I’ve just recently learned that there are people who do NOT have their voice in their heads, it’s blowing my mind. I hear my own voice as I’m reading to myself, even now as I type out my comment, I hear it in my head in the same way as if I were speaking it out loud. And then I also have multiple thoughts going all at once and can hear them all at the same time. I can have a thought going about wtf I need to get done today while also having a song going and hearing the artists voice. Also, when I’m reading books, I hear different voices and accents for the different characters, and not only do I hear it in my head, but the entire story plays out like a movie in my mind. I couldn’t imagine things being “quiet” up there… I think I’d go bonkers. I’m so confused. 🤔

I find this tweet 100% accurate for me, and i’ve heard this sentiment from many folks. but im wondering how people feel about this, and if there is anyone who feels differently.

are there ways to make it work? or are we just doomed for forever hate the early rising society demands from us?

I’m writing to see if it has affected any of you.

I first read Gabor Mate’s In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts before I was diagnosed (at 29). I found it deeply inspiring, authentic, and real. It gave me hope for destigmatising addiction, particularly coming from personal experience with addiction in my family.

I continued to follow him, listen to interviews, read other books. He was a bit of an inspiration for me.

When I got diagnosed, I grieved, hard. I thought I’d feel relief (medication has changed my life), but I felt deep sadness, and anger. Like others, I absolutely hyperfixated on ADHD social media, studies, books, finding a community where I could take off the neurotypical masks that I thought would be permanently cemented to my face. ADHD, for that year became my entire identity. And to be honest I avoided Gabor Mate’s theory of ADHD because I couldn’t reconcile my respect for his work and my feelings of invalidation by his ADHD theory.

Recently, I listened to his interview on Mel Robbin’s podcast (herself a late diagnosed woman). It made me really angry. For context, Gabor Mate believes ADHD is the result of a genetically sensitive child’s response to early childhood stress or trauma. I’m at the point now where I feel like the newness of my diagnosis is wearing off and I feel capable of being reflective of my feelings, instead of reactive to them (daily WIP). So, I wanted to share the reasons I find Gabor Mate’s beliefs on ADHD dangerous:

• Dr. Gabor Maté is a doctor who, when interviewed, speaks in absolutes even if current science confounds his statements. This is particularly pronounced in his theory of ADHD. If he wasn’t a doctor, I’d be more forgiving. Western medicine is based on science, and yes there is so much that science hasn’t researched (don’t get me started on female hormones). However, the absolute gold standard in determining the heritability of disease/ illness/ traits are identical twin studies. Research CONSISTENTLY shows ADHD is highly heritable 70 - 90%. For comparison, hair colour ranges from 73 - 99%.

• Dr. Gabor Mate is so popular, he’s known for his compassion, reflection, and HONESTY. To clarify, his honesty about his own story. He uses him and his son’s diagnosis of ADHD to give credence to his theory. Personal story is one of the most persuasive, and emotionally fueled ways of connecting with large audiences. So, when Gabor Mate wields his lived experience of ADHD to bolster his theory, he gets the masses on side. His Dr. title further convinces people.

• Dr. Gabor Mate has opened the door, in many ways, for the effects of trauma on both individuals and groups. This has enabled people to have more self compassion and it is growing in support from scientific research (polyvagal theory, nervous system studies, brain imaging). Late diagnosed ADHD women experience trauma, the energy spent fitting in with neurotypical standards, is traumatic. So, at least for me, I started to think (in large part due to Gabor Mate) that somehow my ADHD was a result of early childhood trauma. Therefore, I thought I could ‘fix’ my ADHD, which essentially reinforces the long held belief that I need fixing, I’m not worthy, I’m defective.

• Because Gabor Maté’s theory of trauma holds weight and opens new doors for healing, therapy and scientific research, people have flocked to his work. Now, I see therapists, counselors, yoga teachers, healers, social workers, writers and members of the general community interested in understanding the human experience, adopting his beliefs. So, for many of them, his work becomes gospel. Therefore, my saying ADHD is predominantly inherited is questioned/ not believed by therapists, friends and family, because DR. Gabor Mate says it’s not. And, “HE’S A DOCTOR.” I have found it very invalidating, exhausting and shaming for my loved ones and professional supports to not believe my word, WHICH IS BASED ON GOLD STANDARD SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

• ‘Victim’ blaming (for want of a better term). Gabor Mate is nuanced enough to not overtly blame the ADHDer or their parent for their ADHD. However, trauma, so popularized in the psychopathologising discourse of today, has created a culture of responsibility to ‘heal’/ fix/ transform generational patterns of trauma. So, if ADHD is a result of trauma, as Mate’s purports, it puts the onus of responsibility to change on people diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD is not something we can ‘cure’ through therapy, healing, ‘self-love’, or god forbid a fkn morning routine.

• If undiagnosed people listen and take on this theory, it could lead to lead to further self shaming and poor mental health outcomes. It could stop people from seeking diagnosis and affect their decision to be medicated (which is a personal choice).

• Neurotypical bias: the effects of trauma are correlated with poor self image, ‘maladaptive’ behaviours, and a growing body of research is investigating its impact on physical health. Despite the fact post-traumatic growth offers survivors incredibly positive qualities, the focus of the zeitgeist has been on trauma’s negative impacts. So, if ADHD is born from trauma, ADHD presentations are negative. And if trauma is something to be healed, then ADHDers have to change. This results in furthering the narrative that neurodivergent individuals are ‘wrong’ and need to ‘change’ to fit in with a neurotypical world, NOT MADE FOR US. And not because of our trauma, because of our biology. This further undermines the need for approaches that support/ enhance neurodivergent people’s experience in workplaces, families, friendships and community.

• women are less likely to present as adhd due to gender bias in science and medical practitioners, this theory further invalidates our reality.

• ADHD women are more likely to suffer from hormone and autoimmune disorders; PMDD, endometriosis, PCOS, POTs, post-natal depression, fibromyalgia. These illnesses are grossly understudied, and there is almost no research on why we are over represented in these populations. Based on my previous statements, if trauma causes ADHD and autoimmune disease (another theory of Mate), it has the potential to further invalidate women’s very real, often completely debilitating symptoms. Again, making physical health our fault, and bolstering the notion it’s ‘it’s all in our head’. This potentially demotivates suffers already engaging in the uphill battle to find relief from real physical suffering.

Phew, my thumbs are sore. I didn’t realise I had so much in there.

I want to caveat, I do not hold Gabor Mate solely responsible for the points I’ve made, the dangers are also fueled by existing bias, the cultural zeitgeist (podcast pop-psychology), and people’s unwillingness to look at science before making self-righteous claims about neurodivergence.

I would love to know your thoughts and experiences.

Also, to any women out there, shaming yourself for not using the planner you were so hopeful buying, for forgetting to close the cupboard door, for interrupting a conversation because you were so excited by the content, for feeling like you want to scream at small talk, please put the whip down. You don’t need to ‘fixed’. You are enough. I love your brain, and I’m learning to love mine too. Thanks for letting me info dump on Reddit. I’m late for my dentist appointment.

Edit: I want to extrapolate on how important twin studies on ADHD are for demonstrating heritability, i.e. genetics. Identical twins share 100% of their genes, fraternal twins share 50%. Scientists look at concordance rates, which measures how often both twins in a pair have ADHD. So if a trait is 100% genetic, then identical twins always both have it (100% of the time, e.g. eye colour), while fraternal twins should be half as likely. Studies show that if one identical twin has ADHD the other has it 75 - 90% of the time. However, in fraternal twins the this only occurs 30 - 40% of the time. If environment played a bigger role, fraternal twins would have much higher concordance rates (this includes the in utero environment). Further evidence of the heritability of ADHD comes from twins reared apart studies (meaning, they genetically identical, they shared the same environment in utero, but did not share the same environment during infancy and beyond), these studies support the heritability rates of ADHD at 80-90%. These studies provide even stronger evidence of the heritability of ADHD because these twins share identical genes, but not environment. What makes me particularly angry about Mate, is he literally goes against scientific evidence by saying that the environment in utero or infancy bares more weight on the formation ADHD traits than genetics.

Edit** wow, didn’t expect such a response. Struck a cord and I’ve been reading and digesting the comments, there’s a lot there to look into and research - books, studies to further investigate/reflect on. I’m going to take some time to do that. I appreciate such fruitful discussion and people sharing their experience. My main point here is Gabor’s wielding of story and science to bolster an argument from a medical standpoint. He does ignore and downplay the strong scientific research and results, despite raising some interesting points and theories. Not hypothesis though, because he’s not actually doing a scientific study (hypothesis must be testable and falsifiable). My main concern is that it allows for people to view his words as fact, particularly people who do not have a medical background or an eduction in psychological or neurological research. The danger is how this plays into the cultural zeitgeist, in which people become quasi-psychologists, which undermines the scientific method and potentially health outcomes. A good scientist is humble and will not use science to speak in absolutes with caveats to his/ her personal story, because scientific progress is based on the replicability of previous studies where the hypothesis is testable and disprovable. I’m weary of any book or person who uses science to personally promote their observations as truth. The reason I find it dangerous is because Mate is a Dr. A quote from the Canadian Medical Association “commitment to integrity ensures that physicians base their practice on sound scientific principles and evidence”. Again, thanks for all your comments, many of you have linked scientific studies, and methodologies. I’m excited to read them, have to say this has furthered opened my interest in the science of ADHD and neurodevelopment, which is a world unto itself.

Is this an ADHD thing? (For reference, the reel is about doing anything to avoid the hand position in the photo but then doing it in the end)

I thought I just started doing this in the last few years in response to too much phone typing— to counter the typing position.

Do others do this? Is this an ADHD thing?

If so, I am shook!

Sit down, fill out that ballot tonight. Drive to the ballot drop box tomorrow at 11AM and turn it in.

OR

Schedule time to go vote during work hours on November 5th!**** (lol!!)

Women before us fought so hard to get us the right to vote, so please don't waste your opportunity.

You got this.

Anyone else stay up stupidly late either scrolling social media, researching something, or just doing something that it really quite pointless and doesn’t need to be done at that time.

And I mean staying up until 3am when you have to be up at 6/7am. For no reason!!!

I then feel so annoyed at myself the next day and vow to not do it again but I still do!!

Any tips for stopping this?

Mine, leaf blowers. Fuck a leaf blower (not like the nice (not-nice) person doing their job, but the actual gas-powered leaf blower evokes a DEMON in me). Very, very closer runner up is squeaky sneakers. I hate Hate basketball playing on a tv, because all I hear is amplified squeaky sneakers and I want to CLAW MY EARS OUT. Yours? Please share your hate. Sharing is caring.

I was talking to my therapist of like 10 plus years. I was explaining that almost every task I do requires some form of mental effort, kind of like buffering. For example, if I need to pee I don't just get up and go, it is a back and forth in my brain and is sometimes quite difficult to get up and go. I said that I assume everyone has this to some extent, and that I just wish I didn't have that buffering for everything in my life. She seemed baffled, that it shouldn't be like that if I am not depressed, and that she had to think about what I said because she didn't know how to help me. I got the impression that I am the only one experiencing this.

Am I? Do any of you experience internal difficulties doing things? It feels like an ADHD thing (which she knows I have... And she has too) but her reaction really made me feel alone and now I am worried I am the only person experiencing this.

Also, anon because I am embarrassed. I have been a part of this group forever and respect ya'lls opinions.

Edit: thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies❤️ I definitely feel less alone and I have taken what you all said and will formulate something to say the next time I have therapy. I am frustrated because she literally has ADHD too so I assume she will get it, but maybe she has forgotten because I see the kind of boundaries she sets for herself so maybe she has scheduled herself into not needing to think about things anymore?

Hello all!

I'm heading into my late 30s and was diagnosed with adhd just around 5 months ago, and started stimulant medication last month.

Oddly enough, the feeling of hope I got from that let me try my first pill of estradiol.

I have never felt this composed in my life...

I still have some steps I need to take until I can go on hormones forever.

Is it OK for me to be a part of this sub?

Edit: thanks y'all for the kind words and making me feel so welcome here. Made me tear up a bit :)

I'm TECHNICALLY an adult... but not really.

I'm not allowed grown up cups.

Oh, I forgot you existed.

Sorry I'm late. I don't know how time works.

I'm in the process of getting a diagnosis, and I keep seeing this pop up as a common denominator.

I never forget to eat; most of my motivation comes from food. I eat my dopamine, and use food rewards to get through tasks. I used to sneak food and lollies as a kid (the shame that just washed over me at that memory!).

Am I the only one like this??

ETA thanks so much to everyone for the insight! I appreciate it.

Mine was a handbag the sold out completly, I obsessed over hunting it down... like my brain was on a motor... Got the bag 🎒 eventually and it's nice, but enjoyed the chase more 😌 adhd eh ... now I have the bag something else will step into it's place, anyone else regulary obsessing over something? In search of dopamine buzz 🤣🤣

While hygiene struggles are very real, I feel like ADHD/ASD women often feel like they need to use all their willpower to get ready, and feel forced to wear things that are overstimulating. Reminder it’s okay to be comfortable <3 Don’t let the world’s gaze dictate your own.

Hey! I made the post about the notebooks, and I've been asked to repost this slide on it's own, as a conversation starter. Here we are !!

I put a quesadilla in the microwave for 1.5 minutes.

As soon as I hit start, I put away the butter and cheese in the fridge, washed a dish, and put the dish towels back in their proper places…

looked at the clock and there was still a minute left until my quesadilla was done!

Was getting ready to leave for work this morning. Had 7 minutes until I had to be out the door. Changed out of my pajamas into work clothes, brushed my teeth, packed up my computer and charger… somehow left 10 minutes late???

Time makes no sense to me!

Not necessarily in terms of school either, at home, around immediate family and then extended etc?

I'm asking because I'm going for a diagnosis soon, and although am a very young person, I can't for the life of me remember my childhood, until someone mentions a hyper specific example to trigger my memory lol. My parents happen to be very unsupportive and don't believe in mental health quite frankly, so I can't much rely on them 😭.

Thanks!

Edit: thanks everyone, for your inputs, I've remembered some stuff as well, hope it helped you figure yourself out better too :).

Edit: Collected some proposed solutions at the bottom.

Currently sitting in the office, alone, being on my phone and somehow not getting up to leave and go home.
I've realized it at one point that almost all of my ADHD related issues are caused by having to transition between actions.

• No problem with showers but I don't wanna start showering or I don't wanna stop.
  
• Doomscrolling because I don't wanna transition from being on phone to not being on phone.
  
• Having a hard time to pursue hobbies bc of the transition of me doing something else to sitting down and starting on a project.
  
• no issues with phone calls while on them, hate starting/accepting them
• no issues with writing my thesis while actively doing it, HUGE issue with starting.
• Cooking.
  
• sex
  
• tidying
  
• repairing stuff
  
• answering mails
  
• going to sleep
  
• getting up in the morning ...

I could go on and on. I don't have any issue with the stuff I listed per se. Most of that I enjoy doing. But it all comes with the hurdle of transitioning into that state. Can anyone confirm?

TL;DR: almost no matter what, I don't wanna start but once I've started I don't wanna stop. This is stupid and I hate it. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

HELPFUL TOOLS THAT SOME OF YOU PROPOSED:

• start listening to a podcast or audio book. Then do stuff while listening.

• watch a YouTube video of someone doing the thing you should be doing. This helps to prepare for the transition.

• tell yourself loudly "you're stuck"

• set a timer to prepare when to stop action A and start action B.

• set random timers every 80min or so to pull yourself back into reality and ask yourself if this is what you're supposed to be doing.

• get "Routinely", set up to do list and let it tell you what to do and when to stop.

• tell yourself "I only need to do this for 5min"

• don't stop moving - when you get home, don't sit down. Stay in motion and do the things you wanna do.

• set a timer and race against time "bet I can't get X and Y done before the time runs out".

• don't focus on the task but the way it will make you feel once it's done and do that for yourself.

• go to bed in your work out clothes. When you get up in the morning, that's one step less to start your morning work out.

I didn’t notice I was doing this until just a few years ago, but looking back, I think I’ve always done it in times of stress.

In my junior year of high-school I developed hiccups that would only come one at a time, but it would happen 40-50 times a day. I asked doctors about it anytime I needed to see one, and none of them seemed concerned and they never really gave me any insight into why it would be happening.

In my 20’s I found yoga. If you’re not familiar, focusing on your breath is a very large part of it. I noticed my hiccups subsided dramatically when I was actively practicing.

Fast forward to my late 30’s, our current timeline, and I am stressed to the max. I brought up to my husband a few weeks ago that I could notice I was holding my breath more, and he asked me to elaborate. After I explained, he confessed that he had noticed me doing this and was worried about why it was happening.

I share this in this sub in hopes of confirming that other women do this with adhd, or finding out that i need to look into this more. I’m sure it’s not healthy, so please don’t come to this thread to scare me, I’m already scared. I’m aware it’s a problem and this is part of my journey in finding out why it happens.

This is there first step in my seeking help for this, so don’t tell me to ask a doctor. I will.

*At the time I’m adding this, the post has only been up for 1 hour. The responses already have been so open and insightful it almost brings me to tears. I love you all and am so grateful for this community.

I'm in a constant battle with my mother who is like, "don't let them put you on ritalin! You're going to be a screwed up mess with side effects." Of which she's like that with literally everything because she has a high propensity towards medication side effects, therefore she believes all meds = side effects with everyone.

And yes, I'm not denying ADHD medication doesn't come with side effects. But that's where re prescription or just not taking them the next day comes in. If it doesn't work for me, I go back. If none of them work, I just don't. But I don't think I'm going to end up a permanently screwed up mess trying it out.

I feel this is very "early-2000s parent of a troubled child" alarmism but this attitude is still very strong. Video games cause violence, rock music sends kids to Hell, and ritalin will fuck your kid's brains up with side effects. Except I'm almost 30, my brain is getting more dysfunctional as time goes on.

Why are people so afraid of a medication that when prescribed to the ADHD diagnosed community, is actually shown to have one of the highest success rates in the entirety of psychological pharmaceuticals?

---

Edit: woah was NOT expecting this amount of comments and upvotes! I did read as many as I could before this went viral and then I just got overwhelmed trying to keep up with a headache and insomnia LOL but thank you, everyone, for all your different points of view ranging on "why do alarmists alarm" to "there is reason for concern, this is my experience." Everything is valid.................... Except the people who (like my mother) believe everything can be solved with herbal remedies and the power of prayer lol

So this guy on my fyp “thisismyfood” eats what someone in the comment section lovingly called “people kibble” lmao. But basically he chops up a bunch of veggies, chops up chicken and tofu, cooks up everything separate then cooks some beans, brown rice and quinoa, then mixes it all together.

I feel like I’m making it sound more complicated but he’s basically been making this for years and it’s all he eats — apparently he does it to avoid decision fatigue and idkw but I love this idea for when I just can’t deal….people kibble! Except obvi I’m thinking of all that chopping and cleaning 😵‍💫 and I’m a foodie so it sounds a little unhinged but what do you all think of this?

I don’t know if it’s just me and as pointless and unhealthy as it might be, I often think about what I could’ve been if not for ADHD. I find it very difficult to look at it in a positive light especially after not getting any sleep because my brain couldn’t just shut up and let me go to sleep. I wish I could just get my goals done normally and that neurotypicals didn’t outright hate me.

Y’all I had a day from crap castle where literally everything goes wrong!!! I’m struggling to find the glimmer of good in my day so PLEASE TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD THATS HAPPENED TO YOU TODAY/LATELY! I need to hear good news from somewhere and be happy for someone else!

If you only have shit sandwiches like me currently, please feel free to also vent and I’ll offer support, I’m here for everything y’all wanna drop.

I just saw a post, where someone complained about forgetting their reusable shopping bags. This inspired me to do this semi-praise/rant. And maybe start a discussion about how the things around us can be an influence, positive or negative, with ADHD. (And maybe an ad for a more walkable area)

TL,DR: The spontaneous nature of a walkable city helps to negate a lot of the problems with ADHD, because you don’t need to plan around tasks so much. Getting groceries is just a matter of 15 minutes. Put your shoes on, go to the store, grab the things you need for one meal, go home. No need to do huge once-a-week purchases. Quality free time is also way less inconvenient to plan, because you have the ability to just walk around the neighborhood and go to things that look interesting in the moment. It’s also way safer, because not driving at all prevents a lot of accidents.

Plus: The task of driving kids around completely falls away, because they can get themselves where they need to be, on their own.

I always wondered why I am struggling less with some problems than others in this sub. And now I assume I know why. It’s the fact that I don’t need to do certain things, that are required in a car dependent area.

Things are way easier when you don’t need to plan around a car commute. Walkable cities are so much more convenient and spontaneous, which is really ADHD friendly.

There are third places in walking distance. In summer I can just walk to a park and read a little, and this is just delightful. I don’t need to plan in advance when I want to spend time with friends. Ist just a spontaneous thing to decide to go to a cafe, restaurant or even a bar (because nobody needs to drive drunk with reliable 24/7 public transport). The only thing when I really need to plan my free time activities, is when I want to go swimming. Then I need to pack a towel and swimsuit, before I go to a nearby lake or a public swimming pool. (Or something requiring tickets, like theater)

When I forget something when I go shopping, I usually just go back and grab it easily, because the supermarket is just a few Meters down the road. When I forget an ingredient, it’s easy to just run to the supermarket and grab it. It’s not even 15 minutes. I don’t even need to stop cooking usually. I let the potatoes on my stove cooking on low, while I’m gone (of course I’m responsible with that, I know of the risk of fires).

I usually only make smaller purchases, I only buy that what I need for 1-2 days, sometimes only the ingredients for one dish. So I don’t even need a shopping bag sometimes, because I can just carry things in my hand. And less things I need to think about when going shopping. I don’t struggle much with food going bad, because I don’t have a lot of food at once in my fridge and that is used up fast. In general, my fridge is really small.

And the best thing: if I don’t feel like I have the energy to leave the house at all, there are a lot of services, that deliver groceries right to my doorstep, in like 15-20 minutes. I literally go grocery shopping on my toilet. (I don’t know if these services are exclusive to walkable cities, but I never encountered these, when visiting family on the countryside).

Now to the last and most serious point (Trigger Warning: Car accidents)

I don’t need to drive. This is the most serious implication of all of this. I don’t need to drive when I’m not in the mood or condition for it. This prevents a lot of really harsh consequences that ADHD can have when paired with a car. Instead I can just take public transport and use the time to read, learn for Uni, sleep, or just phase out, looking out of the window. The worst that can happen here, is that I miss my stop, when I’m too distracted (this happens quite regularly, but I just need to wait a few minutes and take the train or bus etc back). I don’t need to endanger myself or others on the road when I don’t have to. Sometimes I read stories here about People, who lost someone because of a accident involving a car, where the cause is most likely their ADHD. I’m really sorry for everyone, who lost someone because of a car accident. Involving ADHD or not. It’s one of the most traumatic ways to loose a loved one.

I have to admit, I was born and raised in a walkable city so that can be the reason that some of the comparisons may lack. I never really experienced it differently, except as a guest with others.

But this is an additional point I want to add: The chore of driving the kids around completely falls away (after a certain age of course. But it’s relatively young, line 8-9 years old). I myself was begging for finally being allowed to walk on my own, because it was considered cool (take this with a grain of salt, this is over a decade ago). The city is safe enough to let them walk or take the public transport on their own: to school, to their hobbies, to friends etc. It’s completely considered normal and not bad parenting at all. (And you can’t forget to pick them up from somewhere) So the parent hat way more time on their hand for other things.

(Please help me, I wasted so much time writing this, instead of learning for my upcoming exams. 😭)

Disclaimer: I have verified very little of this. I'm also paraphrasing a lot. My therapist specialises in ADHD and treats nothing else, so I trust her, but feel free to provide rebuttals if you find evidence to the contrary, or sources if you know of them.

1. People without ADHD apparently only have a "few" interests, like for example are just into politics and rugby, as opposed to the rest of us who are into politics, rugby, needlepointing, jet skiing, bread baking, Formula 1 racing, ska, tubas, and Sailor Moon until we pick up learning Thai next week and discover modular synths. tbh I found this quite shocking. I cannot even imagine what that is like. No wonder they have so much time to do their laundry.

2. Partially due to the above, people with ADHD tend to connect to other people easily, as we can usually find common ground with a lot of people ("oh wow, you're learning Thai as well!?"), and...apparently studies show that we have more friends than people without ADHD!? I feel sad for them.

3. We tend to really overcommit. Apparently people without ADHD do not, in fact, try to do all the things.

4. People with ADHD are more empathetic and sympathetic than most people. I have no idea how anyone measures this, but she thinks it's because we're so used to failing at things, and also because...

5. We're more sensitive to highs and lows than most people. I knew about RSD, but she said it also goes the other way, where we can find greater joy in positive experiences. This reminded me of how a friend said they loved how I got equally excited about small wins as big ones.

6. She said that when scientists study people with ADHD, they've found that we have more ideas about how to solve a problem than the average person, and also more creative ideas - "thinking out of the box", basically. Finally I know who the "thinking IN the box" people are.

7. Our coping mechanisms can sometimes be misconstrued as OCD. As an example, I won't close my door until I see my keys in my hand. Even if they're in my bag, I'll pull them out and stare at them before pulling the knob. For someone without ADHD, that might be a compulsive behaviour and not just trying not to get locked out for the 20th time. Apparently other people can just remember if they took their keys, so they don't need to check (this one was too much to be believed).