The Highs and Lows of The ADHD Inattentive Personality Can Be Unpredictable

If you have an ADHD attentive personality you already know how challenging the condition can be. In fact you may already know that for a person to receive a positive diagnosis for ADHD they must have the symptom of inattention, lasting more than 6 weeks, and causing problems in two or more settings. So if you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder you are by definition an inattention personality.



But what is behind this failure to focus. Is the moon in the wrong place? Did you forgot that lucky rabbits foot charm? Maybe you wore the wrong color of shoes to take the big test or perhaps your routine was off somehow. Don't get me wrong I am not against lucky charms and routines but for those that profess to be ADHD inattentive there is a bigger problem. The problem lies in their brains ability to communicate with itself, and at the core of this problem are the brain chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) dopamine and norepinephrine.



Too much norepinephrine and the inattentive ADHD personality will only be able to focus on tasks that interest them. Too much dopamine and they will have trouble moving from task to task, getting stuck in a repetitive type of no man's land. Neither one is good and the two extremes can swing back and forth creating a confusing jungle of symptoms that even the most well trained guide couldn't navigate. And here lies the problem, how do you balance inconsistency effectively?



The answer is you probably don't! This is why attention deficit disorder is said to be manageable but not curable. Next let's move on to three challenges inattentive ADHD presents.

*Not being able to complete tasks: I have an attentive ADHD friend who always has at least 4 household projects going at once. Each one is about 40 percent completed with no time line to finish any of them. For people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder this is norm, not the exception. Children with the condition will have trouble finishing homework assignments and adults may have a history of job hopping.



*Making careless mistakes: This is often seen in inattentive ADHD children but adults can fall prey as well. The person will have multiple thoughts racing through their brain in a near simultaneous fashion and if they are distracted they quickly lose focus. It is almost as if the train left them at the station. They will have to refocus and try to get on the next train.



*Being great one day and awful the next: Students with constantly shifting neurotransmitter levels may make an A on the hardest test and an D or F on the easiest one leading teachers and parents to scratch their heads in disbelief. Some will not admit they have a biological problem, rather claim they just weren't interested in the topic. In reality, it's about losing control over when and how focus happens.



In conclusion, if you have inattentive ADHD you likely will have highs and lows that when averaged together produce less than stellar results. For those struggling with inattentive ADHD finding an effective treatment option is a good first step. The most common form of treatment are prescription stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse. While effective, all stimulant medications come with a number of serious label warnings. The risk of side effects, or perhaps lack of success with stimulants, has prompted many to investigate other options. A couple examples of this are behavior modification therapy and/or natural remedies. Natural remedies for ADHD are a side effect free way to address such problematic symptoms as inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, erratic behavior and hyperactivity and can be used both as a standalone treatment or as a compliment to other nonprescription alternatives.