Videos ADHD Health Clinic
Unlike the stereotypical image of hyperactivity and impulsiveness, the inattentive type of ADHD manifests quietly, often slipping under the radar. We explores the nuances of inattentive ADHD, providing key insights into its symptoms, impacts, and the challenges faced by those who live with it. Inattentive ADHD differs from its more recognised counterparts through real-life examples and expert explanations. Hear about the subtle signs of this condition, including a tendency towards daydreaming, difficulties in maintaining attention, and a quiet demeanour that might mask underlying struggles with working memory, executive dysfunction, and organisation. We discuss the three core symptom categories associated with inattentive ADHD: sustained attention and concentration challenges, working memory difficulties leading to forgetfulness in personal hygiene, social obligations, and professional commitments, and the pervasive issue of procrastination affecting all areas of life. Beyond the cognitive symptoms, we also address the significant emotional impact of inattentive ADHD, including emotional dysregulation, chronic anxiety, depression, and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) — a profound fear of failure and rejection that can severely affect personal and professional life. This video is an essential watch for educators, parents, healthcare professionals, and anyone looking to understand the inattentive type of ADHD and its profound impact on individuals' lives. For more information visit: https://adhdhealthclinic.co.uk/video-article/what-is-the-inattentive-type-of-adhd/ Original video recording courtesy of Dr. Lalitaa Suglani / Therapised With Dr Lalitaa (Episode 8) VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Dr Lalitaa Suglani (LS): If we were to see a presentation of that how would be inattentive look? Dr Shyamal Mashru (SM): Okay so the innattentive type in my experience, well first of all it might look as though the person will be telling you I actually wasn't the traditional hyperactive child at school. (LS): The ones climbing the walls. (SM): The ones getting into trouble in fact they'll probably very well behaved, they were probably quite, and they were quietly doodling away in their notebooks. Staring out the window just looking at other things. (LS): Wondering mind, thinking about things. (SM): Yes daydreaming, that might be mentioned in their reports but that's only mentioned by a particularly attentive teachers. So actually, if you're very well behaved nowadays even in schools, you're not going to get picked up at all. (SM): The inattentive type really breaks down into three further types of symptoms. (SM): The first one is difficulties around attention and concentration, so sustaining attention and concentration. (SM): The second one is difficulties around working memory, so people will say that they often lose or misplace items, that they're generally very forgetful, some people are so forgetful to the extent where they can forget their own personal hygiene forgetting to brush their teeth, forgetting their daily shopping items. But then there's also a social component to that forgetfulness, which is for getting to respond to messages, forgetting your close friends’ birthdays, forgetting your partner's birthday. And then that can affect work as well, that forgetfulness, forgetting appointments with clients, double booking yourself things like that. (SM): And then the third set of symptoms is around executive dysfunction and organisation. So, one of the most common symptoms that I see within the inattentive symptoms is procrastination. I see that in nearly all my clients. So, procrastination means that they are leaving particularly complex or mundane tasks till the deadline, and they'll describe a history of this throughout their entire life. (SM): So, its school, not doing their homework. Fine you might say well lots of kids don't do their homework. University, needing extensions for deadlines for their assignments. Going further into their life, work, not submitting their work on time being constantly chased by managers, eventually being performance managed. (LS): That can have a real impact on someone's life if someone hasn't been picked up that they may have ADHD the long-term impacts on an individual's life because of that can be detrimental. (SM): Absolutely, absolutely and in fact in order to make the diagnosis there are a few different criteria and one of them is it should significantly impair your functioning in at least two areas of life. (SM): So, if we looked at the different areas where it can affect. The first one, which is quite a big one actually, is emotionally. So, people with ADHD describe what's called emotional dysregulation, this is a medical term. What that means is that within the day, they can experience up and downs quite strongly, and struggle to regulate that. If left untreated 70 to 80% of people with ADHD will go on to develop chronic anxiety and depression.
This latest video unravels the complexities of the hyperactive type of ADHD. It provides a comprehensive overview of one of the most recognisable forms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) — the hyperactive-impulsive type. Dr Shyamal Mashru explores how hyperactivity manifests differently in children and adults, shedding light on the evolution of symptoms over time. From the quintessential image of a child who can't sit still, running around with boundless energy, to adults experiencing an internal sense of restlessness compelling them to move, this video touches on the full spectrum of hyperactive ADHD. We discuss the lesser-known aspects, such as the intense internal experience of feeling like there are multiple channels of thought that cannot be controlled, leading to significant attention dysregulation. The concept of "hyperfocus" is also explored — a state where an individual with ADHD can become intensely focused on a particular task or interest to the point of excluding all else. While often seen as a strength, hyperfocus is examined through a nuanced lens, highlighting its potential as both a unique asset and a challenge in managing daily responsibilities. This is video is for anyone looking to understand the hyperactive type of ADHD beyond the stereotypes. Whether you are a parent, teacher, healthcare professional, or someone with ADHD, you will find valuable insights into managing and embracing the condition. Learn about the challenges faced by those with hyperactive ADHD, strategies for harnessing the power of hyperfocus, and how attention dysregulation impacts daily life. For more information visit: https://adhdhealthclinic.co.uk/video-article/navigating-the-hyperactive-type-of-adhd/ Original video recording courtesy of Dr. Lalitaa Suglani / Therapised With Dr Lalitaa (Episode 8) VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Dr. Lalitaa Suglani (LS): And when you talk about inattentive and you talk about the high functioning side of ADHD and the masking that people can present so you can't really tell that people have ADHD, then you mentioned about the hyperactive side of ADHD. How does that present, how does that show up in someone? Dr Shyamal Mashru (SM): Interestingly it can show up quite differently in children and in adults. (LS): Okay how? (SM): So that hyperactivity is essentially an excess energy. In children that's normally seen outwardly, so that is where you get the classical physically fidgety squirming in their seat moving around, running around all over the place, struggling to sit down, that type of thing. That you would have thought of a classical image of probably an ADHD boy. As an adult, that excess energy almost moves inwards. (LS): So how does that show up? (SM): So it shows up, it feels kind of like an internal restlessness, so people might describe for example feeling very physically restless if they have to remain still or seated, it might be squaring around in this seat, some people use fidget toys, and some people it's so bad that they have to actually they end up making excuses to leave that work meeting, for example to use the bathroom just to stretch their legs, it almost feels uncomfortable. The other form of that is what's known in research as excessive mind wandering, which is extremely common in ADHD and it's not part of the diagnostic criteria. Where people describe essentially feeling that their mind can't switch off. So, I've a very nice description that I had from a patient once who had this in quite a severe form. They said it's if it feels like there's three TV channels on, two radio channels on and I don't have the remote control for any of them. (LS): Wow, wow. (SM): So, when we look at the label of attention deficit, it's not really a deficit of attention, when you say attention deficit it makes someone else think that person's not thinking anything, it's completely the opposite. There's a dysregulation of attention, so they're not homing their attention appropriately and their attention is disbursing in 10 different things all at once and if you have that going on it's very hard to sustain focus on one thing at a time. (LS): Yes of course. (SM): Then within that dysregulation, you can have moments of what's called ‘hyper focus’. (LS): Okay, what is hyper Focus? (SM): So hyper focus is when someone might latch onto a task or a topic that particularly interest them and then all of their attention can go into that task to the extent where they might even forget to eat or drink. (LS): Wow, so is it the way that I hear people say or talk about hyper focus is it's like going down a rabbit hole and not being able to stop, it's just I'm going through and not being able to focus on anything else because this is the only thing that they see, is that how you would describe it? ...continues/
Embarking on the journey to an ADHD diagnosis can be a complex and confusing process. In our video we aim to demystify this process and provide you with a step-by-step guide on what to expect and how to proceed. If you've ever felt like you're constantly hitting a wall with forgetfulness and other symptoms that may point to ADHD, this video is the resource you've been looking for. We walk you through the initial stages of self-recognition and the importance of resonating with the symptoms of ADHD. With the plethora of information available online, we clarify how to navigate through it and take the first steps towards a formal diagnosis. We introduce you to the concept of online screening tests, explaining how they can be a valuable tool in determining whether you should seek a full assessment. These tests, while not diagnostic tools, can provide strong indicators of ADHD and are often the first step in the diagnostic journey. Once you have a sense of your symptoms, we outline the pathways to obtaining a diagnosis, whether through private consultation or via referral from your general practitioner to a specialist service. We explain the comprehensive assessment process used by our consultant psychiatrist Dr Shyamal Mashru, which includes pre-assessment forms, evaluations for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, and autism, and understanding the impact of symptoms on your daily functioning. We highlight the importance of an Informant report, which involves those close to you providing insights into your childhood and current symptoms, offering a more holistic view for the assessing psychiatrist. After the assessment, we don't just leave you with a diagnosis. We discuss the importance of a general psychiatric history to screen for other conditions and to ensure a thorough understanding of your mental health. This comprehensive approach ensures that your diagnosis of ADHD, should you receive one, is informed and accurate. We hope our video can guide you through each step, from suspecting you might have ADHD, to screening, assessment, and beyond. Our goal is to provide clarity and support for those seeking answers and to pave the way for better management and treatment of ADHD. For more information visit: https://adhdhealthclinic.co.uk/video-article/how-to-get-an-adhd-diagnosis-your-step-by-step-guide/ Original video recording courtesy of Dr. Lalitaa Suglani / Therapised With Dr Lalitaa (Episode 8) VIDEO TRANSCRIPT Dr. Lalitaa Suglani (LS): But then I suppose ok I feel like I've got to this, I've hit this brick wall I keep seeing the same things happening, I'm forgetting things, and someone's mentioned to me that I think you may have ADHD. So, I am now looking into getting a diagnosis. How or what do I do, and what do I do now? Dr Shyamal Mashru (SM): Okay, so if you're looking to get a diagnosis, well first of all you might want to understand what are the symptoms exactly look like and do you resonate with them. LS: So how do I do that? There's so much information on the internet. SM: There is. LS: So how do I do that? So, on my website I have an online screening test there, so it's a simple screening test, it's a tick box. LS: So what is a screening test? SM: So a screening test doesn't give you a diagnosis, but it it asks you certain questions, where if you score highly for, meaning you've ticked often or very often for example in terms of your experience of those symptoms would give you an indicator whether you should actually go for a formal ADHD assessment. And that screening test that I use on my website is quite a well-known screening tool that's used. So, it's not something that I've just come up with myself. So, if you do screen for positive for showing that you might have symptoms suggestive of ADHD you should have a thorough assessment. You can then book online on that website for an assessment with myself. So, in a nutshell, you can go in directly and see a psychiatrist privately for a diagnostic assessment, if you're going through the NHS you have to speak with your GP and your GP would refer you to your local NHS ADHD service. LS: Okay, so say if I've got, I've had the referral and I'm sitting in front of someone and they are now diagnosing me, what's the process? What is the process of diagnosis? SM: The typical process that I use for example, and this is fairly commonly used among psychiatrist, is I would send you some pre-assessment forms initially. So a few of those forms would be forms that you have to fill out yourself, one of those forms will be a list of potential ADHD symptoms and I would score those, one of those forms would be anxiety and depression scales, because we do, as I said, commonly see anxiety and depression ADHD, so I'd want to know if you're suffering from that and if so how high or how severe is that because it gives me an idea of what I'm managing when I see you... /continues.