DIVERGENT THINKING
Collective

What is ADHD?

ADHD (standing for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition, which means it's a neurological condition (brain/neurons) that occur during brain development.
Although it can very well be disabling in a neurotypical society, it is not technically a disorder, in the way that there is nothing wrong with the brain.
ADHD is wrongly named since it only puts emphasis on 2 of the many traits and describes it as a disorder.
We have yet to find another name for the condition that is more accurate, despite a few attempts like DAVE (Dopamine Attention Variability Executive-dysfunction), perierism (from "periergos" (curious) and "ism" (a state of being)) and astatic (non-static).

ADHD is still not understood completely. But what we know is that it mostly impacts executive functions, which are located in the frontal lobe of the brain.
Read further to know more about what it means and how it impacts the way ADHDer think and perceive the world.
All that is described below are scientifically explained and proven. It is NOT a matter of "not doing more efforts" nor something to fix.
There are tips and systems created to help ADHD people get by when needed, though. It's not a fix, it's only to help. Like someone will use a slow cooker to help with dinner when they lack time to cook.
With our society based on performance with high neurotypical expectations, neurodivergent people NEED hacks and tips if they want to live that life.

Every ADHDer doesn't experience all these traits, and everybody experiences their traits at their own level, which can change throughout life.

Executive Functions


Organization
It is how we arrange things around us and thoughts in efficient order.
Someone with ADHD will organize their environment and thoughts differently than a neurotypical person.
Organization is also telling a story with a simple order from A to B, which doesn't really work with ADHD brains. They will go from A to H and back to C and then D, with a huge parenthesis at L to finish with...where was I.... Oh right! B.
Why? Well ADHD brains don't organize thoughts automatically. It's all made manually and when an ADHD person wants to tell a story, they just start and organize along the way and add details but some details need a context and so on and so forth.

Planification
Closely linked to organization, planification allows someone to, as the name says, plan stuff and tasks.
Plan the steps, what is required to achieve the tasks and speculate on the possible outcome of each step or thing to do and what it implies.
People with ADHD might have trouble planning as expected.
Organization and planification often go together in whatever we have to do in our daily life.

Prioritizing
Also going hand in hand with organization and planification, prioritizing is knowing what to begin with in our list of tasks and steps.
A persone with ADHD might need helop and support in that field.

Cognitive flexibility
This is the capacity of adapting to changed and unexpected event, finding solution and other ways quickly and task switching.

Working memory
It is the "short term memory", it's where our brain stocks information we're gonna need short term, like instructions, following a conversation, remembering where we put our cellphone or what step we're at while completing a task.

Control and impulse
Emotional and physical, thinking before doing something, controlling one's behavior according to the context and external expectations.

Other ADHD traits

Zoning out/daydreaming
It's common and normal for a person with ADHD to zone out, even in the middle of a conversation. The ADHD brain receives tens and tens of thoughts and information at a time and unless what we do or listen to is REALLY captivating, one thought can bump the focus on what you're doing and now you're focused on this other thought. And we can even forget we're in the middle of a conversation and interrupt people, cause we got a cool idea and we wanted to share.
It is NOT because we don't care. The ADHD brain don't ask for permission.

Inner Monologue
As said above, the ADHD brain receive thoughts, ideas and "what ifs" constantly.
ADHD people have what they call an inner monologue, a voice in their head talking almost all the time (sometimes it's music playing).

Intrusive thoughts
With so many thoughts bumping against each other, unwanted and sometimes creepy or unsettling thoughts are bound to happen.
It's normal, you're not suicidal nor crazy, let it slide.

Auditory Processing Disorder
It represents the way the brain hears and interprets sounds, voices, words and it is expressed in two main ways :
Hyperfocus
The name speaks for itself. The ADHD brain can make someone hyperfocus for hours or days on a project or a subject. And it's not always (it actually is very rarely) the task and subject we should be focusing on for work, school of house chores. Again... it is not a choice. It can be annoying to people living with someone ADHD, but hyperfocusing is often a source of pleasure and accomplishment for the ADHDer.

Time Blindness
People with ADHD perceive time differently (if at all). 2 days may feel like 3 months, and 6 months may feel like barely a week.
Difficulty to estimate how long something is gonna take. Getting into action on long term goals can be difficult because the end is too far and too blurry.

Out of sight, out of mind
What is not in front of our eyes, might just dissapear from the ADHD brain. It's about object permanence.
Objects... or people. One reason why most people with ADHD will be messy. It's not actually a mess, but if we put things away, we might never continue our project because it'll dissapear from our brain.
And there is nothing we can do to avoid forgetting. All we can do is find ways to have constant reminders.

Chasing the dopamine
We are not sure yet if the ADHD brain produces less dopamine or it's the dopamine receptor that receives less of what's produced, but ADHD people seem to "have less dopamine" (which is the reward hormone) than non-ADHDer. Which makes ADHD people having trouble finishing projects when the hype is fading.
Which makes people with ADHD more at risk of developing an addiction or to eat lots of sugar.
Also, please understand that for a people with ADHD, the NEED and URGE to rearrange the furnitures of the bedroom or living room at 2am is VERY REAL.
We just CAN'T SLEEP if we don't do it!....

Hoarding
Many people with ADHD tend to not get rid of stuff, IN CASE they will need it again.
It might look like we hoard, but it's either that, or we just forget we have such a thing so how can we think about getting rid of it?...

Rejection Sensitivity
Living a life being told we don't make enough effort, that we don't care about stuff, to stop moving, to shut up, that we're being childish, being gaslight that "it's not that bad", that "it's in our head", being asked not to use our diagnosis as an "excuse", in short, not being listened to, considered, believed, being rejected and laughed at...
We end up living with trauma that shapes our perception of ourselves and others, making not only rejection, but the mere possibility of rejection or criticism, unbearable and incredibly emotionally painful.
This is not caprice, this is not weakness, it's the result of being rejected or criticised by the important or less important people in our life.

REMEMBER

Every ADHDer doesn't experience all these traits, and everybody experiences their traits at their own level, which can change throughout life.

You don't have to meet ALL these traits to have a diagnosis and all those traits are HOW THE BRAIN HAS DEVELOPED.
It is not about "not making enough efforts" or "being lazy". Those are the worse myths.
ADHDers need help, understanding, accommodations.
DIVERGENT THINKING
Collective

What is ADHD?

ADHD (standing for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition, which means it's a neurological condition (brain/neurons) that occur during brain development.
Although it can very well be disabling in a neurotypical society, it is not technically a disorder, in the way that there is nothing wrong with the brain.
ADHD is wrongly named since it only puts emphasis on 2 of the many traits and describes it as a disorder.
We have yet to find another name for the condition that is more accurate, despite a few attempts like DAVE (Dopamine Attention Variability Executive-dysfunction), perierism (from "periergos" (curious) and "ism" (a state of being)) and astatic (non-static).

ADHD is still not understood completely. But what we know is that it mostly impacts executive functions, which are located in the frontal lobe of the brain.
Read further to know more about what it means and how it impacts the way ADHDer think and perceive the world.
All that is described below are scientifically explained and proven. It is NOT a matter of "not doing more efforts" nor something to fix.
There are tips and systems created to help ADHD people get by when needed, though. It's not a fix, it's only to help. Like someone will use a slow cooker to help with dinner when they lack time to cook.
With our society based on performance with high neurotypical expectations, neurodivergent people NEED hacks and tips if they want to live that life.

Every ADHDer doesn't experience all these traits, and everybody experiences their traits at their own level, which can change throughout life.

Executive Functions


Organization
It is how we arrange things around us and thoughts in efficient order.
Someone with ADHD will organize their environment and thoughts differently than a neurotypical person.
Organization is also telling a story with a simple order from A to B, which doesn't really work with ADHD brains. They will go from A to H and back to C and then D, with a huge parenthesis at L to finish with...where was I.... Oh right! B.
Why? Well ADHD brains don't organize thoughts automatically. It's all made manually and when an ADHD person wants to tell a story, they just start and organize along the way and add details but some details need a context and so on and so forth.

Planification
Closely linked to organization, planification allows someone to, as the name says, plan stuff and tasks.
Plan the steps, what is required to achieve the tasks and speculate on the possible outcome of each step or thing to do and what it implies.
People with ADHD might have trouble planning as expected.
Organization and planification often go together in whatever we have to do in our daily life.

Prioritizing
Also going hand in hand with organization and planification, prioritizing is knowing what to begin with in our list of tasks and steps.
A persone with ADHD might need helop and support in that field.

Cognitive flexibility
This is the capacity of adapting to changed and unexpected event, finding solution and other ways quickly and task switching.

Working memory
It is the "short term memory", it's where our brain stocks information we're gonna need short term, like instructions, following a conversation, remembering where we put our cellphone or what step we're at while completing a task.

Control and impulse
Emotional and physical, thinking before doing something, controlling one's behavior according to the context and external expectations.

Other ADHD traits

Zoning out/daydreaming
It's common and normal for a person with ADHD to zone out, even in the middle of a conversation. The ADHD brain receives tens and tens of thoughts and information at a time and unless what we do or listen to is REALLY captivating, one thought can bump the focus on what you're doing and now you're focused on this other thought. And we can even forget we're in the middle of a conversation and interrupt people, cause we got a cool idea and we wanted to share.
It is NOT because we don't care. The ADHD brain don't ask for permission.

Inner Monologue
As said above, the ADHD brain receive thoughts, ideas and "what ifs" constantly.
ADHD people have what they call an inner monologue, a voice in their head talking almost all the time (sometimes it's music playing).

Intrusive thoughts
With so many thoughts bumping against each other, unwanted and sometimes creepy or unsettling thoughts are bound to happen.
It's normal, you're not suicidal nor crazy, let it slide.

Auditory Processing Disorder
It represents the way the brain hears and interprets sounds, voices, words and it is expressed in two main ways :
Hyperfocus
The name speaks for itself. The ADHD brain can make someone hyperfocus for hours or days on a project or a subject. And it's not always (it actually is very rarely) the task and subject we should be focusing on for work, school of house chores. Again... it is not a choice. It can be annoying to people living with someone ADHD, but hyperfocusing is often a source of pleasure and accomplishment for the ADHDer.

Time Blindness
People with ADHD perceive time differently (if at all). 2 days may feel like 3 months, and 6 months may feel like barely a week.
Difficulty to estimate how long something is gonna take. Getting into action on long term goals can be difficult because the end is too far and too blurry.

Out of sight, out of mind
What is not in front of our eyes, might just dissapear from the ADHD brain. It's about object permanence.
Objects... or people. One reason why most people with ADHD will be messy. It's not actually a mess, but if we put things away, we might never continue our project because it'll dissapear from our brain.
And there is nothing we can do to avoid forgetting. All we can do is find ways to have constant reminders.

Chasing the dopamine
We are not sure yet if the ADHD brain produces less dopamine or it's the dopamine receptor that receives less of what's produced, but ADHD people seem to "have less dopamine" (which is the reward hormone) than non-ADHDer. Which makes ADHD people having trouble finishing projects when the hype is fading.
Which makes people with ADHD more at risk of developing an addiction or to eat lots of sugar.
Also, please understand that for a people with ADHD, the NEED and URGE to rearrange the furnitures of the bedroom or living room at 2am is VERY REAL.
We just CAN'T SLEEP if we don't do it!....

Hoarding
Many people with ADHD tend to not get rid of stuff, IN CASE they will need it again.
It might look like we hoard, but it's either that, or we just forget we have such a thing so how can we think about getting rid of it?...

Rejection Sensitivity
Living a life being told we don't make enough effort, that we don't care about stuff, to stop moving, to shut up, that we're being childish, being gaslight that "it's not that bad", that "it's in our head", being asked not to use our diagnosis as an "excuse", in short, not being listened to, considered, believed, being rejected and laughed at...
We end up living with trauma that shapes our perception of ourselves and others, making not only rejection, but the mere possibility of rejection or criticism, unbearable and incredibly emotionally painful.
This is not caprice, this is not weakness, it's the result of being rejected or criticised by the important or less important people in our life.

REMEMBER

Every ADHDer doesn't experience all these traits, and everybody experiences their traits at their own level, which can change throughout life.

You don't have to meet ALL these traits to have a diagnosis and all those traits are HOW THE BRAIN HAS DEVELOPED.
It is not about "not making enough efforts" or "being lazy". Those are the worse myths.
ADHDers need help, understanding, accommodations.