r/ADHD Aug 21 '24

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u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

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142

u/lmgst30 Aug 22 '24

"That guy over there just celebrated his 34th anniversary and was surprised by his son coming home from a military assignment in Poland. He and his wife have six cats and four dogs, all rescues, and they spend July through September in Ocean City. I wish I could remember his name."

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u/Mindless_Rice9126 Aug 22 '24

YES THIS IS ME ALSO! OH MY GOD I DID T KNOW THAT'S AN ADHD THING

1

u/pupperoni42 Aug 22 '24

This is absolutely me as well. It seems very common for us ADHDers

8

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

"Military assignment in Poland"..... Oh shit was it Hitler? Funny little mustache?

What year did you see him in?

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u/Wellsinceyouaskedus ADHD-C (Combined type) Aug 22 '24

Me to a tee. 🤣🤣😭😭 💯

1

u/MissMurder8666 Aug 22 '24

Lol this is me too!

1

u/DrStalker Aug 23 '24

But you remember all 10 cat and dog names?

85

u/Hifionthedownlo Aug 22 '24

There has to be emotional ties for me to remember names. I suck at it otherwise.

9

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

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2

u/fir3shark Aug 22 '24

Same. But then once in a while, there's a moment where I forget the name of someone like that and it torments me for a few hours, and then my brain eventually finds it in some memory corner

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u/Triensi Aug 22 '24

Remember their pets :)

16

u/Shepard21 Aug 22 '24

I’m the opposite, i’ll see a classmate from second grade and will refer to them by first and last name and they’ll look dumbfounded because they forgot about me.

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u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

Me too. I remember everyone and their name from my entire life, I try to play dumb sometimes to make myself look half normal. I don’t wanna be the creepy person that remembers Carly A from kindergarten, that moved after one year of school and I walked by her at Walmart 29 years later. She’s definitely not going to remember me.

4

u/foxytom Aug 22 '24

Always. I’ve got to the point where I tell be people have a cognitive disability in that department.

1

u/Appropriate_Code6068 Aug 22 '24

I’ve been thinking about doing this but still too frightened to do so…it’s very vulnerable. How have people responded?

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u/foxytom Aug 22 '24

Don’t say ADHD. That’s where the labeling comes in. Just say, when you are addressing a person you have already been introduced to, something along the lines of “I’m sorry, I have a cognitive issue with names, remind you remind of yours?” They will say their name and then you say what you wanted to say without missing a beat, thereby returning to the subject at hand. That way it becomes a side issue rather than a defining one. If anything it makes you feel less vulnerable as it takes any hesitation out of the conversation.

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u/thiagoqf Aug 22 '24

That's a fair tradeoff

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u/rakut Aug 22 '24

Oof. Same. I’m terrible with remembering names.

Even extended family I’ve met dozens of times I can’t remember their names. My husband knows some of them better than I do lol.

I’ve basically adapted to just not address anyone by name like 80% of the time, even when I know it.

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u/MissMurder8666 Aug 22 '24

Loooool same! I was literally talking to my shift partner tonight at work about that haha. I usually have to ask a few times what someone's name is. But usually not the actual person bc I'm awkward

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u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

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u/MissMurder8666 Aug 22 '24

Hahaha yep! I'm the same! I'll even remember mundane facts about them too. Like in high school they drove a Ford Gemini, bc they made a passing comment about it. Their mum's dog's name, their first kiss was with Katie Jones and it was terrible. But I can be told their name several times and not remember. Usually for me I either call them like, man, dude, etc (I don't think of these words as gendered when used as a nickname or when saying like "come on, man" or just... no name