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by photojosh 1512 days ago
Yes!

I would just add that I like to refer to it as "attention dysregulation" rather than 'deficit'... my experience I can focus on one singular task to the exclusion of all other needs and demands (even base biological ones), to point of being in pain and exhaustion and causing myself harm.

Staying up for 40 hours programming... running trails for hours and hours... I have more than enough attention.
1 comments
cbfrench 1512 days ago
That’s a major reason why Dr. Russell Barkley refers to it as Executive Function Disorder. We actually don’t have a problem with attention; we have a problem prioritizing what we attend to. Everyone with ADHD is familiar with the hyperfocus phenomenon. We can pay attention (even sustained, abnormally intense attention) to activities that provide a healthy dopamine payout, but we don’t really control what those activities are. It’s helpful if they happen to be socially useful activities!
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photojosh 1512 days ago
Yes! I've been slowly getting into his work on the various executive functions, not just the intellectual/thinking one... emotional regulation is a big thing too!
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cbfrench 1512 days ago
Honestly, the emotional regulation component is one of the biggest things for me, as anyone who has ridden with me driving could tell you…

But learning to see it as an executive function disorder that really touches on a whole host of other cognitive functions beyond just attention has been a real game-changer for me in terms of conceptualizing the disorder. It makes it more overwhelming on some level, but it also helps to explain many of the struggles I have beyond just paying attention (which, as we know, often isn’t the major problem we face).

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