Videos ADHD Health Clinic

What is the Inattentive Type of ADHD?

Description:

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.