ADD/ADHD in INFJs

Do you have ADD/ADHD?

  • Total voters
    58
  • Poll closed .
xizzax said:
I agree with IndigoSensor on this point.

actually, while i marked that i don't have ADD.. I think I do.. but it's overattentive ADD.

So basically when I focus on something I block everything else out.
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could this resemble inattention in that when we focus so entirely on something (and many a time it can be intangible like an idea, intuition, thought, emotion, etc.) we lose touch of what's happening around us?
 
rainrise said:
could this resemble inattention in that when we focus so entirely on something (and many a time it can be intangible like an idea, intuition, thought, emotion, etc.) we lose touch of what's happening around us?
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You've just described what some people call "the zone."
 
Von Hase said:
The technical term is 'hyperfocus'.
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I said this word and my psychologist thought I was using terms I learned from the internet to get an adderall prescription. That got annoying very quickly. I was eventually diagnosed with ADD, about two sessions and $750 later.

While Ni often has a lot of tangential thought patterns, that can seen disorganized, there is often some kind of order to it. Ni is actually pretty organized, just in its own right. Also, because our Ni is filtered through Fe, which is a judging function, it helps solidify Ni into something that can be held and possibly categorized. Fe likes to connect with people, and lots of people, but in an orderly fashion, while still adhearing to a set of "social rules". INFJ's often are prone to having intrusive thoughts, which can cause the mind to drift, but this doesn't really relate to an attention decefict. We often want to focus on something when we need to, but our mind blocks us out from doing so, which is not attention decefict.
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Did you read all of this somewhere or did you just make it up? When someone wants/needs to focus on something but can't, isn't that the very definition of attention deficit?
 
J. Cardigan said:
I said this word and my psychologist thought I was using terms I learned from the internet to get an adderall prescription.
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This isn't surprising. Not every psychologist knows all the terms and theories of various approaches to the science. In fact, there are a lot of factionalizations within the psychological community. And most importantly, for those who don't need adderall, it's a very popular 'study drug' - not to mention used in making crystal meth. It is common, though disrespectful, for psychologists to be suspicious because of these factors. I wouldn't take it personally. You're in a rare group - the one that actually has ADD.


J. Cardigan said:
Did you read all of this somewhere or did you just make it up?
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Both. I have extrapolated this theory based on what I've read. I've seen other connections made to Intuitive functions, and my personal experiences with people who are intuition dominant have evidenced a common connection to ADD symptoms. Those who are intuition secondary that I know tend to have milder versions of ADD symptoms. The theory seems to line up with reality.

J. Cardigan said:
When someone wants/needs to focus on something but can't, isn't that the very definition of attention deficit?
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Technically, no. The condition that is normally attributed to Attention Deficit Disorder functions differently than what I described. The symptoms end up having a similar effect, but the cause is different, which is what I was trying to point out. True ADD is a function of cerebral nerve clusters shutting down with over use. What most of us who are N type dominant have is cingulate system hyperactivity, a different condition entirely that causes us to 'think too much' and often without our control. Same symptoms, different causes, which is why I wanted to differentiate them. True ADD causes the mind to literally stop working on whatever someone is trying to focus on. Cingulate System Hyperactivity is kind of the opposite. It is a condition in which the mind works so much that it loses conscious control of what it focuses on.

In essence, these two conditions are like hypoglycemia and diabetes. They share a lot of symptoms but are in many ways inverses of one another. Most importantly, the name of one of these conditions is also the term for a symptom. Hypoglycemia is both a condition and 'hypoglycemic' is a symptom that diabetics commonly experience. ADD is the same - both a condition and a symptom.
 
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Von Hase said:
The technical term is 'hyperfocus'.
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No. Hyperfocus is generally what happens during a state like hypnosis and its akin to "day dreaming." It is specifically concerned with mental imaging. You hyperfocus when you meditate, for example.

It's quite similar to "the zone" (aka psychological flow or an intense period of concentration) as the zone can include elements of hyperfocus but the terms are not entirely interchangeable.
 
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INFP with ADD. Which is a scary combination....and it's not just me being INFP, I have enough Si in me to know which spacey is INFP spacey and which is ADD spacey. They feel completely different; INFP spacey is much more serene - a passive kind of spaciness. ADD spacey feels kind of dark and creepy and weirdly sleepy....not a good feeling. (It's also a lot hungrier.)
 
I think i have a textbook case of ADD/ADHD. However, I don't want to seek professional to confirm it. :D
 
Not from a diagnosed standpoint, but considering my quirks, I'd be in denial to say no.

- I zone out pretty regularly
- I'll constantly forget what I was supposed to be doing in lieu of something random catching my attention
- I've lost my keys on my keyhook simply because I'm more used to finding them under a pillow or in the laundry basket by themselves, and neglect to look there

And that's just within a few minutes of waking up most days, haha.
 
TheDaringHatTrick said:
No. Hyperfocus is generally what happens during a state like hypnosis and its akin to "day dreaming." It is specifically concerned with mental imaging. You hyperfocus when you meditate, for example.

It's quite similar to "the zone" (aka psychological flow or an intense period of concentration) as the zone can include elements of hyperfocus but the terms are not entirely interchangeable.
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Wouldn't that be hypofocus?
 
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Children with ADHD do hyperfocus. I have done it. They usually hyperfocus with videogames. That is the best example that I have experience with. I can hyperfocus too. It is interesting.
 
sookie said:
Children with ADHD do hyperfocus. I have done it. They usually hyperfocus with videogames. That is the best example that I have experience with. I can hyperfocus too. It is interesting.
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*nod* No one was denying that ADD folks are incapable of it. It's actually a staple of the condition.
 
I know it is. I have ADHD. :) I also know that since I have ADHD I did not go back far enough to read the whole thread. I compensate but it can be pesky.
 
Adderall, Methylphenidate, and other dopamine agonists are calming to people with ADHD, yet they make "normal" people "hyper." However, these drugs probably help all people focus.
 
sookie said:
Children with ADHD do hyperfocus. I have done it. They usually hyperfocus with videogames. That is the best example that I have experience with. I can hyperfocus too. It is interesting.
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Yup, same here. Certain video games allow me to do this much more easily than others, however there are other activities I've been able to do this with, like writing and art, but also martial arts - especially sparring.

And then I get the "If you put half as much energy into [Insert Mundane Activity that my ADD has a lot of trouble doing Here] as you do into [Insert Unproductive Activity that can let me hyperfocus Here], you'd be a millionaire."

I strongly suspect that Ni creates the Attention Deficit symptom, while Se creates the hyperfocus (and possibly Ne and Si respectively). The difference between the two is which way we are leaning with respect to how we process the information we are taking in. I think hyperfocus might be a point of equilibrium between N and S.

Norton said:
Adderall, Methylphenidate, and other dopamine agonists are calming to people with ADHD, yet they make "normal" people "hyper." However, these drugs probably help all people focus.
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When I first got my prescription for Adderall, the doctor said, "We'll find out real quick if you have ADD by how you react to Adderall. If you don't have ADD, it will make you anxious and hyper. If you do have ADD, it will relax you." 20 minutes after I took it for the first time, I fell asleep because for the first time in my life, I didn't have 20 things going on in my head at once, uncontrolably.

However, the Adderall takes away my ability to hyperfocus as well, which my creativity relies on. So, I found out that I don't even need to bother taking Adderall on days that I need to be creative. It just isn't going to happen.
 
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Yes, I'm an INFJ, and I have ADD. NOT ADHD.
There is a difference. It would be interesting to know if INFJs are ADD or ADHD.
I have a theory that introverts have ADD and extroverts have ADHD.
hmm....
 
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