can you be shy and have ADD?

[Only one]

Can you be shy and have ADD?

[namazu]

Yes, you can be shy and have ADHD.

Actually, some proportion of people with ADHD have social anxiety disorders, too.

[sarek]

Yes, you can. I am dreadfully shy myself. One has very little to do with the other.

[fracturedstory]

To me shy is just very mild social anxiety. I can't see it being anything else.
People used to call me shy but the truth is I never had a desire to communicate with people and I've had many forms of anxiety all my life. The one people thought was shyness was actually a severe form of social anxiety known as selective mutism.

I know this kid who with me is very talkative but around others seems to go quiet. Then she told me she wasn't always like that. She gets picked on in school which made her go into her shell, as some would say.

I think some with inattentive ADHD might seem shy, even if they're not anxious and people with Hyperactive ADHD might become withdrawn from people making fun of them. Both situations have happened to me.

It's kind of sad. I'd hate to see an outgoing child become quiet and withdrawn because some kids made fun of their impulsive behaviour. I have such a endearing nephew who seems to just be a little hyper.

[Crosswired]

I have inattentive ADD and I was painfully shy. I was always the quietest kid in class. Never spoke in class. Many Inattentive types were very shy as children.

[Abi]

Yes.m

ADHD is a neuro-psychiatric medical diagnosis

Shyness is a personality trait [that may or may not be indicative of further pathology eg. a n anxiety condition.]

[sarahsweets]

My hubby is insanely shy. I love him dearly but there were some major walls to break through. He is ADHD as well.

[Raye]

@Crosswired- I could have written that.

I've always been shy and an introvert

[plank80]

Yes you can. I have mild social anxiety and can appear shy in certain situations.

[Twiggy]

I'm not really shy.
I just haven't been properly socialized when I was growing up and don't have all the proper knowledge in order to socialize with people. That makes me not feel like talking with people, since it makes me feel like a failure at the end when I do.

I need to learn to how to start and keep a conversation going. All my conversations with people have been more like short remarks that I keep repeating over again.
"Yeah" "cool" "awesome"...and so on.

I do try adding new remarks and try not to sound weird, but I do anyways since I don't know what to talk about.

[Assumption]

(this is pker014, not sylvie)

I come off as shy, sometimes, I think. I do find it hard to relax around strangers. And I find small-talk mind-bogglingly boring so often don't contribute much to such conversations. But I'm generally the person that puts up their hand in class to ask/answer questions or even argue with the lecturer. So I think it depends on the context.

(I haven't actually been diagnosed yet)

[ONLY DESTROYER]

I did not talk at all in pre-school. I can actually remember saying probably only a few words during pre-school because they were not sure if I was learning anything. I said peanutbutter and jelly, so I could pass an activity. If I did not speak I would not have been able to pass pre-school..that is kind of messed up..that is what they told my parents.
(Btw I am inattentive ADD)

[samtastic]

Yes. I don't have any social anxiety, and when I am comfortable with someone and have gotten to know them (coworkers, significant other, friends, obviously family), I can be very outgoing, talkative, and enjoy engaging in conversation.

That said, I am an introvert at heart. I know it isn't the same as being shy, but after a crazy week, for example, my idea of winding down, leaving coporate-job mode, and de-stressing is NOT a night out on the town with best friends, or a concert, or anything like that. It's sitting on the couch with good food and a book, or laying in bed in my PJs from 6pm on, with a some tea and a mindless Law & Order marathon on tv, or something.

Not to the negative point of isolation, but I much prefer less "peoplepeopleeverywhere" time, and more "justme" time. Being shy might be a facet of that introverted personality type, so I'm sure you can be shy AND have ADHD.