I get distracted a lot. Do I have ADHD?

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What is ADHD and how does it manifest itself?

This is a mental disorder associated with the structural features of the brain (the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which controls our activity - both physical and mental - is less and less active). Because of this, a person with ADHD may experience attention deficits, hyperactivity, and impulsivity—or all of the symptoms at once. These two signs of the syndrome can manifest themselves in different ways.

Carelessness:

• Tendency to make small mistakes and inaccuracies.
• Difficulty following instructions and getting things done.
• Randomness in study or work.
• Rejection of routine tasks that require involvement. For children, this is the completion of school and homework, for adults, work with documents, filling out reports and forms.
• Slight distraction.
• Absent-mindedness. For example, a person often loses everything.

Hyperactivity and impulsivity:

• Restlessness, fidgeting: the person may twitch their foot or tap their fingers.
• The desire to stand up when it is inappropriate: in class, at a meeting, in the office, or during a lecture.
• It is difficult to stay still for a long time or spend time doing quiet things. Everything is done in a hurry, on the run.
• Great discomfort from waiting for something.
• Excessive talkativeness.
• The desire to answer before the interlocutor finishes the phrase.
• Interrupting others, interfering in other people's affairs and conversations.

Due to the peculiarities of the structure of the brain in people with ADHD, working memory functions worse (it allows you to keep information in mind while we work with it), they feel and control time worse, often cannot calculate how much effort and time a task will take, because why make unrealistic plans.

The same reasons lead to the fact that it is difficult for a person to control emotions and behavior: he can say too much, commit a rash act, flare up, be offended, quarrel with someone. This also includes "hyperfocus", when a person concentrates on something so much that he cannot stop.

People with ADHD are more likely to complain of nervous tics and restless leg syndrome (pain in the legs that forces them to move constantly).

Often because of this syndrome there is increased anxiety, rapid mood swings due to minor factors. Against the background of ADHD, symptoms of depression can appear: life disorder, failures at work and in school, problems in personal life, which can provoke negative thoughts about yourself.

Where does it come from?

The syndrome almost always has a hereditary origin: a person with ADHD symptoms is more likely to have someone with similar features among relatives. It is important that ADHD is not bad manners, discipline problems, lack of intelligence or lack of motivation. Also, the syndrome does not develop from excessive use of the phone.

Aren't all people distracted?

Indeed, many of the symptoms of ADHD can be attributed to other problems. However, there are several criteria by which we can understand that we are dealing with a syndrome.

First, ADHD almost always begins in childhood. That is, a person with the syndrome is likely to say, “I've been like this all my life,” and remember how often he forgot his sports uniform or had difficulty concentrating at school.

Secondly, the syndrome should manifest itself in all spheres of life.

Thirdly, the symptoms greatly impair a person's quality of life. Although with age he can learn to compensate for them, he still has difficulties that cause discomfort. For example, a person says: “I know that I can study better, but I don’t understand why I can’t do it,” “I am competent and experienced, but I keep making mistakes and letting my colleagues down.”

The diagnosis is made if the symptoms persist for more than six months. The presence of the syndrome is called into question if its symptoms are better explained by other causes. If they last less than six months, disappear, and then reappear, they can be brain injuries, other mental disorders, substance use, burnout, or physical exhaustion.

But it may be that a person has both depression and a syndrome. People with ADHD often experience depression, an anxiety disorder, and, less commonly, bipolar affective disorder.

What to do if you notice signs of ADHD in yourself?

First of all, try to learn more about this syndrome. This will help you better understand yourself and less criticize yourself for your features.

Keeping a diary can help you deal with your attention span. Preferably paper, so as not to be distracted once again. In it you need to write down all the tasks, household chores, hobbies, plans and set priorities. And everything that is tied to time should be entered on the calendar.

You can also maintain order at home and on the desktop, remove everything that distracts. For children, this is especially important, as is the daily routine. Regular physical activity also helps to concentrate better. It is also helpful to do mindfulness and mindfulness practices, such as meditation and watching the breath.

If impulsiveness is a concern, first you need to understand when it appears and what negative consequences it leads to. Try to keep track of this and formulate what behavior you want to achieve from yourself. The wording should be specific: “When I go to the marketplace and I have an impulse to buy pants, I want to stop and remind myself that I have a closet full of trousers and I don’t need new ones” or “When the other person speaks too slowly, instead of interrupt him, I want to let him finish. As far as possible, try to do it this way, and not as before.

Can psychotherapy help?

Therapies that have been shown to be effective for people with ADHD are cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and responsibility therapy combined with dialectical behavioral therapy.

What are these directions?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps to find and change a person's harmful thoughts and core beliefs about themselves, other people, and the world.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an offshoot of CBT that helps develop mental flexibility and acceptance of your thoughts and feelings.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is another offshoot of CBT. It teaches you to manage your emotions, to be aware of them and to endure stress more easily.

With the help of psychotherapy, people with ADHD develop skills to cope with emotional instability, explore their impulsive behavior, learn how to organize their learning and work environment, create adequate reward systems and time management. Skills training groups organized by ADHD-oriented professionals can be helpful.

An important part of ADHD psychotherapy is education. It is important for a person to know what caused his disorder and how it manifests itself in order to better adapt to it. For example, reading the stories of people living with similar symptoms can help you accept yourself and beat yourself up less.

are sometimes prescribed for people with ADHD Antidepressants . The use of nootropics, sedatives and vitamins has no proven effectiveness.

ADHD belongs to the category of disorders that can be corrected but not cured. A person can lead a normal life that is in no way inferior in quality to people without ADHD, but the manifestations of the syndrome will remain. Much attention should be paid to self-blaming thoughts that appear against the backdrop of dissatisfaction with life and accumulated failures.