Anxiety pills for sell.Have you ever drummed your fingers against a table or shaken your leg when you were anxious? If so, then you’ve experienced a behavior that’s known as stimming. Stimming is a natural human behavior, but it’s often mistakenly assumed to only affect autistic people. However, you may not have known that people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also exhibit stimming, although it may be for different reasons.
The Meaning of ADHD Stimming
“Stimming” is shorthand for “self-stimulatory,” and describes repetitive physical movements like hand-flapping or vocalizations. Stimming is a natural behavior that’s used to self-stimulate—whether it’s for focus, self-soothe, or something else. Although anyone can experience stimming, it tends to be more common in the neurodivergent population, including people with ADHD.
If you live with ADHD, you may stim for many different reasons, but it could often be because it helps you focus. People with ADHD can also stim trying to cope with different emotions or external stimuli.Anxiety pills for sellNot everyone with ADHD
(nor everyone on the autism spectrum) experiences stimming, and it’s not a required symptom to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In addition, stimming is not necessarily a sign that you have ADHD or autism—many neurotypical people also stim.
Types of ADHD Stimming Behaviors
There are many different types of stimming behaviors but they are typically based on specific sensory experiences:
- Visual: These stims are associated with sight, so staring at bright or moving objects, reflections, or just into space feels soothing. Other examples include spinning small items, doodling, switching lights, or blinking frequently.
- Verbal: These can be related to both listening to or producing sounds. For example, singing, muttering, humming, repeating song lyrics, snapping fingers, or constantly having specific or repetitive background music while working or studying.Anxiety pills for sell
- Tactile: These stims can be self-oriented, like hair twirling, skin rubbing, scratching, nail-biting, or making twiddling movements with hands. They may also be focused on other objects, for example, picking lint or fidgeting with items that have a pleasant texture.
Fidgeting vs. Stimming
People with ADHD, especially the hyperactive-impulsive or combined type of ADHD, can often be found fidgeting. If you live with hyperactive symptoms, you might find it very difficult to sit still, even when it’s necessary to do so. To cope with the frustration and restless energy, you might fidget or squirm.
In many ways, fidgeting is a type of stimming. For example, if you live with ADHD and “fidget” by tapping your feet in boring situations, then that could be a type of stimming.
However, in general, stimming tends to be more extreme than ordinary fidgeting. Neurotypical people may fidget—for example, they might twirl their hair when they’re nervous—but it might not be noticeable to others. Even if it is, the behavior might be within a range that others can easily understand.
Stimming in ADHD vs. Autism Spectrum Disorder
Although it affects many people with ADHD, stimming is not listed as a formally recognized symptom of ADHD. It is, however, listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as a symptom of autism.However, stimming in ADHD can often be more subtle. For example, someone with ADHD may tap a pen or repeat song lyrics. On the other hand, stimming in autism can be more overt, like hand-flapping or rocking back and forth, and can even be involuntary or unconscious.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that there is a significant overlap between autism and ADHD. Up to 70% of people with autism also have ADHD symptoms. So the differences between ADHD and autism stimming may not be as drastic as we’ve assumed.
Causes of ADHD Stimming
People with ADHD stim partly because of the biological differences in their brains. Research shows that ADHD causes an imbalance in a brain chemical called dopamine, which is why if you live with ADHD you may often feel bored or understimulated. Stimming may be a way that you deal with the relentless feelings of boredom and keep yourself more engaged in your surroundings.
Research has also found that stimming, or fidgeting, helps people with ADHD focus better. A difficulty with directing focus is one of the core symptoms of ADHD. Stimming may help manage focus, strengthen cognitive functioning
, and reduce the impulsivity and boredom that can become distracting.
