Can you be introverted and have ADHD? Absolutely. People with ADHD have a diverse range of presentations and personality traits. This 2017 study of children with ADHD found that 58% of participants were introverted.
Sometimes, individuals with ADHD Inattentive Type will be mischaracterized as shy or withdrawn. But like the more familiar ADHD, this condition can be diagnosed and treated effectively.
For starters, not everyone with the hyperactive side of ADHD is loud and talkative. While talking non-stop is part of ADHD for some people, there are many other ways hyperactivity can express itself.
Some symptoms of ADHD — like hyperactivity — can come off as extroverted energy. However, people with ADHD often have introvert traits. Introversion and extroversion are personality traits that indicate where you go to recharge your energy levels: Extroverts gain energy from the world around them.
Inattentive ADD is the second most common type of ADD. Those with Inattentive ADD tend to be introverted and may have trouble finding motivation in life. People with Type 2 ADD are frequently found daydreaming or looking out the window.
Conversational skills and humanity
People with ADHD are often great conversationalists. This ability applies especially to those who have more of the inattentive type of ADHD. Those with ADHD are often talkative , which means that they can spark an intriguing conversation in most scenarios.
People with ADHD of the inattentive type have trouble paying attention to details, are easily distracted, often have trouble organizing or finishing tasks and often forget routine chores (such as paying bills on time or returning phone calls).
While autism and introversion share some similarities, it's important to remember that they are two very different things. Not everyone who is introverted is autistic, and not everyone who is autistic is introverted.
Individuals with adult ADHD may appear as one of two extremes: withdrawn and antisocial, preferring to spend their time alone; or overly social and unable to easily endure even brief periods of solitude.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
It means that physical and emotional stimuli may feel overwhelming at times. Research suggests that hypersensitivity is common in people living with ADHD, similar to those who live with autism spectrum disorder. If you have hypersensitivity, you may be reactive to: loud and sudden noises.
2 People with ADHD can experience distress due to sound when it is overwhelming and causes an inability to focus, often leading to increased distress and anxiety. When a person has both sound sensitivity and ADHD, each condition can be even harder to deal with.
Sound: Many people with ADHD are hypersensitive to auditory stimulants such as multiple simultaneous conversations, loud music, fireworks, or grating noises. For these individuals, such sounds could result in a stress reaction.
ADHD signs and symptoms
Failing to pay close attention to details or making careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, or with other activities. Having trouble keeping their attention on tasks or play activities. Not seeming to listen when spoken to directly.
Untreated ADHD in adults can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. This is because ADHD symptoms can lead to focus, concentration, and impulsivity problems. When these problems are not managed effectively, they can lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and low self-esteem.
A girl with ADHD may have impulsivity and be hyper-talkative. She may be verbally impulsive, interrupt others, talk excessively, or change topics repeatedly during conversations. She might even blurt out words without thinking about their impact on others. Girls with ADHD can also be overly sensitive.
Introversion isn't totally genetic. It gets influenced by your environment at a young age, and our genes allow a certain amount of flexibility in response. This happens through “set points,” which are the upper and lower limits of how much extroversion your brain can handle.
1. INTP. The winner of the most introverted personality type goes to INTPs. These analytical thinkers are often deep in thought and prefer to explore complex problems independently.
While it's true that both types of personality can experience problems with their mental health, it's widely accepted and proven that introverts are more susceptible to depression than many other personality types.
If left untreated in childhood or adulthood, the symptoms of ADHD (hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsiveness) can lead to behavioral, emotional, social, academic, and vocational problems.
ADHD can make completing tasks such as school work, homework, or work projects much more difficult. However, there is no clear link between ADHD and IQ. A person may have a high, average, or low IQ score and also have ADHD.
Failing to pay attention to details or constantly making careless mistakes. Often having trouble organizing tasks and activities. Often avoiding tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time. Often losing things necessary for tasks and activities (e.g. wallets, keys, paperwork, eyeglasses, cell phones).