ADHD: Signs, Symptoms, Solutions

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and is considered a mental disorder. Children with ADHD have trouble paying attention, are hyperactive, and have difficulty controlling their behavior. It is estimated that it affects globally around 5% of all children aged 3 to 17 and that boys are 4 times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.

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What does ADHD feel like:

Critical Reviews:

[jessicabrauman]

For me, ADHD is like this:
If everyone's mind is a bag, and the things you have to do, remember, plan, prioritise etc are marbles in the bag, well, people without ADHD not only have a bigger bag then me and can fit more in, but my bag has a hole in it and sometimes marbles fall out.

[honkhonk]

wow imagine having a school that supportive

[RedHeadsRock]

I am 22 years old, officially diagnosed with ADHD only two years after I entered college. ADHD was still known as the "fidget disorder" when I was in school, and when my mother took me to a doctor at 11-years-old thinking my problem was simple insomnia, we walked out the second he suggested looking into ADHD. I love my mom, but growing up she had this vision of a "perfect family" where nothing could be "wrong" with any of us. I struggled through school in a way that went unnoticed because I got straight A's and took all AP, gifted, and honors courses. My teachers loved that I was always willing to participate in anything put before me and any time I blurted something out it was seen as my "over-achiever personality." I would finish people's sentences for them, jump from one thing to another, switch emotions as often as blinking, talk 24/7, mishear or zone out during anything auditory-related (conversations, movies, music), procrastinate assignments because for some reason I COULDN'T FORCE MYSELF TO START THEM UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE THEY WERE DUE, miss social cues enough that my family had a running joke to hold up a "sarcasm fork" whenever there was a double-meaning to something. I remember distinctly that I was known as the "book smart" one for my grades, but "lacking any common sense" because I always seemed to be off in my own world.

My brain functioned at 110% all the time and it was exhausting. I was a competitive athlete so I feel that helped manage my hyperactivity symptoms enough AND pass off my exhaustion as constantly physical. Then college hit where routine was pretty much tossed out the window and suddenly I was DYING. I remember going days without eating because I was so focused on school work that I woke up one morning and blacked out. It was a wake up call for both me and my mom. My brain was not normal and that was okay.

I let my ADHD get so bad that I have ADHD induced anxiety. I started Lexapro to manage the minor anxiety symptoms and then spent a full year switching ADHD pills every month until my doctor and I found something that fit. I cannot properly put into words what it was like to find one that worked. I cried. I could THINK. I wasn't watching a hundred TV channels at once – I could STAY on a channel by CHOICE.

For any parents on here that have heard horror stories about ADHD medicine making a child quiet, uncreative, and devoid of personality –

1) that is either not the right medicine for your child (it took a year for me to find one that worked and I was starting to lose hope) or your child doesn't have ADHD (consult with an actual child psychologist I swear to gOD)

2) I don't know how to explain to someone with a neurotypical brain how strange it is to suddenly realize you get to CHOOSE your thoughts and emotions – to suddenly have a remote for your TV and realize "oh, wait, I have to actually push the button to change channels now." The first two or three weeks I was on the medicine that worked – Vyvanse 30mg – my mom was terrified because suddenly I wasn't "happy" (hyperactive) 24/7. I didn't have the permanent smile on my face that I trained myself to have when I was a kid to show I was "very interested and definitely listening to the conversation." I could ACTUALLY listen to the conversation, think about it for a minute, and REACT. No trained response to blend in!!!! I could actually hear what people were saying and process it. So when my family had a normal conversation and I listened to it, from my mom's perspective I was "blank faced and quiet, " and when I spoke up I was "monotone and devoid of personality."

That's because for the first time I could actually HAVE a personality other than: all the time. And I had no idea who I was.

I adjusted after a good month – two months of being able to control my own thoughts for at least 4-5 hours a day by using mindful practices and examining my own emotions. Some people describe ADHD medicine as dialing down input to a manageable degree, but my brain still processes a crap ton of things at once – it just doesn't get mixed up in my brain anymore. I feel like, instead, I've been given a handy little filing system that helps me organize and prioritize. I don't know how I survived so many years at 110%, but now that I know THIS is how easy it is for other people to think, I am NEVER going back.

[scowlsmcjowls]

How many gazillions of kids went through life surrounded by ignorence and as a result suffered even more. Its heart wrenching.

[daemon.running]

Sounds just like myself. "You're smart, just lazy" was the most common thing said. In place of school, and parental support, medication was administered.

[cof...]

As someone with ADHD, the invalidating and ignorant "it's not an excuse" will forever be engrained in my head and always will give me a flight or fight response when I hear it.

[addisonhunt]

I have adhd and what helps me most is when people recognize that I’m not lazy and that trying harder isn’t going to fix anything because I’m already trying my hardest. I have had my fair share of people telling me it’s not real that when someone recognizes that it is and that I can’t control it then it helps me as far as emotions and self esteem go.

[stephanecaron]

Note that there are a few different types of ADHD, this video seams to focus ADHD-Hyperactive, the most common / stereotypical variant of the disorder. I have ADHD-Inatentative which means I'm prone to hyper-focus on one thing / task and have difficult time transitioning to the next thing task. To use a school example: I would get hyper-focused on silent reading but would struggle with math which followed silent reading (in part) because my brain couldn't make the shift from reading to math mode nearly as quickly as nuro-typical kids could, and (in part) due to reading being much more enjoyable (in spite of my mild-dyslexia) then math.

[lemon_y]

Then there's the teachers thinking he's a spoiled kid .... 😒

[miriambarreiro]

Its nice to see a video that doesnt say that its all invented by society or that medicating the kids is bad. Great job!

[Caroljoyce-mpsk]

I could remember several years ago, I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Was actually diagnosed with ADHD. Not until my son recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

[roselydemon]

For me ADHD is a big problem in primary school none of my teachers cared and thought I was a loss case and so I stopped trying because I thought I was to dumb, people around me are smart and can easily answer all the teacher questions, and even my friends helped to explain to me but I didn’t understand a single word but I just say I understand to not make them angry until primary 3 my home room teacher saw this and that every week on spelling tests I would get 0 or 1 out of 10 everyone thought I was dumb but my teacher didn’t so he put me in special classes and would give me fun games instead of boring lessons, in the end of the week on spelling test I was excited than ever since my teacher helped me a lot. After I got my test back I was jumping with joy since it was my first time like first first time since I joined school I got 10 out of 10, I still remember that I was so happy than I thank my teacher over and over again, but after primary 3 things went back to normal…. I got 0 or 1 out of 10 and my teacher didn’t care but I knew one thing from that moment that I wasn’t dumb I’m just not normal like other kids, I just have a hard time learning but my so called “friends” just convinced me that I’m dumb… and I was actually dumb to believe that I was actually dumb, I still can’t believe that believe those words…. I wish I can improve myself more…

[ImCarolB]

When I first began teaching (in my 40s), I found myself with a number of ADHD or ADD students. I began reading everything I could on the subjects and discovered that I, myself, had ADD (without hyperactivity). It explained so much! I always thought school was so boring and never really wanted to be a teacher. With the right medication, I was able to focus better and I used organizing tricks to put my life in order. I worked hard to make learning more varied and interesting for all the kids, and teach them those skills that could help them reach their goals. It's not easy and I know it's frustrating for those who move ahead easily. When I was a kid, the "scattered" kids would interrupt my progress, so I'd just get off topic and daydream.

[nucleo]

I’m thirteen years old and I’m professionally diagnosed with ADHD, ADHD can lead to skin picking, nail tearing, finger and neck popping, hair pulling, etc. I can only use moveable fidgets, it’s hard for me to stay focused even when watching tv, if my brain tells me to do something I do it, I zone out to the point where people have to tap me on the shoulder, my school accommodates me well with different plans put in place, there’s no help at home only parents who don’t understand.

[asielmilian]

People who have ADHD are very creative.

[despair]

I was at school today and this girl with ADHD asked me if I had it. I said no and that I never had been checked for it. Later i tried explain to my mom what the girl said and that maybe j should get checked for it but my mom said no she doesn't think it that. This video really helped me while I was watching it I was like "oh I do that too" most of the things you described in the video I relate to especially the focusing problem and forgetting assignments. I continually forget my assignments, forget to do them, forget to turn then in, and I hate working with other people as I have trouble focusing on what their saying. I wish I could get checked so that away if it's not ADHD I can figure out what it is/ or can help with my focusing problem

[sophiae]

Emotional disregulation, trouble or hitches in early learning(tying shoes, bike riding), hyper fixations, a constant need for new things or activities in order to feed their need for dopamine, and a low object permanence are super big issues that need to be talked about more. Also the fact that women with adhd are less likely to be diagnosed because they’ve been taught to mask it is an issue 💛💛 Because we live in a society that values male voices over female voices, women with adhd are less likely to burst out with their thoughts. :) maybe go into detail a bit more but as someone who lives with people with adhd I found this video to barely scratch the surface of what happens in a mind with adhd. Still amazing for teaching children about Adhd but there’s always more to it. :) have a great day! 💕

[DeborahAnnsuperversatile]

The part where wanting to learn from mistakes, yet still doing them (accidentally), really stuck out to me. My therapist said not to say that my mistakes are an accident, but they are. I want to fix them, and I try so hard, yet somehow still slip right back into them again. I notice it and get super angry at myself. Then I feel guilty, then I try again, and it goes around in circles again and again and again.

[neenykins]

Thanks! My daughter was diagnosed at age 7 and although low on the scale, I often get uncooperative Learning Support Teachers. She is now in 2nd year of high school and hardly does homework and assignments on time. I only hope she can pass core subjects to get a good job one day. She also has dyslexia but is very creative. I'm hoping she gets a career in the media studies area.

[danieljrpeters]

I have ADHD. It's hell especially when your in university.