I think there's an important distinction between hyperactive thought and hyperactive outward activity. Most people associate ADHD with the latter when it's really more about the former, as this essay describes well.
Eh, ability to restrain oneself (and keep those hyperactive thoughts internal) comes with age. I don’t think the impulsivity associated with ADHD in children disappears when those children become adults; they just learn to control the outward behaviors. I tend to interrupt people mid-discussion often; I’m guessing it’s related somehow.
That's a good point. I'm reflecting on my own experience as an adult but as a child I was definitely more active than most of my peers. As an adult I've put considerable effort and practice towards controlling myself in social situations.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in my 30s because of this. I don't habe hyperactice activity so never thought I could have ADHD. And since I can't see how someone else's brain works, I didn't realize things with me were not normal. It was quite exciting to realize that a lot of things I struggled with could he explained.
Same here. My brother has it much worse, and it manifested in him with outward hyperactivity so he got treated and I did not. I got by, but when I finally got into grad school I realized I had a problem that will power couldn't fix.
Same for me, got diagnosed in my late 20s after I told my doctor that I was having serious trouble reading and holding conversations. People always thought I was antisocial because I didn't talk much, but it was because I couldn't focus enough to keep up with a conversation.
They're both labeled ADHD nowadays clinically. The ADD you're talking about is called ADHD-PI or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Primarily Inattentive.