Thread by @k8_lister

One of the most frustrating things about having #ADHD is how many of the symptoms are universal - only at a much lower level. This leads well meaning folk to say things like “Everyone does that!” Or “I do that! Maybe I have ADHD.”

So here’s a thread on how ADHD is different ...

You do not have #ADHD because you daydream. You might have #ADHD if you cannot remember a single thing that was said in a meeting because you were rerunning episodes of The Simpsons in your head

You might have #ADHD if other people notice how messy your house / room is long before you do

You might have #ADHD if you are constantly lost because you are too distracted in your thoughts to pay attention to your surroundings.

You might have #ADHD if forget meetings, deadlines, cancelling of subscriptions & peoples names but can perfectly recall the entire script of your favourite film... which you’ve watched 800+ times and still realise there are bits you’ve never paid attention to before

You do not have #ADHD because you get distracted. You might have ADHD if you’re surprised to find your shopping in the hallway & then remember you put it down to do ‘something’ & then completely forgot about it

You might have #ADHD if you live with a constant anxiety that you have fucked up somewhere.

You might have #ADHD if you have a piles of unopened mail, unwashed / washed clothes, or boxes you still haven’t unpacked from the move still lying around your house

You do not have #ADHD because you are impulsive sometimes. You might have ADHD if you have gotten into trouble because you cannot keep a thought to yourself, regardless of the situation... telling your boss his suggestion is STUPID for example

You might have #ADHD if you have been so bored in a lecture / lesson / meeting you stood up and shouted you need the toilet, just because you HAD to do something differently for two minutes

You might have #ADHD if you regularly lose your temper, forget you did that and are then confused as to why people are being weird around you

You might have #ADHD if your default position is “sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry.”

You do not have #ADHD because you fidget sometimes. You might have ADHD if people think you’re high because you cannot stop twitching, squirming,

If you might have #ADHD if your school reports called you a ‘bad influence’ and ticked you off for getting up and wandering around the class when you were suppose to be getting on with your work

You do not have #ADHD because you like a routine. You might have #ADHD if you cannot change the routine you have created - no matter what. “I can’t have dinner with you because I have fishfingers on Thursdays”, for example.

You do not have #ADHD because you get really into something. You might have ADHD if you have become so obsessed with buying something online you just imagined that you don’t get any sleep that night

You might have #ADHD if your flat / house / room is crammed with the remnants of your many crazes - golf, drumming, gardening, knitting, aerobics, taekwondo, etc.

You might have #ADHD if you start writing a twitter thread but get distracted and