#resources #ADHD #mental-health
ADHD
ADHD is a disorder caused by improper levels the neuromodulators Dopamine and norepinephrine/noradrenaline. Very crudely put, people with ADHD lack stimulation and their behaviors manifest in a manner that satisfies their bodies' needs of stimulation.
Symptoms (personal)
- Need for constant stimulation
- Impulsivity
- Hyperactivity
- Problems regulating attention
- Poor short-term memory
- Incessant mental chatter
- Lack of object permanence
- spatial awareness
- people
- "feel numb at funerals because the idea of death doesn't fully register"
- put vegetables in bottom drawer and forget about them because they're not in field of view
- need to check for keys 10x even if I know I put them in my pocket
- Hyperfocus
- Desire for novelty
- One-track mind
- Rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD)
- Problems with self-regulation
- Problems with commitment
- Sleep issues
- Commitment issues?
- Not telling someone about a gig until last minute
- Find a label for this one
- maybe related to RSD?
- Telling stories over and over again
- Over-sharing
- Reply to texts/emails in my head
- Tend to oscillate between pure chaos and pure order (see Autism)
- Couldn't read until I was about 20 (unless I absolutely had to)
Observations
From the list above, I pretty much have every symptom to a varying degree. I have a severe need for constant stimulation, tend to be very impulsive, and of course hyperactive. I severely lack object permanence, which weirdly enough, is related to my complete lack of spatial awareness and also me being terrible at maintaining contacts - things that aren't visually present cease to exist in my head. My short-term memory is completely non-existent. I can barely remember 3-4 things on a list to do groceries, that too, only if I constantly repeat them in my head. I also tend to get hyperfocused on things such as coding, math, watching something, cooking, reading, and am completely unable to answer other people when interrupted in the middle of this. For example, if I'm going to put my keys down in its designated drawer, I cannot be interrupted in the middle of it because I will lose track of what I was doing (since distractions fill my working memory with a first-in-last-out mechanism), and possibly also get annoyed because of this. I have a delayed circadian rhythm, and if left alone, I tend to sleep very late (though I do much better when my partner is around). I also have issues with RSD: it is very hard to handle the tiniest bits of rejection even if I can rationally justify them. My mind goes bananas with negative emotions and my inability to deal with this could result in me acting out in irrational and hurtful ways.
Here's my full ADHD log.
ADHD & Sleep
It seems like there may be a very strong link between ADHD and sleep disorders. At least part, if not all of my symptoms might go away if I solve sleep issues. I have nasal strips and mouth tape, both of which I should experiment with to see whether they reduce snoring and improve quality of life.
Resources
- https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-insomnia/
- https://childmind.org/article/adhd-sleep-disorders-misdiagnosed/
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/adhd-and-sleep