[throwaway90135]

It's important to note that hyperfocus is not a DSM-V criteria for ADHD. In fact, hyperfocus doesn't appear anywhere in any official diagnostic criteria for ADHD that I'm aware of (If I'm wrong, I'd love to know).

The official DSM-V criteria, along with helpful explanations, are available here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html

I'm still not sure how hyperfocus came to be such a popular idea on internet ADD forums and self-diagnosis websites. If someone can point me toward the etymology of the idea, I'd really like to see it.

[ryhanson]

Very true! My psychiatrist even said that hyperfocus has nothing to do with how people are diagnosed. He did mention that hyperfocus is a common trait among people who do have ADHD, but not exclusive to them. Meaning there are plenty of non-ADHD human's out there that have the same ability(or issue) to hyperfocus.