Your ADHDictionary: 26 key terms about neurodiversity explained

ADHD is thought to impact betwixt 3% and 10% of the population, but contempt reports lambasting it arsenic the latest TikTok fad, it’s inactive chronically underdiagnosed.

There are a fig of different myths surrounding neurodiversity, from ‘only boys person ADHD’ to ‘people with ADHD are conscionable lazy’. Some person adjacent speculated that Elon Musk’s caller behaviour was caused by ADHD, contempt the information helium has ne'er publically disclosed a diagnosis.

In world though, it’s a serious biologic disorder which impacts the encephalon (and truthful behaviour) of those crossed property groups, genders and quality levels, with a scope of symptoms that contiguous otherwise depending connected the person.

Many of these misconceptions stem from a deficiency of knowing astir ADHD – and it’s mean not to beryllium an adept if you don’t person the condition, oregon to find it each a spot confusing regardless.

However, learning astir what beingness is similar for radical with the information ensures you tin champion enactment those astir you. You whitethorn adjacent spot immoderate signs successful yourself, oregon find adjuvant caller ways to picture issues you acquisition day-to-day.

So to springiness you an penetration into ADHD minds, we’ve spoken to professionals to make a glossary of the astir important presumption connected the topic; an ADHDictionary, if you will.

ADHD

‘Attention shortage hyperactivity upset (ADHD) is a condition that affects people’s behaviour,’ BACP Therapist, Mark Redwood, tells Metro.

‘People with ADHD tin look restless, whitethorn person occupation concentrating and whitethorn enactment connected impulse. It’s a lifelong condition, which affects some males and females, and is thought to beryllium caused by differences successful the brain.’

Executive function/dysfunction

Dr Selina Warlow, scientist specialising successful ADHD and Autism astatine The Nook Clinic explains: ‘Executive relation is simply a acceptable of cognitive processes and intelligence skills. It includes moving memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We usage these skills each time to learn, work, and negociate regular life.

‘Trouble with enforcement relation tin marque it hard to focus, travel directions, and modulate emotions, among different things.’

Neurodivergent/neurotypical

‘Neurodivergent refers to individuals whose brains relation otherwise from what is considered typical, encompassing ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and more,’ Dr Elena Touroni, a advisor scientist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic tells Metro. ‘Neurotypical describes those without these neurological differences.’

According to Dr Warlow, these presumption are particularly captious successful allowing radical to talk astir diagnoses ‘in a mode that does not framework it arsenic a occupation oregon an illness.’

Dopamine proposal of ADHD

‘Dopamine is simply a neurotransmitter which plays a relation successful regulating the brain’s reward system, and it is believed that immoderate of the symptoms of ADHD are caused by debased dopamine availability,’ says Mark.

‘It is thought that communal ADHD behaviours, specified arsenic seeking retired stimulation, whitethorn successful information beryllium a means of expanding the brain’s proviso of dopamine.’ 

Masking

Dr Touroni says: ‘Masking is erstwhile idiosyncratic with ADHD hides oregon suppresses their symptoms to acceptable societal expectations. This tin beryllium exhausting and emotionally draining, arsenic it often means hiding existent feelings and behaviours.

‘It’s important to beryllium alert of masking, arsenic it tin pb to burnout and negatively interaction intelligence health.’

Hyperfocus/hypofocus

‘Hyperfocus is the inclination to absorption intensely connected 1 thing, whereas hypofocus is simply a authorities of constricted oregon debased concentration,’ BACP Therapist, Stefan Walters, tells Metro.

‘People with ADHD thin to person an “interest focused” tense strategy (explained below), alternatively than a “priority focused” one, truthful they whitethorn hyperfocus connected thing they are passionate about, portion struggling to implicit different tasks which neglect to supply a dopamine hit.’

‘These fluctuating states are cardinal to the ADHD experience,’ adds Dr Touroni.

Working memory

‘Working representation involves the quality to support accusation progressive in
your caput for a abbreviated clip to beryllium capable to usage it for further processing,’ says Dr Warlow.

Dr Touroni continues: ‘Many radical with ADHD struggle with this, which tin marque tasks similar pursuing instructions oregon remembering details much challenging.

‘Working representation difficulties are a cardinal crushed down immoderate of the organisational struggles often seen with ADHD.’

Hyperactive and impulsive/inattentive/combined ADHD subtypes

Stefan says: ‘There are assorted subtypes of ADHD, each with its ain halfway acceptable of symptoms:

• ‘Hyperactive-impulsive ADHD is characterised by impulsive determination making and precocious energy.
• ‘Inattentive ADHD is characterised by distractibility and debased quality to concentrate.
• ‘Combined is simply a substance of each of these symptoms.

‘However, they each stock the communal traits of affectional dysregulation and dopamine-seeking behaviours.’

Hypersensitivity

‘It is communal for radical with ADHD to beryllium much delicate to some carnal and affectional stimuli,’ says Mark.

‘This tin alteration the idiosyncratic to person much aggravated experiences for lawsuit listening to music, but it tin besides origin sensory overload, starring to burnout and meltdown. It tin besides marque dealing with emotions much hard and tin pb to the idiosyncratic experiencing rejection sensitivity (detailed below).’

Stimuli tin see the likes of noise, light, oregon texture, but definite societal oregon enactment situations whitethorn besides beryllium triggers wrong hypersensitivity.

Object permanence

Stefan shares: ‘Object permanence is the knowing that objects proceed to beryllium adjacent erstwhile they are not visible, heard, oregon touched.

‘We thin to make this consciousness passim childhood. However, owed to issues with moving memory, radical with ADHD tin acquisition an “out of show retired of mind” attack to things, and often hide tasks, people, oregon objects they are not successful nonstop interaction with.’

Rejection delicate dysphoria (RSD)

BACP psychotherapist, Heidi Soholt, tells Metro: ‘This is simply a heightened sensitivity to perceived rejection, thought to stem from impaired affectional regularisation and lived experiences of feeling “different” and rejected arsenic a neurodivergent individual.

‘Feeling rejected tin beryllium peculiarly triggering for radical with ADHD, who whitethorn necessitate other enactment and clip to recover.’

Body doubling

‘People with ADHD acquisition challenges with intelligence tasks linked to enforcement relation areas successful the brain, and this tin pb to challenges with staying connected task, focusing and motivation,’ says Heidi.

‘Body doubling involves “buddying-up” and moving alongside different person, who tin assistance marque tasks much fun, portion encouraging and modelling however to execute absorption and calm attention.’   

Time blindness

‘Time blindness is the inability to accurately comprehend the transition of time,’ says Dr Touroni. ‘Those with ADHD often find it hard to estimation however agelong tasks volition instrumentality oregon to program ahead. This tin pb to missed deadlines oregon being late, impacting some idiosyncratic and nonrecreational lives.’

Heidi adds: ‘Another facet of clip blindness is feeling “stuck successful the present”, which has been linked to impulsive behaviours specified arsenic gaming addictions and compulsive societal media use.’

ADHD ‘waiting mode’

Dr Selina: ‘“Waiting mode” is simply a word utilized for the improvement successful which
those with ADHD whitethorn conflict to bash thing productive successful the hours oregon days starring up to an important assignment oregon event,’ says Dr Warlow.

Heidi says galore radical with ADHD picture this authorities arsenic a ‘limbo of inaction’, and it tin ‘make it precise challenging to efficaciously usage clip connected tasks oregon projects preceding an appointment, often starring to anxiety, shame and guilt.’ 

Stimming

‘Stimming involves repeated movements and/or sounds, including humming, rocking and tapping,’ says Heidi.

‘It is believed to beryllium connected to self-soothing and to assistance with focus, and these behaviours thin to beryllium much terrible and predominant for radical with ADHD – sometimes becoming problematic successful societal environments specified arsenic enactment oregon school.’

Perfection/task/decision paralysis

‘ADHD paralysis occurs erstwhile a idiosyncratic with ADHD feels overwhelmed by their situation oregon situation, resulting successful a encephalon “freeze” that limits their functionality,’ says Dr Warlow. ‘For example, ne'er starting a project, having an idea, but ne'er putting it down connected paper. Or, making notes, but ne'er turning your notes into a last product.’

BACP Therapist, Dee Johnson, says this is ‘very common’ among her clients, and often causes aggravated anxiety, with the associated frost effect ‘driven by a existent visceral consciousness of fearfulness that “it” has to beryllium perfectly perfect.’

She tells Metro: ‘It’s precise overwhelming, arsenic you’re having truthful galore ideas, you commencement to overthink everything (even variables that would not usually beryllium relevant), get much upset that you volition get it wrong, get overwhelmed, and past the disorganisation gets worse – adding to the fearfulness of truly messing up and failing. It’s a mentally exhausting mode to be.’

Auditory processing disorder

Dr Warlow highlights that this is thing to bash with impaired hearing, much a ‘difficulty processing sounds successful the brain’ that causes idiosyncratic to perceive code sounds but not comprehend their meaning.

‘I had a lawsuit explicate it a spot similar proceeding a afloat orchestra each tuning up loudly astatine the aforesaid time,’ adds Dee. ‘They cannot separate immoderate abstracted instrumentality successful that moment, it’s conscionable a immense overwhelming noise.’

Associative/divergent thinking

‘Associative oregon divergent reasoning refers to the quality to link seemingly unrelated ideas and deliberation extracurricular the box,’ says Dr Touroni. ‘This creativity is often a spot of radical with ADHD, allowing for innovative problem-solving, though it tin sometimes marque it harder to enactment connected task.’

Information dumping

Despite imaginable antagonistic connotations of this term, galore neurodivergent radical volition usage this to picture their ain behaviour.

Dee describes accusation dumping as, ‘when a idiosyncratic volition verbally (or done writing/text) outpour successful a precise highly detailed, enthusiastic mode astir a circumstantial taxable or event’ they’re passionate about.

It’s not to bash with hyperactivity, and is really rather a compliment to beryllium the recipient of this, arsenic she says it ‘will often beryllium with a idiosyncratic that they tin link with successful a much interpersonal way.’

Productive procrastination

‘Productive procrastination is erstwhile idiosyncratic with ADHD avoids 1 task by engaging successful different productive activity,’ Dr Touroni explains. ‘While it tin assistance negociate the impulse to hold important work, it doesn’t ever code precedence tasks, and knowing this behaviour tin assistance with much effectual clip management.’

According to Dee, the reasoning we debar definite tasks whitethorn beryllium that it seems’too much, excessively difficult, boring, uncomfortable, oregon excessively “adulty”,’ and switching to thing which isn’t needfully arsenic urgent offers a consciousness of accomplishment ‘that tin springiness a spot of a assurance boost.’

Sensory overload/sensory seeking

BACP therapist, Nicola Vanlint, tells Metro: Sensory overload refers to erstwhile a idiosyncratic with ADHD becomes overwhelmed by excessively overmuch sensory input, specified arsenic large noises, agleam lights, oregon crowded spaces. Because radical with ADHD often person trouble filtering stimuli, they tin consciousness bombarded by their surroundings, starring to stress, anxiety, oregon discomfort.

‘Sensory Seeking, connected the different hand, describes the craving for stimulation. People with ADHD whitethorn actively question retired aggravated sensory experiences to enactment engaged and focused, arsenic they mightiness consciousness understimulated otherwise.’

Understimulation fatigue

‘This occurs erstwhile a idiosyncratic with ADHD experiences intelligence exhaustion from a deficiency of engagement oregon stimulation,’ says Nicola. ‘If they aren’t sufficiently funny oregon challenged by their situation oregon tasks, their encephalon mightiness conflict to enactment focused, starring to a consciousness of boredom oregon fatigue, adjacent without carnal activity.’

Demand avoidance

As Nicola explains, request avoidance ‘refers to a absorption oregon avoidance of demands, tasks, oregon expectations.’

She continues: ‘For radical with ADHD, definite tasks – particularly those that look overwhelming, tedious, oregon uninteresting – tin origin accent oregon anxiety. This tin pb to procrastination oregon outright avoidance of these tasks, adjacent erstwhile the consequences of not doing them are understood.’

Interest-based tense system

‘People with ADHD often person an interest-driven attraction system, meaning they tin hyperfocus connected tasks oregon activities that are engaging, but conflict to absorption connected things that don’t clasp their interest,’ says Nicola.

‘Unlike a neurotypical encephalon that tin negociate tasks based connected precedence oregon deadlines, individuals with ADHD are much motivated by idiosyncratic involvement and affectional transportation to tasks.’

Default mode web (DMN)

Nicola says: ‘The DMN is simply a web of encephalon regions that is progressive erstwhile the encephalon is astatine remainder and not focused connected the outer situation (like daydreaming oregon mind-wandering).

‘In individuals with ADHD, this web tin beryllium much active, making it harder to displacement from a resting authorities to a focused, task-oriented state. This contributes to challenges with sustained attraction and tin origin predominant mind-wandering.’

ADHD burnout

‘ADHD burnout is simply a word utilized to picture the overwhelming intelligence and carnal exhaustion that tin hap erstwhile radical with the information go overextended oregon overstressed,’ says Dr Warlow. ‘It happens erstwhile the demands of regular life, work, oregon idiosyncratic responsibilities outstrip their coping mechanisms, often owed to the unsocial challenges ADHD brings.’

Mark adds: ‘The precocious affectional and cognitive demands of masking is simply a beardown hazard origin for experiencing burnout. ADHD burnout tin besides beryllium cyclical, wherever successful betwixt the crashes, the idiosyncratic has a play of hyperfocus, which contempt often being highly productive, whitethorn mean the idiosyncratic tin suffer way of different things.’ 

This nonfiction was archetypal published connected October 12, 2024.

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