For the Sct/possible Sct crew.

[shamrock]

Bluegrassbound asked a question in general Add talk about how people deal with that inner restlessness that seems to go with our condition..you know the type that drives you mad.
A lot of people replied by saying that they worked it off with vigorous exercise.

It made me wonder how the SCT crew dealt with it. Sct and vigorous exercise arent words I would tend to put together in the same sentence or am I presuming too much?

Are you troubled by maddening inner restlessness if you are Sct and if so how do you deal with it. NB. Inner not outer restlessness.

[ginniebean]

Inner restlessness is not a symptom of SCT. It's a hyperactive symptom. SCT are said to exclusively have the inattentive symptoms.

They also have an input disorder which distinguishes them from adhd as an output disorder.

[shamrock]

Originally Posted by ginniebean

Inner restlessness is not a symptom of SCT. It's a hyperactive symptom. SCT are said to exclusively have the inattentive symptoms.

They also have an input disorder which distinguishes them from adhd as an output disorder.

Inner mental restlessness I meant. Trying to still your mind..not body....distracted by internal stimuli.. continually getting lost in your head... that type of thing.

[ginniebean]

Oh...

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by shamrock

Inner mental restlessness I meant. Trying to still your mind..not body....distracted by internal stimuli.. continually getting lost in your head... that type of thing.

Medication. Amphetamines take care of that. Are you absolutely certain that you are SCT and not ADHD-PI or ADHD-C?

[Asylum]

If I get like that its because I've been sitting on my butt and not being active, so yes exersize or just being physically active and getting things done (rather than avoiding them) helps. But that's me.
I'm also on my own a lot. I think that can make the situation worse. Obviously when you're with other people you're more likely to be engaged in some sort of activity, or having conversations etc.

[sarahsweets]

For me, the mental restlessness is the hyperactive part. Of course i am physically hyperactive but sometimes its just the train wreck in my mind.

[shamrock]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

Medication. Amphetamines take care of that. Are you absolutely certain that you are SCT and not ADHD-PI or ADHD-C?

Im not c but I certainly could be PI. I dont know but if none of the Sct people get inner restlessness then I have to think. It gets to the point where you would settle for just a diagnostic scan never mind a cure.

[Verile]

I have that maddening inner restlessness. I've lost sleep nearly every night of my life. I never stop thinking. I never zone out. I don't know if it's for the same reasons as you. One of the biggest factors of this restlessness comes from a life long search of seeking some sort of purpose to life, a passion. A way to fill my time and get satisfaction or fulfillment from doing some, any activity. I always feel there's an emptiness no matter what I'm doing.

I'm 26 now and I've yet to find it. I'm something of a jack of all trades now because I start so many projects and never finish them. However, it's not due to distraction or because I have too much going on at once. I give up because I get no sense of reward; it's hard to push yourself to pursue a non vital hobby through will power alone.

I've never got the runner's high from working out as others have described it to me but running has always been very cathartic. So is lifting. It's the closest I've ever come to finding zen or peace without meds. So while I may not be getting the high it must be doing something positive for me chemically. I find peace in manual labor. Exercising is the one thing I've ever stuck with my whole life. So SCT and exercise might go hand in hand if it's even slightly elevating those depressed dopamine and serotonin levels.

So inner restlessness, check. I want so badly to have a reason to live but I can't find one. I'm constantly in my head evaluating and re-evaluating my life and everything trying to find answers.

Exercise, check. Despite my extreme laziness in every other aspect of my life this is the one thing I've stuck with over the years. Even if it was on and off.

Meds have a minimal effect. They give me the same feeling as if I've just worked out all day, especially the tight muscles and pounding heart. They do help, they're far better than nothing, but still short of what I'm looking for in a cure. They give me the energy to get up and go but the ability to motivate myself mentally is still subpar.

Hope that helps and I'm interested to hear from others who think they might have a similar disorder to me, whatever it is.

[Sentetsu]

Originally Posted by Verile

I have that maddening inner restlessness. I've lost sleep nearly every night of my life. I never stop thinking. I never zone out. I don't know if it's for the same reasons as you. One of the biggest factors of this restlessness comes from a life long search of seeking some sort of purpose to life, a passion. A way to fill my time and get satisfaction or fulfillment from doing some, any activity. I always feel there's an emptiness no matter what I'm doing.

I'm 26 now and I've yet to find it. I'm something of a jack of all trades now because I start so many projects and never finish them. However, it's not due to distraction or because I have too much going on at once. I give up because I get no sense of reward; it's hard to push yourself to pursue a non vital hobby through will power alone.

I've never got the runner's high from working out as others have described it to me but running has always been very cathartic. So is lifting. It's the closest I've ever come to finding zen or peace without meds. So while I may not be getting the high it must be doing something positive for me chemically. I find peace in manual labor. Exercising is the one thing I've ever stuck with my whole life. So SCT and exercise might go hand in hand if it's even slightly elevating those depressed dopamine and serotonin levels.

So inner restlessness, check. I want so badly to have a reason to live but I can't find one. I'm constantly in my head evaluating and re-evaluating my life and everything trying to find answers.

Exercise, check. Despite my extreme laziness in every other aspect of my life this is the one thing I've stuck with over the years. Even if it was on and off.

Meds have a minimal effect. They give me the same feeling as if I've just worked out all day, especially the tight muscles and pounding heart. They do help, they're far better than nothing, but still short of what I'm looking for in a cure. They give me the energy to get up and go but the ability to motivate myself mentally is still subpar.

I can completely and totally relate to this empty, restless feeling. I remember the first time I took Adderrall I began to cry because for once that feeling was filled and calmed but it didn't last. I've done everything from Soccer, Football, Archery, Hapkido, Aikido, Basketball, to programming, 3D animation and artwork, traditional animation and artwork, leather working, carpentry, video games, writing.. etc. I always end everything because then the feeling of reward dwindles. I feel no will or drive to continue anything for a time which sucks incredibly due to my choice to start a video game design company with 3 other people 5 years ago.

I myself am 25 and find that manual labor increases my thoughts/restlesness, even though I exercise a great deal as everyone says to, I get the same effect but continue to do so anyways so at least I feel I'm doing SOMETHING.

I'm finding Strattera increases that feeling for me, yet the Effexor is starting to reverse that effect and increase my ability to focus and keep calm. This is only after 5 days on my starting dosage of Effexor.

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by Verile

Post

This sounds a lot like me.

Anyway, below I'm gonna explain what I think is the "why" of the problem described in the original post, and at the same time why I think it can't be remedied naturally.

To begin with, I have a half-***** ADD-PI diagnosis but I have strong reasons to think that I have SCT.

Next, I almost always have this annoying inner monologue too. Having to think of everything in an obsessive manner. It gets very tiring, sometimes it feels like I'm scraping the bottom of my mind-nutella jar for something to be stimulated by, if you understand what I'm saying.

Because if I let go and zone out, two things happen:
1 - I have zero cognition left. Nothing external is stimulating to me, so either I keep thinking about stuff inside, or I don't exist/feel anything. Like some kind of temporary Hellen Keller, please forgive me for the shameless reference. Of course this is unacceptable as I will not take being bored or god forbid, that my life means nothing for 30 whole seconds. Maybe you guys know what I mean.

2 - I make mistakes. Terrible mistakes. This is absolutely unavoidable: as soon as I stop having this constant inner bickering and monologue (anxiety?), as tiring as it is, I make mistakes. At work, in the videogame I play, in the "conversation" I'm having, or just forgetting whatever VERY important thing I'm supposed to do today. Sometimes I try to let go, but am immediately reminded by a mistake that I can't just zone out like this.


Unfortunately, this means that I either keep myself anxious, or I don't exist, or destroy my life gradually. This is so tiring...Like a ******* curse...

That's all I can contribute. I wish I could try amphetamines but my doctor is reticent about what he's gonna give me and the second evaluation by a psychiatrist is taking ages

[Verile]

I hear you. I use the same tactics. It's why I ended up developing such a nasty personality. The only way I can force myself to move is through negative reinforcement and using anxiety like a tool, a blowtorch for my ***. This also had the unintended consequence of dampening my emotions to keep from feeling the hurt. I'm not a true sociopath by any means but I've been accused of it.

But if I didn't do this I wouldn't be able to go on. I'd just give up and wait for it all to end. It's always such a tempting offer too. It's hard to give yourself positive reinforcement when it all sounds like lies and you keep failing despite the encouragement.

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by Verile

I hear you. I use the same tactics. It's why I ended up developing such a nasty personality. The only way I can force myself to move is through negative reinforcement and using anxiety like a tool, a blowtorch for my ***. This also had the unintended consequence of dampening my emotions to keep from feeling the hurt. I'm not a true sociopath by any means but I've been accused of it.

But if I didn't do this I wouldn't be able to go on. I'd just give up and wait for it all to end. It's always such a tempting offer too. It's hard to give yourself positive reinforcement when it all sounds like lies and you keep failing despite the encouragement.

You're exactly like me. This confirms that my theory isn't craziness, but at the same time it's sad as hell because...what now?

Oh well...if I do manage to become somewhat wealthy one day I'll have the leeway to manage my life in a more satisfying manner and stop worrying about stupid crap. Not sure I can regain my emotional integrity so easily though. My heart feels cold as stone sometimes.

[ana futura]

Originally Posted by shamrock

Inner mental restlessness I meant. Trying to still your mind..not body....distracted by internal stimuli.. continually getting lost in your head... that type of thing.

From what I've read that's still ADHD, not SCT. I get that at night all the time, keeps me awake. Mindfulness meditation works wonders (and so do the RIGHT meds.) Too much dopamine can actually make it worse.

Excercise works great too.

I'm under the impression that SCT doesn't think much at all, it's just crickets and rolling tumbleweeds.

[Verile]

Originally Posted by ana futura

From what I've read that's still ADHD, not SCT. I get that at night all the time, keeps me awake. Mindfulness meditation works wonders (and so do the RIGHT meds.) Too much dopamine can actually make it worse.

Excercise works great too.

I'm under the impression that SCT doesn't think much at all, it's just crickets and rolling tumbleweeds.

LOL. Well, the name certainly gives that impression. But I think you're off on this one. Sluggish means slow, not non-existent. So more like trying to run underwater.

Effort: Brown describes the Effort EF as the function that regulates our alertness, and our processing speed. It also is what regulates our ability to sustain effort. People with Sluggish Cognitive Temp (SCT) and Inattentive ADHD often have a great deal of problems with this particular Executive Function. Brown also reports that this EF controls sleep and that this explains why some people with ADHD can't shut their head off at night ant once asleep, "sleep like dead people and have a big problem getting up in the morning."

http://www.primarilyinattentiveadd.c...blems-and.html