Infographics: What is ADHD?

Megan Smith used visual thinking to build infographics to explain how the ADHD brain functions.

[LuckyLki]

“the ADHD brain is powerful, but difficult to control.” well said.

[slugged]

so according to the thumbnail my brain is bigger

[wutdafeezy]

gawd…this is the best explanation I’ve seen so far to show my spouse. Visual aids, easy to understand comparisons and shows that our brains are actually different and it’s not an “excuse” for being “lazy”.

[virkots]

It sucks to have ADHD. I wish people stopped calling it a "superpower". If ADHD is a "superpower" to you, it's probably not the ADHD, it's other parts of your personality. ADHD is very limiting and people with ADHD have more problems than neurotypical people in nearly all aspects of life. We die earlier, get more depressed and suffer financially more than others.

[ThanhPham-pnis]

Short and simple video with visual props to explain a ADHD brain to a ADHD person to understand. Everyone brain just wires differently. Thank you for taking your time to produce this video.

[itskitty]

Is it just me, or does anyone read the comments section and/or posts a comment while the video is playing? No?

[Tenju]

I was hesitant watching this, since it's very small and I already know a lot about ADHD, but I still learned new stuff, so thank you!! I can feel the brain activity lowering when trying to concentrate x)

[ilantheman]

Did anyone for a good minute think about how time worked after she explained how adhd people perceive time and just notice you are now distracted from the video and thinking of a whole other random thing?

[SkyRaider-]

This 2 min video did more for me than a 2 hour doctor visit

[darrenbishop]

I’m an introvert and I have adhd. I also see words that aren’t there when I first see them. Have a great day.

[wrenxo]

Something I'm genuinely curious about is if everyone with ADHD gets excited or happy with things that might seem simplistic or odd to those that are neurotypical. I, for instance, get extremely excited when I have stickers (whether available for use or otherwise - I typically avoid using them since I "don't want to waste them", which has led to me collecting over 200 pages of stickers that are entirely unopened). Another thing that really stimulates me is music, and flashing colors / animated visuals. The latter is an issue since I get stuck watching "beat saber vr" videos on youtube just because I like the pretty colors.

Before I was diagnosed with ADHD, I would play videogames simultaneously whilst in class (this was during quarantine, and we were using zoom) because it truly was the only way for me to have enough willpower to do anything but go to sleep or start blanking out.

[laviniaofattaleia]

I have ADD and I stopped at 50 seconds. I can't even watch a two minute video without getting distracted...

[falconbritt]

I find hyperfocus as much of a problem as lack of focus. Working on a project or studying a topic I can be unable to pull away for 8-9 hours straight, even with alarms going off from the clock and phone. I don't drink water, eat, even go to the bathroom, and it's very hard on my health over time. Forcing myself to go to bed on time is also an issue living alone, when in hyperfocus particularly. To kick into action, the motor cortex of the left hemisphere must usually be kicked in - by fear - that's why we procrastinate; the normal area of the right hemisphere which gets people started on tasks in a timely manner just isn't working in our right hemisphere. I have virtually no sense of time and keep my clocks set well ahead of time just to try to be on time for anything. The lack of executive function in the forebrain is also particularly problematic, as I say things most people think but can stop themselves from saying. It doesn't go over well. We are also more emotional, in fact that emotionality used to be a major defining characteristic of the disorder, and I don't know why it doesn't get talked about more. It's a big issue we get judged for quite often. Neurotypicals assume we are choosing to interrupt rudely, being emotional when we could control it like they do. We are hella more creative because we are divergent thinkers, so you want us inventing novel solutions. Perhaps that's why nature is producing so many of us right now; big changes and many novel approaches are needed on earth. I just wish folks could be more kind and understanding; people assume our brains are like theirs, and it's lack of character showing up. It is not!!

[justicestanford]

I have inattentive adhd, so I don’t really show the hyperactive or impulsive tendencies. Or at least not to an extreme. I tell myself oh maybe I don’t have adhd, but then I realized how many accommodations I set up for myself.😂

[entropy]

I hate when normal or "neurotypical" people say they have ocd or adhd like its nothing. I don't have OCD but I do have adhd that i discovered at age 22 and felt like a loser because I wasn't good at saving, bad at time management, couldn't focus, etc. On top of being closeted in my school days, not having much to my credit as far as most social metrics go, it was hard to have any sense of confidence until i finally went on adderall. The medication makes me feel normal and confident in my abilities at a normal level. Does it solve every problem? No, but it makes life feel like I can do it. If you ask an ADHD person to break bad habits and form good ones it seems impossibly overwhelming. I don't fidget anymore with medication and 'move' better, I feel more coordinated or in-tune with my body. The side effect I am afraid of is, it gives me high blood pressure, and the dentist doesnt want to work on me until I get medical clearance. Im terrified of having to give up medication that works, in lieu of something that doesnt work as well. Any advice?

[urmomdotcom]

Theres cobwebs on my dopamine receptors

[chetanmankar]

I was bullied, looked down upon and considered as stupid because of my ADHD, all these years I thought something is wrong in me but never knew what exactly, now I know

[abrohamproductions]

I turned my shower on 20 minutes ago, and then went down a YouTube rabbit hole learning about Adhd to see if I actually have it.

[dgschultz]

I have ADHD. I literally had to pause from LOLing when I heard how “we” perceive time as a “scattered inter-collection of events” and not as a linear sequence. Lol that is too funny.

[anchorage]

I'm almost 51. This video was so easy and honest, it made me cry a little...it just makes sense. Thank you to those who can understand and help us. The way we were born is all we know, yet we are forced to grow up and live according to certain standards. It's awful. It's like trying to force your son, born with no arms, to clap, or shake your hand. It's very real. We get it.