Many of us don't realize, though, that alongside the hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity, people with ADHD may experience sensitivity to their environment. And this is totally understandable. Although hypersensitivity can be overwhelming, there are ways to successfully treat and manage the symptoms.
Clinicians working with people with ADHD view hypersensitivity, both physical and/or emotional, as a common comorbid condition. “[People with ADHD] often are hypersensitive in one of the sensory domains: sound, touch, or smell,” says Ned Hallowell, M.D., author of Driven to Distraction (#CommissionsEarned).
Novotni suggests that it is the tendency of people with ADHD to feel overwhelmed that leads to their hypersensitive reactions. This, in turn, contributes to their difficulty in coping emotionally.
Can sensory issues be a symptom of ADHD? Sensory issues and sensory processing disorders are prevalent in people with ADHD. Although scientists are still researching the exact correlation, research has shown that kids and adults with ADHD are more likely than neurotypical people to experience sensory overload.
“Challenges with processing emotions start in the brain itself. Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion.” Thomas Brown, Ph. D., explains why (and how) ADHD sparks such intense anger, frustration, and hurt.
This is because of how ADHD impairs working memory. Children with ADHD may not understand the importance of how they feel in a given moment because their memory doesn't always allow them to store the information regarding that emotion. This can lead to a myriad of emotional issues down the line.
Most people with ADHD have a very low frustration tolerance. They can be overly emotional about the stressors they experience. They don't have a barrier that allows them to set aside uncomfortable emotions, and they often become completely flooded by a feeling, making it unbearable.
Similarly, people with ADHD can also experience 'meltdowns' more commonly than others, which is where emotions build up so extremely that someone acts out, often crying, angering, laughing, yelling and moving all at once, driven by many different emotions at once – this essentially resembles a child tantrum and can ...
Several studies have found that ADHD brains (particularly inattentive type) are significantly more justice-sensitive than are neurotypical brains. Possible reasons for this include emotional lability, intensity, and dysregulation, which are common symptoms of ADHD.
Research into ADHD and sensory overload is still ongoing, but some of the most common triggers include: Touch: A touch that is too light, firm, or sudden could lead to sensory overload. The same goes for unexpected physical contact, such as a spontaneous hug or a pat on the shoulder.
Children with ADHD can become frustrated and overwhelmed very easily. They have trouble regulating their emotions and struggle with executive function issues. They may, for example, have great difficulty: Planning.
Because ADHD symptoms include difficulty with attention regulation, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which can affect planning, organizing, and managing behavior, many children with ADHD struggle with change.
One reason immaturity might be confused with ADHD is that ADHD itself has been linked to a delay in brain maturation. An older child with ADHD might present behaviors that are typical in a younger child — and the opposite could be true if your frame of reference is older children.
Many people with ADHD can also have difficulty identifying and regulating their emotions. If you have a problem identifying you emotions, you will not be able to recognize and identify the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your own feelings and the feelings of others.
Increased anxiety: Yelling may trigger a “fight or flight” response, aggravating ADHD symptoms. Diminished self-esteem: Chronic exposure to harsh words could cause a decline in self-worth and self-confidence.
In one study, researchers found that people with self-reported ADHD symptoms earned lower scores for affective empathy compared to other participants. However, they were still within the range of what's considered typical for empathy levels overall.
Mood swings are common in people with ADHD. People with this disorder can be hypersensitive, too. That means sensations, like touch, that may feel normal to another person can feel too intense for someone with ADHD.
Many people with ADHD experience a physical hypersensitivity to a variety of things, including touch.
Hyperactivity (talks a lot, fidgets, always on the go, etc.) Impulsivity (blurts out, interrupts, lies, angry outbursts, difficulty waiting, etc.) Inattention (forgetful, loses things, disorganized, makes careless mistakes, etc.)
With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Some triggers may be directly related to general health or lifestyle factors. What you eat, how much sleep you receive, the time spend sitting, and the amount of caffeine you drink matters. Although far from conclusive, there's some evidence that a poor diet impacts the symptoms of people with ADHD, too.
Social Skills in Adults with ADHD. Individuals with ADHD often experience social difficulties, social rejection, and interpersonal relationship problems as a result of their inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Such negative interpersonal outcomes cause emotional pain and suffering.
Many children with ADHD struggle with empathy. The classic ADHD symptoms of impulsivity, distractibility, restlessness, and carelessness can contribute to the perception that a child lacks empathy.