What Makes Attention Deficit Disorder Worse?
There are a number of factors which can worsen Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms. These are:
●
Lack of sleep or poor sleep
●
High emotional stress
●
Depression
●
Change in environment
Let’s look at these one-by-one.
Sleep
By unfortunate co-incidence, sleep difficulties make Attention Deficit
Disorder worse and ADD can lead to sleep problems. Because part of ADD is difficulty filtering out stimuli, ADD sufferers may be more sensitive to noise. Sounds from the
environment often lead to awakening in the middle of the night. Even when
these brief episodes of wakefulness go unnoticed and the individual goes
right back to sleep, the quality of sleep is diminished. This may leave
the person with a feeling of low energy throughout the day. It also may
cause more forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating, thus worsening ADD
symptoms.
High Emotional Stress
Stress can worsen Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms
in at least two ways. First, it is natural for the mind
to
try to solve problems. Therefore, if there is a difficult situation
occurring in someone’s life, that person's mind will tend to be drawn toward it in
an effort to solve it. This can be very distracting. Second, stress leads to emotional states
(sadness and anxiety, for instance) that in and of themselves cause brain
changes that worsen ADD. In fact, one of the defining symptoms of
depression (a brain disorder resulting from high stress) is difficulty with
concentration.
Depression
As just noted, depression seems to change brain
functioning in a way that makes concentration more difficult. Depression
has an effect on memory as well. Therefore, it can be useful for ADD
patients who are noticing their symptoms getting worse to
ask themselves, am I also feeling more sad than usual? Is it harder for me
to enjoy things the way I used to? Am I feeling more hopeless about the
future? If these or other indicators of depression seem to apply, treatment
may need to focus on depression as much as ADD.
Changes in the Environment
Some people notice their Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms getting worse when they start a new job or move to a new place. The ADD brain is already working overtime trying to organize the information it needs to absorb. When suddenly presented with a whole new set of facts, places, names, and situations it can feel overloaded. While it accommodates to the new environment, the ability to stay focused and process memory may temporarily diminish.
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[About Nicholas Schwartz, M.D.]
© copyright 2006 Nicholas Schwartz, M.D.