Recent research has revealed that some people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) cope best during periods of high stress.
Maggie Sibley, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington and lead author of the study, initially set out to find out whether it was possible for adults to recover from ADHD. In a previous study published in 2022, she examined a National Institute of Mental Health dataset that tracked 600 people with ADHD over a 16-year period starting in childhood.
“What we found was a pattern of fluctuation in ADHD, and that most people who had recovered later returned to ADHD,” she says.
In a more recent study published last week in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, she went back to the same data set to try to figure out what kinds of situations might lead to a reduction in ADHD symptoms.
Sibley believed that people with ADHD experience the most relief when stress is low. What she discovered was more counterintuitive.
Her research identified three distinct groups of ADHD patients. That is, one group experienced a period of apparently complete recovery, another group experienced partial remission, and another group whose ADHD symptoms remained stable over time.
Those who temporarily experienced complete recovery were most likely to do so during times of “high environmental demands” or, more simply, stress. Those who had a period of partial recovery were also more likely to have anxiety.
It makes sense that ADHD responds differently depending on the situation, says Ariji Alarachi, a psychology doctoral student at McMaster University who has researched ADHD and anxiety at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, Canada. Say.
Although the brain with ADHD may not change much, people can adapt their circumstances to better cope with ADHD, Ararachi said. But as Sibley’s research shows, those strategies may look different even for people with ADHD, because “ADHD comes in many shapes and sizes.” Ararachi added.
“People with ADHD do their best when they have to face difficult situations. And on a micro level, they may (feel) that deadlines are helpful, or that things are more urgent.” “You’ll find that you can be the most productive and focused when you want,” Sibley said.
Although it is impossible to fully determine whether this is a result of people with ADHD choosing to undergo more stress when their symptoms are suppressed.
Sara Vranes, who was diagnosed with ADHD at age 36, can relate to this idea. She said she considers her ability to hyperfocus under pressure a “superpower.” Vranes now works with the homeless community, but before that she had 15 years of experience as a midwife and doula, and says she was the calmest person in a crisis.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt, but my brain is in a hyperactive state, so I managed to cope. I can see everything clearly, I can see the process in my head, I can follow it in real time. ”But during downtime, I often feel anxious and have trouble concentrating.
More than half of adults with ADHD also experience anxiety. But Sibley’s research shows that this may not necessarily be a bad thing.
Get the most important US headlines and highlights sent straight to your email every morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content sponsored by external parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
After newsletter promotion
“We call this a protective factor for ADHD,” she said, noting that children with ADHD and anxiety often respond better to behavioral treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy than children with ADHD alone. He explained that this has been proven in multiple studies.
Ararachi said that in his research, he has also come across ADHD patients who claim that anxiety helps them control their impulsivity. They’ll say, “My anxiety helped me stop myself from acting on my impulses, or it made me think about the consequences.”
“Think of it like the gas and the brakes in a car. ADHD may be the gas pedal, but anxiety may be the brake, making people hold back a little bit,” Sibley said.
Anxiety and impulsivity can be more extreme in people with ADHD. “But somehow they cancel each other out, making neither process as problematic as it would be in isolation. That’s kind of an interesting concept,” Sibley added.
Ararachi and Sibley agree that people with ADHD should look within themselves to find the best ways to relax and keep their anxiety at appropriate levels. Vranes doesn’t like just relaxing in front of the TV, but she says watching TV while playing a game on her phone helps keep her mind from wandering.
Sibley has encountered ADHD patients who are most relaxed when they are exercising or socializing.
“I always say to people with ADHD, you have to learn to write your own instruction manual,” Sibley says. “So you have to think about what your brand of relaxation is. What’s your brand of decompression?”
