49. ADHD Symptoms in Depth (Inattention Diagnostic Criteria 1/3)

Sparky and Shell 0: 0:10

08 Welcome to dopamine kick, your weekly dose of positivity. We're your hosts Sparky and shell. Join us each week

Unknown Speaker 0: 0:15

16 as we have change your habits, tackle fears and challenge your mindset. 19 Let's get to it. 22 Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 49 Or a dopamine kick. Today we are going to be talking all about inattention.

Sparky 0: 0:30

30 Yes, yes more ADHD content. Which brings us to a little announcement really that we've got for you about the direction of this podcast and where it's going in the future. I

Unknown Speaker 0: 0:35

39 think if you're a regular listener, this won't be a surprise.

Sparky 0: 0:40

42 I know we said. I think we said about six or seven episodes ago. We probably weren't making this an ADHD podcast, but we've realised that if he promised Yeah, we've realised that this has consumed our entire lives recently. And it's what we've been talking about. And we found that we've been talking about models, certain things that can change your mindset. And we stand by all of that, looking back at the episodes, they're all things that we really, really struggled with. But we just thought that because now we're coming down the route of ADHD and Charles been diagnosed with ADHD and we're talking about a lot. It might be best for us to niche down because you've had quite a few people that have said actually, they really recognise ADHD and they would like to listen to a podcast that is just ADHD. So we feel that for the benefit of our listeners, and for the benefit of people listening that aren't interested in ADHD, then it just be better to go down that route because it's part of our lives.

Unknown Speaker 1: 0:45

28 And I think it's it's got to a stage where it's all we talk about between each other is like latest updates or like things that we've learned or stupid things that we've done that we now realise ADHD and it's like, all you can talk and think about, we haven't done a podcast episode that isn't on ADHD. I don't think since we found out I

Sparky 1: 0:50

43 mean, we did the meditation one, but we still struggled to stay on topic. about meditation. And obviously, we are gonna be talking about things like this because meditation still helps me anyway with ADHD. And I know a lot of people who have had ADHD, just from reading stuff online, they think meditation helps them so we're still gonna be talking about some of the things that we previously talked about. But now I think we understand a little bit why, why we had such conflicting opinions. On some of the topics we were talking about, about what helps shall and what helps me because we both struggled with ADHD and we both see things differently and everybody's different. So, you know, we've got to we've got to understand that moving forward and think about all the things that we discussed. It definitely definitely definitely helped us in different ways. And we've got to be open to the fact that we're neurodivergent and people are gonna see things in a different way than just do this, do that do this. So that's why we feel it's best to change

Unknown Speaker 2: 0:55

30 and all of our previous stuff we realised actually, the reason that we both struggled with it is because we have ADHD, so it's all still relevant to ADHD. We just, we just didn't

Sparky 2: 1:00

41 just stop coffee. Oh, okay. Yeah, that's fine. I'll just do that shallow. Like, I'm just trying to, you know, just try harder. And we were discussing this a little while ago. Sometimes when you just hear people saying, especially if you're struggling with ADHD, just do these just do that. Just do this. We know it's not lack of intelligence. We know what we need to do. Do you know what you need to do? If you're eating but it actually is becoming really hard just to go and do that. So we're going to make this a little bit more of a neurodivergent way of thinking about this podcast, and we're just talking about things between ourselves our journey, what we struggle with, and what we feel has helped us and what can help you and I think that's going to be great going forward for this podcast. So we're really sorry. There's anybody here that's listening. That's all about the mindset. This will still help you over the years because it's just looking at it in a different way. But yes, we will be focusing on ADHD. So if you have ADHD, or even you haven't got ADHD and you're interested in listening, how to deal with problems, you can still continue to listen to us, but we really hope that you do stick around and you do like what we've done so far, because you know, that's what we started this podcast for. We wanted to help people and I realised I'm going on and on and on and running shell talk so please jump in and help me so what

Unknown Speaker 3: 1:05

43 we did is have a couple of episodes just on the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Because when something's written down and sort of called Clinical tax, I think sometimes that's quite hard to relate that to situations within your own life. That's definitely something I struggled with when it came to my assessment and I have to get help from my husband and other people recognising some of the things that I did that I didn't think that I actually still did anymore, which is a complex way of explaining it. We'll talk in more detail over these extra episodes. We're going to talk today about inattention. So we're going to go through the criteria and nine inattentive signs that are looking for ADHD, and examples of where they affect us in our own lives. So we're going to hopefully make this episode but we all know Sparky like someone

Unknown Speaker 4: 1:10

29 recently where you've just been given. Yes. So it's not just me. 35 It's like I just believe that I will be turned the microphones on I stopped talking for a while but

Sparky 4: 1:20

41 I'm more relieved about the fact that I don't have to follow a script anymore. Well, I know we haven't followed the script for ages. But you know, if you go back and listen to one of our first episodes, we will not really panicking, you can call here and there'll be another voice that we're not just as fluid as we are now not that I'm never going to be fluent of doing this. But you know what I mean? We don't follow a script anymore. It's all from our head. And I mean, that's just an amazing accomplishment. And that's why I think we need 50 episodes in we're going to change Oh, we forgot to mention in the intro as well. Just to kind of make it fit into what we're talking about. So I think episode 50 is gonna be like it's not a rebrand but it's like

Unknown Speaker 5: 1:25

12 we found ourselves Yeah, like just a subtle add on rather than brand.

Sparky 5: 1:30

16 So I suppose we should get back to talking about inattention because I got distracted.

Unknown Speaker 5: 1:35

19 Okay, well, I like what you said that. So okay, so I've got the criteria here. So maybe if I say them out loud one at a time, and then we go through examples. Okay, hopefully we can think about it. We didn't plan this in advance. So, first one is makes careless mistakes or lacks attention to detail.

Sparky 5: 1:40

35 So just quickly, I'm gonna go through each one of these and just give it a little bit of explanation as well because I feel like when you say makes careless mistakes or lacks attention to detail, this, again, is something that a lot of people do. We all do things like this. We do make careless mistakes, and we do lack attention to detail. But what it means here is how often this happens. So for me, I'm working on something that I find extremely boring. I do this all the time. This is something that just goes over my head. So I'm doing the work. And I'm not planning to make mistakes, but I'm actually making mistake as I'm going along. I'm not even realising it. Yeah, and I'll give you a quick example. So as you know, I do it from home, I'll do photos and I'm working on a particular boring project. I will do it so fast and so quickly, and then I'll send it to the client and then they will say, Oh, by the way, this needs doing and I've made mistake here and I've done this and I've done that and oh my god, it didn't even realise this is an example of making careless mistakes and lacking attention to detail. And it just a disclaimer, that's not that. I do do that for a lot of projects. I do actually really enjoy some of those projects that I'm working on as well, but it still happens. If you've got any examples of this. Yeah, mine

Unknown Speaker 6: 1:45

38 is like an example to me because I'm sending a really important email. I might like agonised ages about what to say. And like how to get everything looks right on pages. The tone comes across really well and all that sort of stuff. And I'll click send and I'll get to the attachment. Yeah, fill out the attachments are realised like a stolen person's name, or haven't included my name at the bottom, like just really like so just makes it look like I've just quickly snapped up this Event Centre and like there's been a typo or something. But actually, it's probably taken like a good hour of my time.

Sparky 7: 1:50

10 That's so true. I remember when you sent me a prescription and obviously on the same page, check it out shall send a prescription and I sent it to the company that sends out the medication and the pharmacy that's it. Just compromised and you just got to put the dosage on there which is which is a pretty important key points. Yeah, exactly. So careless mistakes like and attention to detail can you think of any more?

Unknown Speaker 7: 1:55

37 I said that one really is like a work thing for me is because I don't I don't have I do make mistakes at home but it's there's so many opportunities is there in in like home and socialising to make careless mistakes? I don't think I do it with recipes a lot like I follow trying to follow a recipe and then I'll get to the end and I'll be like, I still got garlic leftover. And it's because I've just completely missed that step where you add to it and or like, I still have like a pint of water and it's like sticky sauce and it's like, oh, I should have added that four steps ago. So yeah, maybe that is exactly what I do it I

Unknown Speaker 8: 2:00

07 actually go shopping and forget the ingredients. So we've got two peas in a pod. Can you imagine? The ingredients and you add to cookie? Two ingredients in the cupboard. Yeah.

Sparky 8: 2:05

26 But also as well careless mistakes just to recall on that one. I keep saying that. Just a quick one. More sorry. careless mistakes can be anything really. But it can't be how your brain perceives it as well just to give it a bit of context. So I don't want to make these mistakes, but I've realised that it's almost I can't help making these mistakes. Someone will tell me over and over again, this is how you do something. But I'll find myself still doing the same thing or making such little simple mistakes and like, Oh my God, why can't I just do these like I know what I should be doing, but I just can't do it. So I think when we look at making careless mistakes or lack of attention to detail, it must be something that you struggle with quite often for it to be regarded as a symptom of inattention. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 9: 2:10

03 that's something. Okay, so the next one is difficulty sustaining attention. I mean, I think probably our entire back catalogue is just full of examples of this where we were unable to remain attentive to the topic. Do you have any specific examples Sparky? In your life you could think of? Are you struggling to sustain attention?

Sparky 9: 2:15

21 Oh, yes. So for example, we discussed this as well in another episode before, where you do two voices at one time, so TV's on. You're watching TV, and you're Scotland on your phone. So I love watching films and TV series because obviously I like making films and things like that, but there'll be times where I really actually struggle to sit down and watch TV even though I want to do that. So I've got Oh, yeah, okay, so for example, at the moment I'm watching House of Dragon all will get really into it. And I'm not only need to watch the next episode, and then there'll be times where I will literally just be putting it off and often I'll be doing other things and I'll literally focus on anything other than watching the episode. Always on on googling things that we've ever had or not really released. Just rewind it Yeah, just just just end up watching the episode on rewind, just don't even know what's going on. And it's not even because it's boring. It's just because I've got difficulty sustaining that attention and my attention just split so I do have to be in the right frame of mind to even watch stuff I really enjoy at the moment. What about you? Yeah, I definitely

Unknown Speaker 10: 2:20

17 think filmed in the Reagan example. And for me, I don't even realise sometimes I haven't paid attention, but I definitely do the whole wanting to remind Downton Abbey suddenly got no idea why this character is coming. I definitely do that. It's time to stop it. I just don't realise that it's happening so much, especially with our older films. I can like look at film backwards and think and be honest, but I watch I watch that and I watch it and like it happens so much. I probably get through like three quarters of the film, maybe two thirds of the film, and all of a sudden I can remember the ending, but not like not like I've seen like not like our destiny plot twist. Like I can just remember how it ends. I can remember like, what the lead character says like in her last few scenes and what she's wearing, and I certainly think I've seen these before, but I don't know until them about three quarters of the way through the film. I've got no memory I've watched all of the film just blissfully up until that point, haven't remembered anything. Like if you'd have asked me Have you seen this film? I would have said no. I couldn't tell you anything about it and then like three quarters away and I'll be like

Unknown Speaker 11: 2:25

20 I know what this is about. What was it watching? Again? I 24 guess got some noise with myself. I'm like Why have you done that? Like you obviously you'd like to pay attention the first time and now you just wasted another hour and a half of your life and film that you've already seen obviously wasn't that good because the first time

Sparky 11: 2:35

35 you've watched something really religiously so for example, on your test drive anything so I'm watching at the moment but like it's ending now and I know that I'm gonna have to wait for another season one season two comes out. I will not know what's happened in season one. I'll go back and I'll watch a preview or watch like a recap. And I still don't know what's going on because the recap is going too fast. I can't remember what happened. They don't have to go back and watch the whole thing.

Unknown Speaker 11: 2:40

55 Now I do that as well. Like Jamie always be like, Oh, just watch the recap that we have. There's nothing for me.

Sparky 12: 2:45

01 To recap it just it just kind of made me more confused. I'm not going to understand it. And Michelle used to watch or is it Shannon? i Sorry, Shannon I used to watch Game of Thrones. We used to have like a meetup where we used to watch Game of Thrones and I swear I used to I used to love it used to be like one of my favourite times of the week. And then we used to watch it together and then half the time I'd be sitting there thinking discussing whose little finger character that we're going on about. And then people would have to explain to me and I'm like, Oh no, you're talking about but I just, I just haven't taken in a lot of the information and it must be because I'm watching. I'm paying attention to certain things that are not paying attention to names or whatever. Yeah, so TV is definitely a big one for sustaining our attention. Can you think of any more when it comes to sustaining attention?

Unknown Speaker 12: 2:50

44 I can think of a bad one. I'm going to say this I'm gonna say anyway. Maybe I've said it before on the podcast. Driving is a really bad one. Especially, especially if I'm going somewhere that I know. Yeah, I have to have to listen to podcasts because otherwise I will not remember. And it's not like I know everybody has times when they say that in the car. We should exhale most way because you got to multiply that I know everybody's at that but for me is literally every time again every single time. So yeah, that's that's the worst. I can't

Sparky 13: 2:55

12 drive anywhere without sat down, even if I've been there so many times. So I still don't I wouldn't know the way to use without sat down. And I'm pretty sure that I should know that by now. And also, you can guarantee I can just guarantee that. I'm always going to take the same exit that I take every time it's wrong, but I still do it every time I say to myself, we're not going to do the 42 I am definitely not going to make the same mistake as the last time and turn isn't going into Birmingham. And yet I'll do it every time and I'll be on my way to Birmingham city centre watching the skyline. And I know that at that point, I've got 50 minutes added onto my journey and there's nothing I can do about it. It's just so frustrating because I know every time I know and I just do it I just it's just not my intention is just

Unknown Speaker 13: 3:00

54 madness memory. That's why you're always late every time you oh yeah, taking a long time. Always message me like I'm just leaving now. And I know that it's a 40 minute drive and you're not leaving and then every time you're like oh I get traffic was so bad and like talk it's one o'clock on a Sunday.

Sparky 14: 3:05

13 I think there was any No no no, I'm not even bad at the moment. Like he's really bad. There's always really bad traffic. But yeah, I do end up taking the wrong turning loads. I think where you live I drove round and round for AGS go past a challenge combat. Just like I just yeah, that's what happens. And I think that's the reason why so difficulty sustaining attention and forgetting things as well which I think is another symptom of inattention.

Unknown Speaker 14: 3:10

38 Don't get ahead of yourself. There really aren't any quick to

Sparky 14: 3:15

42 cure there's loads more that we can discuss with attention but we've got limited time so we do have to move on.

Unknown Speaker 14: 3:20

48 Let's move on does not seem to listen when spoken to directly oh well. This

Sparky 14: 3:25

52 one is you. Because it doesn't matter what you say to her. She's never ever going to listen to a word you say

Unknown Speaker 15: 3:30

03 this is the base of your own reflections This is not

Sparky 15: 3:35

07 it's true though. You know, she'll just won't listen to what you say. And always come back with rebuttals or always say like Yeah, but this year but that's so you definitely have this one does not seem to listen to me spoken to direct I think you're referring to like stubbornness, but I think this is if it's like not hearing rather than not listening.

Unknown Speaker 15: 3:40

24 I think so.

Sparky 15: 3:45

26 Would you bite into two different categories as well because it could be that you can't, you're not aware of it. But also that it comes across like you don't seem to listen, but you aren't listening. You're thinking too much.

Unknown Speaker 15: 3:50

36 Maybe your thoughts are racing ahead. So you're like verbalising Your third thought, which is quite hard for someone else to follow you

Sparky 15: 3:55

41 like I can't think of I can't think logically I can't think logically what he's saying right now because in my head, this is what I'm thinking.

Unknown Speaker 15: 4:00

47 For me. I really, really struggled to listen to somebody talking and that's I can see their lips moving. I think this is one of the reasons I hate talking on the phone so much. Like if I'm out in like a social situation, or like work was so difficult for me when everyone was wearing masks, because it just it's like, it's like I can't hear them have a problem with my hearing. And I remember as a child right up into being like about 1617 repeatedly being taken hearing tests by my parents, because they were like she just doesn't seem to like here like shouldn't be looking at you. But she just didn't she can't repeat back what you said so she's not physically heard, even though she's trying to miss it and obviously I must have got better at it without realising and what I must do is lip read at the same time as this thing. So it's like do Do you think that once I can't see someone's lips moving I really struggle to pay attention to them? Really, really

Sparky 16: 4:05

32 lucky said again. You know, here it would have been a light though because it's it's part

Unknown Speaker 16: 4:10

36 yeah, I passed every hearing test. I've never had any issue with my actual hearing. It is it's all just ADHD. No one could explain it. They just said I had selective

Sparky 16: 4:15

45 selective hearing. But again, we're talking about that does not seem to listen to you or spoken to directly. Sometimes someone will be talking to me. And even though I can see their lips moving, I can't actually physically taking the information when they're talking because I've got too many thoughts going on in my head about something else, or I'm actually finding what they're saying really dumb or really boring. Or it's not giving me enough dopamine. So I'll kind of like zone out and there'll be talking and talking and you might get really impatient or like just finish finish the sentence finish the conversation because I'm certainly not here. And then I'll come back and I'll drifting and I always tell when I'm telling you that because I either don't respond, or I talk very little. And it means getting more and more impatient. Anyway, we're at 24 minutes so like you said we were gonna split this episode down, we knew we would, because there's just so much to talk about when it comes to the attention. So what we'll do is we'll leave this episode here, and then pick it up in the next episode. But what we what we wanted to actually do is, you know, we had a little kicker in previous episodes and it was quite a nice little quote at the end or something like that. We thought what we'd do is we'd kind of revive that. Yeah, I'm gonna bring it back. We were told Yeah, we're gonna bring it back, not in the same way. But what we're going to do is we're going to give something at the end. That's, that's ADHD was funny. So a meme that we've seen or a joke or maybe even a quote or something like that we can just do in each episode, because it's funny. So if you're listening to this, and if you know of any ADHD quotes, or memes or anything that you find that super funny, please get in touch with us. And let us know because we can we can give you a shout out maybe on the podcast and let people know that you've sent in a meme or a joke or something funny, maybe something that's happened to you. Maybe you've got a story that we can talk about, because it just makes it so much more interesting and more engaging with the people that are listening. So we'd love if you could do that. And then at the end of next week's episode, we'll probably introduce it so yeah, that's it for me this week. Okay. We'll see you next week. All right, that's everything this week guys, but if you want to carry on with the conversation, join us over on our social media platforms for on all the major channels and our handle is dopamine.

Unknown Speaker 18: 4:25

53 We'd also be super grateful if you could leave us a review on the podcast ready to sing because it helps us grow our audience and help more people. Okay, we'll see you in the next one. Bye bye.

Transcribed by https: 4:30

//otter.ai