Nuerotypical people have trouble understanding just how stressful ADHD can be. That’s definitely a factor. Your brain is CONSTANTLY on, moving faster than you can process. I can’t count the times I’ve legitimately gotten angry at myself because I’m trying to go to sleep, and my brain won’t shut off. Sleep meds don’t help. Emotional disregulation is a big issue. Memory issues lead to work and social problems. Having ADHD can keep you under constant stress. Meds that help you remain calm and focused can significantly reduce stress, blood pressure, gastrointestinal issues, stimming, and a host of other things related to ADHD.

Drake Stevens spot on. Took the words out of my mouth. “Stressful” was the key word for me. It is so stressful having a brain that NEVER wants to turn off, always thinking, always solving. A mental To-Do-List, that never seems to get completed.

ADHD is my superpower and I’m not going to dull it because I don’t fit in other people’s boxes. These people will tell you anything to get you hooked on their solution.

Read more: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/palilalia-autism-explained_uk_6acf9072e4b08a0fe854cadc?ncid_tag=fcbklnkukhpmg00000001&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=uk_main&d_id=12493098&fb_comment=1

Research on sound sensitivity in autism has identified a specific sensitivity to electrical humming. In one study comparing autistic and non-autistic adults, 13% of autistic participants (10 people) reported sensitivity to humming from electricity in walls or lights, compared with 3% of non-autistic participants (4 people). Phone chargers can produce high-pitched whining from vibrating components, while televisions, LED drivers, and fluorescent lights may generate faint buzzing or humming. These are real acoustic sounds, not the sound of electricity itself. Some autistic people notice these noises even when others in the same room cannot hear them.

The issue is not necessarily sharper hearing but how the brain processes and filters sound. Some autistic individuals experience hyperacusis, reduced tolerance to everyday sounds, or difficulty habituating to repetitive background noise. A charger whining beside a bed, a fluorescent light buzzing overhead, or an appliance humming in another room can remain noticeable instead of fading into the background. These sounds may interfere with sleep, concentration, and relaxation, particularly when several occur simultaneously. This sensitivity varies widely among autistic people and is not experienced by everyone.

A study tracking 3.7 million births reveals that a single factor can triple a child’s risk of Autism.

A massive nationwide cohort study published in JAMA Pediatrics has established a striking link between congenital ‘TORCH’ infections — a group of rare pathogens including cytomegalovirus, rubella, toxoplasmosis, and herpes simplex — and subsequent neurodevelopmental conditions.

By tracking nearly 3.7 million individuals born in Sweden between 1987 and 2021, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet found that while these infections are globally rare, they carry profound consequences.

Children born with a diagnosed TORCH infection were three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism and more than seven times more likely to have an intellectual disability compared to unexposed peers.

Importantly, the researchers conducted sibling comparisons to rule out shared genetic or environmental factors, confirming that the pathogens themselves directly disrupt fetal brain development. While these maternal-fetal infections account for only a tiny fraction of overall autism cases, about one in five children diagnosed with a congenital TORCH infection in the study later developed autism.

Lead author Hugo Sjöqvist noted that even children without formal diagnoses faced long-term impacts, frequently earning lower school grades than their peers. The study underscores the critical importance of prenatal monitoring and infection prevention.

source: Sjöqvist, H., Gardner, R. M., & colleagues. (2026). Congenital TORCH Infections and Risk of Autism and Intellectual Disability: A Nationwide Cohort Study. JAMA Pediatrics.

People with ADHD – like me – deserve more than a life on benefits
As the number of people with ADHD who receive disability payments but aren’t required to work hits 100,000, entrepreneur and business coach John Spencer Williams says a diagnosis shouldn’t consign people to unemployment… but you should quit your office job
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/adhd-benefits-pip-claim-work-office-john-spencer-williams-b3049960.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUWF05jbGNrBRYXIHBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEe_ct_Q_Cstz5TWwhA8OojUBkBO5YybgKRBLUZYQGBAGrtcCIFAySaUhI9X9I_aem_P7Ih30JQ6tFHu36YVvmjNg

As I now know, this is because of executive dysfunction, a trait of ADHD. My brain only has two settings when it comes to time: “I have all the time in the world”, and “Oops, I’m late”.

But I’m also a best-selling author and founder of a thriving business helping entrepreneurial and creative people to launch their own ventures. One thing that strikes me is the sheer number of them who have ADHD. Rather than ADHD preventing them working, it appears to be aiding their success.

When I read that more than 100,000 people with ADHD are now receiving PIP – the monthly Personal Independence Payment given to individuals to help with extra living costs associated with a long-term physical disability or mental health condition – and, crucially, that the vast majority of them are not employed, I feel something is being missed. Are we encouraging people to write themselves off, potentially wasting lively brains and untapped talent?

More than a thousand people a day now apply to receive PIP, with psychiatric conditions including ADHD, anxiety and depression accounting for around 39 per cent of new claims.

But ADHD is not a mental illness, and a diagnosis doesn’t have to mean the end of your working life. In fact, I would argue that a life on benefits is the last thing people with ADHD need – instead, if they really can’t hold down an office job, they need to go it alone. Work for yourself. Start your own business.

People with ADHD have brains that are restless, novelty-seeking, sometimes chaotic and often vivid. Working out what to do with your life when you find out you’re wired differently should be approached with curiosity. Knowing yourself and what works for you – as well as what doesn’t – can be a game-changer.

Doomscrolling on your phone is rocket fuel for ADHD symptoms, for example. Working in an office job with multiple, ever-changing demands may cause extreme anxiety. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work.

People with ADHD have poor executive function and may experience pathological demand avoidance. They need structure, accountability and contact, and to put things in place that force them to do the things they need to do, even if they don’t want to do them. If you don’t work at all you lose all those things, so for some, relying on benefits could actually be counterproductive.

There will of course be a proportion of people whose ADHD is a major problem, for whom getting their life together enough to earn a living is unrealistic

The sad fact is that too many people with ADHD struggle because they haven’t been shown how to develop an effective set of practices that help manage their anxiety and improve their focus. Living with Inattentive ADHD myself, I have often struggled to follow structure – landing a senior role at Deloitte some years back proved impossible to sustain.

Setting a timer for a task can prevent endless procrastination.

As I explore in my book, Crazy Successful, alongside the challenging ADHD traits there can be advantageous ones, such as innovative thinking. It’s therefore no surprise that 35 per cent of entrepreneurs have ADHD (that’s at least 10 times higher than normal). Heightened alertness makes ADHD-ers better at spotting “unseen” opportunities.

Creativity and divergent thinking mean they can think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions that others might miss. They are more adaptable and can change course when necessary. High energy and passion, when properly channelled, can drive ADHD-ers to pursue their goals relentlessly.

– Kyllähän se ärsyttää. Koen rajoittavana, kun joku käskee puhumaan hiljempaa tai rauhallisemmin. Sitä olen kuullut lapsesta ja teinistä asti, hän kertoo.

Hellén sai tarkkaavuus- ja aktiivisuushäiriö ADHD:n diagnoosin vuonna 2023. Diagnoosi on helpottanut elämää ja itseymmärrystä paljon.

Siksi hän teki kesällä Instagram-päivityksen, jossa pohti humoristisesti, mikä on ADHD-ihmiselle niin raskasta, että se voi saada jopa raivon partaalle.

Hän listasi esimerkiksi hitaasti puhumisen ja kävelyn, pitkät sanalliset ohjeet, käskemisen, paheksunnan motorisesta levottomuudesta, kuten kynän räpeltämisestä, ja useita muita asioita. Moni samaistui niihin.

– Enhän minä oikeasti mitään raivokohtausta saa, mutta se kuvastaa sitä, mikä arjessa voi turhauttaa erityisen paljon nimenomaan ADHD:n näkökulmasta, Hellén kertoo.

Hellén kuvailee olevansa nopeatempoinen ja impulsiivinen ihminen, mutta huomauttaa, ettei kaikessa välttämättä ole kyse ADHD:stä.

– On mahdotonta eritellä, mikä on täysin persoonaani ja temperamenttiani ja mikä on ADHD:n piirteistöä.

Hellén onkin joskus pohtinut, olisiko ADHD-oireisen helpompi elää sellaisessa kulttuurissa, jossa äänekkyys on sallitumpaa kuin Suomessa.

– Ehkä se on sitten ADHD:tä, kun kehossa on hyperaktiivisuutta ja sisäistettyä fyysistä levottomuutta.

Kuormitus vaikuttaa

Moni ADHD:n tai autismin diagnoosin saanut kertoo voimakkaan aistikuormituksen lisäävän uupumusta ja levottomuutta. Tämä on tuttua myös Hellénille hälyisissä ympäristöissä.

– Kun arjen kuormitus kasvaa tarpeeksi suureksi, myös aistiärsykkeet alkavat tuntua aivan eri tavalla. Silloin kovat äänet, päällekkäiset keskustelut tai jopa kirkas valo voivat muuttua lähes fyysisesti kivuliaiksi, hän kertoo.

Silloin aistiärsykkeet voimistuvat ja keskittyminen kärsii.

– Alan ärtyä enkä enää jaksa keskittyä, kuunnella tai olla sosiaalinen.

Vastaavat kuormitukseen liittyvät piirteet ovat monille tuttuja sekä ADHD:ssä että autismissa.

– Levänneenä samat asiat eivät ärsytä itseä niin paljon. Kun kuormitus kasvaa suureksi, tällaiset yksittäiset tilanteet alkavat häiritä vaikkapa ruokakaupassa.

Diagnoosi on helpottanut hermostumisen ja turhautumisen käsittelyä sekä niiden ilmaisua.

– Tärkein syy hankkia diagnoosi on minusta itseymmärrys, hän toteaa.

Hellénin mielestä ADHD on ennen kaikkea hermostollinen haaste.

– Suurimmat kamppailuni ja uuden opetteluni ovat liittyneet hermoston rauhoittamiseen ja palautumiseen.

Hellénin mukaan diagnoosi toi selityksen nopeille tunnereaktioille, kärsimättömyydelle ja kuormittumiselle. Samalla niiden hallintaan löytyi keinoja.

Syvähengityksen lisäksi hän on opetellut löytämään arkeen hiljaisia hetkiä.

ADHD-diagnosoiduilla toiminnanohjaus on usein puutteellista, minkä vuoksi erilaisia työtehtäviä tai kotitöitä voi olla vaikea saada tehdyksi.

– Minun haasteeni on aina ollut, että teen liikaa asioita. Olen tehokas ja innostuva, otan paljon projekteja ja saan muutkin mukaan.

Monen ADHD-diagnosoidun tavoin Hellén on huomannut, että diagnoosi aiheuttaa muissa ihmisissä joskus väärinymmärryksiä.

– Stereotypioita on liikkeellä. Suurin myytti on, että ADHD olisi ennen kaikkea keskittymisongelma. Minusta kyse on paljon enemmän motivaatiosta. Kun ADHD:n kanssa elävä ihminen on motivoitunut ja innostunut, keskittymisessä ei välttämättä ole mitään ongelmaa.

– Kaikilla on joskus vaikeuksia keskittyä tai muistaa asioita, mutta se on eri asia kuin ADHD-diagnoosi ja koko elämän läpi vaikuttava neurokehityksellinen piirre.

– ADHD ei tarkoita sitä, että unohtaa välillä jotain. Kyse on siitä, että aivot toimivat eri tavalla joka päivä, läpi koko elämän.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYlu7n0sF7w/