toadstoolfuel:

toadstoolfuel:

clitcheese:

are there adhd episodes. is that a thing

things aggravate adhd symptoms, so if ur going through a period of depression, stress, etc., ur adhd may feel much more acute

i have more info but my phone is being mean but basically yes u can

okay i don’t know much about what ur specifically experiencing right now but here’s some potential things that can make ur symptoms worse:

• fatigue: most people w adhd have sleep cycle disorders so this is a pretty obvious one, but still. increased fatigue means normal reasons for bad focus, irritability, slow processing, etc., in addition to our Special ADHD Reasons :))
• stress: basically same as above. now you get fun extra reasons to be distracted, fidgety, etc.!!
• depressive cycles**: some people don’t notice their adhd worsening during a depressive cycle, because they’re not as active and driven as other times. BUT adhd symptoms are worse during down swings. research indicates adhd is largely an issue w dopamine release. basically: dopamine isn’t released properly on completion of tasks, meaning our brains receive no reward for completing things, meaning it doesn’t train itself to complete things optimally. that’s ultra simplified and there’s other issues but in essence depression + adhd is mixing two (2!!) different dopamine related disorders and throwing in other stuff (fatigue, stress, u know) that aggravates ur adhd even more
  
• stimulant dose: if ur on adhd meds, or self medicate with caffeine/other stimulants and u stopped/lowered ur dose, ur symptoms will worsen as ur body detoxes. similarly if ur regularly taking too many stimulants (most common reason for this is mixing caffeine with meds), specific symptoms will worsen. typically u’ll feel super agitated and either get really hyperfocused or really hyperactive 
• new responsibilities: my personal biggest reason for noticing my adhd more acutely is ~~~~new responsibilities~~~~. specifically new stuff that is extra hard cause of my adhd. examples: new job where attention to detail and time management are important, new classes with long lecture times, socializing with people who get annoyed by adhd symptoms, etc. this makes me super notice everything i do and get extra frustrated with myself for not *perfectly* managing myself

** this is probably similar for cycles/episodes of other disorders (bipolar, schizophrenia, etc) but i only have depression and adhd, so i don’t know

tldr; no, u don’t experience adhd episodes in the same way that u experience episodes of other mental disorders, but yes it can feel pmuch exactly like ur having an adhd episode depending on what’s going on in ur life

there’s lots of good scientific articles out there about research into how adhd works and what seems to make it easier to manage. plus, my personal favorite resource addforums (http://www.addforums.com/forums/index.php). u could look around for similar experiences there

anyway that was probs way more info than u wanted but i hope it helps a bit!!!

this was really helpful thank u!