glossary

ADHD words, explained honestly

A lot of ADHD language comes from the community, not from research. That doesn’t make it less useful. Each word here is marked so you know what it is.

research termexpert modelcommunity term

ADHD burnout

community term

Not a medical diagnosis. A name for deep exhaustion from constantly managing and masking ADHD symptoms. Signs can include exhaustion, sleep problems and lost motivation.

Source: ADHD burnout, Understood · Read more →

ADHD paralysis (task paralysis)

community term

Not a medical diagnosis, but a common term for feeling overwhelmed, frozen and unable to start. Cleveland Clinic describes mental, task and choice paralysis.

Source: ADHD paralysis, Cleveland Clinic · Read more →

ADHD tax

community term

An informal term for money lost to ADHD-related slips: late fees, replacing lost items, impulse buys. Early survey research points the same way.

Source: How do you pay the “ADHD tax”?, ADDitude · Read more →

Body doubling

community term

Working on a task while another person is present, in person or online. There isn’t much research yet, but some people with ADHD find it really helps.

Source: Body doubling for ADHD: what it is and how it works, Understood · Read more →

Brain dump

community term

Writing down everything on your mind, in any order, until your head feels quieter. Sort afterwards, or not at all.

Read more →

Bedtime procrastination (“revenge bedtime procrastination”)

research term

Going to bed later than you meant to, with nothing outside stopping you. Researchers defined it in 2014; the “revenge” part is a social-media label.

Source: Kroese et al., “Bedtime procrastination: introducing a new area of procrastination”, Frontiers in Psychology, 2014 · Read more →

Dopamine menu

community term

A list of small, enjoyable activities sorted like a restaurant menu. Popularized by Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD. A planning tool, not a treatment.

Source: Using a dopamine menu to stimulate your ADHD brain, ADDitude · Read more →

Doom pile

community term

A pile of mixed, unsorted things moved out of the way “for later”. DOOM: Didn’t Organize, Only Moved.

Source: Doom piles and ADHD, ADDitude · Read more →

Emotional dysregulation

research term

Difficulty managing the intensity of emotions. CHADD calls it common in ADHD and says it was part of earlier official descriptions of ADHD before being removed.

Source: Emotions feel like too much? It could be a symptom of ADHD, CHADD

Executive function

research term

A set of mental skills, including working memory, flexible thinking and self-control, used to plan, organize and get things done. People with ADHD often struggle with them.

Source: What is executive function?, Understood · Read more →

Hyperfocus

community term

Intense, absorbed focus where everything else fades. A very common ADHD experience, but not an official symptom, and not well researched yet.

Source: Understanding ADHD and hyperfocus, Understood · Read more →

Interest-based nervous system

expert model

Dr. William Dodson’s description of ADHD attention as driven by interest, challenge, novelty, urgency and passion rather than importance. From clinical practice, not proven research.

Source: William Dodson, MD, “Secrets of your ADHD brain”, ADDitude · Read more →

“Object permanence”

community term

Used informally for “out of sight, out of mind”: forgetting things you know exist. It isn’t a recognized ADHD symptom; the original term comes from child development.

Source: Object permanence and ADHD, Medical News Today · Read more →

Pomodoro technique

expert model

A time-management method by Francesco Cirillo: work in timed blocks with short breaks. Classic blocks are 25 minutes, but shorter blocks are fine.

Source: The Pomodoro Technique, Francesco Cirillo · Read more →

Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)

community term

Not an official diagnosis. Describes intense emotional pain in response to perceived rejection or criticism. It’s unknown how many people with ADHD experience it.

Source: Rejection sensitive dysphoria, Understood

Time blindness

community term

Not having a clear sense of time passing. The term is informal, but research links ADHD to differences on timing tasks.

Source: ADHD and “time blindness”, Understood · Read more →

Waiting mode

community term

Struggling to start anything when a commitment is coming up later, even with plenty of time before it.

Source: Time blindness and “waiting mode”, ADDitude · Read more →

Wall of Awful

expert model

A model by ADHD coach Brendan Mahan: built-up shame, guilt, fear and disappointment from past attempts that make starting a task feel impossible.

Source: Brendan Mahan, Overcoming the Wall of Awful, Hachette · Read more →

Working memory

research term

The mental “sticky note” that holds information while you use it. Part of executive function. A brain dump takes some load off it.

Source: What is executive function?, Understood · Read more →

Practical, non-clinical explanations. Nothing here is a diagnosis or medical advice.

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