Living with ADHD
Following on from the Feature article in the last edition is this article on ADHD, The SEND Circle Game.
By Judith Monk
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a confusing, inconsistent, contradictory and frustrating condition that can be overwhelming to people who live with it. The diagnostic criteria that have been used for the last 40 years is unclear, both through DSM-5: (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) and ICD-10 (Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders) and leaves many people wondering whether they have the condition, or something else entirely!
ADHD is commonly understood to have three subtypes:
• Primarily Inattentive Type
Inattention, a primary symptom of ADHD, may bring a shortage of focus — or an abundance i.e. hyperfocus
• Primarily Hyperactive Type
Impulsivity is the tendency to act or speak on a whim
• Combined Type
A combination of both!
While it is easy to research the diagnostics of ADHD, describing it in layman’s terms is often more valid, as people with ADHD struggle to fit into what most would regard as a neurotypical lifestyle the ‘normal, average, everyday’ lifestyle of people without the condition. However, bear in mind that people with ‘normal’ lifestyles have their own set of problems which could be described as ‘the human condition’.
One major issue for those with ADHD is their struggle to pay attention to things that are not exciting enough to engage them or just simply hold no interest for them at all. However, if something does engage them, they can pay total attention for hours at a time, or hyperfocus. This is not willful. This is the brain chemistry in action with one part of the brain being unable to send strong enough messages to the parts that regulate attention.
Then there is impulsivity – children with the impulsive type of ADHD are often hyperactive, constantly on the move, unaware of putting themselves at risk. This applies to impulse-driven adults too but is less marked and is often described as a busy brain, switching thoughts constantly, unable to rest or relax. Where both elements are present, as in the Combined Type, you can be really struggling. The sad fact is that 25% of prisoners are believed to have either diagnosed or undiagnosed ADHD.
There is also the emotional dysregulation that pervades this condition and often comes up in our support group. The roller coaster effect of being happy as a lark one minute, only to suddenly descend into a black hole of misery. Or a word, look or act that suddenly provokes the red mist of explosive anger, leaving the person who has done this unable to understand why they are suddenly faced with the Incredible Hulk!
All this might sound daunting but there are upsides as can be seen by the many famous adults with ADHD who have made a complete success of their lives, such as Orlando Bloom, Winston Churchill, Justin Timberlake, Bill Gates, Robin Williams and Jamie Oliver. By developing strategies to cope with the downsides, it is possible to benefit from the considerable advantages of the ADHD brain – creativity being one of them.
• If you have ADHD or are the parent, or spouse of someone with ADHD, we run a support group at the Y Centre in St Paul’s Road, St Leonards. We will be reopening the group after 19th April at 6.30pm.
• For more information or to join please email: [email protected] or ring Judith Monk on 07970 717026
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