ADHD is completely misunderstood, and not simply by the public. Just look at the name itself: “Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.”
Coined by “professionals,” the name lists two symptoms that aren’t even necessary in order to have the disorder. It would be like calling the flu “Fever and Headache Disease” or Autism “Hand-slapping Disorder.”
To fully understand ADHD, let’s first look at how we make decisions and form memories in our daily lives. Think back to your most powerful memories: are they of random evenings at home alone watching TV, or are they of a time when you experienced great joy or fear? Did you learn more from reading a boring textbook or from engaging in an exciting class discussion with an excellent professor?
In order to remember, we need to “tag” events in our lives based on how we feel about them. These feelings help us quickly sift through events, recalling information we need in order to make a better choice in the future.
Despite a social push to be “logical” rather than “emotional”, the reality is that we need our emotions to function, and fail miserably without them! Our emotions help us sift through the otherwise suffocating amount of information we encounter each day, picking and choosing which things to deal with and which to ignore. Without this ability we would remember our boring drive to work just as much as the conversation with our friend, and while that may sound good (“Hey, then I’d remember everything!”) in reality it would be distracting and noisy, leaving you with no good idea of which information to focus on at all.
So what about ADHD?
Russell Barkley has spent decades following twins with ADHD, and has provided wonderful insights into to neuroscience behind this disorder. In ADHD patients we see that an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex (more precisely the Cingulate Cortex for the neuro geeks out there) doesn’t work as well. And this area of the brain is the one that lets us connect emotions to the events in our lives.
And now you have a glimpse into the daily life of someone with ADHD. Events flow together with no clear sign of which events matter. A near-death experience in a car is as meaningless as eating a microwave dinner in front of the TV.
When someone experiences a terrifying car accident, they usually remember it — feel it — every time they drive down that same stretch of highway. They watch their speed, and become hypervigilant lest they have another accident. Not so with ADHD.
When someone plans for their future, budgeting for an upcoming vacation or retirement, memories of past financial stress flood their minds. Not so with ADHD.
When someone studies for an exam, they recall feelings of past scholastic success. Not so with ADHD.
In ADHD, it’s as if the person is stuck in the moment, with no emotional connection to the past.
Sometimes this looks like an attention deficit: it’s hard to engage with something that feels empty.
Sometimes this looks hyperactive: if we can put more energy into the task, maybe it will elicit *some* feeling.
Sometimes this looks like depression: without a clear choice, sometimes it feels better to just stay in bed.
Sometimes this looks like “hyperfocus”: if new tasks are as meaningless as the current one, why bother switching?
Treatment, whether in a psychologist’s office or at home with the family, must focus not on “Attention” or “Hyperactivity”, but rather on aiding the client in developing an emotional language. To help them connect feeling with action. To connect with the past and the future.
It is an emotional disorder, not a behavioral one.
What do you think? Post your questions or comments below!