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adhd

Mental Health

I thought I was weird for talking to myself. Science says it might be a secret superpower.

Self-talk has been shown to help elite athletes stay focused and play their best.

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A woman talks to herself on her couch.

Ever since I can remember, I've had conversations with myself…out loud. Not always at top volume. Perhaps, at times, in a whisper. But definitely not just an inner monologue. Usually, I don't even realize I'm doing it until a good five minutes in. Sometimes it's an argument with a friend, but there are times it's just basic chitchat with a person who's very famous.

It will go something like this: "Oh, thanks for asking, Oprah. My favorite sweater this season is the Dior cashmere. In fact, all of you get one under your seats!" Sometimes, I'm on a political talk show: "And another thing about Keynesian economics," I'll argue with…could be anyone. Tucker Carlson. Anderson Cooper. Rachel Maddow.

Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, self talk, talk show, gif Oprah Winfrey is very excited. Giphy

Maybe the most interesting part? I get so lost in these moments, my body reacts to them as though they're really happening. If I'm fighting with an invisible person, I feel rage. If someone, like let's say Ewan McGregor, is proposing marriage, I feel glee.

I've always assumed this to be odd behavior, to say the least. But it turns out, according to research, it is quite common and can actually even be healthy. In the article "The Surprising Benefits of Talking Out Loud to Yourself" by health and wellness editor for Time Magazine, Angela Haupt, psychology professor Gary Lupyan is cited, saying, "Talking out loud to yourself is perfectly normal—and even beneficial. It can facilitate problem-solving and improve how well you perform at a task."

Haupt also notes that talking out loud can be a big motivator. In sharing another study which researched the effect self-talk had on basketball players, she discusses how it can keep a person "focused, especially in a situation that requires lots of different steps."

But for me, it hasn't been about motivation. It's more the idea of self-regulating when I feel anxious, which is often. The article shares the ideas of psychology professor Thomas Brinthaupt, writing, "Studies have found that when you’re anxious or experiencing, for example, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, you’re much more likely to talk to yourself. Upsetting or disturbing experiences make people want to resolve or understand them—and self-talk is a tool that helps them do so."

I don't just do it when I'm stressed. On the contrary, it's often as if there's a storybook I've written in my head and I'm merely reading it out loud. (Like accepting someone's dazzling marriage proposal or nailing "Purple Rain" at karaoke.) Some could argue that this is a form of dissociation—and that's true. But for me, sometimes, that "other world" is where I'd prefer to be.

@thecarlinfamily

Should we call Hollywood?!😂 #fyp #funny #cutetoddler #viral #trending #foryou #comedy #happy #4u #foryoupage #trend

It's quite the popular topic on Reddit. On the thread, "Talking to yourself out loud," the OP writes, "I live alone and talking to myself out loud is helpful to clear my thoughts and slow my thinking down. It helps me ‘get my feelings out’ too—a bit like journaling or writing them down. Do you talk to yourself? About what? When? Curious to learn how many people do this, or on the other side—find it strange. Like, does anyone living alone not do this?"

There are hundreds of comments from those who do the same thing. One suggests, "I do this as a form of self-therapy. I record and talk for an hour without realizing. One of my greatest coping mechanisms."

This person does exactly what I do: "Always. I also have fake conversations with people in my life and celebrities. It’s super cathartic. I also work from home—so I have a fairly isolated life. There have been a few times I started talking out loud to myself when I have had people at my home or at the grocery store."

Comedian Jeff Scheen jokes about talking out loud. www.youtube.com, Jeff Scheen

In the subreddit r/ADHD, some even identify this behavior as a symptom. As someone who was recently diagnosed (as many of us have been) with ADHD, I found this extra fascinating. Here, the original poster writes in part, "One thing I've done is talked to myself. A lot. I'm not talking about just saying 'Whoops, dropped my keys.' I have full, extended conversations with myself, discussing the intricacies of an idea. I'll often pace through the house, talking to myself about an idea I have for a book, or acting out an interview like I was a famous actor, or explaining to an invisible friend what ADHD is."

Quite interestingly, they continue, "The closest term I've found is "maladaptive daydreaming.' It definitely gets in the way of things I'm doing, and it's never the same thing every time. I'd just, for example, see a picture of a musician I look up to and start vocally daydreaming about being a famous musician. It never gets to the point where they become delusions that I believe are true, but it does consume an awful lot of my time."

Again, many comment that they too experience this and that it's a healthy form of regulation and self-therapy. Others back up the notion that, indeed, it can be "an ADHD thing."

"YES! IT IS AN ADHD THING! Here's Russell Barkley talking about the five executive deficits that people with ADHD have, and internal self-talk is one of them."

Russell Barkley speaks about ADHD symptoms. www.youtube.com, ADHD videos

Whether it is ADHD, anxiety, or just a wild imagination, it's nice to learn that having full conversations with no one is perfectly normal. Hearing other people's stories makes me feel seen...or I guess in this case—heard.

A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.

Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.

It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."

Chameleon, science, reptile, adaptation, mirroring A chameleon rolls its eyes. Giphy SWR Kindernetz

Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."

While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."

Sam Elliott, cowboy, southern accents Sam Elliott gives a tip of his cowboy hat. Giphy, Sam Elliott, Grit TV

People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'

They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."

(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)

Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."

Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"

@theweirdocoach

Anyone else? #adhdawareness #adhdinwomen #neurodivergent


Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."

And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."

This article originally appeared in May.

Health

Surprising 16-year-long ADHD study proves researchers' hypothesis completely wrong

The findings from first-of-their-kind, long-term ADHD studies keep rolling in and surprising researchers along the way.

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Scientists continue to be surprised by the findings of long-term ADHD studies.

Our understanding of ADHD has come a long way in just a few short years. Though it wasn't even formally recognized as a medical condition until the 1960s, by the time the 90s rolled around, diagnoses and stimulant prescriptions were extremely prevalent. (Raise your hand if you grew up in the era of "Anyone who struggles in school gets Ritalin!") Today, diagnoses and treatment are a lot more thoughtful and individualized, and there are more options for treatment and therapy including but not limited to stimulants like the well-known Ritalin. Even with all these advancements, though, we still have more to learn.

A new long-term study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has proven to be an excellent next step in getting a better understanding of the disorder, showing that a lot of what's commonly believed or assumed about ADHD is incomplete or just flat-out wrong.

Researchers studied 483 participants who were diagnosed with ADHD in childhood and continued to assess them for a period of 16 years. The study's authors wanted to get a sense of how ADHD symptoms might change over time.

What the researchers found surprised them. In most participants, symptoms of ADHD fluctuated greatly over the years rather than staying consistent. What surprised them even more were the environmental factors that seemed to play a role in those fluctuations.

adhd, children, kids, mental health, neurodivergent, brains, psychology, medicine, research, medical studies ADHD brains work in mysterious ways, but we're starting to get a clearer picture. Photo by BUDDHI Kumar SHRESTHA on Unsplash

Researchers expected that greater life demands—like more responsibility at work, a heavier workload at school, major life changes, etc.—would exacerbate ADHD symptoms. What they found was the opposite.

It makes sense that a person that struggles with inattention or hyperactivity might have more trouble focusing when they have more "going on" and more distractions to pull them in different directions. It was a huge surprise to the researchers that, actually, people's ADHD symptoms seemed to ease up when life got hectic.

“We expected the relationship between environmental demands and ADHD symptoms to be the opposite of what we found,” study author, professor, and clinical psychologist Margaret H. Sibley explained. “We hypothesized that when life demands and responsibilities increased, this might exacerbate people’s ADHD, making it more severe. In fact, it was the opposite. The higher the demands and responsibilities one was experiencing, the milder their ADHD.”

- YouTube www.youtube.com

I have a 4-year-old with ADHD and the findings totally track for me based on what I've witnessed in our own life.

We find it's actually easier to be in perpetual motion sometimes—out running errands, doing activities, visiting friends and family—versus staying put too long. When we're just relaxing at home, that's when she tends to start bouncing off the walls! Her ADHD tendencies come out strong in these quiet periods, including what we sometimes playfully refer to as her "hoarding" dozens of coloring sheets or surrounding herself in giant piles of toys, blankets, and stuffed animals; thereby making a huge mess in the house.

Doing nothing or doing very little is not often a restful state for people with ADHD. Typically, people with ADHD experience more background noise than neurotypical brains—so a quiet, seemingly restful environment can sometimes amplify racing thoughts, negative self-talk, and impulsive behavior versus dampening it. You know how kids sometimes act out in school not because they're not smart, but because the material is actually too easy for them and they're bored? Something similar is at play in both of these scenarios.

Of course, as always in science, you have to be careful assuming causation from the findings.

adhd, children, kids, mental health, neurodivergent, brains, psychology, medicine, research, medical studies The results show that staying busy may actually help relieve some ADHD symptoms. Annie Spratt/Unsplash

It's important to note that the results of the study don't definitively prove that being busy causes a decrease in ADHD symptoms.

“This might mean that people with ADHD perform their best in more demanding environments (perhaps environments that have stronger immediate consequences, like needing to put food on the table for a family or pay rent monthly). It also might mean that people with ADHD take more on their plate when their symptoms are relatively at bay," Sibley says. Either way, the correlation is certainly strong and worthy of more study.

In the meantime, the study's authors think the results could be viewed in a hopeful light for people just learning to manage their ADHD. “If you’re a doctor talking with a patient who is first getting diagnosed with ADHD, it’s a huge help for that person to hear the message that, ‘You’re going to have good years and not-so-good years, but things can go really well for you if you can get the right factors in place,'” Sibley said. As a parent, I can imagine how reassuring that would have been to hear early on in our own process.

adhd, children, kids, mental health, neurodivergent, brains, psychology, medicine, research, medical studies We still have so much to learn. Photo by Europeana on Unsplash

With ADHD diagnoses on the rise, more and more research is being conducted. For example, a recent long-term study out of Sweden was just published linking use of ADHD medication with a reduction in traffic crashes, general injuries, and criminal behavior. That's a strong argument for continuing to hone in on accurate diagnoses and treatment for people who need it, as it clearly benefits society as a whole when done properly!

We're learning more and more about what the factors that affect positive ADHD outcomes are—what might exacerbate symptoms and what types of things can help—and we're starting to get a clearer picture of how people can manage this challenging disorder.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

Health

Feeling lazy, unmotivated, and ashamed of it? Doctor says it could be undiagnosed ADHD.

"75% of adults with anxiety actually have ADHD as the cause of their anxiety."

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Doctor breaks down how to recognize ADHD in adults.

If it seems that everyone is being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), there may be a reason and it's likely not the reason people think. Diagnostic criteria were initially based off of how ADHD presented in white children who were mostly male, so if you fell outside of that box your diagnosis was often overlooked. This is especially true in girls who then turned into undiagnosed or misdiagnosed women.

But it's not just women who were undiagnosed since the criteria mostly included ways in which hyperactivity showed up—you know, the "H" in ADHD. But not everyone with ADHD presents with the stereotypical hyperactivity bit.

That means a lot of kids fell through the cracks and, as kids do, eventually became adults.

ADHD specialist Dr. Heather Brannon breaks down ways in which ADHD is missed and how to identify it in adults in a TEDx Talk in 2021.


adhd, adult adhd, adhd diagnosis, adhd treatment, doctors, ted talk, tedx, mental healthAdults with untreated ADHD may struggle with procrastination, being distracted, and end up feeling shame over their "laziness" Photo by Hiki App on Unsplash

In the first few minutes of the video, Brannon drops a statistic that feels mind-boggling:

"75% of adults with anxiety actually have ADHD as the cause of their anxiety." Even though I fit into that category, consider my mind completely boggled because I thought I was a rarity and my psychiatrist was a magician. Turns out, he was probably just up to date on his continuing education credits.

Brannon talks about how people who may express feelings of overwhelm, anxiousness, and tiredness and who are easily frustrated may actually have undiagnosed ADHD.

It's pretty easy to overlook ADHD that presents with more of the attention deficit part of the diagnosis than the hyperactivity part. When someone is having difficulty sitting still, talking so fast that you can barely keep up, and is constantly on the go, it's pretty easy to pinpoint there may be an issue.

But when the person is quiet, sits still but misses large chunks of conversations, or is chronically forgetful and sleepy, it's much easier to miss the signs, according to Brannon.

Brannon says many people feel bad about themselves without knowing why, so having an answer for why you're feeling this way can be helpful.

The video is really fascinating and may help others recognize signs within themselves or with loved ones. Give it a gander below:


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

In the clip, Brannon introduces us to a theoretical person named Sally.

Sally is successful, creative, and has a Masters degree. She's functioning at a high level by all indications, but Sally struggles with procrastination, getting sidetracked, and feeling unmotivated. She feels lazy and ashamed of it, but she just can't bring herself to change her behavior.

Brannon says that Sally is typical of adults with undiagnosed ADHD. These are people who feel and know something is not quite right with them, but they have no idea what.

As for a little happy ending, Sally eventually finds out that she has ADHD and receives treatment. Brannon says in the video that the right medication can make a world of difference.

"Now [Sally] can have creative thoughts without having that big swirl of ideas running around in her head. She can look at an email to see if she has time to answer or she needs to save it for later. Now Sally can be on time for her appointment, and that frees up the perfectionist that was trying so hard to be on time before and was failing every time."


adhd, adult adhd, adhd diagnosis, adhd treatment, doctors, ted talk, tedx, mental healthWith her ADHD under control, "Sally" is crushing it. Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Brannon says that over the span of her career, she would estimate about 2 or 3 out of 10 adults have undiagnosed ADHD and are living a life of difficulty and shame.

"That's a lot of people who could be feeling a whole lot better," she says.

This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.