What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs our executive functions (AKA executive dysfunction) and self-regulation.

Executive functions are the parts of your brain’s wiring that help you do tasks that allow for daily productivity: working memory, emotional control, planning and prioritization, organization, time management, etc.

It is not something you can outgrow and is thus classified as a disability, not a mental illness.

* A more comprehensive overview of executive dysfunction can be found in our adhd cheatsheet.

What would it look like if I had it?

The inattentive subtype looks like this:

  • fails to pay close attention to details

  • has trouble sustaining attention

  • doesn’t seem to listen when spoken to directly

  • fails to follow through on instructions

  • has trouble getting organized

  • avoids doing things that require sustained focus or thinking

  • loses things frequently

  • easily distracted

  • forgetful

While hyperactive-impulsive looks like this:

  • fidgets/squirms in seat

  • frequently leaves seat when seating is expected

  • runs or climbs excessively

  • trouble playing/engaging in activities quietly

  • acts “on the go” or as if “driven by a motor”

  • talks excessively

  • blurts out answers

  • trouble waiting or taking turns

  • interrupts or intrudes

If you meet the criteria for both types, you can also be diagnosed with a combination of the two in what is called a combined presentation/subtype.

When I first read these, I did not feel like everything applied to me.

I’ve since learned that these were written around observational data in primarily white boy subjects and that just because neurotypical people make these kinds of observations doesn’t mean that I have to agree with them or accept that they mean anything about me.

Also, these symptoms can change over time, so adults may (and do) present differently than this, and people might intentionally misunderstand the intent behind your actions.

Don’t be deterred. There are also several good parts. No two people will share the same symptoms, but you’re likely to also have some good stuff wired in.

You’re also likely:

  • a risk-taker and natural go-getter

  • innovative and imaginative

  • spontaneous and energetic

  • compassionate and empathetic

  • outgoing, funny, and full of ideas

  • caring and sensitive to others

Common Comorbidities

There are some chronic and pervasive comorbidities that you may have been diagnosed with earlier, as we were, because your doctor might not have been willing to entertain an ADHD diagnosis. Diagnosing someone with Anxiety or Depression is much simpler and allows doctors to not pay further attention to the issues we are trying to address.

Oftentimes, this is because of their unwillingness to prescribe stimulant medication, but it is also sometimes just due to negligence - some doctors carry a preconceived notion that women of colour are less likely to have ADHD.

We’re not suggesting that you’ve been misdiagnosed - you may have these things too. We are simply saying that your doctor might not have considered that it might be ADHD.

ADHD is harder to diagnose because the wiring of your brain regions for these comorbidities is so close together:

  1. Cortical wiring problems: learning and language disabilities, fine & gross motor difficulties, autism and dyslexia

  2. Problems regulating emotions: depression, anxiety disorders, anger control disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder

  3. Tic disorders: motor tics, oral tics, and Tourette’s syndrome

For a more comprehensive look at how ADHD works under the hood, visit our adhd cheatsheet.