A few blurbs I found regarding Hyperfocus

[desolationangel]

Maryyra, thanks for the awesomely insightful/ potentially helpful post! (Even if I really had to force myself to pay attention at the end- walls of text can lead to serious tuning out/ be intimidating- but what you said was so good I made a point to muscle through it )

I relate substantially to what you're saying. I know what you mean about just avoiding the triggers and listening to your body. My problem is I think I should be able to control my triggers and then I beat myself up about the fact that starting out my day on the internet 'for just fifteen minutes' leads to four hours.

Anyway, if you don't mind sharing, what meds do you take? You seem to have similar issues so I'm curious as to what is helpful for you.

Thanks-

[doiadhd]

It means It is the only time I can relax....be normal.

[krb388]

My true meaning of Hyperfocus.

Hyperfocus = Unnecessary undivided attention.

[NZgirl]

Right now hyper focus is knowing I need to sleep but intent on finding some help for adhd so clicking on 100 pages of google nonstop for answers.

Or being able to magically concentrate for a 4 hour poker tournament and win it but not be able to wait for the kettle to boil or remember to put the milk back in the fridge.

[Maryyra]

Haha, I know what you mean about walls of text, desolationangel - I tune out on them easily too!! Geez, I was really hyperfocusing then... my apologies. Funny how that happens (not liking something and still doing it)!

I take vyvanse once a day, 40 mg - I'm not sure if it's the perfect dose though. Varies a lot, and I have a sort of bad memory when it comes to remembering what I did over the day. Maybe the vyvanse is doing its job too well - it's supposed to fade out less suddenly, but I barely notice it stop working until I suddenly realize that I haven't been focusing much for a couple hours. (Or hyperfocusing.)

It doesn't seem to completely prevent me from hyperfocusing; my doctor suggested that I pour a bit out of the capsule to see if a lower dose would help. Tried that for four days, and still hyperfocused on one of them. And of course I hyperfocus even more without the medicine (and am more of a mess in general!).

Maybe I have OCD as well, but then my hyperfocusing seems to be ADD-ish (like, starting a task, getting distracted by a detail of it and pursuing that detail, so that I'm still doing the task, but not actually getting closer to finishing it, and having trouble focusing on the overall goal). Not sure.

[CuriousGirl]

Hello First post here and am exploring the possibility of having AD/HD.

I've skipped a lot of this thread, as 10 pages is a lot of reading, but wanted to figure out if all my 'mini obsessions' are hyperfocus or not. It's one of the things that I can't seem to stop doing, I fixate on a particular topic and have a voracious need to know everything about the topic and then lose complete interest in it, once I've pretty much wrung it dry. I seem to have gone through my life doing this and I always called them phases that I go through, but I'm just starting to realise this is probably not a normal thing to do? lol I'm 35 btw. But, as I said I'm not sure if it's hyperfocus or what? If it's not, does anyone know what it is?

Oh and my Dr is researching a decent psych or whatever for me to go to about all my issues. My family have been saying stuff to me for years and now I realise these things not only affect my life but they affect their lives too. Reading these forums have been sooo interesting, seeing the similarities in people here and thinking - That's what I do!

Anyway, thanks in advance for any replies

[kgtennisfan]

First of all, thank you so much for this thread! I didn't even realize that hyperfocus was a symptom of ADD. With that said, I have finally accepted my diagnosis! Because I have used my "coping mechanisms" for so long, hyperfocus was one of the ways I have managed to finish college with a 4.0 (granted it did take me 15 years post high school). I have always known that I have had some sort of ADD, but until I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago, I really haven't believed it because of my college! Thanks again for allowing me to "see the light" and accept this challenge!

[kgtennisfan]

Originally Posted by CuriousGirl

Hello First post here and am exploring the possibility of having AD/HD.

I've skipped a lot of this thread, as 10 pages is a lot of reading, but wanted to figure out if all my 'mini obsessions' are hyperfocus or not. It's one of the things that I can't seem to stop doing, I fixate on a particular topic and have a voracious need to know everything about the topic and then lose complete interest in it, once I've pretty much wrung it dry. I seem to have gone through my life doing this and I always called them phases that I go through, but I'm just starting to realise this is probably not a normal thing to do? lol I'm 35 btw. But, as I said I'm not sure if it's hyperfocus or what? If it's not, does anyone know what it is?

Oh and my Dr is researching a decent psych or whatever for me to go to about all my issues. My family have been saying stuff to me for years and now I realise these things not only affect my life but they affect their lives too. Reading these forums have been sooo interesting, seeing the similarities in people here and thinking - That's what I do!

Anyway, thanks in advance for any replies

My husband has always said that I am too obsessed with things that I tackle. Guess that's how we are all the same! I am so glad to know that I am not alone!

[doiadhd]

Hyper-Focus is peace of mind.

In my work i could sustain this focus for large amounts of time,the whole day...sometimes i will not stop for lunch or a rest because it breaks the focus....and is a bugger to get back,especially after eating.

I am now in withdrawal stages of being addicted to working hard,the dopamine hit....the H-P.

[Tymko]

Great. And now I hyperfocus on ADD.
Like Uroboros or something

[Layla771]

I think I just hyperfocused on this thread! lol (And read most of it, yesterday and today) Great thread!

I'm still.. reeling from it all, I guess.. my mind iz dazzled with some of the info

The need for
- structure
- deadlines or tests or other outside-imposed limits bring about hyperfocus or such.. (otherwise some limits need to be imposed too)

I guess I've Hyperfocused on some things at the Uni - and it usually turned out great: for example I got into the beatniks, researching all I could find, even memories of some descendents online.. And it was on my final exam, WOW! (And of course Professor was impressed...) I had this recipe to study everything a bit and then use intuition and really study in-depth some of the things that 'attracted' me.. (it could also be a bit random) it sorta worked...

I am still trying to make it work in 'grown-up life'. And sometimes it works. (Especially if there's a deadline or someone else making me do it..) For example, I may hyperfocus on something and want to make an article or a project out of it, but what if a few weeks or months later when it's assigned or approved I'm no more interested? And such.. ??? Many questions still abound.. I did find that sometimes reading my notes or new info about something or finding new aspects of it (or new, fun ways how to do or improve something, brainstorming is like a mind drug sometimes ) can bring the interest and hyperfocus back.. I think-?? Any other good tips?

Also, being around charged/driven, energetic and creative/interesting people can sort of 'charge' me and get me into hyperfocus, I think-??

[quirkyscrawler]

Originally Posted by Crazy~Feet

What y'all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocus

Hyperfocus describes an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a narrow subject, or beyond objective reality and onto subjective mental planes, daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other objects of the mind.

From a neurodiversity perspective, hyperfocus is a mental ability that is a natural expression of personality. However, hyperfocus can also be regarded as a psychiatric diagnosis, as a distraction from reality and a symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD), or autism. Counter to this view, the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD (for example) do not include anything resembling hyperfocus and instead emphasise opposite behaviors such as "often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks".

Some people say that hyperfocus is an important element of meditation, but Osho emphasized that meditation is not concentration. In common parlance, hyperfocus is sometimes referred to as "zoning out." In sports, it is sometimes referred to as "being in the zone."

http://www.enotalone.com/article/4123.html

Both research and clinical experience tells us that ADHD Children can exhibit a type of "hyperfocus" - intense concentration and single-minded focus when the activity is very interesting. This situation is most often found when ADHD Children play computer games. ADHD Children may have an amazing ability to hyperfocus on a computer game, one of the few things that moves fast enough to maintain their attention, unlike homework or routine chores.

The hyperfocus found in ADHD Children is not a normal type of concentration or focus. Remembering the neurochemical aspects of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), hyperfocus requires the child to use the maximum attention and sustained concentration available. For parents and teachers, imagine trying to thread a needle, in low light, while sitting in a row boat in the ocean - the waves tossing and rolling all the time. The amount of concentration required to thread that needle makes us anxious, tense, and irritable - as if somebody were asking us questions while we were trying to thread that needle. This is way ADHD Johnny is so fidgety while trying to listen to your conversation or correction.

In ADHD Children, hyperfocus allows them to participate in computer games or watch high-action movies - but at a cost. The amount of energy being used makes them very irritable. If a parent interrupts the computer game or movie with a question, a call for lunch, or a request - the ADHD Children is likely to explode in a burst of verbal or physical aggression. His or her concentration has been broken and that neurochemical activity spills out into the room, or is directed at the interrupting source.

http://school.familyeducation.com/le...nts/37763.html

Can a gifted child who spends hours focused on a task still have ADHD?
Some parents and professionals assume that a child who can concentrate for a long time cannot have ADHD. This is incorrect. It's understandable that an observer might dismiss the possibility of ADHD, because from all appearances the child is so absorbed in a task that everything around her fades into oblivion.

While this state of rapt attention may be the sign of a creative mind, it may also be "hyperfocus," which is a similar condition that individuals with ADHD frequently experience. You can't tell children with and without ADHD from how they engage in high-interest activities -- such as videos, computer games, or reading for pleasure. The key is effort. How your child performs during projects that require effort -- but aren't necessarily high-interest -- can mark the difference.

So a child with ADHD can concentrate for long periods of time?
ADHD is not characterized by a child's inability to pay attention, but rather is marked by his inability to control his attention. A child with ADHD has great difficulty paying attention to tasks that are not immediately rewarding, that require effort.

While "hyperfocus" can be a positive sign of commitment to a task and a sign of motivation, it becomes a problem when a gifted child is asked to shift from one task to another. In other words, while this intense concentration can be positive for the child's thinking, it can also cause problems in her behavior.

Seems to be a subject coming up a lot here of late. What does hyperfocus mean to you?

Crazy

For some reason, I "hyperfocus" on researching mental health issues. I cannot apply this level of sustained concentration to anything else.

[sunsea]

Desolationangel...I was thinking almost the same thing this morning: I "should" be able to controll my trigers, then beat myself up when i don't. And Ironically, i have not been on this forum since i registerecd 6 mo ago. This morning I said i'd better get on it to have company of good folks like me who talk about ADD things. So happy I turned first to your post.

smiles and thanks

[FlakyMcFlake]

Does anyone else feel like they go through "seasons" of hyper focus? That's the best way I can describe it. I will go for weeks knowing that I'm going to be slacking off, and not paying attention to things I need to..and I just have this general feeling of running against the wind.

And then I'll wake up one morning and I just seem to have some inner inspiration to tackle all of the things I put off at once. I become highly productive for a week or so, and then I slide into another week of rest.

Can anyone relate?

[Azoox]

Originally Posted by FlakyMcFlake

Does anyone else feel like they go through "seasons" of hyper focus? That's the best way I can describe it. I will go for weeks knowing that I'm going to be slacking off, and not paying attention to things I need to..and I just have this general feeling of running against the wind.

And then I'll wake up one morning and I just seem to have some inner inspiration to tackle all of the things I put off at once. I become highly productive for a week or so, and then I slide into another week of rest.

Can anyone relate?

Oh yes, absolutely. And it has various "waves" depending on a number of factors: Is it the beginning of the semester? Is it towards the middle or end? What hour of the day is it? What season of the year? I'm hopeless during summer while I seem to be much more focused in fall, my favorite season, and within specific hour brackets: 6-11am and 4-11pm. My brain seems dead between 11am-4pm, which is when I prefer to teach or do some physical work rather than have to focus on anything intellectual in the privacy of my office or home. Towards the beginning of the semester, I'm more enthusiastic while mid-semester and later take a toll on me--yes, regular burnout, but it affects my focus worse than anything else. As a result of all the above, I try to keep my own personalized clock and calendar.