AD/HD and Hypersensitivities: The Princess and the Pea Syndrome
Contributed by: Terry Matlen, ACSW and Mary Jane Johnson, PCC, ACT (Posted on 2005-03-11)

It's 12:30 a.m and you force yourself off the computer and head for bed. Your alarm will go off in exactly 6 hours so you know you've got to get some good solid rest.

As you trudge into the bathroom to wash up, you begin to get more awake rather than sleepy. The tang of the toothpaste in your mouth and the roughness of the bristles jar your oral senses. As you search for your softest, most comfy pajamas, you realize you've left them in the washing machine and have nothing remotely as pleasant to sleep in. So you grab your 2nd favorite pair of PJs. But they just don't feel right. The tag on the collar starts to make your skin itch and ache at the same time. You begin to scratch. And scratch.

12:45 a.m and you collapse into bed. But you forgot to stretch out the sheets tautly and now you feel ridges of fabric ripping across your back, legs and arms. You get out of bed to pull them more tightly and jump back in. You are aware of bumps and irregularities and just can't get comfortable. The room is too hot. Or maybe too cold.

As you try hard to empty your brain of all your thoughts, worries and ruminations, you hear something. It is so loud, you wonder if it's coming from under your pillow. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. You realize the sound is not coming from the pillow; it's across the room. Your husband has purchased a new clock! And it's not digital. The noise pierces through your brain and you want to throw it out the window. Instead, you take it downstairs and put it under the couch. Even placing it in the next room wouldn't keep that horrible sound from reaching your sensitive ears.

1:15 am and you're still awake. Some odd odor is bothering you and you can't identify the source. It becomes stronger and stronger and you suddenly realize that a skunk has entered the house and sprayed the dog. You wake your husband up urgently to search for the poor victim so you can a) bath him immediately or b) throw him out of the house.

But the dog is at your side, not having moved the entire evening. You realize that the skunk is somewhere outside. You've been fooled again by your hypersensitive olfactory organ.

You hold your nose, place your arm over your ears and finally...FINALLY fall asleep. At precisely 6:30, your clock radio screams out an old Monkees tune and you wake up in a combined state of fog/fright, not knowing where you are, even though you've lived in the same house for 12 years. The awful song is now stuck in your brain and you WANT to take the Last Train To Clarksville. You start your day the same way you have for 35 years: being totally overwhelmed by your own senses. All of which are so finely tuned, that you feel like a piano string so tightly woven, just ready to pop.

Mary Jane Johnson, in her 1998 article titled: "Having ADD And Being Hypersensitive: Is there a Connection?" shares a fascinating exploration of AD/HD nuances that we don't often read, hear or talk about. We know the common AD/HD symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity. Or inattention, distractibility. But little is mentioned of the AD/HD and hypersensitivity connection. Sari Solden was one of the first to address it in her book "Women with Attention Deficit Disorder".

But until I began reading about AD/HD- particularly AD/HD in women- I thought I was just an over-sensitive baby who had no backbone, no spine. I thought I was the only one who had an exaggerated startle response to the slightest noise. A sneeze from the back of a restaurant could cause me to jump a foot straight up from my chair. Not fun when you have a glass of red wine in your hand.

Since reading more about AD/HD, and talking to my clients and friends with AD/HD, I've come to learn just how common hypersensitivities are in people with AD/HD. I've since learned that I'm not crazy for hating:


Walking on a sticky floor
Synthetic clothes
Panty hose
Florescent lights
Light touch to my skin
Tags in my blouses
Getting caught in the rain Amusement rides
Nail polish
Mary Jane, in her article, talks about her aversion to clothes with fitted waistbands, various food textures (tomato sauce is fine. Tomatoes are verboten!).

She and I share an aversion to loud TVs, unsolicited touch, large crowds, and more. She lists many more from a survey she took of attendees at the 4th annual ADDA conference that was held in Washington, DC back in 1998. It's quite interesting to see what adults with AD/HD listed as trouble spots. You can read her survey results at http://www.add.org/content/treatment/pollmj.htm (http://www.add.org/content/treatment/pollmj.htm)

In working with adults with AD/HD, I will usually ask if they are bothered by hypersensitivities and often they are amazed to hear that they are not alone. Perhaps you too are bothered by the things listed above and never realized the connection between that and having AD/HD.

What To Do

First, recognize that this is part of your own neurology. You are simply more sensitive to your environment and your own "skin". Instead of trying to tough it out, find ways to make your life more comfortable.

Here are some ideas to help you manage your hypersensitivities:

If high heels are simply too painful to deal with, dump them for comfortable flats.
If the sound level is too high at home or at work, purchase special headphones that block out noise or consider white noise machines.
If you have trouble falling asleep because of all the noise bouncing around inside OR outside your head, turn on a small fan or purchase a small bubbling fountain to sooth you to sleep.
Try wearing soft, loose fitting clothing, particularly soft knits or cotton.
If jewelry is bothersome but you must wear a watch, consider a loose bracelet watch
If you become overwhelmed with too much stimuli, take yourself out of the situation.
Go to a quiet place, close your eyes and take some deep breaths.
After work, take off all clothing and jewelry and put on a loose fitting robe to help calm and center yourself.
Have regular massages if you find that enjoyable (personally, I hate them!)
Get out in nature as much as possible.
The main point is to stop fighting what you can't control and find ways to ease you into your days with as much comfort as possible. Remember, you're not "weird"...it's just your wiring.

-Helpful Resources

"The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine Aron (Broadway-1997)

"Too Loud, Too Bright, To Loud, To Tight: What to do if you are sensory defensive in an overstimulating world" by Sharon Heller PhD (Harper Collins – 2002)

"Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD" by Terry Matlen, MSW (Specialty Press-2004)

"Women with Attention Deficit Disorder" by Sari Solden, MS, MFCC (Underwood Books-1995)

Copyright Terry Matlen, MSW and Mary Jane Johnson, PCC, ACT

Terry Matlen, MSW., ACSW, is a psychotherapist and consultant specializing in AD/HD in adults. She is the author of "Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD", (http://www.addconsults.com/book_announcement.php) director of http://www.addconsults.com (http://www.addconsults.com/) and myADDstore.com and serves on the board of directors of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA). A popular presenter at local and national conferences, Ms. Matlen has a passion for raising awareness of the special challenges for women with AD/HD and the unique issues parents face when both they and their children have AD/HD.

I was wondering what other folks hypersensitivity lists included.:)

LOL--it almost hurt reading that!! I can forget to make my bed in teh morning, but before going to sleep, I HAVE to strech everything out, and make everything neat. Otherwise, I can't sleep with the ridges and lumps in a bed! And food texures--NO ONE I've met in real life can understand my aversion to different food textures (even if I don't mind the flavor of the food). For example, I remember getting frustrated to the point of tears as a kid when my mom cooked somethng with onions in it--I just can't stand taht slimy feel! Yet, I don't really mind sour cremem and onion, or foods that have an onion flavor.

Other things I'm sensitive to--def. touch--I startle easily. Even holding a warm hand makes me uncomfortable, but then I feel bad pulling away (no one gets that it kind of hurts).
Changes in light.
HATE tags or elastic--yuk! Drove my mom nuts as a kid b/c I refused to wear any of the pretty frilly stuff that had elastic in it. We had a daily routine before school where my mom would cut elastic where it hurt me in my clothes.

There's so much more, but I should probably get back to work :-p It really did feel good to know that I'm not the only one who's crazy to these types of things.

Oh my goodness yes. I decided when I was in grade school that I hated wearing shoes because they were so uncomfortable. Of course 45 or 50 years ago they didn't realize that some girls have wide feet and all the shoes my mom bought me were too narrow - no wonder they were uncomfortable. I was so thrilled when I discovered leather mocasins. I've worn house shoes as street shoes. I've worn many pairs of boy's shoes because they are made wider. And I've gone barefoot whenever possible my whole life.

I've worn nothing but soft t-shirt knit shirts for about 20 years. I can't stand any fabric that feels stiff or bumpy or scratchy. I have never been able to stand wearing a plastic headband to hold my hair back. I hate having something loose and floppy around my wrist like a bracelet or a wrist watch that's too loose. But I cannot stand anything that is too tight either.

The only food I've had a problem with texture is tapioca. I don't like mashed potatoes but I think that just because I got tired of eating them every day when I was a kid.

Yes, I have to have my bedsheets smooth or it drives me crazy. And no scented detergent or softner or I will lie awake all night because of the "stink".

I don't mind so much if things pile up on the furniture around the house, but I cannot stand a dirty gritty floor, especially if I'm barefoot, but the noise and the feel bother me as much as when the floor feels and sounds sticky.

I tried sleeping with earplugs but they make my ears sore. I have to have a fan running or one of those machines that sounds like rain or a brook. It used to keep me awake if there was any light at all in the room... now I leave a dim reading light on and when I wake up I just read a few more pages in my book and soon fall asleep again. And even if I don't fall asleep, at least I'm resting quietly instead of fidgeting and worrying about not sleeping or what I didn't get done or need to get done.

Argghhh. I hate microwaves and dryers that ding/beep/buzz until you get up and turn them off. I will not have one in the house!

I hate the computer games and playstation games that repeat the same 8 bars of music over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....

Sticky floors ugh! And I must be barefoot, that's a rough one. Every litle speck irritates me. Seams in socks must be just so or they bug me. Wrinkles in sheets, bug me.

The sound of NASCAR racing will never fail to take every thought I have from my mind. Dishwashing in the sink is painful, clanking dishes hurts my ears.

Those new headlamps on cars, those hurt my eyes.

Smells kind of assault me. Usually, nobody else but my child can smell the offensive odor, but sometimes others can and they do not perceive them to be as nasty as I do.

On the other foot, hot/cold...hot food should be hotter than most people can consume, and cold things really need to be cold or they are sooo yukky. Same goes for a hot shower; I am talking skin-pinkening hot or its just kind of icky to me.

:eyebrow: that enough?

Crazy

I couldn't stand washing dishes in a metal sink, but otherwise it's not so bad... as long as I'm the one making the noise. I can't stand to hear someone else run the vacumn cleaner!


And I hate those new halogen head lamps on cars too. When they first came out I was wearing those yellow sunglasses they make for hunters to wear on bright snowy days so the lights didn't blind me. Then I learned to just watch the stripe down the outside of the road until the car gets past.

I can't stand the feel of dirty dishes--I need to wear gloves even if it's just loading a bunch of dishes in the dishwaher.

I can't stand the feel of dirty dishes--I need to wear gloves even if it's just loading a bunch of dishes in the dishwaher.EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!! Those dishes also have other people's spit on them!! :faint:

OK had another look at the list Scatt...get out in nature? :eyebrow: No thanks, too many sounds and stenches out there, trust me.

Water rides at amusement parks: it is loads of fun to walk around in dripping wet clothing, in particular soaked undergarments WHY?? :eek: No thanks!

Lunacie, no kidding, I had a set of Barney-feet house shoes I wore out on the street once upon a time ;). I saw a set of chicken-feet once at a flea market but they were used and I passed on them.

The booping sound my answering machine makes over and over sets my teeth on edge...all members of this house know "Momma can't stand the Boop, cut that off before she freaks out." :D

Snow :mad: that stuff is made of sensory torture! Its too cold, makes a disgusting crunchy noise when you step on it and reflects light.

I hate the computer games and playstation games that repeat the same 8 bars of music over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....

Sometimes...it depends on how inane the music is, and if I happen to be the person playing or not. Mainly, if it is the slightest bit comical? Then it drives me to distraction and becomes and earworm. FFX Blitzball music, DragonQuest 8 Casino music ack! :faint:

I like the scrunchy, squeaky sound of snow. I hate vacum cleaners. I hate the sound of breaking glass. I don't like people who are noisy. I can't stand peeople who are touchy-feely. I hate hummus (gags me). Any sharp, loud, repetive noise is torture for me.

I hate synthetic fabrics. I like cotton fabrics. I like big, baggy, seamless T shirts.

I hate dried tomatoes. I hate tomato soup. I like cherry tomatoes. I'm not really fond of sliced tomatoes, but I tolerate them. I think avacado is disgusting. I think olives are ugly, but I tolerate them.

I like sweet baby gerkins but I hate dill pickles. I hate the scent of cold spaghetti when someone is eating it, but I love to eat cold spaghetti, especially if it is buried in grated cheese. It is one of my fav foods, don't aske me why, I don't know.

Me :D

Vacuum cleaners don't phase me much, but garbage disposals are awful.

People who are touchy-feely work my nerves too.

Synthetics don't bother me too much if they are loose and flowing, anything tight must be cotten or else I will not wear it.

I can find all the lima beans in any soup or salad, ew ew ew! Its the grody texture :mad:.

The smell of watermelon, real or artificial, gives me an instant and explosive headache.

The smell of bubble gum is nasty.

I love hummus! I drown it in lemon juice though, and refuse to eat it without the pita bread, otherwise what's the point?

Calamata olives are really ugly but I love them.

What else Speedo? This is fun! I feel like I am in confession or something :D.

Crazy

I like watermellon, but it is too messy, so I don't bother.

I really, really, hate sorbe and I really, really hate guacamoli. *GROSS!*

yup, I think the scent of watermellon bubblegum is horrid.

I like lima beans a lot.

I hate the smell of the food stands at carnivals... it is just too much.

I really dislike all the flashing lights at night when there is an accident or something and you have all the emergency vehicles there with all the lights and loud radios going at the same time. It is VERY disorienting.

I don't like giant shopping malls. It is a huge overload for me.

I hate the scent of dry dogfood, it makes me gag instantly.

I hate the scent of babyfood, it makes me gag instantly.


Me :D

'Walking on a sticky floor
Synthetic clothes
Panty hose
Florescent lights
Light touch to my skin
Tags in my blouses
Getting caught in the rain Amusement rides
Nail polish'

I have all the above but the nail polish I'm is ok that. But, I tried fake nails once. They lasted 3 days, I went back to have them removed.

I hate my hair on the back of my neck. So my hair is either pulled back in a pony or short.

Shoes !!! OMG shoes or sneakers..... I'm so picky and it take me forever to find a pair that fits just right. Even then a few days of wearing them I might find I hate them because they don't feel right on my feet.

Other things I'm sensitive to--def. touch--I startle easily. Even holding a warm hand makes me uncomfortable, but then I feel bad pulling away (no one gets that it kind of hurts).

Oh yes this is me also

[QUOTE=Lunacie]
I hate having something loose and floppy around my wrist like a bracelet or a wrist watch that's too loose. But I cannot stand anything that is too tight either.
[QUOTE]

Wow I have way more of this than I realized.

I don't like to wear a watch or bracelets, never really thought about the whys about it :rolleyes:

Sticky floors ugh! And I must be barefoot, that's a rough one. Every litle speck irritates me. Seams in socks must be just so or they bug me. Wrinkles in sheets, bug me.

The sound of NASCAR racing will never fail to take every thought I have from my mind. Dishwashing in the sink is painful, clanking dishes hurts my ears.

Those new headlamps on cars, those hurt my eyes.


On the other foot, hot/cold...hot food should be hotter than most people can consume, and cold things really need to be cold or they are sooo yukky. Same goes for a hot shower; I am talking skin-pinkening hot or its just kind of icky to me.



Crazy


I go an and on about those head lights :D and how I hate them till my family needs to explode from within just to shut me up..... ;)


same here with the hot and cold foods, drinks, showers

I can't stand the feel of dirty dishes--I need to wear gloves even if it's just loading a bunch of dishes in the dishwaher.

As I kid I'd rather go to the dentist than do dishes and I just could never explain why to my Mom and later to my husband. It's not so bad for me now I've learned to shut the yukie thoughts out of my head while doing dishes. I ahve a 16 yo daughter who has this and I don't ask her to do anything with the dirty dishes

yup. I *sometimes* hate headlights.

Me :D

I can't walk bare footed!! I cant stand tapping, or clicking, or buzzing..but OMG if anyone WHISTLES, I nearly strangle them :-)

I am taking cipro for an infection. my cognitive function is totally fried and I am so hypersensitive i could shatter. has anyone else had trouble with antibiotics? or when you get sick?

i am nauseated, dizzy, and have a roaring bad headache that won't go away. I was feeling so much better till i got sick.

RADD-SADD tonight:(

I actually like acrylic nails as long as I am on Xanax when I have them applied (whew those chemicals reek!) and they can be regularly maintained. Otherwise I get all ucky about the gap when they grow out. Acrylics keep me from "picking" and scratching, of course if you have a booger, you are just fresh outta luck then. :D

Massive bolts of lightning, not the thunder, but the sight of the flash :eek:.

All jewelry must fit properly and be of the purest substances possible. I have absolutely no "junk jewelry" at all! DO NOT bedeck me in plastic finery :mad:.

The dentist is actually great for me. Cruddy bits in my teeth and under my gums make me "pick". As a child I clearly remember forcing my baby teeth loose :o because baby brother still had the Tooth Fairy and I wanted the money too. Didn't bug me much to tell the truth.

I can tell immediately if the fryer oil grease has not been changed recently by the smell of the fried food.

Crazy

Another one: perky people :mad: that tone of voice goes through me, and yes, I can hear it in someone's type or it seems like I can anyway...perky type=perky voice in my head. Means I wanna throttle the person.


Crazy (yay...now to decide my title!!!)

lol--crazy, guess you'd want to thottle me ;) I can get pretty perky--in a quirky way, but still. You knwo what else I hate--short nails. Ever since I was a kid, I would run away from my mom when she would try to trim my nails--I can't touch ANYTHING if I don't have at least 1-2 cm of nail growing out. Too bad I prefer the look of short nails to long (dark nail polish on longer nails just doesn't work on me). So I have always had slightly long nails. (thank God I'm a girl ;))

LOL Cat there is a huge difference between "perky" and "quirky". Kathy Lee Gifford is perky, I am quirky. Quirky=OK, perky=you must die LOL.

I cannot grow my own nails :( genetic predisposition to them curling under when they get long. Sigh!


Crazy

I don't like wearing fingernail polish or foundation make up. A little powder is all I can handle and that not consistently. I prefer cotton lose fitting clothes. Sweaters make me incredibly itchy so I have to wear a shirt under them. I hate high heals and I'm not too fond of any type of dress shoes. I usually wear some kind of athletic shoes. I can't stand hair spray -- the smell or feel. I'm incredibly sensitive to smells with quite a strong revulsion for bad ones. Loud noises, especially sudden ones, usually elicit a yelp and leap off the floor. I hate the sound of loud fans -- drives me nuts.


Natural stuff doesn't bother me much -- I love being out in nature -- that's when I'm most at peace. I love the natural smells -- even horse droppings don't bother me.

Scattered

I have a hard time with the bright headlights too. My eyes are very sensitive to light, especially after having LASIK a year and a half ago. I wear sunglasses even on cloudy days! (UV can still be out! :p )

I love the crunching sound of snow, but hate how cold it is. I also don't like it once the road crews get to it and it gets all brown. :( But it does look beautiful!

I have to have loose-fitting clothes. If clothes are fitted, they must be cotton so they don't bunch like anything with spandex does. I hate to wear shorts too. I wear skirts and capris during the summer. I too hate getting wet unless I plan to go swimming. I hate the sticky feeling that clothes get when wet. I also hate to feel my hair stick to me.

I have a difficult time wearing my hair the same all day. I can start out with it down, but it will usually be up by the end of the day. Same if I wear it up, my head starts to hurt if my hair has been up too long.

I used to have to cut the tags out of all of my clothes, now it just depends on the tag material and where on my clothing it is. Sock seams have to be just so.

I too have the smell thing. Last night I SWEAR my cat pooped in my room, the smell was so strong! Turns out she didn't, I was just smelling the litter box all the way across my apartment. I notice smells long before or long after most people.

One last for now, I don't like to have my food mix unless it's supposed to be mixed. I try as hard as I can to keep each food on my plate separate. It's really difficult at a lot of restaurants since they give so much food! :(

I have a hard time with the bright headlights too. My eyes are very sensitive to light, especially after having LASIK a year and a half ago. I wear sunglasses even on cloudy days! (UV can still be out! :p )

I love the crunching sound of snow, but hate how cold it is. I also don't like it once the road crews get to it and it gets all brown. :( But it does look beautiful!

I have to have loose-fitting clothes. If clothes are fitted, they must be cotton so they don't bunch like anything with spandex does. I hate to wear shorts too. I wear skirts and capris during the summer. I too hate getting wet unless I plan to go swimming. I hate the sticky feeling that clothes get when wet. I also hate to feel my hair stick to me.

I have a difficult time wearing my hair the same all day. I can start out with it down, but it will usually be up by the end of the day. Same if I wear it up, my head starts to hurt if my hair has been up too long.

I used to have to cut the tags out of all of my clothes, now it just depends on the tag material and where on my clothing it is. Sock seams have to be just so.

I too have the smell thing. Last night I SWEAR my cat pooped in my room, the smell was so strong! Turns out she didn't, I was just smelling the litter box all the way across my apartment. I notice smells long before or long after most people.

One last for now, I don't like to have my food mix unless it's supposed to be mixed. I try as hard as I can to keep each food on my plate separate. It's really difficult at a lot of restaurants since they give so much food! :(
I go NUTS if my food touches. Don't know if taht has anything to do with ADD. But if I'm at a dinner party, I always take out small portions so that they don't touch each other on my plate--because then I just can't eat teh food once it's been "contaminated." I usually go for seconds or thirds because I wasn't able to eat as much (variety and quantity) the first go......problem is, I'm pretty thin, and when people see such little food in my plate, they always comment on it and how I really should be eating more...ugh, hate it when people think you're starving yourself even though you're not :(

I go NUTS if my food touches. Don't know if taht has anything to do with ADD. But if I'm at a dinner party, I always take out small portions so that they don't touch each other on my plate--because then I just can't eat teh food once it's been "contaminated." I usually go for seconds or thirds because I wasn't able to eat as much (variety and quantity) the first go......problem is, I'm pretty thin, and when people see such little food in my plate, they always comment on it and how I really should be eating more...ugh, hate it when people think you're starving yourself even though you're not :( You need to get some of those picnic plates with divided sections! ;)

I always eat one thing at a time and then move on to the next thing. My family used to give me no end to grief about that. I can't imagine how that is in any way important.:eyebrow: Foods also have to be incredibly fresh for me -- I love tomatoes but rarely eat them at home because if they're just the tiniest bit past perfect my reaction to them is so strong I can't get myself to try another one -- maybe that has to do with my hypersensitive smell.

I love the feel and sound of crunching snow. When I was a kid I remember changing or wrestling a lot with clothes to try to get comfortable -- things buged me like tags, materials, fit, etc -- I thought I'd kind of outgrown that, but now that I think about it, it's not so much that I outgrew it, but I just know what kind of clothes I like now and don't bother with the others.

I am incredibly sensitive to bright light. Even with sunglasses I frequently end up squinting. I don't know if that is my ADD or more likely the cornea transplants.

Scattered

I'm not sure how much hypersensitivity is linked to ADHD. I try not to link thinkgs to it unless I know for sure. Is hypersensitivity more/less likely in people with ADHD or is it just as common in people with ADHD as the general population?

Scattered - I also eat one thing at a time, my Dad does too and he also has ADD and our family gives us crap for it. Is this an ADD thing???

I also separate my food, I cannot stand things mixing. Depending on the meal, sometimes I will put each thing on a different plate. Its great to know that I am not crazy.

I'm not sure how much hypersensitivity is linked to ADHD. I try not to link thinkgs to it unless I know for sure. Is hypersensitivity more/less likely in people with ADHD or is it just as common in people with ADHD as the general population?Good question!:)

low sounds get me more than high onessss but i hate a lot noicse an it makes me have paikactts sometimes aspeail if its cold as well ......i plan alot what i do so i have time to get out dorm

Mine:

barefeet on the floor(no carpets) hate it. especially in basements! ick!
Bright lights.. I cant stand headlights, the sun, spotlights, etc
Certain ways I am touched. (physically) if it is repetative I get annoyed. Legs and arms mostly. Small soft like touches.
Pain... I get extremely angry when I get hurt (physically)
Touchy feely people
People that grab at me or hang off me.
People that stand in my "bubble"
Hearing - hate the buzzing, high pitch ringing, slurping, chewing,
Cold weather - very sensitive (freeze to death all the time) I need at least 6 heavy blankets most of the year.
Taste - My tastebud are NOT that sensitive however. I always found that strange.
Smell - sometimes I can pin point certain "stinks" (that I dont want to), from other people... which makes it so nasty!
Physical empathy - If someone gets hurt, or is sad.. at times I feel a real physically painfull feeling in my heart(for their sadness) and in my stomach(for their pain) Its a very odd feeling.
Chakras Overstimulated(?) - When I was growing up, I would get a weird sensation where your "third eye" is located (between your eyes). This sensation would not leave me alone and would literally keep me awake every night. It wouldnt go away untill nothing in my room was "pointing" at my foregead. Once in awhile it acts up again.

All I can think of for now.

I'm not sure how much hypersensitivity is linked to ADHD. I try not to link thinkgs to it unless I know for sure. Is hypersensitivity more/less likely in people with ADHD or is it just as common in people with ADHD as the general population?

I believe it's strongly linked. The whole reason we're so easily distracted is that we're aware/sensitive to those things going on around us.

However, Elaine Aron, author of "The Highly Sensitive Person", claims that 20% of people have heightened sensitivity - so it's obvious that one can be highly sensitive and not have ADHD.

Personally, I can't stand ticking clocks.

nylons, turtlenecks, one peice bathing suits, feeling like something is under my nails, feeling like my hands are dry, headlights on cars, computer screens without antiglare things, long toe nails (I cut mine very very short), holes in socks, high waisted pants, people grinding their teeth, the static on radio stations, sqeeky erasers, hair sticking to my neck when it is hot, I have a ton more but cant think of them right now.

My ears were damaged in Vietnam and both have become worse and worse over time. Just like you, I disliked many of the noises that you have noted above. Gradually, my hearing deficit made them easier to bear. In fact, I became practically deaf in some sound ranges and that eliminated many of the offending sounds. Things, in a way, were actually improving.

Somewhere in this process, family and friends complained about my poor hearing. They said that I appeared to ignore them, or did not respond when and how they wanted me to. Some thought that this lack of responsiveness might actually be intentional. I was criticized for being unsocial or rude.

So, I got a pair of good hearing aids. They were specially fitted to overcome my hearing problems. They, in fact, enabled me to again hear most of what I had been missing.

I don't know if the sudden reappearance and amplification of sound over-sensitized me, but the sounds I had disliked before were now absolutely obnoxious. And some of the conversations that were inflicted on me were inane, stupid, boring, without points or direction, and just a plain waste of time.

And then I found the little button way up at the top of each hearing aid. I got a magnifying glass out and read the four letters beneath each button.

Now I am happy again.

The four letters spelled the word "Mute".

- I am hypersensitive to odors.... especially my boyfriend's dogs when they start to smell ripe.
- I am also hypersensitive to any repetitive sound....... My boyfriend's dog licks herself constantly and all I can hear is this "smack, lick, smack, lick....." over and over again.
- Dogs barking way off in the distance in the middle of the night drives me crazy.
At night I sleep with earplugs or a very LOUD fan to drown out sounds.
- Snoring, no matter how quiet, sets me on edge.
- Ticking clocks drive me up the wall.
- I cannot stand the sound of long nails typing on the keyboard.

My main ones:

Noise: Easily startled, easily distracted. Certain types of noises annoy/bother me more than others. Incessant blaring of the telephone has caused me to leave work early on several occasions due to overload.
Light: Not horribly, but I tend to be detracted from bright light (florescent light, headlights at night).
Clothing: Not so much anymore, but the usual suspects.
Smells: More averse to some and not so much to others. It depends.
Taste/texture of foods: Was a very picky eater as a child, but not so much anymore.
Temperature: Both atmosphere and hot surfaces. This doesn't apply to me anymore as much, but I tend not to sleep very well in temperatures above 75 F. Air conditioning is a must have for me. I never (well, rarely) wear long-sleeved shirts.

Dig your out-line HF mind if I barrow it:

Noise: Yea the dog licking thing bugs me toooooo I have a dog trained to stop that upon command. . . .I say "Stop" she has two seconds or a shoe will be heading her way in three.

Ticking clocks wind up kind can't do them. . .clocks that have batteries they tick tooooooo.

Dog that bark constantly . . . mine doesn't bark in the house unless it is on fire literally

TV's on constantly . . . I can't sleep with them on no matter who’s house I am at I will stay up longer then them and turn TVs off - ask my sister!

Radios not on a channel

Out of tune instruments and or off key music

Noise that claims to be music . . . too much retentiveness to music

smacking . . . .

electronic hmmmmmm ing (I have to wear head sets when on the computer)

phones ringing and ringing and ringing

Light: glare bothers me

Lights shining directly in my face


Clothing: tags don't exist in my cloths at all

granny panties or ones that crawl

sagging socks or socks that have unequal snugness

tight shoes

any metallic type devices placed in undergarments for the purpose of support.

elastic in the wrong places

wedgies

nylon of any kind

wool of any kind

Smells: I am lucky in this respect because I have sinus problems can't smell half the time any way. . .Gary is hyper sensitive to smells so they don't last long enough to bother me.

If it sticks I can't eat it though . . .

I can smell rotten food through air tight containers

People who bathe in perfume should be shot or taught about soap and water alternative.


Taste/texture of foods; any thing in the legume family,

any thing slimy,

or acidy,

or squishy

soggy bread out of the question

beer or malted favored

Temperature: I have to have air tooooo could be I live in Texas :rolleyes:

I dislike heat and the older I get lower my tolerance for it becomes

I can't do the sun for long I feel bad if I am out in the direct sun light too long

I also have to rinse my clothes a second time or I can feel the detergent or fabric softener even through I use a liquid and put it in while the washer is filing up.

I have to watch which soaps and lotions I use or I find my self with a rash

Can't do the power in gloves at my work in 30 seconds my hands will be bleeding

Think I am hyper sensitive . . . .hmmmmm hard to tell!

So many more of those are also on my list.

The heat makes me sick, and it makes me sweat, and when my clothes get sweaty I really-really-really want to take them off and put on dry clothes.

I'm so sensitive to soaps, shampoos, detergents. I've been making my own laundry detergent for several months now and doing much better with that.

Can't stand crunching snow - can't be in the same room with a ticking clock - barking dogs annoy the crap out of me - kids who scream to just hear themselves - anything that squeaks - high heels on a hard-floor - a tv and a radio on at the same time or one child watching tv and the other one singing while using the computer - LEAF BLOWERS !!!
ARGHHH !

I've been wondering about this idea ever since it popped up in my mind.

Do you think maybe that we are hypersensitive because nature won't be stopped?

Please bear with me a sec. I just passed the 1 year mark since I was diagnosed ADHD. Strange anniversary to have, but anyway, the year was spent learning more about myself than I think I did in the 42 years before it. Collecting what, like every expert out there thinks about our brains, our minds, our behavior. Reading their books about ADHD, the cause, the effect, our development, our deficit and on and on.

How can I possibly be so bad and so good? Why would I be gifted at this when I can't even do that?

All their ideas poured into my head. Add my zipping thoughts, pinging everywhere around them, diving thru them, shooting ahead of them or continuing them after. Somewhere along the line it occurred to me.

The paradox of our "special talents" juxtaposed with our "obvious lacks" isn't a paradox at all...

IF

..If the assumption ISN'T that our development, human development, follows a defined path along a well known timeline in a well studied order, physically, psychologically, socially.

*** What if the assumption instead is that human development, our development, is making the path? Our own path. ***

Could development, physically, psychologically, or socially, just have a general tendency to flow a path? Cascade along a typical timeline? Like water tends to run downhill but the streambeds are unique. Do you think maybe we are so used to the usual that we just think we can define it all?

Ok then, why shouldn't what we see, prove what we know?

Don't scientists look at everything in nature? See ALL the data? Patterns AND differences. Don't they discover "new" things all the time?

What if we are natural? All of us. What if our nature is simply to grow?

So I'm back where I started.

Maybe we are hypersensitive because nature won't be stopped. Maybe we're lots of things because we're not other things.

Yeah, my brain chemistry didn't support conscious concentration which I could control. So what, I wasn't developing self control (literally) when you were. AND I wasn't building on that (missing) foundation all the rest of the "talents" of focusing, filtering distractions, controlling my impulses, or even initiating action I want by consciously creating impulses myself.

While you were doing all that, I don't remember sitting still. Seriously, that wouldn't be like me!

I can't filter anything out, but I can take in everything my senses deliver and hold it in my awareness simultaneously. All of my senses. And while were on the subject, holy crap what keen senses I've developed! I notice stuff that you don't. N'yay N'yay.

Ok, I don't understand a lot of your social "rules" and cues, but I really don't get why you can't tell he's lying or know she's sad. I mean isn't it obvious to you too?

I can't go step by step. I don't have your patience. But look, step 3 is just like 7 and 8. See the connection? This way will save us time. Everyone sees that, right?

I dunno. It's a theory.

I think life flows thru us no matter where the rocks are in our way. It isn't good or bad, it just is; and whatever it is we've been doing all along, we can't help but get better at it.

I'd like to know what you think?

Best,
Me

Certain sounds. . .I'm hypersensitive to the bass notes in music, can't stand the sound, and I can feel the physical vibration travel through to anything I touch, so if someone is playing a car radio, I can feel it through the floors, my pillow if I'm lying down. The disembodied bass, no matter how inaudible it might be to other people, drives me bonkers. Repetitive sounds can be OK if they don't stop, so I can use them as a sort of hypnosis to sleep or to shut out so I can focus on something else. But the cats are locked out of the room because I haven't been able to train them not to wash themselves in the room off and on all night.

And a steady, unremitting pressure type touch. . .hand-holding, arm around shoulder, anyone else's body parts on my legs, makes me feel uncomfortable and trapped.

Thankfully, that's mostly it, unless I'm already irritated, in which case it's still sound and feeling on my skin that send me over the edge.