Welcome to the glossary of terms – and yes, I’ve called this The ADH‘D’ictionary! Granted, it looks better than when verbalised – but it does the job, and that’s what counts! This ADH‘D’ictionary contains some of those ADH‘D’-specific terms which are often used by and about ADH‘D’ers, to describe the daily experiences, triumphs and trials which affect us. So, to start us off, we have:
ADHD Tax is the additional emotional, intellectual and financial strain we put upon ourselves when we do not manage to do something in a timely manner. Just a couple of examples being ignoring bills, in the hope that they will miraculously disappear, but all the while you risk incurring late fines and having energy supplies cut off. Not cancelling subscriptions and continuing to pay for them because we do not get around to correctly cancelling them, is another example. And no – deleting an app does not equate to cancelling the subscription to it!
The Biopsychosocial Model (of mental health) came about in the 1970s, as a much needed alternative to the traditional medical model of mental health, which proposes that mental health conditions are solely caused by the brain. The biopsychosocial model acknowledges the complex interplay between biological factors (such as genetics, holistic physical health, diet and sleep), psychological factors (such as personality, beliefs, lifestyle and stress levels) and social factors (such as family, relationships, employment, poverty and inequality) – and how these can culminate to compromise mental health.
Body Doubling is a strategy designed to help us stay focused on and be productive during tasks. It simply involves having another person beside us while we are engaged in a task – or trying to muster the motivation to even get started! This ranges from paying bills, gathering the dirty washing, to loading the dishwasher, changing the bedding (does anyone enjoy doing this?!), to helping ADH‘D’er children and adults alike to complete assignments.
This person’s role is NOT to criticise and shame us into getting the task done (we get plenty of that, thank you!), but to offer encouragement. This will look like something different to us all – the body double, or buddy, might sit quietly, they might read a book, have their headphones on, or they might help us to complete the task.
Dissociation is one way in which trauma survivors and neurodivergent children and adults, particularly, cope with unpleasant experiences and emotions in-the-moment. Some also refer to it as ‘zoning out’ and it is erroneously called ‘daydreaming’. When we dissociate, we describe it as feeling detached/disconnected from our bodies (‘floating on top of the situation’) and physical sensations, as well as from our thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity.
Doom Piling is an acronym for “Didn’t Organize, Only Moved”. Yes, all too familiar to many of us ADH‘D’ers! It refers to our attempts to tidy and organise our environment without actually doing any tidying or organising. This typically looks like creating mini mountains of clothes and books on floors, tables and chairs, as well as bags and boxes full of belongings.
Developed by Jessica McCabe and Eric Tivers, a dopamenu is a list (much like a restaurant menu) of feel-good activities/experiences for us to use when we are feeling down, low in energy or in need of a boost. Follow this link to download a dopamenu template that you can create for yourself!
Dopamine is one of our “feel-good” hormones and as we know, we ADH‘D’ers tend to struggle with dopamine regulation. Dopamining refers to ADH‘D’ers’ attempts to get that dopamine hit through various activities.
We just need to try to seek out dopamine-boosting activities that do not undermine our holistic health and wellbeing. So, instead of impulse shopping, excessive gaming, or using alcohol and substances to get that dopamine boost, we could go dopamining through getting regular exercise, getting enough sleep, eating healthily, listening/moving to uplifting music and trying something new to do (like learning a new skill or joining a walking/running group).
Dysregulation is when a child or adult experiences difficulty regulating (managing) their emotions and consequent behaviour. Experiences and situations that would not typically distress others, can be triggering for us, causing us to react (as opposed to respond) in ways that are viewed as disproportionate to the trigger.
Quickness to emotional and physical dysregulation is common among survivors of trauma and neurodivergent individuals, particularly when they are in environments and with people that are unsupportive.
Being dysregulated is not – and must not be conflated with the hideous term ‘tantrum’. It is dysregulation of the nervous system and must be met with due empathy.
Hyper-focus is where we become so engrossed by and immersed in an activity, that we focus on it intensely and for such a long period of time, that we lose track of everything and everyone else around us.
Masking is when a neurodivergent person intentionally or unintentionally hides their traits (symptoms), in order to fit in with those around them and be socially accepted. Masking typically takes place at school and in the workplace, and might include not talking much, sitting still at a desk, imitating the behaviour of neurotypical peers and rehearsing what to say and how to respond to others.
Procrastivity is a type of procrastination where we are not doing nothing, but instead, busy ourselves with tasks which are not as time-sensitive or important as the one we should be getting on with.
Issues around managing our time and prioritising tasks are common reasons as to why we procrastivate – for me, it’s also my need to focus on lots of tasks in order to be able to focus on (what should be) the main one!
Self-regulation – is our ability to regulate (manage) our thoughts, feelings emotions and consequent behaviour. Where we struggle to do this, we become dysregulated (see Dysregulation).
According to Dr Stuart Shanker, self-regulation exists in five domains and we have triggers in each of these domains. The five domains are: Biological, Emotional, Cognitive, Social and Prosocial.
Below, are just some triggers across the five domains:
Biological – Excessive visual stimulation, noise, insufficient exercise, having to be too still, cluttered classroom, illness
Emotional – Intense emotions – both positive (over-excitement) and negative (fear and anger), anxiety, change in routines
Cognitive – Difficulty in processing certain kinds of information (organising thoughts, time constraint, interruptions)
Social – Difficulty in understanding the effect of their behaviour on others and in understanding social cues, bullying
Prosocial – Difficulty in coping with others’ stress, feeling of injustice, being late, empathy/sympathy
