We don't know what to talk about. Small talk can feel meaningless or like it's a waste of time for people with ADHD. Often, we want to jump right into topics that interest us, and telling you about the traffic on our way to the party isn't it.
Small talk can be the Achilles heel for people with ADHD, however. Some find small talk boring, while others find it mystifying or even terrifying. People with ADHD may struggle with recognizing how to start a conversation. Or they may dive right into sharing personal information after a quick chat about the weather.
People with ADHD tend to talk — a lot. We talk because we're excited or nervous, or because we just want to be a part of the conversation. Sometimes we talk simply to fill the silence because silence is hard for us.
People with ADHD have a hard time with conversation. They might get distracted and lose track of what the other person is saying.
Hyperactivity in adults is often expressed as being overly talkative and boisterous. For some people, years of being scolded for being “too loud,” “too personal,” or “just too much” prompts them to retreat inward where they won't be in the way of others.
They can easily sense the social cues of detachment through our non-verbal gestures. This awareness alone can make us feel socially awkward because we struggle to keep up with what they say or mask our inattentive symptoms. Another thing about our inattention is it makes us less perceptive of how people are acting.
Common ADHD-Related Problems
Impulsive spending or overspending. Starting fights or arguing. Trouble maintaining friendships and romantic relationships. Speeding and dangerous driving.
The problem: The social maturity of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) may be a few years behind that of their peers. In addition, they have difficulty reading verbal and physical social cues, misinterpreting remarks, or not getting jokes or games.
Communication can be tricky for people with ADHD, who may interrupt too much, speak too quickly, or space out unintentionally and miss key elements of a conversation.
Most people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder tend to overshare things that might be inappropriate for everyone, especially when conversing with people we don't know. Our lack of impulse control may make us forget to keep confidential information and talk personally to those we have just met.
However, it can also lead to potential misinterpretation of symptoms. Take, for example, ADHD. While most people associate ADHD with hyperactivity and impulsivity, it can also manifest in more subtle ways, such as through intrusive thoughts and overthinking.
Sometimes it can feel like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) hijacks your conversations. Maybe you interrupt people without thinking about it. Or you don't pay close attention and miss important details, like where you're supposed to meet friends.
For many people with ADHD, the experiences in our lives can sometimes become too much to bear, making us quiet and shy. But when partnered with a mood disorder, connecting with others can become an even more significant challenge.
For starters, not everyone with the hyperactive side of ADHD is loud and talkative.
We're often disappointed by small talk because we simply aren't asking more involved questions. Many are very surface-level with little wiggle room to go deeper. So try asking questions that can lead somewhere more interesting and more in-depth.
Many of the traits associated with ADHD — disorganization, procrastination, forgetfulness — are often considered by others to be traits of "immature adults". It's hard not to feel like you're failing at adulthood when everyone else seems to manage just fine.
It was concluded from this study that ADHD children were less emotional mature as well as had less adjustment than the normal children.
“[People with ADHD] often struggle socially because they may miss subtle social cues; lose focus mid-conversation and realize they've not heard most of what the other person has said to them; or they may impulsively make statements which come across as inappropriate or rude without meaning to,” writes Natalia van ...
Controlling behavior and distrust. Abusive — this is also inclusive of emotionally abusive behaviors, such as gaslighting, love bombing, breadcrumbing etc. Disrespectful. Financial abuse or dishonesty.
Sometimes, being argumentative or even saying mean things can stem from an inability to slow down and recognize how other people are reacting or feeling. This again falls into impulsivity and hyperactivity. But if you were to call out someone with ADHD as rude, they may respond by being defensive.
It is an attribute common in people with ADHD. Symptoms of hypersensitivity include being highly sensitive to physical (via sound, sigh, touch, or smell) and or emotional stimuli and the tendency to be easily overwhelmed by too much information.
Social Skills in Adults with ADHD. Individuals with ADHD often experience social difficulties, social rejection, and interpersonal relationship problems as a result of their inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Such negative interpersonal outcomes cause emotional pain and suffering.