eli5 – Can someone explain ADHD? Specifically the procrastination and inability to do “boring” tasks?
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I see some really awesome scientific breakdowns of executive function disorder and ADHD…let me give you more anecdotal, and less science explanation
You see a pile of laundry in your room. You have no clean clothes left. You know you have a pile of dishes in the kitchen that need to be cleaned. You also need to run the garbage out.
You know you have to do these things. You know how to complete these things. You know that cleaning the dishes will make the kitchen feel amazing and you’ll feel amazing. Having clean clothes and a clean room will make you feel better. Taking the garbage out will keep the house smelling nice.
You know how to do these tasks. You know the reward at the end of these tasks. In fact, none of these tasks are difficult to achieve. However, your brain has a really tough time getting these tasks done because they feel overwhelming, or just impossible.
When you have ADHD, it isn’t that you can’t focus. In fact, many people with ADHD are renowned scientists, doctors, lawyers, etc. It’s that you don’t have a lot of choice over what you focus on.
Let’s use the above examples. Let’s say I finally get into the kitchen to clean up. I’ll start cleaning up, but then I notice the cupboards look a bit messy. So I stop doing dishes and start cleaning the cupboards. While I’m doing that, I notice that this one cupboard door is squeaky. So I get some lubricant and oil it up, but don’t return to cleaning the cupboards or kitchen. Instead, I noticed while grabbing the lubricant that my storage room is a mess. I get overwhelmed by how messy it is and then I crash, and have 3 tasks started, but none completed.
ADHD has three main “types”
Hyperactive
Inatentive
And combined.
It’s a spectrum. You can fall more in one category, or another. Or maybe you’re kind of all of them at once depending on the day. Or maybe it constantly shifts depending on what’s going on in your life.
Some people benefit from stimulant medication (Vyvanse Adderall etc), which just gives your brain that little extra boost to stay on task maintain mood regulation and many other things.
Hope this helps.
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