ADHD Army

For one night only I will be appearing at Ignite Berry. This is a Ted style talk in which I have five minutes to thrill and amaze, on the subject of ADHD. The title of my talk is ‘ADHD or arsehole’.
https://www.igniteberry.com/

“Part of the reason that our disorder, that the name of this disorder is so often pilloried in the media is because I think we mis-named it. This is a developmental disorder of self regulation, not of attention and that is a serious disorder. As serious as manic depression and in its own way, as autism.”
Dr Russell A Barkley PhD

Must admit - these medication reminders make the difference between a productive morning and three more hours of Reddit.

Zero Point
That moment in the ADHD day when what little was in the tank is depleted and you find yourself void of all momentum and existing within an almost zen state of calm and inaction from which it is terrifyingly hard to escape because even thought feels frozen.

Umbrella Academy all kinds of positive regarding LGBTQI+ and now they’ve embraced our community with the first adult ADHD character on TV. Do you see some of yourself in Klaus?

Umbrella Factory all kinds of positive regarding LGBTQI+ and now they’ve embraced our community with the first adult ADHD character on TV. Do you see some of yourself in Klaus?

Scientists in Australia have developed a test which uses retinal scans to determine whether the subject a Autism or ADHD or both. The non-invasive test uses scanned retinal signals to identify specific nerves that related directly to these and other related neurodevelopmental conditions.

Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.890461/full

The impulsiveness caused by ADHD often manifests as a catastrophic lack of self control. It’s the cause of the obesity, the money problems and the issues with the law and people in authority amongst many other things.

Not condoning Will Smith‘s behaviour at the Oscars, but I am reminded that he has ADHD and I definitely recognise his behaviour (anger, acting impulsively, not thinking through the repercussions etc) in my own life. And I sadly admit that I’d have probably slapped Chris too …

‘Self-diagnosing’ yourself so you can make TikTok videos referencing squirrels is like pretending you’re paralysed and begging for money on the street in a borrowed wheelchair.

Are you a hoarder?
Latest research shows that people with ADHD had a higher likelihood of also having hoarding symptoms.
The behaviour impacts their day-to-day functioning leading to a poorer quality of life, anxiety, and depression.

ADHD can impact long-term memory. However some studies have shown that people with the disorder display enhanced episodic memory abilities, retaining a surprising level of detail from old memories far beyond those of non-ADHD friends or family.
ADHD primarily affects short-term working memory.
Citation: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-5826.2007.00260.x

Fall asleep during the day? Wide awake at night? 80% of people with ADHD have delayed sleep phase disorder. The cause? Dopamine has an inhibitory effect on melatonin release. No dopamine, no inhibited melatonin. Guess which neurotransmitter makes you sleepy? Yep, melatonin.
Citation: https://brainclinics.com/the-relationship-between-sleep-and-adhd/

Spontaneous at best and angry at worst - to have ADHD is to react without foresight or fear of consequence.

Dopamine boosts aside - perhaps the greatest gift of stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall are that they impart self awareness on those of us who have ADHD. Once you start taking them you gain the ability to recognise the ‘default mode network’.

Just as a painter creates an image with the use of negative space, stimulants give us the ability to see when we are ‘without’ just as easily as when we are ‘with’.

Also, there is no spoon.

It’s so easy to forget the essentials …

Israeli scientists have shown that a mutation in the CDH2 gene causes ADHD. This gene encodes the N-cadherin protein which is responsible for brain synapses and their formation. The mutation alters brain activity and impacts the molecular pathways and dopamine levels of two brain structures: the ventral midbrain and prefrontal cortex. The scientists successfully caused ADHD in lab mice using CrispR technology and then successfully treated the symptoms with methylphenidate.
Citation: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26426-1