ADHD Characteristics

A few characteristics of ADHD as a quick reference.

Disclaimer: This is not a complete list and please don't use this to assess and diagnose ADHD. Its purpose is to give a quick overview of possible traits presenting in people with ADHD.

1. Low frustration and tolerance threshold. Result: either ignore the frustration or remove it by force.
2. Anger: It is said that ADHDers partners are "in life danger for a second or two, and minutes later he/she won't even properly remember exactly what the issue was".
3. Anxiety: Especially for the unknown.
4. Insatiable: Often pursue something past the point where ordinary people will go. Often needed, but can be overdo.
5. Inflexible: ADHDers don't change their mind easily. Positive side is that they are steadfast in what they believe (and our world need people convicted on issues to pursue them) and will not give in to peer-pressure, negative is that alternatives are not considered, and partner can't convince you of another point of view.
6. Aggression: Often verbally, also intellectually and emotional. This affects your family members the most.
7. Bad organizing skills
8. Impulsive: Lack of impulsive control.
9. Hyperactive: High energy levels, fidgets.
10. Attention deficit: Note, I believe we don't have a attention problem, we have too much to focus on only 1 stimuli. Constantly forgetting things (where's my keys?, I forgot my cheque book at home, etc.)
11. Reading & Writing: ADHDers don't read for relaxation. Often complains that, by the end of the page, they don't remember what they read at the beginning.
12. Speech & Language difficulties: Spoonerism, often talk too fast.
13. Short-term Memory deficiency: ADHDers don't remember long enough for the information to be transferred to the long-term memory bank.

Typical Anecdotes and citations:

• "Someone coughing during a concert receives just as much attention as the music you paid to hear" ¹
• "If you want a honest opinion, just ask an ADDer" ²
• "We have to stop thinking of ADHD as “abnormal”, but as different..." ³
• "ADDers are able to do many things at once: Multitasking, as it is now called in the corporate world, is a piece of cake." ⁴

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