Medication, whether it be stimulants or non-stimulants, can be especially helpful for controlling symptoms of ADHD, including ADHD paralysis.
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.
Dopamine levels in the brain are positively correlated with our level of interest in a task. If a task is inherently boring to someone with ADHD, dopamine levels are so low that their brain is unable to “activate” to do the task. They can't pay attention even if they want to. They are in a state of hypofocus.
Procrastination is an avoidance behavior. Imbalances in motivation can occur in people with ADHD, as they tend to hyperfocus on tasks they deem interesting but procrastinate over tasks they deem tedious. People with ADHD may also experience a resistance to taking action due to some emotional conflict with the task.
If you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might often find it difficult to stay focused on what you're supposed to be doing. You might begin projects but never finish, jump from one task to another, or delay beginning something that doesn't particularly interest you.
When people with ADHD are activated, they are often plagued by self-sabotaging, negative internal talk that prevents them from believing they can do things. It can be conscious or unconscious and can keep folks from setting, working towards, and reaching goals. It holds them back from doing what they want to do.
Some signs that you might be understimulated include: Lack of motivation. Physical hyperactivity. A sense of unease, making you feel "flat" or irritable.
The term “ADHD walk” refers to an abnormal gait or increased postural sway when walking that is indicative of issues with coordination or balance - two things that are more common in those with ADHD.
Though brain scans cannot yet reliably diagnose ADHD, some scientists are using them to identify environmental and prenatal factors that affect symptoms, and to better understand how stimulant medications trigger symptom control vs. side effects.
Ritalin in the brain
Ritalin works by increasing the amount of dopamine released in the striatum, a key region in the brain related to motivation, action and cognition.
If you're looking to break out of a shutdown state, consider activities that help you feel more energetic and excited about the task at hand. That can include gamifying tasks (like a “beat the clock” challenge with a timer) or an accountability buddy that keeps you engaged.
If you have mental paralysis, you may feel like you can't do anything right. This can lead to low self-esteem and depression. Mental paralysis is often caused by rumination, or obsessing over negative thoughts. Rumination can be triggered by ADHD symptoms such as impulsivity, hyperfixation, and hyperactivity.
If you have ADHD, you might have greater “postural sway,” meaning your body sways more to stay balanced. Whether you're standing or sitting, your body is always seeking balance. Even without your conscious effort, your muscles and sensory system constantly work to keep you from falling over.
Happy stimming in ADHD is when someone stims to show pleasure instead of as a way to help them focus or calm down. Any type of stim can be happy stimming. Happy stimming can be a way to alleviate boredom, show creativity or feel connected to your surroundings.
In ADHD children, overwhelm can lead to meltdowns or a fight, flight or freeze response. Similarly, in adults overwhelm may lead to a flood of strong emotions that are released in different ways, for example, anger or crying. ADHD overwhelm paralysis or 'shutdown' is also a common reaction.
“It's important to remember that ADHD is a medical, physiological disorder,” says ADHD expert and physician Patricia Quinn. Some adults with ADHD say, “I like to stay up late because it's quiet, and I can get a lot done.” In other words, daytime distractibility and disorganization can lead to too-late bedtimes.
Self-centered behavior is common with ADHD.
Because of this, they are not able to access other people's needs or desires, making interaction difficult. One sign of this is interrupting during a conversation or butting in on conversations they were not a part of.
ADHD brains typically expect the worst, and stressful times and situations just further encourage and validate this negative thinking. Monitoring our thoughts and actively seeking the good are essential strategies now for managing worry before it spirals out of control.
People with ADHD will have at least two or three of the following challenges: difficulty staying on task, paying attention, daydreaming or tuning out, organizational issues, and hyper-focus, which causes us to lose track of time.
“The hardest thing about ADHD is that it's 'invisible' to outsiders. It's not like other conditions that people can clearly see. People just assume that we are not being good parents and that our child is a brat, when they don't have an idea how exhausted we truly are.” —Sara C.
Unlike paralysis, procrastination can affect anyone to a certain degree. Whether it be at work or at home, sometimes we all need to take a break, precipitating in a postponement of obligations. ADHD paralysis is differentiated from this, as it results from cognitive overload and dysfunction.