I got my ADD diagnosis today (no “h” as I don’t meet the criteria for hyperactivity). It felt validating to hear a doctor say what I’ve felt for a while now.
Congrats on your diagnosis! ADD is not a medically valid term anymore. Just as we no longer refer to PTSD as shell shock.
ADHD has three types:
- Hyperactive/impulsive
- Inattentive
- Combined
So your diagnosis would be inattentive ADHD. (Same here)
Here’s an article on the matter.
Also, I’m a huge proponent of the name being changed entirely to Executive Function Disorder. ADHD is a total misnomer. I’m not hyperactive, and, I constantly get distracted by focusing on something I shouldn’t be for 12+ hours at a time, I certainly am not deficient in attention. I have plenty of attention to give, but my body lacks the natural reward system that would allow me to choose where that attention goes. Executive Function Disorder is more descriptive and accurate. And that doesn’t even take into consideration that changing the name would also help to remove decades of negative bias regarding ADHD and the perception of those who have it having had a moral failing because they can’t concentrate.
ADD is not a medically valid term anymore
Hmm, I’ve heard/read that in ADHD forums also, but this doctor used the phrase “ADD, not ADHD because you don’t meet the criteria for hyperactivity”. Perhaps they said it that way because of my age (assuming I would understand ADD vs ADHD because there was previously a distinction). I can ask for clarification at my next visit.
I like what you are saying on the Executive Function Disorder. I know that when I used to hear “ADHD”, I used to picture a kid I knew back in high school that would literally bounce off walls when he was off his meds. That is definitely not me. I do struggle with impulsivity a little though and I would argue I have an “attention deficit” problem as I can be staring a person in their eyes as they talk yet not hear a word they are saying as my mind is somewhere else entirely. I can also struggle with paying attention in meetings as I just want to get back to some other task I was working on (no matter how important I believe the meeting to be).
Eh, Doctors are humans, and humans are lazy and resistant to change. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And here I am from the generation of “resistance is futile” 😜
Just out of curiosity, how old are you? I was also recently diagnosed with “other specific” ADHD essentially meaning I show signs and symptoms but not to a level of a full diagnosis. I’m 38 years old and have always wondered despite finding different ways to cope or just stressing through life.
I agree that it’s very validating to hear that some things are truly beyond your control. It can be so frustrating to internally want to complete a task, but externally get distracted by random things. The hard part is what to do about it now…I haven’t found medication that suits me, and I’ve managed well enough so far…but I’m still left wondering if there’s untapped potential in me if I could focus and stay on a single task instead of trying to tackle multiple tasks all at once.
I’m 44. I’ve worked remote for a number of years and I think that’s helped me cope as I was able to break my work time up with “life” stuff when I had trouble focusing on work things. However, I’ve struggled with personal projects where I will have times that I can sit and make a ton of progress and then other times where I will stare at a computer screen or the mechanical keyboard I want to build and my brain will simple refuse to allow me to get started. I’ve found Inflow to be informative and I’ve been working with one of their coaches on implementing different tools to help with focus during work meetings, etc…
