattentive and hyperactive impulsive (waves! this is me).

I also feel I have a photographic memory, however where I hinder is getting to those memories. I can remember just about anything, where I place it where I saw it last, a weird phrase in the middle of some book I read 5 years ago. However I often find my brain has inefficient paths to get there. I know that memory is there, I know it’s stored, I just draw a blank, roadblock, construction detour.

I’ve been doing a lot of research becaues I’ve had to write a paper for a class, and have found some interesting ideas. The major idea behind ADHD is the sensitivity to the stimuli in the environment. Non-ADHDers have a pretty good filter and are able to tune into what is important and in front of them. ADHDers on the other hand have a harder time regulating that, they can’t quite control or filter what they take in and tend to take in a lot of information about a little chunk of time. Think of the memory card on your phone. Your wife takes snapshots and is choosing the ones she wants to add to the memory. When the memory card is full, the memory is over and she has a timeline of focused events. You take video. Your memory card fills up a lot faster because you are taking in every little detail.  When our memory cards get full, we change them out for new ones. A person with ADHD is changing out their memory card a lot quicker and more often than someone who isn’t diagnosed. New memory, new posiblities, new excitement, change of directions.

Since memorys are quickly ending and starting a new, forming habits is hard. It takes longer than the average person, and the reward or reinforcement needs to be quick, very quick. As much of ADHD causes is pointing toward neurological differences, you have what you are given in your brain. You can’t ‘fix’ or ‘cure’ it. You have to develop strategies to navigate the world and adhear to it’s rules. If I have something important to get to, it was engrained in me by my parents to best be there on time, which was early. I consciously add in extra time because something is bound to go wrong. I also know myself. If I am not leaving 15 mintues early, then I will get distracted and end up walking out the door 5 minutes late.

Most likely you have developed high-order thinking skills and strategies to get along in the world. If med’s dont help you, don’t take them. They are a tool, and not a fix all. Meds take me from 12 brain paths to 2. I can read a text book too and not skip lines or lose my place every 3 seconds. I barely notice them, except I have a harder time convincing myself I NEED to do something else. It’s like they give me the ability to say, “Not right now, lets finish this first. ”  However, they absolutely have nothing to do with motivation and I will go right to sleep if I choose to, or spend my time focusing on nothing particularly useful or what I originally intended.

If your ADHD is not hindering your daily life and you can manage, I’d say keep on keeping on. However if you feel like something is off, you might need to look into a different kind of med. I do great on Adderall, but for some reason Adderall Extended just burns through my system. It works for about 3 hours and burns out, not to mention I lost about 12 lbs apparently in a month. Not suppose to do that I guess. I’m suppsoe to start on Vyvanse but I’m still waiting on the insurance to go through. My doc says he actuallly thinks it’s a better drug, but the insurance makes you try and fail on everything else first before approving it.

Hope this helps. Sorry about the book.

 

 

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