ADHD and Selfishness

This question was asked in an online group. One thing that fascinates me about questions and answers in online forums is that there are so many unique perspectives.

I liked this question because I’d never heard it before, and it was an interesting correlation to think about. It was a refreshing change from “Do you think I have ADHD?” ( I don’t know, Google the symptoms or make an appointment with an expert.) and “Should I take [insert medication here]?” ( I don’t know. Ask your doctor. It’s dangerous for people on the internet to answer questions such as this. I talked about this in a video.)

This is the answer I gave to the question of selfishness:

No one accuses me of it but I think I’m self-absorbed. Part of that is hyperfocus, some of it is being so into my own world that I don’t notice the needs of others. But, I’m giving and selfless when I get out of my head. My goal in life is to be of service and to help people, so I can’t be selfish all the time. 🙂

I think that I suck as a friend. I forget to call or email, or I think of a person and immediately forget. Sometimes I’ll text someone late at night when I think of them because if I don’t, I will forget. I know that this in itself doesn’t make me a bad friend, but it could make me look aloof, cold or uncaring.