For people with ADHD, however, grief and loss can be far more challenging. ADHD individuals tend to process and express emotions much more intensely. Grief and loss are part of life, but fortunately there are ways to handle it in healthy and constructive ways.
For people with ADHD, dealing with such an emotional crisis can be even harder. Difficulties with regulating emotions and managing ADHD symptoms can become more pronounced during mourning and long-term grieving. When there is a death, especially in their family, people experience at least some of these emotions: Denial.
Because children and adults with ADHD struggle with focusing, organizing tasks, and feeling restless, they might experience sadness, guilt, irritability, low self-confidence and helplessness. In some cases, these symptoms can signal depression.
Grief is one of the main emotions you might feel when you learn you have ADHD in your late teens or adulthood, psychologist Moore says. “You grieve the realization that your life could have been so much easier, if you had just known. You grieve the loss of the life that you could have had that whole time.
As we've discussed, unfortunately, many people with ADHD tend to have a lack of empathy. This can be addressed, though, through identifying and communicating about each other's feelings. If you see a disconnect between ADHD and empathy in your child or in your spouse, don't give up hope.
Emotional sensitivity in ADHD may present as passionate thoughts, emotions, and feelings more intense than anyone else. Their highs are higher, and their lows are lower than the average person. People with ADHD experience stronger emotions, whether positive or negative.
People who have ADHD frequently experience emotions so deeply that they become overwhelmed or “flooded.” They may feel joy, anger, pain, or confusion in a given situation—and the intensity may precede impulsive behaviors they regret later.
if you have ADHD and dealing with grief, or know someone who is, it's important to understand how ADHD affects the grieving process: Unpredictable emotions – People with ADHD often feel emotions intensely, and they may react strongly in ways that may seem inappropriate. Some turn inward, while others will act out.
In fact, there is evidence that children with ADHD who have a disturbing experience are four times as likely to develop PTSD than kids without the disorder. And they're likely to experience more severe trauma symptoms than kids without ADHD.
When a child has ADHD, the symptoms they display can vary from mild to severe, and they can be difficult to manage. As a result, having a child with ADHD can put a lot of stress on families, leading to relationship problems, increased conflict, and even higher rates of divorce and depression.
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.
Most people with ADHD have a very low frustration tolerance. They can be overly emotional about the stressors they experience. They don't have a barrier that allows them to set aside uncomfortable emotions, and they often become completely flooded by a feeling, making it unbearable.
Also, ADHD can lead to depression when people have a hard time with their symptoms. Children may have trouble getting along in school or with playmates, or adults may have issues at work. That can lead to deep feelings of hopelessness and other signs of depression.
Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger.
The wide-reaching effects of ADHD can lead to embarrassment, frustration, hopelessness, disappointment, and loss of confidence. You may feel like you'll never be able to get your life under control or fulfill your potential. That's why a diagnosis of adult ADHD can be an enormous source of relief and hope.
Accidents are the most common cause of death in people with ADHD, and the relative risk of dying is much higher for women than men with ADHD and individuals diagnosed in adulthood.
In general, ADHD doesn't get worse with age. Some adults may also outgrow their symptoms. But this is not the case for everyone.
Genetics. ADHD tends to run in families and, in most cases, it's thought the genes you inherit from your parents are a significant factor in developing the condition. Research shows that parents and siblings of someone with ADHD are more likely to have ADHD themselves.
They're sympathetic, understand, rarely judge people and are quick to forgive (or maybe forget) because they've been stigmatised their whole life, been in a lot of sticky spots, and know how easy it is to do something without thinking or having any prior intention to do it.
Spouses of individuals with ADHD often have this complaint against their partner. They say that their partner does not seem to care about their feelings and seems not to listen to them or pay attention to them. For the spouse, this apparent inattentiveness can make them feel lonely, insecure, and unloved.
The ADHD-affected relationship can be very challenging due to common ADHD symptoms such as persistent distractibility, inattention, forgetfulness, physical and mental restlessness, along with impulsive behavior and/or speech.
Many adults with ADHD carry around feelings of sadness, remorse or disappointment over something that happened in their lives or something that they did. This regret often acts as a form of self-sabotage: it's a way to put yourself down that prevents you from living more fully in the present.
People with ADHD may be seen as insensitive, self-absorbed, or disengaged with the world around them. Emotional detachment, or the act of being disconnected or disengaged from the feelings of others, is a symptom of ADHD.