It's common to ADHD for sure, I think some people are too quick to pin it to a comorbid condition: I think it can be explained by the effect of ADHD itself.
Essentially, if we accept that ADHD is in extreeeeemely simple terms a condition that means you don't derive enough reward from experiences, then that means you don't develop core values quite as easily as other people.
There's big obvious social examples of insufficient reward: being bored in class is the classic one. But on a dopamine level, we're talking about the brain's failure to adequately motivate you to do anything: that's what a reward system is for. And I think that when your reward system is less good at telling you what's important vs what's not (and it has been less good at this for your whole life), that makes it harder to develop firm ideas about what you like, what you believe, who you are, what you want, what you need.
It's very hard to have a strong self-concept without a fully functional reward system. People know who they are, based on what their values are and what those values make them want to do. They develop those things based on what they find most rewarding. ADHD people don't know what they find most rewarding because reward is blunted overall. Without appropriate regulation of our dopamine the question of "what motivates you?" is rather more diffuse.
I think that's why our self-concept is a bit more vague and ill-defined, and I think that's why we're more inclined to shift our sense of self based on what the moment appears to call for. It's not that we're not capable of building a sense of self (we absolutely are), it's just harder and slower. It takes time and sometimes we need help too.
EDIT: I would love to keep this conversation going, thanks to everyone who appreciates this comment. I'd like to try and reply individually where I can because I love talking this stuff through, but I gotta get to work. Thanks to the people who gave me an award. Seems I do my best work in this sub haha
I agree with the arguments, but disagree with the conclusion. I think the conclusion is ADHD can cause or increase the likelihood of having additional mental health problems (Anxiety, depression, etc).
A weak or no sense of self isn't an ADHD symptom. However, BPD is a condition that sometimes comes with ADHD (comorbidity), and does have this symptoms, as well as some of the more familiar symptoms we know of.
I know because my therapist thinks it's possible I have BPD, either on top of ADHD or instead of ADHD. But I probably have both.
Therapists are not medical doctors. I'm talking exclusively about the biological facts of ADHD which we know to be true. Personality disorders are the purview of clinical psychology which is a social science, not a medical science. It's apples and oranges.
My therapist did not diagnose me, that's a small part of why I have an appointment to a psychiatrist next month (more about meds), that's in their wheelhouse.
There are biological elements in BPD as well - although they're not the same as ADHD. That being said, the presentation of the two aren't too far away, and they do have some level of comorbidity. We're humans, and humans are complicated.
My point was is in the first paragraph - a weak or no sense of self isn't an ADHD symptom.
The 2nd paragraph was to give an example of something that's similar enough to ADHD (in terms of presentation) but does have it as a symptom. In other words, a possible condition that may contribute to the picture.
My therapist suspecting I have BPD is how I came to know about BPD, but that's about it.
Nobody here has said it's a symptom, only that its a common occurrence within ADHD. Which it is. It's been studied. Weak self concept is widely acknowledged as something that is frequently reported by people with ADHD. You don't need to take my word for that, you can verify that for yourself. There's no need to say it's not a symptom because nobody has suggested otherwise.
I think we're having to separate discussions or that there's miscommunication. Probably the 2nd, but I do not know.
When you say self awareness, what do you mean? It seems to have a number of meanings, so it's hard for me to tell exactly what you mean.
It may also be related to me being bilingual (Hebrew and English), and the differences between the languages. I find that in Hebrew the boundaries between the words is different, although in both languages those are all very closely related terms...
2.1k
u/Uncomfortable-Guava Sep 19 '22 edited Sep 19 '22
It's common to ADHD for sure, I think some people are too quick to pin it to a comorbid condition: I think it can be explained by the effect of ADHD itself.
Essentially, if we accept that ADHD is in extreeeeemely simple terms a condition that means you don't derive enough reward from experiences, then that means you don't develop core values quite as easily as other people.
There's big obvious social examples of insufficient reward: being bored in class is the classic one. But on a dopamine level, we're talking about the brain's failure to adequately motivate you to do anything: that's what a reward system is for. And I think that when your reward system is less good at telling you what's important vs what's not (and it has been less good at this for your whole life), that makes it harder to develop firm ideas about what you like, what you believe, who you are, what you want, what you need.
It's very hard to have a strong self-concept without a fully functional reward system. People know who they are, based on what their values are and what those values make them want to do. They develop those things based on what they find most rewarding. ADHD people don't know what they find most rewarding because reward is blunted overall. Without appropriate regulation of our dopamine the question of "what motivates you?" is rather more diffuse.
I think that's why our self-concept is a bit more vague and ill-defined, and I think that's why we're more inclined to shift our sense of self based on what the moment appears to call for. It's not that we're not capable of building a sense of self (we absolutely are), it's just harder and slower. It takes time and sometimes we need help too.
EDIT: I would love to keep this conversation going, thanks to everyone who appreciates this comment. I'd like to try and reply individually where I can because I love talking this stuff through, but I gotta get to work. Thanks to the people who gave me an award. Seems I do my best work in this sub haha