People with ADHD thrive on adrenaline rushes. They may do their best work against a tight deadline. Many adults with ADHD thrive in high-pressure, fast-paced jobs, such as those in emergency services, healthcare, entertainment, and high tech.
You're a thrill seeker
People with ADHD are often drawn to activities that are stimulating. They may engage in risky behaviors, like fast driving, gambling, and even extramarital affairs.
Shankman: Simply put, ADHD is the brain's inability to produce as much dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline as “regular” people's brains produce. Because of that, our brains have become “faster.” When managed right, that becomes a superpower.
ADHD can impact a person's sex life in many ways, including hypersexual tendencies. This could be due to symptoms of ADHD, lower dopamine levels, or medication side effects.
Though distractibility is their hallmark trait, people with ADHD can also become so engrossed in the things they love, that any form of distraction around them no longer bothers them.
These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage. People with ADHD have a unique perspective that others may find interesting and valuable.
People who have ADHD frequently experience emotions so deeply that they become overwhelmed or “flooded.” They may feel joy, anger, pain, or confusion in a given situation—and the intensity may precede impulsive behaviors they regret later.
High or low libido.
If you have ADHD, you may have a high sex drive. You may think about or try to have sex frequently. You may also use pornography regularly. On the other hand, some medications that treat ADHD can cause a low sex drive.
Spontaneous daydreaming can be a subtle symptom of ADHD for some people, especially girls and women. Excessive or disruptive daydreaming may also be linked to other mental health conditions, like maladaptive daydreaming.
People with ADHD may be inclined to abuse drugs or alcohol to make up for the lack of dopamine in their brains, as they have lower levels of the chemical than people who don't have ADHD. Treating ADHD and substance abuse can be challenging because the medications used to treat ADHD can also become habit-forming.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do.
While all kinds of people can fall in love, the experience of people with ADHD falling in love can be more intense for them. This is because the person with ADHD can hyperfocus on the person they are in love with.
Many adults with ADHD may have trouble staying focused and paying attention. But, even though they have possible symptoms of ADHD, they still can enjoy life and relax. A common misconception about ADHD is that adults who have it cannot relax at all.
Many people with ADHD experience a physical hypersensitivity to a variety of things, including touch. Being hypersensitive may mean that stimulation of their genitals might be uncomfortable or even painful in someone with ADHD. This sensitivity may also extend to other senses as well.
A person with ADHD may have tremendous focus when independently interested, but struggle with situations like a classroom where other students need to work quietly. Your child may be a social butterfly, always chatting with friends, or may have trouble staying calm and quiet during school time.
Some of the difficult or risky behaviors related to ADHD include: Trouble getting motivated or finishing tasks (either at work or at home) Being late or not following through on commitments, appointments, or responsibilities. Impulsive spending or overspending.
Intense emotions and hyperfocus
New relationships or crushes are exciting and (mostly) enjoyable. But for kids with ADHD, that excitement and enjoyment can sometimes go too far. Your child might hyperfocus on the relationship, while schoolwork, sports, family, and friends take a backseat.
It's often said that people with ADHD enjoy drama. And scientifically that makes sense. Negative emotions cause a release of adrenaline that stimulates the brain. Which means people with ADHD may subconsciously start a row or chase relationship drama.
It's true: Attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) has strained more than a few romantic relationships. Equally true (though less recognized) is the fact that partners with ADHD are among the most loyal, generous, engaged, and genuinely fun people you could meet.
Individuals with ADHD may engage in impulsive behavior that can lead to harmful consequences. When they consume alcohol, these symptoms can increase. Alcohol can also intensify symptoms of inattentiveness and restlessness.
They might blurt out something insensitive, or make a big purchase without looking at their finances or having a discussion with you first. Their impulsive tendencies can often lead to reckless, even destructive actions. Takeaway: In many cases, someone with adult ADHD won't be able to explain their behavior.
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 ...
It is essential to realize that people with ADHD are generally emotionally sensitive and may have strong feelings of shame, preventing them from seeking the medical help they need. Aside from medications, allowing the person to process their emotions before a meltdown is a healthy way to help them cope with rejection.
This means people with ADHD can struggle to complete a task or make, organize or start a plan. Often they find themselves shifting their attention to something else before completing the task at hand. Ultimately, we are nearly always overstimulated and can't sort through the chaos in our brains.
The five gifts of ADHD include creativity, emotional sensitivity, exuberance, interpersonal empathy, and being nature-smart (The Gift of Adult ADD, 2008).