I keep seeing people, especially older adults, claim that if you have “ADD”, you don’t have hyperactive symptoms or that you grow out of it, which is just not true.
“ADD” or ADHD-PI as its now called, just means you have much more inattentive symptoms than hyperactive (hence, PI: Predominantly Inattentive).
I like imagining ADHD as a spectrum, with PH on one side, PI on the other and C in the middle. For example, I’m diagnosed as PI but I still show hyperactive symptoms from time to time; I once threw a towel, down the stairs, at my sister’s friend because I was feeling quite hyper.
Hyperactive symptoms don’t have to be physical, they can be mental too, like racing thoughts.
I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD-PI recently and I don’t experience physical hyperactivity at all. But in my head it is quite busy indeed. I talked to my roommate the other day and she said she sometimes doesn’t have any thought at all. Like I didn’t know that was possible. Mean well there isn’t a moment I’m not thinking about at least five things at the same time.
The constant buzzing of thoughts is the reason we need background music/noise to concentrate.. to drown out the buzz. I can’t study in a library because its too quiet.. and my in contrast my thoughts are too loud.
Talking a lot is a hyperactive symptom, the leg bounce is hyperactivity, feeling restless is a hyperactive symptom. How often do PI types exhibit symptoms like this? Every day for hours on end.
The idea that someone isn’t hyperactive because their hyperactivity isn’t loud and in your face to strangers is a problem.
And ADHD is lifelong. During each life stage, or even day to day, different things effect us and we learn new coping mechanisms as we go along (good or bad) so the disorder can display really differently in one single ADHDer. It’s all still ADHD and it’s all a challenge.
Also, physical hyperactivity symptoms in kids often get internalized as they get older. So they might seem to “grow out of it,” but really their brain has just matured just enough that they can be okay bouncing their leg instead of climbing on the furniture, or that they can usually control the constant impulse to interrupt people but it’s still there and something they’re very aware of and have to consciously hold back.
I do not appear to be anywhere even close to hyperactive. I was inactive as a kid, I’m inactive as an adult. Yet I have four of the required six hyperactive/impulsive symptoms.