The thing that prevented me from even suspecting ADHD before a liver doctor (of all things) told me to look into ADD was my ability to hyperfocus. So we are on the same page, hyperfocus is the ability to be consumed in a subject, but be unable to switch to another. Even when Shire was doing all their TV ads, I did not even suspect myself because once I get a lock on something there is no turning back.

Sounds like a good thing, eh? (I'm not from Canada, picked up the "eh" on a visit there. It's cool.)

Not too many years ago, I said to my wife, after she got done flaming me for loving computers more than her, Honey, I know how to be a good programmer and I know how to be a good husband. But I don't know how to be both.

Ever experience it?

Bob

PS I am accidentally on purpose using my curse of hyperfocus to unravel my brain. It is the one subject that I got into that makes IT stuff look like work for morons and idiots. This brain stuff is complex. Dang! That makes it all the more enticing.

Oh, yeah. I hyperfocus well! I get interested in something and pursue it with all my attention and energy. Then my focus shifts, but not after I've become a 'lay expert' on the topic.

And when I read I hyperfocus too. My ideal way to spend a day is to read from dawn till dusk...but I can't entertain that idea because there is so much else that I need to do.

Like spend time on the computer! Oh my gosh....the possibilities.

I need a career that allows me to hyperfocus. Any suggestions?

I make my family crazy - if I read a book, I walk around the house with it and do not stop reading it until I have finished. Even if it is seven hundred pages, LOL. Or if I paint or do a craft with my kids, I get so involved in the craft we forget dinner...and bathtime...and don't hear the phone ring.

My dad has ADD too, and his hyperfocusing activity of choice is painting Napoleanic soldiers and setting up faux battlefields. Days, I tell you. And after living with the man for twenty years, I can tell you everything about Napoleon's wars, strategies, love life and habits, LOL.

It does seem strange that someone as highly distractable as an ADDer could focus so strongly on a favorite subject that nothing else exists in the world - noise, food, people, nothing. But I've lived it. It's fun, isn't it?

Yep. I hyperfocus, losing track of everything. Then I get bored. Then I'm wandering aimlessly pittering around (I love to putz) until I find a new thing to hyperfocus on. Life gets boring unless I do this.

My hubby scolded me when I got so into the ADD info. This forum just sucks you in, a vortex, a black hole swirling inward with information. And chit-chat!!! You spend your first 200 posts in there! He finally just said, "You have other interests! We don't have to talk about ADD all the time. You are not only ADD." I took it as a compliment. So I hyperfocused on Harry Potter instead and my hubby didn't argue one bit. Though I still spend a lot of time on here.

I don't really try to fix this. Straterra helps me focus and keep motivated, and I just work on being considerate. But if I'm "into" something, I just go with it.

Oh yeah! I'm with you -- I never suspected ADHD even after I read a book on diagnosing it for my counseling CEU's, even though I'd been diagnosed with hyperactivity as a kid, because it was called Attention Deficit! I was more like an Attention Surplus -- I used to get in trouble in school because the teacher had moved on to the next subject and I was still busily devouring the last one. I was one weird ADHD student, because I actually hyperfocused on school! (Well, not math or spelling!):p . I still have trouble switching gears and am generally locked onto some topic -- ATM it's learning about ADHD.

Scattered

Honey, I know how to be a good programmer and I know how to be a good husband. But I don't know how to be both.
Hey Bob...gonna have to try this one out the next time the wife complains I'm not paying attention to her whilst paying too much attention to whatever has my attention at the time!

Hyperfocus...to some degree. I can (and usually am) disrupted. Which usually ticks me off because it's hard to get locked into hyperfocus. Easier to stay there with no/few distractions.

Eric

Like spend time on the computer! Oh my gosh....the possibilities.

I need a career that allows me to hyperfocus. Any suggestions?Well, computer programer, or web site designer, or something related to working with computers might fit the bill!:) You said you loved reading too -- maybe a book reviewer! Let you're interest drive you -- if you love it you'll do well! I love psychology and teaching and doing my work was fascinating and rewarding and allowed me to hyperfocus and learn about all kinds of things that interested me(okay, the paperwork suffered a bit, but not enough to derail my train).

Scattered

I can get so hyuperfocused sometimes that my migraines go away, that is until I loose my focus. I get so hyperfocused that the entire world seems to disappear, just me and whatever I'm focused on. Then when I get disrupted I get mad at who ever disrupted me no matter the reason. It's never a good thing. Usually I get focused on RPGs (of the open and paper sort no consoles for me, way too easy to get lost on that), reading, painting or writing. Right now it's ADD and my book I'm writing. I've actually gotten so focused at work that I almost forgot to do my work. Entry level IT at a Fortune 500 company doesn't always mix well with that. I feel a rant coming better move threads quickly.

Every night between 6pm and 7pm you can find me in my kitchen.
Hyperfocused on putting a good dinner on the table.
As you can see I use hyperfocus even on the simple task's like cooking.
I try to hyperfocus in a positive way.
That's why I don't read until everyone else is asleep in the house.
Once I pick up a book and start reading hyperfocus kicks in and time slips away.

The negative side to hyperfocus for me is when someone interrupts that.
I'm instantly annoyed and have to find a way to switch gears.

Oh boy, can I hyperfocus. Not to the extent of becoming so absorbed I forget to sleep or shower for days. But I have forgotten to eat, go to the bathroom or make scheduled appointments. This relates mostly to individual tasks and not hyperfocusing with one subject like a hobby. Eventhough I can get so engulfed in a hobby, I will try to learn as much about it as fast as possible. Then I will just loose interest and move on to something else.

I am learning to control my urges to "shift gears" so frequently. I can recognize the thoughts that lead to a hyperfocus shift and stay focused on the current topic of interest.

Stori813,

I love to cook. I have often thought this could be my alternate occupation, if I wasn't into IT.

When I cook I love to experiment with different ingrediants. The presentation has to be just as good as the taste. Who wants to eat something that looks terrible. Complementing colors, as well as taste, is a big goal I strive towards.

Amen to all posts. It is nice to know, comforting, that while I'm indeed weird, I have lots of company :D

lostdog65

Here's another one for you. I tic wife off. I can't find something for the 50 billionth time or forget to do something ...

Honey, I'm brain damaged. It is not my fault.

Bob

timh I agree it does have to look good because we eat with our eyes first.
Cooking is just another way to be creative for me.
That's probably another reason why I hyperfocus on it.
A few nights ago I was cooking my partner comes in the kitchen and says, What's for dinner? With all seriousness I answered... I don't know yet.
Even though I already had stuff cooking.
It was in the beginning of my hyperfocus creative cooking process.

Honey, I'm brain damaged. It is not my fault.
LOL...sorry Bob...she knew that when she married me!!

Eric

Experience it? I live it!

Hyperfocus does make me a better programmer, because there is so much info to hold in your head, especially when dealing with different levels of abstraction simultaneously.

I am infamous at hyperfocusing. For example I just did it on a test I took. I over analize everything and hyperfocus on all the questions. It sucks because i end up rethinking my answers and then get it wrong!

Here is why hyperfocus is a curse for me. We have to invest in relationships to maintain and strengthen them. My wife suffered because of my hyperfocus. The biggest benefit of adderral to me is it enables me to truly multitask much like the computer you are using. Your computer including background processes may be running 50 programs right now. But it can only do one at a time. It is continually swaping processes and threads and makes it appear that it is doing 50 things at once. I can't do that without the med. I fear losing "my lock" because I know how hard it is to get again. Don't interrupt while I'm in hyperfocus. I'll bite your head off.

My wife needs chip time and so do a lot of other things unless I want a very narrow myopic life - I don't. Ever talk to a geek that can't talk about nothing other than servers. BORING. Hyperfocus is a problem for me.

It would seem as if hyperfocus contradicts an ADHD diagnosis. Attention Deficit - I cannot multi-task my attention like the majority of mankind. It is pathological and leads to trouble. No contradiction. I need to learn to channel hyperfocus like so many of you are doing.

Bob

PS Another problem generated by hyperfocus is insomnia. Here is going on 1 dang o'clock and sleep is no where is sight for me. Didn't do my dope today. Don't need it to let my crazy brain hyperfocus. I'm hoping and am fairly confident all of this will lead to an effective management plan.

My wife suffered because of my hyperfocus.
I hear you. On the one hand I need to hyperfocus in order to do my job, be it translation or programming. On the other hand, when I am hyperfocused I am gone.

Also, hyperfocusing really drains me. When I do it too long I'm like a zombie.

So it's like a necessary curse for me. I guess what I need to do is better turn in on and off, like aderall seems to have done for you.

i do it all the time, but the 'standout' moment in my life of hyperfocus happened when i was about 9 or 10. i was in my sister's house (she's 16 years older than me) and i was reading one of her husband's donald duck comics from when he (sister's husband) was a kid. it was this comic with donald duck and his 3 nephews, and they went on some sort of camping adventure. i was sitting on the floor with boxes around me on an inclosed verahdah and it was getting dark. i dont know how long i sat there for but i read the whole thing, and i got sucked into it so much that i had felt like i was a part of the story myself, as if i travelled inside the comic and i was there. it all felt so real. then when it was over i was VERY confused.

this was 10 years ago.

sometimes when im practicing the piano, i'll go into this awesome hyperfocus. I can play the same piece over and over for a couple hours and still not be tired. (of course the piece I really needed to practice didn't get done that day...)

i get obsessions that come and go.
more like hypo focus...

Hi Bob: thanks for your post because I just made a connection! I hadn't quite gotten what the "hyperfocus" part was really about (besides thinking it was the ability to really focus on something) before now. Now the nature of it (how you can get drawn into something and find it hard to break away from it, etc.) is much more clear, and yes, I do it. Between your post and trying to be more self observant over the summer and recently I'm just realizing how often I do it. This has been a problem for me just this week. Including the insomnia piece. I sometimes call it "being on a roll". I was on a roll with something and didn't want to stop, for fear of not finishing it later. I decide to go with the interest and energy and productivity and also tend to underestimate how much time it will really take, and can end up staying up late. Sometimes later in the evening I will also get a second wind where I will suddenly feel like I can be productive. This isn't because of meds because I haven't been on any before (until today).

Oh, yeah. I hyperfocus well! I get interested in something and pursue it with all my attention and energy. Then my focus shifts, but not after I've become a 'lay expert' on the topic.

And when I read I hyperfocus too. My ideal way to spend a day is to read from dawn till dusk...but I can't entertain that idea because there is so much else that I need to do.

Like spend time on the computer! Oh my gosh....the possibilities.

This is so me. Joyous I could have written that. I have been known to sit and read a book all day because I'm so into it and want to finish, or stay up until the wee hours (even if I have class or work the next day) for the same reason. I actually indulged myself this summer. Bought a little 200 or so page book on the way home from church, went home, ate and settled down with it probably around 3pm and by about 9pm I was done with it. I can remember as a teen trying to read a book in class covertly while still trying to half-pay attention to the teacher and what was going on in class. Or if we were taking turns reading aloud I would get impatient and would read ahead and then would have to find our place again when I was called on to read.

When I was in college and taking photo classes for my minor I would get so engrossed in the prints I was working on and what I was trying to do with them that time just seemed to dissolve and fly by when I was in the darkroom. When I have new topics to investigate related to something I'm learning or something about me (like ADD) I research and research until like you I'm almost a lay expert. Part of that seems to be a gift of mine, I seem to have a knack for finding information and resources. People have recognized it and will ask me to help them find info about something. When I went to Guatemala a little over a year ago for a Spanish immersion I almost drove my classmate who went with me nuts by sending her a ton of links and info prior to our trip (and I didn't send her everything I found or read either). Heh! :) I'd never really been out of the country before and so I think that tendency to hyperfocus merged with my anxiety about being in a new and unknown situation, which resulted in much information gathering before the trip.

This also affects my school work because I will have a hard time stopping the research (I now call it "falling into the blackhole of research", which I try to avoid and I've started trying to get a few classmates and my sister to help point it out and try to pull me out if it seems like its happening). I'll really become engaged by the topic and will be trying to learn and absorb and process the new info rather than just find a few references to plop into a paper (also at play here may be some perfectionism that I'm working on with my therapist). Pretty soon I have a ton of info floating around in my head and on my desk and I start to feel overwhelmed by it and have a hard time consolidating it and paring it down to fit the assignment by the due date.

Anyway, thanks for this thread!
Peace, bythesea

bythesea,

Your handle conjures up peace. Cool.

I too made a connection. Don't want to lose it. (hyperfocus) Want to control it. Working on it.

Bob

In reading this hyperfocus thread, more questions than answers emerge. For instance, one might wonder whether ADD is actually an addiction whereby one oscillates from hyper(intense focus) to hypo(add-withdrawal). Could this whole back & forth process be addictive whereby when we're is the hypo phase(ADD), we crave the hyper phase? Then get burnt out & go back to withdrawal hypo-phase only to again need a bigger dose of hyperfocus to bail us out of our miserable hypo-focus state?

jamesgang,

Welcome to the board. This board is *bad*. I'm into jazz and *bad* in jazzese means mind-blowing good.

Either ADD inspires above average intelligence or the dichotomy between what we are and what we know we could be makes us whine, cry and bellyache more than most. Eitherway, you'll get interesting insights here.

Reseach ADD. Research indicates (strongly) it is a biological disorder. The best we can do is find work arounds or artificially stimulant the brain into normal operating parameters.

An addiction, (been there, done that) comes from the illusion of pleasure and the deading of pain. Since there is no substance, disaster comes swift and sure. So, yes, hyperfocus can be addictive. I am certainly "happiest" hyerfocused because I am oblivious to everything else. Could we say "drugged?" I think so. But what came first? The problem or the addiction? Important to know in targeting our efforts.

Bob

I have been reading this thread with much interest. Just a thought to add; I think it's important to keep in mind that the way our brains function, particularly with regard to our low dopamine levels, means that we're always looking for stimulation, which can turn into addictions to harmful stuff if we can't find healthy avenues in which to direct our attention. So "addiction" doesn't have to be a bad thing, if it satiates an itch, keeps us in the present and in touch with reality (not an illusion), and isn't harmful to ourselves or people we care about. Of course, keeping all those things balanced is an art I have yet to perfect. But I'm working on it. :)
I don't know if anyone has read Hallowell's new book, but there's a chapter called "The Itch at the Core of ADD" that talks about this.

I'm so relating to what many people said. As a kid (and even now when I can get away with it!), I could sit down with a book and read from beginning to end without ever moving from my spot. Once the book was done, I'd feel like I just woke from a dream. The book seems *so real* because I'm so deeply involved in it. I also do it at work sometimes so focused on the document in front of me that my co-workers will often call my name several times before I hear them and then I'm all p*ssy that they interrupted my chain of thought b/c once it's gone it's gone for a while.

Good to hear there are others in psychology who never thought they were ADD either because they had too much attention. I didn't know what was wrong with me except that I was 'spacey,' I procrastinated (who wouldn't when they know the task is going to engulf you so completely and require so much effort, until you feel sucked dry -at least that is how I experience it), and I was 'irresponsible.' I paid attention in school just fine, as long as I liked the subject. I didn't have any trouble reading. I read constantly, and yes, I couldn't put the book down either and would get infuriated when interupted. I can still hear my mother yelling for me to come out of my room and do some chore, and feel the anger. I just wanted to read my book!

Does anyone else have the problem that they hyperfocus on an idea or train of thought, or detail of a project to the point where they lose track of the big picture of what they are doing? I may even know I need to stop and reevaluate the direction I am going or how I am spending my time, but I can't seem to stop. Or, I'll decide I have to know something, like about some obscure ancient battle or person, and then research for hours despite the fact I know I need to be working on something else. Then to top it all off, I usually forget most of what I learned about the topic.

Has anyone found meds to help with hyperfocusing?

Sam

Yes, it seems to be easier for me to shift my focus with meds. Off meds I would frequently so locked in that I missed all kinds of important stuff (like my toddler trying to eat the laundry detergent:eek: ).

As far as ADHD being inconsistent with hyperfocusing -- not really. The big thing with ADHD is the difficulty saying no to the most interesting stimulus -- if you've already got it in your sights, everything else can easily go by the wayside.

Scattered

Yup, I do the reading thing too - totally absorbed (often all day long), don't want anyone to interrupt, feel like I've been transported from a different world when I'm done with a book.
I felt that Adderall made my hyperfocusing worse, because it made it harder to turn it off or shift my attention. Thus my ability to procrastinate reached the level of an art form.
I'm trying extended release, generic ritalin right now, and it seems to be working better. I also think my adderall dosage was too high, but it made me anxious and edgy - I did not appreciate the rebound effect at all. I tried Strattera for a short period of time and it made me feel awful, so I hope this trial of ritalin works better.

In reading this hyperfocus thread, more questions than answers emerge. For instance, one might wonder whether ADD is actually an addiction whereby one oscillates from hyper(intense focus) to hypo(add-withdrawal). Could this whole back & forth process be addictive whereby when we're is the hypo phase(ADD), we crave the hyper phase? Then get burnt out & go back to withdrawal hypo-phase only to again need a bigger dose of hyperfocus to bail us out of our miserable hypo-focus state?

I have come to understand ADD as the inability to direct one’s attention appropriately.

Not being able to let go when we should (I think the internet was mentioned as a major time trap for many) and not giving enough attention (backing into a neighbors car) when the situation requires it.

On another note, I love to cook as well. I definitely go to my “happy place” (hyper focus) when doing so.
Funny thing though I just can’t seem to muster the same enthusiasm for cleaning up;

I have come to understand ADD as the inability to direct one’s attention appropriately.

Not being able to let go when we should (I think the internet was mentioned as a major time trap for many) and not giving enough attention (backing into a neighbors car) when the situation requires it.

Best definition yet. IMHO

I got to go out so I need to be careful about going into hyperfocus. Definitions are very important to me. Nothing works without them. I'll spend hours pondering definitions. If the foundation is shaky, so is everything built on it.

Bob

I easily hyperfocus on reading and even have to limit the days that I allow myself reading time, but I think in some ways it's a coping mechanism we learned as children. I can remember placing fingers in ears as a child to read. Now you almost can break my concentration. I always wonder if we've just trained ourselves that way because if we let our concentration go, it's too hard to get it back in the same intensity.

It's very hard when you have a job where you frequently deal with other people. I don't respond on the first call when I'm in hyperfocus. I have to get to a stopping place before I'll respond. It drives instant gratification kids crazy in my classroom.;)

Yes, for years before I was diagnosed I thought it was a simple lack of self discipline. I was self indulgent and gave in to my every impulse... If I could only get a grip!
Although I must admit for me the meds can make it even harder to switch gears. not bad when I am doing something I am supposed to be doing but murder when I am off track, yes I took I fork in the road 15 minutes ago and winded up here instead of the screen I am supposed to be on...

Some of the difficulty in understanding ADHD stems in part from the fact that, for many (non-ADHD) people, they misconstrue hyperfocus as being indicative of the ADHD person "choosing" not to pay attention to other things.

It's also compounded by one of the operational definitions of ADHD, in terms of it being ..." A normal dimensional disorder of human behavior that most people display to some extent."

In my Diagnostic Assessments, I always go over a non-standardized symptom checklist; that I don't diagnose from.

This (hyperfocus) primarily applies to the 2nd symptom under Inattention...."often has difficulty paying attention in task or play activities."

In the process, I point out how many years ago, some people (mistakenly) thought that if a child could watch a cartoon or a movie all the way through, that they didn't have ADHD.

I then explain "hyperfocus" and re- word the second symptom under Inattention so that it reflects difficulty paying attention for things the child isn't interested in or doesn't enjoy.

I alo re-word the fourth symptom as well from : "often has difficulty following thru on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork,chores,or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand the instructions)".....

to one of... "often becomes easily sidetracked and off task."

Sometimes being able to state the symptom(s) in an easier to understand context, makes it more clear for parents.


The key words here are ... "always" and "problem(s)" or "impairment(s)."

mctavish-
I liked your explanation of how you re-word the diagnostic criteria. Ironically, I conducted neuropsych assessments in grad school and often diagnosed people with ADHD, but because the wording in the DSM is so poor and intended to describe children's behavior, I didn't think of myself as having ADD (though I definitely noticed similarities) until I read Driven to Distraction, which gives a much better, narrative kind of picture of what inconsistent attention looks like in adults. Then I figured it out pretty quickly.

When I told friends of mine from grad school that I had been diagnosed, they all thought I was making excuses for my problems, and the hyperfocus piece was part of their argument: "But you don't have problems paying attention" or "When you watch a movie and I try to talk to you, you're so focused it's like I'm not even in the room," or, "Your problem isn't that you can't pay attention, it's that you just procrastinate too much," etc.

Granted, they were either inexperienced with the diagnosis or were exposed to kids in forensic settings who had severe ADHD, along with lots of other stuff (PTSD, conduct disorder, etc) and had a narrow idea of what ADD looks like. But it was hard to hear; I had hoped they would be supportive, but instead they kind of laughed it off. It's been a year since then, and they're coming around, happily, because I've educated them on the different ways ADD manifests in people. It was pretty frustrating and hurtful for a while, though.

So anyway, making the hyperfocus concept easier to understand helps not just parents, but also pseudo grown-ups like me. :D

I lost it's location but somewhere on this site I saw a post this AM that hit me like a brick.
Among other things they called overfocus/hyperfocus a form of manic.
Pretty harsh huh? But I think, I mean, well it sure explains a lot...

I hyperfocus on a subject but, I might go to 30 different websites related to that subject without finishing a single article.

I look at everything as relative to the subject I'm hyperfocused on.

If I'm hyperfocused on Subject-ABC , I look at everything through Subject-ABC colored glasses.

I think hyperfocus comes from the ADD mind being untethered, we can look at things from any place our mind happens to be without paying attention to where we actually are.

I ended up getting into a major fight with my wife in March of this year. I finally got everything I needed to do out income tax. I sat down in the kitchen and spraed out everthing on the kitchen table. My wife came home and told me she just found out some major things at her first chiropractor's appointment. I acknowledged it but went right back to the taxes. I got so involved in the taxes taht nothing else came through to me. I did finally finish up but by that time I had been so consumed with the task at hand, I had forgotten what my wife had mentioned to me. She never brought it back up so I never asked. I'll never live it down just like many other instances. Hyperfocus allows me to acclomplish things but many times puts me in the hot seat.:(

Tom