🔼: [[Medical Conditions and Diagnoses]], [[Symptoms of Unresolved Trauma]] #### ADHD Essentially ADHD is a collection of parts keeping us distracted for various reasons.[^1] Some see it as an interest-based attention. > [!NOTE] Markers of ADHD > - Poor [[💡 Executive Function]] > - [[💡 Anxiety|Anxiety]] > - [[💡 Depression|Depression]] > - [[💡 Emotional Dysregulation|Emotional Dysregulation]] > - [[Rejection Sensitivity]] > - [[🛡️ Procrastinating]] > - [[🛡️ Perfectionism|Perfectionism]] > - [[Hyper-Focus]] > - [[Hyperfixation]] > - [[💡 Insomnia|Insomnia]] > - Problems with [[💡 Romantic Relationships]] > - [[💡 Papañca]] Having ADHD-[[💡 Parts|Parts]] can feel like having a race car with bicycle brakes and it can make us feel both smart and stupid, productive and lazy. But we're also highly enthusiastic, resilient, funny, generous, creative, and forgiving. - Boredom is painful to someone with ADHD, and when we're bored we can't function as well and become more easily [[💡 Emotional Dysregulation|dysregulated]]. - When we try to focus on something that isn't interesting to us, the part of our brain responsible for [[💡 Focus & Concentration|focus & concentration]] *shuts down even more*. The more effort we put into focusing, the more difficult focusing becomes. We become more irritable, more restless, more agitated, and less focused. We're compelled to seek stimulation to avoid being bored, sometimes to our own detriment. When we're stimulated, we feel more like ourselves. - Focusing on any one non-stimulating thing can feel impossible. A kind of itch arises and we get mentally and physically uncomfortable. [[🧘 Mindfulness Meditation]] can feel less like a practice and more like a punishment. So these parts chase thought-loops to relieve their boredom and we might start to feel [[💡 Overwhelm|overwhelmed]] or like our minds are going too fast with [[💡 Racing Thoughts|racing thoughts]]. ##### Causes of ADHD There's a lot of contention around ADHD – whether it's under-diagnosed or over-diagnosed, whether it's genetic or the result of [[💡 Trauma|Trauma]] or both, or whether it even exists. Some believe it comes from not-so-great [[⭐️ Life Curation]] with technology that monetizes and hijacks our attention and regulates our emotions for us, because [[🔑 the mind loses what it doesn’t use]] and [[🔑 The mind can only hold so much|🔑 can only hold so much]]. Spend hours scrolling online *will* precipitate ADHD-like symptoms. > [!important] > To further complicate things, [a recent study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39422639/) found that 92% of popular ADHD-related TikToks were incorrect. ADHD is largely understood from a neurodiverse perspective; people with ADHD have brains which develop in a slightly different way than what we'd generally expect. We have [[💡 Frontal Lobes|Frontal Lobes]] which have less control over our [[💡 Executive Function|Executive Function]]. This can be traced back to connections in our brain, and there seems to be some kind of genetic component to this. This makes things complicated, because growing up as a neurodiverse person in a neurotypical society usually results in experiencing some level of [[💡 Trauma|Trauma]]. A large portion of people who have ADHD will eventually be diagnosed with [[💡 Major Depressive Disorder|Major Depressive Disorder]]. When we grow up neurodiverse and we're told to just try harder but we can't do that, our [[💡 Parts|Parts]] start to take on the [[💡 Burdens 🪨|Burden]] that something is wrong with us. Meanwhile, childhood and [[💡 Complex PTSD|Complex Trauma]] have a significant impact on brain development, so it can be extremely difficult to parse whether ADHD is acquired or inborn or if they're exactly the same. Whether ADHD is [[💡 Trauma|Trauma]]-related as a [[Protector Strategies 🛡️|Protector Strategy]] or a genetic condition maybe doesn't matter, both because they're mostly addressed the same way (stimulant medication is unlikely to help someone if their ADHD is [[💡 Trauma|Trauma]]-related) and because [[🔑 psychiatric diagnoses are almost useless|🔑 psychiatric diagnoses are largely conceptual]] anyway. ##### Getting Acquainted with ADHD - If our ADHD is a [[Protector Strategies 🛡️|Protector Strategy 🛡️]], we’re likely to notice a reduction if those [[💡 Parts|Parts]] accept our help. - The [[💡 Parts|Parts]] involved in ADHD will often not talk to us via [[💡 In-sight|Insight]], in which case a [[🦮 How to find an IFS therapist or practitioner|practitioner]] will need to use [[💡 Direct Access|Direct Access]].[^3] In the meantime, there are other, more parts-driven ways, to manage ADHD ###### Easy and Fast Reducing [[💡 Stress|stress]] and our [[💡 Cognitive Load|Cognitive Load]], giving ourselves a sense of safety and stability, can help those [[💡 Parts|Parts]] relax more. [[🕯️ Movement Practices 👟]] and [[🕯️ Meditation 🧘]], getting [[⭐️ Outdoors]], and having a creative outlet can be incredibly effective at helping these [[💡 Parts|Parts]] feel safe enough to soften and become less active so long as [[🔑 Go at your pace|we don't bypass Protectors]]. - Dealing with [[💡 Shame|shame]] - [[🕯️ Self-Regulation]] ![[Nutrition for ADHD]] ###### More Difficult, Slower, More Effective ADHD is characterized not by an *inability to focus*, but by an inability to *control* that focus and our thoughts. By learning about all of these things, we can work with these [[💡 Parts|Parts]] rather than against them. - [[💡 Focus & Concentration]] - [[💡 Motivation]] - [[💡 Thoughts]] - [[⭐️ Life Curation]] ##### Related - [[🛡️ Distracting]] ##### Resources ###### Podcasts - [Distraction Podcast](https://www.distractionpodcast.com/category/episodes/) - [ADHD Rewired - Eric Tivers](https://www.adhdrewired.com/) ###### Services - [Nobel Coaching](https://nobelcoaching.com/) ###### Websites - ADDitudemag.com - www.embraceyouradhd.ca - Brett Thornhill - https://rena-fi.com/adhd/ (Finances) - https://www.adhdessentials.com/ - Brendan Mahan - https://add.org/ ADD Association - ADD @ add.About.com * - understood.org - AskJan.org - CHADD.org* - ADD.org - Willpower.net - ADHD Together (For parents of children with ADHD) - Kids in the House (Parenting) - Takethis.org (Depression) - Facebook Reddit, Twitter ADHD Support Groups ###### YouTube Channels - [How to ADHD](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-nPM1_kSZf91ZGkcgy_95Q) [^1]: [[📖 ✅ IFS Online Circle]] Month 3: Working with Exiles & The Trauma Behind the Rage - Month 3 with Richard Schwartz [^2]: [^3]: [[📖 ✅ IFS Online Circle]]: Month 6: The Body & the Automation Nervous System & Putting it All Together - Month 6 with Richard Schwartz Continued