ADHD might elicit a certain personality type because there has been a stigma about this diagnosis that has formed over the years.
ADHD and its presentation is as individual and varied as we each are.
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Dr. Hallowell and Dr. Ratey describe a characteristic of ADHD as "having the power of a Ferrari engine but with bicycle-strength brakes. It’s the mismatch of engine power to braking capability that causes the problem. Strengthening one’s brakes is the name of the game.”
Another element to describing ADHD is that it impacts our executive functioning, the CEO of our brain. This is the part of our brain that allows us to plan, remember instructions, organize thoughts, manage time and our physical environment, the tasks of the day and paperwork. Our executive functioning plays a role in our ability to follow through, focus and regulate our emotions.
I have appreciated that many people who are specializing in ADHD have come to recognize the strengths that go with having ADHD rather than focusing on the deficit or the disorder. As a matter of fact, psychiatrists Hallowell and Ratey would prefer that it be called VAST, Variable Attention Stimulus Traits. It is not that an individual can’t focus, it is that they are stimulated by many things in the environment that calls upon our attention. What is emerging in the ADHD community is a focus on the strengths and the ways to utilize them to thrive.
I am here to help you embrace your strengths, navigate your challenges and live the life that reflects your sense of uniqueness.
