Share this page!

Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture
Twitter logo
Jan 20 • 14 tweets • 17 min read
More than 4% of adults are estimated to have ADHD, but far fewer ever get treated or diagnosed.

Outdated myths persist—most don't know what ADHD actually looks like.

They think "I can't have ADHD" without truly understanding it.

My 10 favorite ADHD tweets/threads of the week:
If ADHD symptoms look like things everyone does, that is often a surefire sign that you have ADHD.

If you think, "no way, my whole family does these things..." you should also know that ADHD is genetic and runs in families.

@adhd_alien

@ADHD_Alien ADHDers often accidentally find each other even when undiagnosed.

Things that might seem strange to neurotypicals just makes sense among ADHDers.

Communication is easier and you get each other's "quirks" partly because you share them.

@adhdmemetherapy

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy It's so hard for people with ADHD to get started when something isn't interesting or urgent.

And then suddenly the deadline looms, the hyperfocus kicks in, and everything else suffers while we do 40 hours worth of work in 4 hours.

@wynneliz1

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy @wynneliz1 Life as an undiagnosed ADHDer can be quite lonely.

You feel isolated with your difficulties, no one else seems to struggle like you do, and you can't figure out why.

But in community, we can find hope and support.

@adhddesigner

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy @wynneliz1 @ADHDdesigner When someone first told me I could have ADHD, I said "no way, I have no problem focusing on things that are interesting. I can focus for hours and hours!"

We need to break the ADHD myths and educate people on symptoms like hyperfocus.

@maia_melanin

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy @wynneliz1 @ADHDdesigner @maia_melanin Kids with ADHD are just trying to survive their neurotypical environment (and sometimes coping with trauma).

The "obvious" symptoms of ADHD can be hidden when they successfully mask their difficulties (even though they still struggle).

@anamardoll

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy @wynneliz1 @ADHDdesigner @maia_melanin @AnaMardoll Some ADHDers thrive on the chaos and high energy environments that always feel like they are on the verge of collapse.

There can be thrill in that danger, but eventually it reaches a critical point and all comes crashing down.

@adultingadhd

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy @wynneliz1 @ADHDdesigner @maia_melanin @AnaMardoll @AdultingADHD My brain always seems to go down for maintenance the moment I try to verbalize my thoughts under pressure.

Thought cloud goes poof, and I struggle to get back on track.

@adhdangsty

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy @wynneliz1 @ADHDdesigner @maia_melanin @AnaMardoll @AdultingADHD @AdhdAngsty People with ADHD have plenty of attention, too much attention in fact.

But it's jumping in every direction and we have little to no control on where it ends up.

@mostlybree

@ADHD_Alien @adhdmemetherapy @wynneliz1 @ADHDdesigner @maia_melanin @AnaMardoll @AdultingADHD @AdhdAngsty @mostlybree Neurotypical people often think we need help to act more like they do.

But our brains are wildly different. We need help to better work with our own brain and unique struggles.

Trying to emulate a neurotypical brain is not a good solution.

@_ninji

My brain always seems to go down for maintenance the moment I try to verbalize my thoughts under pressure.

Thought cloud goes poof, and I struggle to get back on track.

@adhdangsty

People with ADHD have plenty of attention, too much attention in fact.

But it's jumping in every direction and we have little to no control on where it ends up.

@mostlybree

Neurotypical people often think we need help to act more like they do.

But our brains are wildly different. We need help to better work with our own brain and unique struggles.

Trying to emulate a neurotypical brain is not a good solution.

@_ninji

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative

Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @jessejanderson

Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture
Dec 13, 2021
ADHDers often forget their symptoms amidst action.

When you tell me 8 things to remember, I think I can. When I say I'll do that chore later, I believe it.

Knowing symptoms isn't always enough for me to admit when I need help.

My 10 favorite ADHD tweets/threads of the week:
ADHD is a mostly invisible disorder, which makes it easy for others to dismiss or deny its existence.

But we can do the same.

It's easy to think you "should" be able to do something without extra help and blame yourself when you fall short.

@adhd_alien

So many adults with undiagnosed ADHD have written off their symptoms as some sort of personality quirks.

It's as if we know something about our brain is "off" or different—but there's no good explanation other than... quirks.

@ohheycarolee

Read 13 tweets
Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture
Nov 15, 2021
ADHD often "comes with friends" as studies have shown that 50-60% of ADHDers have at least one additional comorbid conditions such as anxiety, depression, and other neurological and mood disorders.

My 10 favorite ADHD tweets/threads of the week:
It's no wonder that ADHD strategies and symptoms differ from person to person.

In addition to the shaping of our upbringing, many ADHDers have one or more related conditions that can cause additional differences and conflcits to occur.

@structuredsucc

One exhausting aspect of ADHD is having to prioritize spending on energy on what makes neurotypicals feel comfortable vs what makes me feel comfortable.

Proper eye contact can often make it more difficult for an ADHDer to hear someone.

@sarahnollwilson

Read 13 tweets
Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture
Nov 5, 2021
P is for Prospective Memory

(ABCs of ADHD: a thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
Prospective memory is the ability to remember to do something in the future—remembering to remember.

People with ADHD often have great intentions, but your prospective memory fails you when you need to act on those intentions.
Often, you aren’t even aware of your prospective memory issues.

You make a promise to do something in the future, and believe in the moment you’ll remember to act when needed.

You unintentionally break those promises when your memory fails you.
Read 6 tweets
Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture
Nov 2, 2021
O is for Object Permanence

(ABCs of ADHD: a thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
ADHDers often lose track of things they can't see.

It's similar to lacking object permanence: the ability to know objects continue to exist even when we can't see them.

With ADHD, you don't think it no longer exists when hidden from sight—you simply never think about it again.
This is why people with ADHD are often surrounded by piles and piles of things: books, papers, clothes, mail, etc.

We know that if we lose sight of them, we may never remember them.

So we keep everything out in plain sight.
Read 6 tweets
Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture
Oct 20, 2021
L is for (not) Lazy

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
ADHD causes a dysfunction of motivation.

The invisible nature of ADHD leads some people to label ADHDers as lazy or weak-willed.

But that is a fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening.
Laziness isn't something you do by accident.

Being lazy is a choice.

Someone who is lazy decides "I don't want to do that thing, so I will relax instead."

But this isn't the ADHD experience at all!
Read 6 tweets
Jesse J. Anderson • ADHD Creative Profile picture
Oct 18, 2021
ADHD is disproportionately common among addicts.

Dopamine deficiency—especially when undiagnosed with ADHD—causes us to seek something to fill that void.

My 10 favorite ADHD tweets/threads of the week:
It's hard to argue with the story these statistics tell.

ADHDers are getting caught up in addiction, and not enough people in power are talking about it.

@petequily

More information on how dopamine deficiency relates to addiction, and how many fail to recognize how powerful that dynamic can be.

@kevdog824

Read 12 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @jessejanderson has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @jessejanderson!

Read all threads by @jessejanderson

:(