We all put things off occasionally, but procrastination can be a big productivity killer, at work or at home. Does everybody procrastinate, or is it just an ADHD thing? Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing a task or set of tasks. Although in the short-term procrastination can lead to improved mood if it helps you avoid unpleasant tasks, in the long-term it can lead to stress, burnout and depression. Procrastination in ADHD Around 20% of the general population are thought the be procrastinators and this generally increases with time in people who procrastinate. This is partly be ..read more

It may seem odd to think that ADHD and perfectionism can go hand in hand. What is perfectionism, and do people with ADHD have a tendency to be perfectionists? Perfectionism is a personality trait characterised by setting high standards for oneself, striving for flawlessness, and having self-critical tendencies. Perfectionism has been linked to a wide range of psychiatric conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), depression, and eating disorders. Whilst this may make it seem like perfectionism is a negative thin ..read more

Have you ever been in a meeting but your thoughts take you somewhere else? This could be ‘mind wandering’. But what is mind wandering, and how is it related to ADHD? Mind wandering occurs when someone’s mind drifts away from the task they are focused on and instead focuses on task-unrelated thoughts and images. This happens to everyone from time to time, and there is some evidence that it makes up  50% of most people’s daily thinking time. A wandering mind isn’t always a bad thing, as some forms of mind wandering can be beneficial. This could include thinking about planning an important p ..read more

The way we perceive our environment is driven by our sensory nervous system, and humans have many more than five senses! But, does having ADHD change how we process sensory information? Each person’s behaviour in response to ‘sensory stimuli’ is determined in part by their brain’s ‘sensitivity threshold’. We can’t react to everything around us, so our brains have a threshold that has to be reached. Sensory stimuli such as light, touch, smell, hearing and temperature tell us about our surroundings, through a variety of spoecialised nerves that detect changes in them. If someone’s brain has issu ..read more

People can differ significantly in their inclination to perceive injustice and the strength of their reactions when they see an injustice. Is this seemingly positive trait something that adults with ADHD feel more, or less? There are broadly three types of ‘justice sensitivity’: Observer-sensitive persons can be aware of and sensitive to the disadvantages of others. Beneficiary-sensitive persons disapprove of injustice to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of others. Perpetrator-sensitive persons who perceive themselves as causing disadvantages, react with guilt and strive to punish ..read more

Pretty much everybody will have experienced a headache. But do people with ADHD have more headaches than the general population? and if so, why? There are several different types of headaches. Common types of headaches include; tension headaches, cluster headaches, migraines and rebound headaches. The most common causes of primary headaches are likely to be tension-type headache and migraine. Of these, migraine headache probably requires a special mention as they can be particularly debilitating. Migraines are not just a headache. These are a severe and painful long-term health condition. Migr ..read more

Relationship problems are a fundamental issue for many (if not all) adults trying to deal with their ADHD. These problems can be anything from doing the chores or childcare to simply listening to your partner. One area where this is seriously problematic is with sex itself. Sexual problems are very common in the general population. Research has suggested that as many as 40% of women and 30% of men suffer from some form of sexual dysfunction.  Sexual problems can really vary from person to person. These can range from being generally sexually unsatisfied to risky sexual behaviours (RSBs) s ..read more

This might surprise many people, but evidence for the effectiveness of ADHD coaching is largely lacking. Even a general agreement about what an ADHD coach actually is not written in stone. There is some limited evidence for the benefit of coaching adults with ADHD. This however depends on how you define success, and whether you think individual case studies are enough evidence for you. We appreciate that isn’t enough. So here goes. The current medical treatments for adults with ADHD are predominantly stimulant medication (such as Ritalin) followed by psychotherapy from a trained healthcare pro ..read more

*They actually aren’t missing, they just don’t work the same. The brain is made up of many different types of cells, but the main cell type, that accounts for two-thirds of the brain is called the ‘neuron’. Neurons are cells that receive and pass on information as electrical signals. They then form networks that allow the brain, and your body, to function. The way in which these specialised brain cells communicate with each other is by the release of small molecules known as ‘neurotransmitters’, or brain chemicals, which allow signals to pass from one neuron to another or to your muscles and o ..read more

The name attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is really very misleading.  Adults living with ADHD don’t actually have a deficit of attention. The ‘amount’ of attention is not much different from non-ADHD adults; the difference lies in where that attention is focussed (and why). Although the majority of adults with ADHD present with ‘symptoms of inattentiveness’, many adults with ADHD report episodes of long-lasting, highly focused attention. This is referred to as “hyperfocus”. ‘Hyperfocus’ has been defined as “locking on” to a task, especially if the subject is of interest to a perso ..read more