the one adhd symtom that goes widely unknown is the “all or nothing” thing.
like if i am interested in something, i can devote my entire day for it without getting bored at all and if im not interested in it, paying attention to it even for short time is like torture
like i struggle with watching 5 minutes long video because im not that interested in it but i can watch all extended lotr movies on one sitting without getting even slightly bored (been there, done that) just because i love the lotr lore
That is hyperfocus (this is a link, yay)! And definitely one of the common traits of ADHD/ADD people that goes ignored, because people who aren’t properly educated about this think we can’t focus at all. It’s definitely ruined a good few diagnoses hey, if you can focus on one single thing clearly you’re not ADHD!
“Children and adults with ADD have difficulty shifting attention from one thing to another,” says Russell Barkley, Ph.D., a research professor of psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. “If they’re doing something they enjoy or find psychologically rewarding, they’ll tend to persist in this behavior after others would normally move on to other things. The brains of people with ADD are drawn to activities that give instant feedback.”
This is why one of my biggest pet peeves is someone talking to me without giving me a moment to change gears (looking at you hubby). If i’m reading or otherwise preoccupied and you just start talking to me, I’m going to miss the first few things you say because I need to shift my focus.