ADHD is More Than Being Distracted

Don’t mistake your productivity ‘down day’ for actual ADHD, some people are trapped in that state perpetually.

There is a lot going on ‘behind the scenes.’ — Image generated by Author.

“I have ADHD too.”

I’ve been hearing it a lot lately.

The thing is, there is an enthusiasm that comes from someone diagnosed with ADHD that is missing from people who think having too many projects, or a proclivity for distraction, or forgetting things is a diagnosis.

ADHD is more than these visible symptoms. You could even say the most frustrating part of ADHD is the invisible symptoms.

ADHD is an Executive Function Disorder

Depending on who you ask, there are 5–7 executive functions, they are things that a “neurotypical” takes for granted. Let’s look at Dr. Russell Barkley’s list:

• Self-Awareness — Commanding self-directed attention
• Self-Restraint — Inhibiting yourself
• Non-Verbal Working Memory — Holding things in your mind to guide behavior
• Verbal Working Memory — Retaining internal speech
• Emotional Regulation — Using words and images along with self-awareness to alter how you feel about things