ADHD presents ongoing challenges that can make stress and frustration become out of control. If you have ADHD and a lot of unmanaged stress, it could raise your risk of some health problems and worsen symptoms of others, including: Tics or Tourette's syndrome. Depression or anxiety attacks.
In Nature Neuroscience, researchers note that stress affects the prefrontal cortex, the same location of the brain affected by ADHD. There, stress reduces neuronal firing and impairs cognitive abilities. Dr. Murray says that research has shown repeatedly that stress causes changes to the brain.
People with ADHD are remarkably calm in the middle of a maelstrom. That's when they are in their element. High-stress situations get the dopamine pumping in the brain, which is why adults with ADHD tend to make great firefighters and ER doctors, as well as brilliant stock-traders and entrepreneurs.
While stress can make ADHD symptoms worse, the difficulties caused by ADHD can make the child feel stressed out. This can result in a vicious cycle. Knowing what triggers ADHD symptoms in your child can help you better protect them from such challenges.
When you have anxiety along with ADHD, it may make some of your ADHD symptoms worse, such as feeling restless or having trouble concentrating.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
Meltdowns, especially for people with ADHD, can be in the form of impulsive and explosive ADHD-related behaviors. They can happen when a person has too much pressure, stress, anger, anxiety or other strong emotions. During meltdown mode, a person may feel out of control and be unable to stop and think straight.
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.
Emotional dysregulation and managing your emotions start in the brain itself. ADHD can often result in memory impairments that allow emotional reactions that are stronger than anticipated. As a result, your brain is flooded with one intense emotion like anger, sadness, or frustration.
A busy schedule and feeling overwhelmed can trigger an episode of ADHD symptoms. But it's a circular relationship: Your ADHD itself may also cause stress because it's harder to filter out stressors around you. If you deal with anxiety (which you're more likely to do if you have ADHD), this can make stress worse, too.
The Emotional Side of ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can trigger certain emotions. For example, you might feel guilty or ashamed because of the way you think other people see you. You may get stressed if your loved ones say you don't listen and you feel you've let them down in some way.
Overwhelm is a feeling all too familiar to anyone with ADHD or neurodiversity. When you're constantly bombarded with stimuli and your to-do list seems impossible to manage, it's easy to feel like you're drowning. One of the best ways to combat overwhelm is to write things down.
Symptoms of Sensory Overload in ADHD
Headaches, dizziness, or light-headedness. Feeling ill, faint, or nauseous. Increased anxiety and stress. Irritability and agitation.
ADHD burnout is often something a little deeper. It refers to the cycle of overcommitting and overextending that leads to fatigue in people with ADHD. It involves taking on too many tasks and commitments, and then the subsequent exhaustion that happens when we're unable to fulfill all of our obligations.
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.
Studies suggest that ADHD-driven emotional sensitivity in people makes them struggle to cope with rejection. This rejection may be as simple as having a friend say no to you or as big as not being accepted for a job you applied for.
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.
However, some research suggests that ADHD symptoms may peak at a certain age. One review study published in the journal Neuropediatrics indicated that peak prevalence of ADHD may be higher in certain age groups, such as among 9-year-old boys. 7 In contrast, the prevalence of ADHD in adults was estimated at 2.8%.
These symptoms are usually seen by the time a child is four years old and typically increase over the next three to four years. The symptoms may peak in severity when the child is seven to eight years of age, after which they often begin to decline.
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.)
Common ADHD-Related Problems
Impulsive spending or overspending. Starting fights or arguing. Trouble maintaining friendships and romantic relationships. Speeding and dangerous driving.
The mind of a person with ADHD is full of the minutiae of life (“Where are my keys?” “Where did I park the car?”), so there is little room left for new thoughts and memories. Something has to be discarded or forgotten to make room for new information. Often the information individuals with ADHD need is in their memory…