When people with ADHD become overstimulated, they may be unable to focus as environmental factors or sensations crowd their brains. Moreover, people with ADHD and sensory overload may be unable to quickly “switch gears” in terms of the activity in which they are taking part.
Overstimulation is a state of feeling overwhelmed by the situation you are in. This might take the form of physical or emotional discomfort and feeling like your brain is frozen or you're unable to think or process anything that's happening.
Exposure to certain triggers like bright lights, simultaneous loud noises, or certain textures can make you lose focus and feel irritable. The disruption of our routines and all the drastic changes in the way we live, work, and interact are major factors as well. “We are conditioned to engage with our environment.
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.
ADHD meltdowns are sudden outbursts of frustration and anger that seem to come out of nowhere. If your child is struggling to control their emotions, there are ways to help them. For children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), impulsivity can present in many ways.
Because people with ADD/ADHD need stimulation or excitement in order to stay engaged. They can pay attention just fine to things that are new, novel, interesting, highly stimulating, or frightening. For example, they can easily lose themselves for many consecutive hours playing exciting video games.
Understimulation refers to those times when your brain isn't receiving enough sensory input to keep you engaged with your surroundings.
Sensory processing problems in children with ADHD are more common than in typically developing children.
“Overstimulation occurs when a baby or child experiences more stimuli than they can handle or are used to,” explains Dr. Kevin Kathrotia, a neonatologist and pediatrician. According to Kathrotia, overstimulation in babies occurs fairly often. “It's most common from about 2 weeks to 3 to 4 months old,” he explains.
Manic episodes are not a symptom of ADHD, but a person with ADHD may experience some of the symptoms of a hypomanic episode. Although there may be some symptom similarities, the underlying causes of bipolar disorder and ADHD are different.
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. Adult ADHD symptoms may include: Impulsiveness.
“In evaluating the health consequences of ADHD over time, we found that ADHD adversely affects every aspect of quality of life and longevity. This is due to the inherent deficiencies in self-regulation associated with ADHD that lead to poor self-care and impulsive, high-risk behavior.
ADHD choice paralysis: Also known as “analysis paralysis,” happens when someone is faced with too many choices and has to make a decision. They may overthink or overanalyze the situation, becoming overwhelmed and struggling to pick an option or implement a solution.
What Is Time Blindness? A good sense of time is one critical executive function. It involves knowing what time it is now, how much time is left, and how quickly time is passing. People with ADHD tend to be "time blind," meaning they aren't aware of the ticking of time.
Two types of medications are typically used to treat sensory overstimulation: gabapentin and/or benzodiazepines, particularly clonazepam. My doctor says that first generation antihistamines (the ones that make you drowsy) can also be helpful.
For someone who dissociates and is already sensitive to anxiety-provoking events, too much stimuli can be detrimental to our routine functioning. Our brains cannot process the amount of stimuli we are ingesting, so we are prone to dissociate and shutdown. Many people have heard of the fight-flight-freeze response.
Overstimulation (OS) occurs when there is “too much” of some external stimulus or stimuli for a person's brain to process and integrate effectively. This leads to an unpleasant sensation of being flooded and an impulse to escape the stimulus – or, failing that, to cry or scream or thrash about.
When you are over-stimulated you get a feeling that is close to anxiety. You feel tense and can't think straight. When you are under-stimulated well you just feel bored and sluggish. You have the feeling of wanting to go out.
Overstimulation is a daily reality for many people with ADHD. We feel too much — physically and emotionally. We struggle with emotional regulation, impulsivity, and big feelings. Many of us also experience sensory sensitivities, reacting strongly to sights, tastes, smell, and more.
Sensory processing issues are common in neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and autism. The overstimulation of one or all five senses can trigger sensory overload. Learning what triggers sensory overload and making accommodations using sensory-friendly items can help alleviate a meltdown.