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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 10:39:01
Hi,
In the context of ADD, what is overstimulation? Could someone explain this experience to me?
Thanks,
Jon
Posted by XaosSurfer on May 26, 2002, at 18:16:39
In reply to ADD: Overstimulation?, posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 10:39:01
Jon,
When I am 'overstimulated' by ADD medications, paradoxicaly, I become very sedated. I am exteremly calm and tired. I tend to fall asleep for a few hours and wake up still tired and over relaxed.
Hope this helps,
Paul
Posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 20:49:33
In reply to Re: ADD: Overstimulation?, posted by XaosSurfer on May 26, 2002, at 18:16:39
No, that's not what I mean. I'm not talking about taking too much of your stimulant medication. I see "overstimulation" listed as a symptom of ADD. I'm asking what is it like to experience this symptom?
Thanks,
Jon> Jon,
>
> When I am 'overstimulated' by ADD medications, paradoxicaly, I become very sedated. I am exteremly calm and tired. I tend to fall asleep for a few hours and wake up still tired and over relaxed.
>
> Hope this helps,
> Paul
Posted by IsoM on May 26, 2002, at 21:10:35
In reply to ADD: Overstimulation?, posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 10:39:01
Jon, you're much younger than me so the example of my experience with computer/video games may not be the same way you feel about them but it's the best way I can explain it - by an illustration.
Ever seen Sonic the Hedgehog games? I'm sure you have - blindingly fast & lots of visual distractions, especially all the flashing bright-coloured ones. Because I didn't grow up playing games like that, when I watched my son playing it, there's no way I could follow Sonic's motions or keep track of everything. Overstimulation, in a major way!! Way too much movement, colour, flashing icons, etc.
Now in a bland, quiet way, I find shopping overstimulating too. I loathe shopping besides, & especially when I get groceries & need to look through items to find what I want. I have to sort through different colours, labels, size & font of print, not to mention lots of pictures to find the right item & not something that looks similar but is different. So frustrating to get home & find I picked up white flour instead of whole-wheat, or grape jelly instead of grape jam.
Movies too, - lots of special effects, fast, flashing action, loud noises, etc leaves me feeling wired & tired.
It all boils down to having your brain working overtime, trying to sort out an overabundance of sensory stimuli into neat, understandable chunks. What may be easy enough for someone else, can tax the 'paying attention' part of our brain, leaving us mentally exhausted & cranky.
The sensory stimuli can come through any of our senses, even touch. There's clothes & fabrics that I simply can't wear as I'm aware of them touching my skin the whole time. I want to rip them off. So touch, sight, hearing, & smell all can be affected.
Posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 21:52:18
In reply to Re: ADD and Overstimulation » JonW, posted by IsoM on May 26, 2002, at 21:10:35
> The sensory stimuli can come through any of our senses, even touch. There's clothes & fabrics that I simply can't wear as I'm aware of them touching my skin the whole time. I want to rip them off. So touch, sight, hearing, & smell all can be affected.
Thanks, IsoM, for the great description. I wonder what you think of this. Sometimes everything seems to overload me and I'm supersensitive. For example, I'll be eating dinner with my parents and the sounds of them chewing and eating and every idiosyncrasy or the sound of a happy voice that rises in pitch -- all of this is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I just want to get away to a dark, silent room. Do you think this could be "overstimulation" or does everyone with a mental illness get this way?
Thanks again,
Jon
Posted by XaosSurfer on May 26, 2002, at 22:02:12
In reply to Re: ADD: Overstimulation? » XaosSurfer, posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 20:49:33
Jonw,
Sorry about that. Overstilmulation, that's an easy one. It's like watching 100 channels of tv at once, while reading three newspapers, 2 books, surfing the web all while running on a treadmill.
It all happens very very fast and I cannot stop it long enought to grab just one thing. I get over-fasinated and a dizzy at the same time.
Paul
Posted by IsoM on May 27, 2002, at 12:21:55
In reply to Re: ADD and Overstimulation » IsoM, posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 21:52:18
Jon, I can feel like you do but diff situations. Whether this is unique to people with ADD or to many others too, I have no idea. I can only speak from my own perspective. Unlike XaosSurfer, mine doesn't come on suddenly. I'm aware of it building, but then I'm very aware of all things internal which XaosSurfer may not be as much. It might be building in him too, but he may have less awareness of it - or not?
Why not try posting again with something like 'Overstimulation and Other Disorders' in the subject line, throwing it open to others to query.
Posted by katekite on May 27, 2002, at 19:37:44
In reply to Re: ADD and Overstimulation » JonW, posted by IsoM on May 27, 2002, at 12:21:55
People talk about "flooding", where tv, talking, visual things all run together so its a big blur -- for me this happened if I drank maybe two drinks and went to a party, a big blur. Not drunk at all, just my cognitive abilities were down a notch and the amount of info to process was up a notch. Some enjoy flooding and some hate it.
Then many people are hypersensitive, sometimes just to auditory stimuli (people chewing for example) or also to tactile stimuli (wool sweaters, aaack), or also to visual stimuli (a christmas tree with all the lights might look a bit frightening.) They seem to be unable to screen out irrelevant stimuli. So all the little wool hairs keep being prickly when others would have already habituated to feeling them.
Being hypersensitive leads to being easily overstimulated. People with ADD are easily overstimulated, because there is so much to pay attention to. At a busy party, someone who is visually or auditorily overstimulated might just go completely blank and stand there like a dimwit for a while. Or might start to feel angry, feel like screaming. Either the brain shuts down or the mind gets an emotional reaction (fear, anger, something strong) and organizes itself around that.
If one can recognize that one is starting to feel overstimulated, the trick is to extricate oneself from the situation physically or mentally and get a breather. For example at a party, too much noise, starting to feel like screaming 'shut up' but instead realize that you are overstimulated and suggest getting a breath of fresh air. Or some are able to do it just mentally, focussing inwards on how their toes feel, for example, and taking 10 deep breaths to recenter.
kate
Posted by JonW on May 27, 2002, at 20:33:15
In reply to flooding, or hypersensitive, overstimulation, posted by katekite on May 27, 2002, at 19:37:44
Posted by IsoM on May 27, 2002, at 20:59:54
In reply to flooding, or hypersensitive, overstimulation, posted by katekite on May 27, 2002, at 19:37:44
What's funny, katekite, is that sometimes when I'm feeling pretty good, I love this overstimulation. I feel very alive & can multitask all of the stimuli coming in. I can pay attention to a number of conversations & respond to each in turn. It's like a shot of stim for me & I'm riding the wave. When I'm feeling like this, I can appear hypomanic to some people but I know I'm not. I can stop & withdraw whenever I wish. Just very strong ADHD symptoms then.
But while I really enjoy this occasionally, I need to recuperate afterwards. It feels like I've drained some resource & it takes time to build up again. Even if I cut all the stimulation short, I almost always have a headache afterwards. I can choose no stimulation & no headaches, or I can choose some fun time & a headache afterwards. There's no in-between for me.
Posted by katekite on May 28, 2002, at 7:18:42
In reply to Re: flooding and overstimulation » katekite, posted by IsoM on May 27, 2002, at 20:59:54
Yep, me too with the challenge of multi-tasking.... sometimes I feel a bit of a thrill at it -- probably adrenalin. But I generally have a big crash after. Usually it starts with a rush of energy to get everything done.
I also enjoy flooding sometimes: being a passenger in a car in heavy traffic with the window open and the radio blasting and letting it all just melt together into a big blur with the bass in the radio pounding.
Posted by Christina on May 29, 2002, at 14:18:47
In reply to ADD: Overstimulation?, posted by JonW on May 26, 2002, at 10:39:01
My ADD overstimulation manifests in anxiety and confusion, so it becomes difficult for me to concentrate, make decisions, stay focused.
Once my Adderall kicks in (it's more of a smooth entrance), I am able to focus and I don't worry as much about nagging thoughts.
Does that make sense?
Posted by nightlight on June 3, 2002, at 13:14:43
In reply to Anxiety and Confusion, posted by Christina on May 29, 2002, at 14:18:47
> My ADD overstimulation manifests in anxiety and confusion, so it becomes difficult for me to concentrate, make decisions, stay focused.
> Once my Adderall kicks in (it's more of a smooth entrance), I am able to focus and I don't worry as much about nagging thoughts.
> Does that make sense?Christina-
Ur 'overstimulation' sounds a LOT like mine. It's as if I bbecome ridiculously charged by so many different sensations, smells,(ugh, that 'Beautiful' perfume on the lady 3 rows down from me at the bank),racing thoughts- I've still got 3 errands to run, but I can't be late to pick up my pre-schooler or I'll be fined $10 for every 5 minutes & I'm already broke enuf, lord, how did I forget to snip the tag out of this new shirt-I feel like huge black crows are slowly pecking me to death - why is it that I always get stuck directly underneath that freakin' MUzak thingie in the ceiling-it's SO loud-god, I bet the mailman already came and I didn't pay that stupid bill-and other overdue notices are in that mailbox & DH is going to get to them before I put them in a safe place (and lose them for 6 months) and what am I doing at the bank any way? I don't have enough money in here to even make a dent in all this tangled-jangled crapola! I'm sweating, I'm being pecked, I'm going to hurl my jelly sandwich breakfast because that lady feels 'Beautiful' today, I'm late, I'm caught,I'm guilty, uncoordinated and there's all that *other* stuff* flying thru my head I probably needed to do y'day-eeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEE!!!!That's IT! I'm leaving! I'm going home, I'll tell dh I'm having a migraine, vertigo, fainting spell, menstrual overload, perimenopausal 'symptoms' (unidentified-non-specific, but possibly dangerous...) and beg him to pick up our kid NOW so I can into my room, shut the door, and try to freakin' breathe...and we don't get fined and I don't go insane from that 'outside' stuff that burrows tunnels thu my brain and won't let me concentrate on my 'stuff', the real thing, what's important to do or else ur life spins outta control.
I feel like this at least once every day, and sometime *more*.
Talk about wearing urself out doing nothing!
This condition greatly impededs my ability to think clearly, determine priorities, and accomplish much of anything.I was finally dx'd ADD last Nov.at the age of 46-(thank you, God!). The new med schedule has def'ly helped me control my thoughts, to a degree, and I am less blind to what the 'big picture' is. The big picture, the 'clean-up' job and re-education of efficacious coping skills is hard, very hard. But, I finally have good doctors and a sister and brother who 'sorta' understand and are supporting me in ways I never knew I needed or thought I could ask for. My sis has literally saved me from 'losing it completely'.
It was so hard to tell, to come out, to say-'I'm not well" and 'U better believe it' or I'm goin' down. They believed it enuf. It took a crisis to to illustrate my major depression/anxiety/ADD, but..we've begun. Baby steps...More than u ever wanted to hear, I'm sure!
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