Thread by @Doc_Wolverine

So hey! It's time to talk about what ADD actually is and what it is not. There's a lot of really bad information out there, and it both makes those afflicted with the condition's lives harder, as well as my own, because parents just love to say "POPULAR MEDIA SUGGEST MY KID..."

So yeah. ADD... It's not LOL I'M SO RANDOM.
It's not SUPER DISTRACTABLE JUST BECAUSE
It's not I'VE GOT SELECTIVE HEARING
It's not I'M BOUNCING OFF WALLS BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME
It's not I'M WAY TOO HAPPY!

ADD and ADHD are primarily a focus disorder that deals with an inability to rearrange priorities on the fly, as well as difficulty assigning priorities in the first place. On top of that, there's a difficulty stopping a task once it's been assigned top priority if it's unfinished

So: ADD is a double-edged sword. Once you learn to use the various aspects of it as tools, you can get A LOT done in a very condensed period of time, however, you will neglect EVERYTHING ELSE while doing those tasks you've given priority to. This includes bodily functions and...

Taking medication, eating, getting water, stretching, and just general maintenance of your self and your surroundings. ADD is tricking your brain into prioritizing making a list each night so that you can do something the next day.

If you fail to make that list and there isn't someone above you to set your priorities, then generally frozen inaction as you attempt to do EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO BE DONE at the same. Or you get so overwhelmed with everything that has to be done that you just shut down.

ADD is getting into a groove at 10am, finishing a major task, seeing that it's 12:30 and assuming it's 12:30 pm because the task didn't seem that long. It's clearly lunch time, right? NOPE hyperfocused your way through 14 hours straight, and that need to pee and eat are hitting.

ADD is forgetting to make your checklist on your day off, and just shutting down and going back to bed to sleep the day away, then ordering a pizza because you need food, but you're physically incapable of arranging something the day of and on the fly. Also cooking is hard

ADD is getting irrationally angry when someone interrupts your list and tries to inject something of a lower priority than said list into your schedule because "it's just 5 minutes and not a big deal" also the rest of your day is shot because of this.

I can keep going, but long story short, ADD isn't the way it's portrayed in media. Meds -can- help, but they're only a tool and there's a lot of cognitive training one has to go through to teach one's self to better handle ADD.

If you or a loved one has ADD, hopefully this can help you better see what those with this condition are going through and understand their mindset. ADD is immensely frustrating for partners, friends and family. Part of that frustration is a lack of understand and bad info.

So hey, if you want me to keep doing threads like this, and have a topic you really want heard? Those who donate to ko-fi.com/docwolverine

Get priority!