As many as 1 in 5 adults with ADHD could have significant hoarding symptoms. Summary: New research has found that people with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are significantly more likely to also exhibit hoarding behaviors, which can have a serious impact on their quality of life.
Both ADHD and hoarding disorder are marked by executive function deficits that contribute to excessive clutter. These include difficulty with categorizing and decision-making, and distractibility.
A possible link to ADHD
A clue to these questions may come from what we do know about hoarding: those who hoard have problems with inattention, planning and organising. Such problems can be also found in those with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
People suffering from ADHD have a propensity to lose interest easily and have a difficult time in maintaining focus for a lengthy period. The majority of the time, they give up their hobbies in favor of something else. Be it sports, fantasy books, musical instruments, photography, or video games.
ADHD boredom intolerance can cause you to seek stimulation when faced with boring activities. You may find yourself acting out, drifting off in your thoughts, or getting bored much more quickly than your peers. And when you get bored, you may have more trouble stimulating your brain and getting motivated again.
A key difference between ADHD and hoarding disorder is the reason why people have so many possessions. A person with symptoms of ADHD may be untidy or live in a cluttered home because they are unable to organise their things whereas a hoarder will have a specific reason why they can't let go of something they own.
Some ADHD experts believe that a cluttered desk, closet, or house reflects a disorganized mind; others take it as a sign of genius. A lot of adults with ADHD, including me, agree with the latter opinion. Either view can be true, depending on the individual and the degree of his disorganization.
While many experts agree that these children do exist, there is currently no formal criteria to identify giftedness in children who are ADHD or to identify ADHD in children who are gifted.
Some people are naturally neat. They keep their things fairly organized and try to avoid making a mess. But many kids and adults with ADHD are the opposite — they're messy most of the time. And it can cause problems at home, school, and work.
It's common for people with ADHD to overshare information. People may be impulsive and not stop to think about what they're saying. Treating ADHD can help people improve self-control and think about consequences.
People with ADHD often are sensitive, empathic, and thoughtful. You may expect the same in others. These traits may cause you to take on unnecessary burdens. When they disappoint, you feel it personally.
Charisma – People with ADHD are often full of personality and wit, which makes them not only fun to be around but also great at stirring enthusiasm in others. Empathy – Many children with ADHD display an abundance of compassion for others and an ability to understand a variety of perspectives.
Shankman: Simply put, ADHD is the brain's inability to produce as much dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline as “regular” people's brains produce. Because of that, our brains have become “faster.” When managed right, that becomes a superpower. Have you found that you tend to think faster than most people? Yes.
Stretch, jump, go up and down the stairs, walk around the block – anything to release pent-up energy. Exercise produces feel-good hormones, such as endorphins, that help us destress and relax. To make moving a priority, schedule a walk with a friend whose conversation you enjoy and whose energy is uplifting.
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.
Adults with ADHD often have problems dealing with day-to-day tasks. They tend to be forgetful, disorganized, and messy. This makes cleaning with ADHD nearly an insurmountable task, especially since cleaning seems like such a chore to neurotypicals themselves.
People with ADHD tend to experience life more intensely than others. This means that even if you're hyper-focusing on a certain task or assignment in front of you, you can still have many other thoughts and ideas coursing through your brain. It can feel like there's always a lot going on, which may become overwhelming.
Those living with ADHD may also find it more difficult to let things go, especially if they're attached to a memory or emotion. They may also tend to keep items “just in case” they may provide value or be useful in a hypothetical or future situation.
Getting and staying organized is a real challenge for individuals diagnosed with ADHD. Many adults may have difficulties with clutter in both the home and the office and feel overwhelmed or stuck.
Straighten Up in Spurts. If it's hard to concentrate on one task, such as folding laundry or washing dishes, all the way to completion, try doing it in increments. One of the easiest cleaning tips is to set a timer for 15 minutes, and stay on task until it goes off. If you think you can keep going, reset the timer.
Emerging evidence suggests that vestibular brainstem reflexes are altered in a subset of children with ADHD and points to this as a cause of decreased postural control.
Some signs that you might be understimulated include: Lack of motivation. Physical hyperactivity. A sense of unease, making you feel "flat" or irritable.
The mind of a person with ADHD is full of the minutiae of life (“Where are my keys?” “Where did I park the car?”), so there is little room left for new thoughts and memories. Something has to be discarded or forgotten to make room for new information. Often the information individuals with ADHD need is in their memory…