Research suggests that hypersensitivity is common in people living with ADHD, similar to those who live with autism spectrum disorder. If you have hypersensitivity, you may be reactive to: loud and sudden noises.
A child who retains the Moro reflex will be hypersensitive to outside stimuli, startle easily, and may appear fidgety or restless — symptoms commonly seen in children with ADHD.
If someone is stressed, or upset, it tends to increase the startle response. There's also a connection to anxiety. For anxious people, a higher startle response tends to be part of the personality profile. Or, the startle response could be tied to a specific anxiety, like fear of flying or fear of spiders.
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.
Often girls with ADHD have a physiological sensitivity that results in their not wanting to be touched or feeling really sensitive to physical affection, such as hugs.
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 ...
This super sensitivity is often referred to as a “case of the nerves,” being “on edge,” or being “jumpy.” Having a hyper reactive nervous system is a common consequence of stress-response hyperstimulation. As stimulation increases, so does the nervous system's sensitivity and reactivity.
Hypersensitive nervous system
If a person can't resolve their reaction to stress in the short term, their nervous system may feel like it's in overdrive.
Faint-of-heart (n)/ fainthearted (adj): Someone who does not have a strong heart and is easily scared. Often heard as a collocation for stories or movies, for example, “Warning: This story is not for the faint-of-heart.”
It is an attribute common in people with ADHD. Symptoms of hypersensitivity include being highly sensitive to physical (via sound, sight, touch, or smell) and or emotional stimuli and the tendency to be easily overwhelmed by too much information.
Untreated ADHD in adults can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. This is because ADHD symptoms can lead to focus, concentration, and impulsivity problems. When these problems are not managed effectively, they can lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and low self-esteem.
Excessive talking is a common symptom for kids with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), who often have trouble inhibiting and controlling their responses. 1 They may blurt out whatever first comes to mind, whether appropriate or not, without thinking through how their words may be received.
Some people with ADHD experience social awkwardness due to their symptoms. For instance, being impulsive can make them blurt out words or answers. Being inattentive can make them lose focus on the people talking to them. Hence, if you want to improve your social skills, it's best to manage the contributing traits.
Increased startle responses are excessive or evoked by stimuli that would not be effective in most people. This is identified most easily by loss of habituation. Increased startle reflexes are characteristic of a variety of disorders, including hereditary hyperekplexia.
Description. Hereditary hyperekplexia is a condition in which affected infants have increased muscle tone (hypertonia) and an exaggerated startle reaction to unexpected stimuli, especially loud noises.
Hyperekplexia, also known as hereditary startle disease, is characterised by exaggerated startle response to ordinary stimuli and hypertonia in the neonates. It is a rare neurogenetic disorder which is possibly treatable.
This physiological reaction, which is most commonly known as the "fight or flight" reflex, will occur in response to what may be perceived as a harmful event: an attack, a threat to survival, or more simply, to fear itself.
People with PTSD may always feel “on guard,” or hypervigilant, and have a heightened startle response. Often, observers may note an exaggerated startle response or “jumpiness” as another potential indicator of PTSD.
We can reverse this overactive response by recruiting the social engagement system and its calming effect by simply turning the head slowly from left to right. This helps us come out of the freeze or “scared stiff” response that so often comes with a sensitive startle response.
ADHD vs. trauma. ADHD is a mental health condition typically characterized by inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive behavior. On the other hand, trauma is a mental, emotional, or physical response to a shocking or distressing event or series of stressful events.
Symptoms of ADHD can have some overlap with symptoms of bipolar disorder. With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Atypical Presentation of ADHD Symptoms
Impaired sense of time (loses track of time, often late, hates waiting, avoids doing homework, etc.) Sleep disturbances (has trouble with sleep initiation, sleep deprived, can't wake up easily, etc.)