The Different Types, or Styles, of ADHD

• Overview of the Different Types of ADHD:
  • "Inattentive Type": Just like Winnie the Pooh
  • "Classic ADHD": Tiggers like to bounce...
  • "Over-Focused ADHD": Rabbit tends his garden
  • "ADHD with Anxiety": Piglet is nervous and worries...
  • "ADHD and Depression": Eeyore says, "Thanks for noticing me..."
• What are the best treatment strategies for each of these types of ADHD?
• How you can find out more about the different types of ADHD?

Different Types, or Styles, of ADHD

Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to the fact that there are different types, or styles, of ADHD. In the past we referred to Attention Deficit Disorder: Inattentive Type, or Impulsive/Hyperactive Type, or a Combined Type. Today the diagnostic differences are a bit less clear, but the reality doesn't change.

Dr. Daniel Amen has written a great book on the subject, titled "Healing ADHD:The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD" where he uses his SPECT scans of patient's brain activity to help in making his six classifications. His classifications include these "Types" ...

1. Classic ADD - Inattentive, distractible, disorganized. Perhaps hyperactive, restless and impulsive.
2. Inattentive ADD - Inattentive, and disorganized.
3. Over-focused ADD - Trouble shifting attention, frequently stuck in loops of negative thoughts, obsessive, excessive worry, inflexible, oppositional and argumentative.
4. Temporal Lobe ADD - Inattentive and irritable, aggressive, dark thoughts, mood instability, very impulsive. May break rules, fight, be defiant, and very disobedient. Poor handwriting and trouble learning are common.
5. Limbic System ADD - Inattentive, chronic low-grade depression, negative, low energy, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
6. Ring of Fire ADD - Inattentive, extremely distractible, angry, irritable, overly sensitive to the environment, hyperverbal, extremely oppositional, possible cyclic moodiness.

We will be discussing these classification in more detail below, and also in our ADHD Newsletters.

Our classifications are a bit different, and are based more on our clinical observation and experiences. They are based on the classic children's stories of Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Learn more about each type at the ADHD Information Library

Winnie the Pooh Type ADHD - Inattentive, distractible, disorganized. Friendly, but lives in a cloud of "brain fog".

Tigger Type ADHD - Inattentive, impulsive, hyperactive, restless, bouncy.

Eeyore Type ADHD - Inattentive, with chronic low-grade depression.

Piglet Type ADHD - Trouble shifting attention, excessive worry, easily startled.

Rabbit Type ADHD - Trouble shifting attention, inflexible, argumentative.

Troubled Type ADHD - Irritable, aggressive, impulsive, defiant, disobedient. Learning problems.

Each of these types of ADHD (using either Amen's system or ours) will have different treatment needs and approaches.

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• In addition to the EFAs included in the ATTEND, we also recommend further Essential Fatty Acid supplementation with Omegacin+ for the first month for all children, teens, and adults, and for a longer period of time for those who display symptoms of EFA deficiencies. These symptoms include drinking lots of water due to excessive thirst, frequent urination, dry skin, and dry hair. (We also recommend EFA supplementation for pregnant women and nursing mothers, especially with the Omega 3 EFA known as DHA.)

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Are strong stimulants working? If they are, don't make any changes. Just be careful of the long term side-effects. These medications are not like toys - rather they are more like guns. They can be very useful. But they are also very powerful and must be used very carefully.

Attend, when combined with our Specific Targeted Treatment Strategies, can be as effective as the strong stimulants that are routinely prescribed by doctors.

Learn more about Attend