Thank you for covering this. I've been struggling with this throughout my life, I'm 23 and still struggling. I'm glad you're talking about this. Really, I mean it.
Anecdotally, I have ADHD, and would describe myself as being "high sensation seeking". It manifests in a variety of ways, including hypersexuality (lots of sexual activity, more variety in that activity, some deviancy, etc). I'm also a thrill seeker, enjoy being verbally combative, and I tend to get addicted to things that I find stimulating. It takes a lot of self control to direct my "high sensation seeking" tendencies towards activities that are safe - for example, instead of getting onto people's motorcycles, I go on rollercoasters. Instead of getting into arguments with family and friends, I joined a debate team in school and studied philosophy and politics, and found people who like to have verbal spats about certain topics. With sexual activities, I basically need a partner with a high sex drive or the relationship won't work out. I care about partners far more than for their bodies, but for my own sexual health, I feel like it's safer and healthier (STDs, etc) to have one partner repeatedly vs a large number of partners. That's just my own decision, not judging others. I'm a woman and I've never been the partner with the lower libido in relationships. In light of my ADHD diagnosis, I've reconceptualized my desire for touch as stimulation seeking seeking behaviour. I don't always feel aroused when I want to have sex - often I just want the closeness, or I'm bored, or I impulsively turn an innocent touch into more. So, I don't know if it's genuine libido. It's caused some issues in relationships - men tend to think they would like a partner who has a high sex drive, but it actually makes them feel bad if they "can't keep up" with me. I think there's some degree of shame attached to that because of the stereotype that men are supposed to "want it" 24/7. My happiest relationships have always been ones where my partner is very physical with me, in and outside the bedroom. I'm in a relationship like that now, with a good man, who is very physically affectionate and kind - these are the relationships I'm happiest in. It's sex, but it's also the hand on the small of my back, the random and frequent kisses, massages for no reason, and it being normal between us to physically cling without explanation or reason. When I saw Dr. Barkley's lecture where he recommended that parents "touch, then talk", I had a flood of memories from my childhood, just this mental montage of examples where touch worked and where nagging and yelling were awful, so many memories of responding well to touch - camp counsellor's physically picking me up and kindly and gently positioning me to run in the direction they wanted me to, or teachers placing their hand on my hand to discourage me from playing with sharp tools before a verbal correction, or my high school boyfriend wrapping his arm around my shoulder before asking me about the latest fight I had with my parents. I can think of 500 other examples. Touch of any kind has always been so positive for me, very full of affection and kindness. I think I've always been more responsive to and stimulated by touch because of ADHD, and perhaps the people who cared about me learned that I responded well to it over time, consciously or not. So, I think hypersexuality is an extension of that. But I do think the core of it is ADHD.
Lol you sound like you have a personality disorder and trauma please get counseling if you haven't already because clearly you've hit rock bottom and you being stuck in life is normal to you
I'm a guy with the same issue of thrill seeking and strong sensations from whatever sources. These sources can be junk food, exercise, driving fast, rollercoasters, high-intensity video games, sugary food or drinks, etc. Whatever satisfies that constant dopamine thrill seeking.
i'm the same, but i also am suppressed by shame and trauma, that blocks me from successfully seeking. So I stick to things that involve me being alone and away from people. Which are videogames, tv, and substance abuse (caffeine and kratom. i won't get any other drugs because those would require me to interact with other people, so i just stick to what i can order online)
Hi Russel. I was diagnosed at the age of 50, 5 months ago, with AD(H)D . On monday I finally have an appointment in a clinic where I could get some medication. My therapist advises it. Understandable, I've been a "life artist" or "artist of life"? Well, short: I never had to build up any discipline, always had my back covered to get through it all. I just wanna bring in the aspect of addictive behaviour into your chain of thoughts here, since porn usage and hypersexuality are very related there. Developped addictions, Alcohol, Canabis - My self-medication as I see it now. But I am clean of those since October 2013! All that's left is: Playing Call of Duty 2, eat too much "yummie" stuff...etc. Also I check all the boxes from "high sensation seeking" to "identity problems in partnerships". Thank you for all the information you share and I try often to get it all up in my head.
This video was made for me. Hit the nail on the head really. My ex left me because of my excessive porn use and problematic attention seeking and hypersexuality. I've started taking adderall since then and it has definitely improved my bad habits, I stopped my habitual use of marijuana, and cut drinking out entirely. I'm still struggling with my porn use tho. I've backslid a little on that front but I still wanna make strides. This video resonated with me deeply.
That's actually great I have ADHD I've noticed everytime I'm under extreme stress I get hyper sexual and if I don't get good sleep too Now I try to get away from these situations because I get hyper sexual and can't sleep well my mind is wakeing me up every hour to release
I can definitely say as an ADHD person, that pornography is an easy stress relief. It's usually immediately rewarding and releases those "feel-good" chemicals and also provides the stimulation that an ADHD brain craves.
@@andreybagart pornography feels like meditation? I have not had that yet experience but I'm glad that it does for you. I feel unstable when I'm watching it
Yes, if you had no luck the whole day, your projects are not progressing, no success, frustrating experiences, no dopamine on the horizon - this is an easy fix, like a cheatcode, works every time for me. Then I'm in the "zone". As you said, it's like a form of meditation - but with the opposite effect afterwards and on the long run.
@@jojones4685 no, it’s not the pornography itself but how you experience it while watching. I’d rather not go into details. It’s a dopamine loop, and it’s best if you can recognize that and consciously break away from it
Thanks Dr Barkley! When disinhibition seen as a component of adhd’s effects to delay emotional development, ‘maladaptive’ behaviours as stress responses (fight, flight, fawn and freeze) will be seen. Insert hypersexuality as maladaptive fawning response. How one’s maladaptive behaviour is expressed depends on environment and previous experiences. I wish more resources/research would but put into meds/therapy that strengthen emotional coping mechanisms vs sedating the person struggling who needs emotional resilience training.
Man this takes me back to my teenage years, spanking the stress out of the monkey like 10 times in a day, quite literally churning butter. It's not something I'm ashamed to talk about, but it's by no means my proudest moment, pretty sure I gave myself some ED. The ED problem is fixed by not over-indulging (or even indulging at all) I thought addictions were drugs and gambling, it really never registered that porn was an problem until it affected my interpersonal relationships, self-esteem, stress management, limerence, desire and more things any vice can erode in your life. I'm better now, not porn free, but not inundated in smut for more than 30 minutes a week. I don't exhaust myself since I can better manage my vice, maybe I'll kick it when I can effectively manage the self-gratification/stress cycle. You have to know it feels wrong to learn how to stay strong, listen to your nervous system.
Hi RB, it'd be awesome to see a video talking about connections between NPD and ADHD. I've been obsessed with Mark Ettenson's channel lately, he reminds me very much of your work but for NPD. Ive also felt like despite feeling ADHD, a lot of my impulsive and hypersexual moments can be derived from waves of grandiosity where I am convinced I can do whatever I want and make major life changes with no real deliberation. Not to ask for too much but if you guys chat together it would be worlds of amazing and could help to untangle some of that nature vs nurture confusion since I think their expressions can overlap.
First, thank you for the foray into an uncomfortable topic I have been curious about for some time, but didn't quite know how to bring up. More so who it would have been appropriate to bring it up to. As always you do a wonderful job at sticking with facts, making sure to properly address all the angles, and being objective and professional with your conclusions and summaries. Well done! Not to stray too far off the yellow brick road here but as I was looking at that list of traits something occurred to me: could a proper Big Five personality trait assessment be used as a secondary or possibly tertiary confirmation of previously undiagnosed adults being evaluated for ADHD?
The only ones I've anecdotally observed among ADHD friends and family are higher openness and anxiety and lower conscientiousness. Extraversion and agreeableness vary too much.
I have ADHD, depression and anxiety, and I was definitely hypersexual in my early 20's. New weekend, new stranger at the bar. Now that I'm in a long term monogamous relationship, my sex drive is almost nonexistent (and no, it's not because the sex is bad). I'm not sure why this is, but I suspect it's my ADHD brain getting bored.
Not getting bored but comfortable. Usually it means you found your “stride” since the ADHD brain function on minimal stimulation. You have won in that aspect😅
Funny I’m going to quit it due to my hypersexuality and Dr.B is out here hearing my calling and making this video. I’ll check it out later doctor, thanks!
I feel like there's missing data: what is the overlap between non-ADHD people WITH those aggravating factors who suffer from problematic porn use and hypersexuality? I'm other words, how much of a differentiating factor is ADHD among people with aggravating factors? It's not enough to say that ADHD is overrepresented among hypersexual people. If the aggravating factors alone predict hypersexuality with or without ADHD, then we would say that there is positively no direct link between ADHD and hypersexuality. Rather, we just say that, among people with those aggravating factors, ADHD'ers happen to outnumber nuerotypicals.
As Dr Barkley said, there isn't a lot of data. If there was, you could do logistic regression and ANOVA statistical analysis to figure out how much each trait contributes to the overall likelihood of ADHD (amongst these traits). At least that's my thinking 13 years after I last took stats.
You’re only as good as your data, and when we discuss high correlational data, it is still just correlational data. What can we do with this data? Get more data, but also tentatively treat symptoms of ADHD and both hyper sexuality and collect data for further investigation. Always worth doing more research.
It has been a problem for me for a long time, problematic Pornographic use, being ADHD-C. Seems to be more of a male problem unfortunately. It got a bit better with age though. Hope it will become better once I get medical treatment 🙂
Dr.Barkley are there cases of people diagnosed with ADHD that never find the right medication? I’ve tried everything stimulants, non-stimulants and I’m almost at the point of dysfunctional because of my extreme problem with executive function. It’s affecting my marriage and family life. I have anxiety, depression, low self esteem, no friends and can’t seem to keep a job. I was born in the 80’s and as a girl growing up in those times I was made to believe that there was something really wrong with me due to my problems focusing and paying attention. I was diagnosed in my 30’s and a few years later a therapist suggested I undergo testing and as a result I was diagnosed with ASD. Doctors don’t seem to know much about ADHD much less if combined with ASD. It’s so frustrating trying to get help as an adult with disorders that are traditionally associated with children. I live in NC. Any words of advice?
I am being treated by a doctor who specialises in ADHD in adults. In the meantime, we have tried all the medications that are possible for ADHD. Nothing works. According to him, it's not that rare. So I'm no longer taking anything and just have to learn to deal better with my neurodiversity.
Had a similar experience. Diagnosed earlier this year aged 60 severe both types. I’d got to a crisis point of executive disfunction. Immediately went onto Elvanse (Vyvanse) and was very optimistic seeing all the positive and life changing experiences of so many others but didn’t seem to have any noticeable effect on me even after going to max dosage, except for a barely perceptible improvement initially on executive function which soon disappeared. None of the epiphanic euphoria so many seem to have for me. Backed out of mainstream meds and tried microdosing psilocybin as I realised how crucial my habits and patterns of thinking were to my issues, but that didn’t seem to help either. I also explored NLP a little with a practitioner. Didn’t work for me either. Meanwhile I’d been starting to track my mood and doses etc daily so I had some kind of consistent reference. I went back on Elvanse as a last resort before trying other ADHD meds, and tried to adopt a different mindset. I started to try to tackle things I’d just not been able to face before, even though I didn’t feel any different, but then I found that I actually COULD make progress if I kept at it. The mental block seemed to become easier to overcome. When I doubted this progress or had a bad day I looked back at my daily journal scores and saw that I WAS improving. In some ways it felt like I’d just managed to make work my fixation instead of all the other interests that usually got my attention, but I found I was also starting to tackle things I’d long put off as well. I’m in no way ‘cured’ or ‘fixed’, so much still to work on, but this positive shift really has changed my outlook and hope, and overall mood and confidence has improved enormously, a kind of ‘positive feedback loop’ if you like. Looking at this channel’s video on Tolerence to Stimulant meds and the comments made me realise that not everyone feels a big impact when starting meds, in my case I think also I was just so overwhelmed at the time I just didn’t have the clarity of mind to detect it. Second time around though has been different. Checking with friends and colleagues as well as my journal and also my health professionals supported my observations of improvement the second time around. Perhaps you might have had a similar response to meds that I did. What I’m trying to say is don’t give up, maybe try meds again but really think about what you can do to explore whether they have made a difference. Maybe don’t try to do everything and fail, but pick something you really struggle with and see if, in isolation, and while being kind to yourself with reasonable expectations, just see if it gets any easier. And keep track of moods and feelings so you have evidence that doesn’t rely on memory to show any changes that may have occurred. I really hope you can find something that works for you. We are all different after all and may respond differently. Just keep trying things, and keep an open mindset to how they may affect you differently to others and what you can change about your approach and methodology when trying new meds or techniques to see if you can make them work for you. Reframing expectations away from what others have experienced and starting over with a clean sheet. At least that has been my experience so far.
Hi, I'm also an 80s child. Parenting was not that nurturing in the 80s. What strikes me is you said you were made to feel that there was something really wrong with you. Sometimes that belief makes things worse. I have adhd and i have root belief there is something wrong with me and I'm not good enough. The more I embody that belief the stronger my adhd symptoms get. Like literally feel incapable. As I work on unpacking that belief in therapy it lifts some of the blocks I have that makes my functioning worse. Our brain is powerful. Beliefs can make things worse. I'm not saying this will be the fix but it is something I'm realising in my self.
Online autism combined with ADHD is often called AuDHD - look for stuff about that. Remember that people are not professionals, so don't treat it as professional information, but peer interaction where they can say what worked for them.
@@publius9350 Audhd isn’t a thing. One can have ADHD and comorbid autism/ASD. Don’t lump autism and adhd together in one term - they have different causes, treatments, and underlying theory of neurochemistry and neuropsychology.
I was geared this way long before puberty. I have to do it all of the time, 3-12x’s/day, every single day since I discovered it, and pornography just “speeds things up”. I don’t think of my needs as a problem, but others do. Regarding your chart, I’ve had depression since before age 12, multiple hormonal malfunction/syndromes, and I use the orgasm to momentarily calm my brain. I guess I use dopamine like a drug. (AuDHD)
i wish i knew how to slow down, or interrupt the sensation seeking behavior. for years i've been stuck in this loop of only sleeping 6 days a week because i just stay up, trying to do things. and the lack of sleep is......something for me. but i want it to stop. but not doing it is.......not enough.
Congratulations you're the first person who i truly resonate with. I only sleep 6 days also...i hate sleeping regular hours even when i do it and am more rested during the day..its just not in my nature so sleep so much..
I have ADHD/ASD hypersexuality or addiction to pornography have never been my case. If anything I don’t like to be touched too much. I understand that it may be related to impulse control or lack their of. ADHDers more often than not have low self-esteem due to the social problems we have and I could see how the hypersexuality may happen
Thanks for this video, Dr. Barkley. Can you refer us to a high quality channel like yours which deals more directly deals with hypersexuality? There’s so much poor quality content on TH-cam, I would trust your recommendation.
I think there needs to be some addressing of how much is due to hypersexuality and how much is just internet addiction generally and the easy consumption and emotional comfort of pornography. In other words, I can doom scroll porn, but it's not that different than any doom scroll. I also found that a decade ago this was problematic in getting therapy as I would talked about addiction issues with Internet generally, and there was confusion about it not being porn addiction.
@@loganmedia1142 well i'm 40. i still feel horny and have desires, but the porn is boring now, and it needs to be a specific type that is too rare to find. Nothing taboo or weird, but it just has to be a specific type, specific angle, and specific type of person. But back in the day, any sort was fine. I guess you could say "Porn Tolerance". And it's like that with more than just porn. As time goes on, more things are boring and needs to be more and more specific. Like video games. I'd say the older i get, the more things lose novelty, and things are used up, so I require specific things that are waaay harder to find. So constantly searching. And aging just makes things harder to find. As if there is a limited amount of things in the world and the older you get, the more you've gone through all the things you have access to.
@loganmedia1142 It's different for every man. But, you should not accept it as just something you have to live with. There's treatment for dysfunction of that kind. Sometimes it's just a matter of needing testosterone therapy. Lots of men have this at a relatively young age. 40s isn't uncommon. If it's ever a problem, see a urologist. Don't buy any of the supplements claiming to fix it all up, they're all scams. Of course, I'm assuming you're a man. For both sexes, always check meds because lots of meds have side effects. Especially SSRIs.
Pornography use does not need to be “excessive” or “hypersexual” to cause a problem or unmanageability in someone’s life. There is help out there if you think you have a problem.
Not necessarily. Addiction is not the only way use of porn can be problematic. It can be disruptive of healthy relationships with others and oneself. Some (not the only) examples: • excessive use of porn warping attitudes toward, and expectations of, sexual interactions. • “escalation” of stimulation intensity required, leading to degraded stimulation with partners or increasingly risky/harmful behaviors. • “using up” emotional/sexual energy/interest, resulting in degrading the user’s capacity to pursue and maintain healthy relationships. Etc.
Funny how you wrote "Cluster-B co-morbidity" as "High sensation seeking Stressful life experiences Anxiety and anxious attachment Depression Identity problems in partnerships"
Because I've wasted a significant chunk of my life on it. I watch it obsessively and anxiously, it's hardly even driven by lust at this point and more by some occult compulsion. Need to make time for other things
The only way is to quit it altogether. There's no healthy or normal amount of porn use. That's like saying you can consume a normal amount of poison, no problem. Nonsense, it's straight up damaging in any amount. Btw I say this as someone who was introduced to porn at 11, was addicted for years straight in my formative years and still have had relapses at 26. It fucked me up tremendously.
I am particularly glad you covered this topic. ...I have no further comments.
Which means you're a chronic wanker
Ahem same, and yeah no further comments.
I also hold no further comments. And confirm I am holding nothing else.
😂
Thank you for covering this. I've been struggling with this throughout my life, I'm 23 and still struggling. I'm glad you're talking about this. Really, I mean it.
We're in the same boat! I'm also 23. I hope we both find a way past this
Anecdotally, I have ADHD, and would describe myself as being "high sensation seeking". It manifests in a variety of ways, including hypersexuality (lots of sexual activity, more variety in that activity, some deviancy, etc).
I'm also a thrill seeker, enjoy being verbally combative, and I tend to get addicted to things that I find stimulating. It takes a lot of self control to direct my "high sensation seeking" tendencies towards activities that are safe - for example, instead of getting onto people's motorcycles, I go on rollercoasters. Instead of getting into arguments with family and friends, I joined a debate team in school and studied philosophy and politics, and found people who like to have verbal spats about certain topics. With sexual activities, I basically need a partner with a high sex drive or the relationship won't work out. I care about partners far more than for their bodies, but for my own sexual health, I feel like it's safer and healthier (STDs, etc) to have one partner repeatedly vs a large number of partners. That's just my own decision, not judging others.
I'm a woman and I've never been the partner with the lower libido in relationships. In light of my ADHD diagnosis, I've reconceptualized my desire for touch as stimulation seeking seeking behaviour. I don't always feel aroused when I want to have sex - often I just want the closeness, or I'm bored, or I impulsively turn an innocent touch into more. So, I don't know if it's genuine libido. It's caused some issues in relationships - men tend to think they would like a partner who has a high sex drive, but it actually makes them feel bad if they "can't keep up" with me. I think there's some degree of shame attached to that because of the stereotype that men are supposed to "want it" 24/7. My happiest relationships have always been ones where my partner is very physical with me, in and outside the bedroom. I'm in a relationship like that now, with a good man, who is very physically affectionate and kind - these are the relationships I'm happiest in. It's sex, but it's also the hand on the small of my back, the random and frequent kisses, massages for no reason, and it being normal between us to physically cling without explanation or reason.
When I saw Dr. Barkley's lecture where he recommended that parents "touch, then talk", I had a flood of memories from my childhood, just this mental montage of examples where touch worked and where nagging and yelling were awful, so many memories of responding well to touch - camp counsellor's physically picking me up and kindly and gently positioning me to run in the direction they wanted me to, or teachers placing their hand on my hand to discourage me from playing with sharp tools before a verbal correction, or my high school boyfriend wrapping his arm around my shoulder before asking me about the latest fight I had with my parents. I can think of 500 other examples. Touch of any kind has always been so positive for me, very full of affection and kindness. I think I've always been more responsive to and stimulated by touch because of ADHD, and perhaps the people who cared about me learned that I responded well to it over time, consciously or not.
So, I think hypersexuality is an extension of that. But I do think the core of it is ADHD.
You just wriote my daily life but without a partner, happy to see that actually there might be somebody ❤
Lol you sound like you have a personality disorder and trauma please get counseling if you haven't already because clearly you've hit rock bottom and you being stuck in life is normal to you
I'm a male, but you perfectly and eloquently described my entire life as well... thank you ❤
I'm a guy with the same issue of thrill seeking and strong sensations from whatever sources. These sources can be junk food, exercise, driving fast, rollercoasters, high-intensity video games, sugary food or drinks, etc. Whatever satisfies that constant dopamine thrill seeking.
i'm the same, but i also am suppressed by shame and trauma, that blocks me from successfully seeking. So I stick to things that involve me being alone and away from people. Which are videogames, tv, and substance abuse (caffeine and kratom. i won't get any other drugs because those would require me to interact with other people, so i just stick to what i can order online)
Hi Russel. I was diagnosed at the age of 50, 5 months ago, with AD(H)D .
On monday I finally have an appointment in a clinic where I could get some medication. My therapist advises it. Understandable, I've been a "life artist" or "artist of life"?
Well, short: I never had to build up any discipline, always had my back covered to get through it all.
I just wanna bring in the aspect of addictive behaviour into your chain of thoughts here, since porn usage and hypersexuality are very related there.
Developped addictions, Alcohol, Canabis - My self-medication as I see it now. But I am clean of those since October 2013!
All that's left is: Playing Call of Duty 2, eat too much "yummie" stuff...etc. Also I check all the boxes from "high sensation seeking" to "identity problems in partnerships".
Thank you for all the information you share and I try often to get it all up in my head.
This video was made for me. Hit the nail on the head really. My ex left me because of my excessive porn use and problematic attention seeking and hypersexuality. I've started taking adderall since then and it has definitely improved my bad habits, I stopped my habitual use of marijuana, and cut drinking out entirely. I'm still struggling with my porn use tho. I've backslid a little on that front but I still wanna make strides. This video resonated with me deeply.
That's actually great I have ADHD
I've noticed everytime I'm under extreme stress I get hyper sexual and if I don't get good sleep too
Now I try to get away from these situations because I get hyper sexual and can't sleep well my mind is wakeing me up every hour to release
I can definitely say as an ADHD person, that pornography is an easy stress relief. It's usually immediately rewarding and releases those "feel-good" chemicals and also provides the stimulation that an ADHD brain craves.
I’ve heard from other ADHD specialists that this feels like at least some stability-a literal island of stability in an ocean of uncertainty.
What doe a this mean?
@@jojones4685 Inside, it feels like a kind of meditation
@@andreybagart pornography feels like meditation? I have not had that yet experience but I'm glad that it does for you. I feel unstable when I'm watching it
Yes, if you had no luck the whole day, your projects are not progressing, no success, frustrating experiences, no dopamine on the horizon - this is an easy fix, like a cheatcode, works every time for me. Then I'm in the "zone". As you said, it's like a form of meditation - but with the opposite effect afterwards and on the long run.
@@jojones4685 no, it’s not the pornography itself but how you experience it while watching. I’d rather not go into details. It’s a dopamine loop, and it’s best if you can recognize that and consciously break away from it
Thanks Dr Barkley! When disinhibition seen as a component of adhd’s effects to delay emotional development, ‘maladaptive’ behaviours as stress responses (fight, flight, fawn and freeze) will be seen. Insert hypersexuality as maladaptive fawning response. How one’s maladaptive behaviour is expressed depends on environment and previous experiences. I wish more resources/research would but put into meds/therapy that strengthen emotional coping mechanisms vs sedating the person struggling who needs emotional resilience training.
This is why i like listening to you. You push the bullshit away and show the reality of what adhd is.
Man this takes me back to my teenage years, spanking the stress out of the monkey like 10 times in a day, quite literally churning butter. It's not something I'm ashamed to talk about, but it's by no means my proudest moment, pretty sure I gave myself some ED.
The ED problem is fixed by not over-indulging (or even indulging at all)
I thought addictions were drugs and gambling, it really never registered that porn was an problem until it affected my interpersonal relationships, self-esteem, stress management, limerence, desire and more things any vice can erode in your life.
I'm better now, not porn free, but not inundated in smut for more than 30 minutes a week.
I don't exhaust myself since I can better manage my vice, maybe I'll kick it when I can effectively manage the self-gratification/stress cycle.
You have to know it feels wrong to learn how to stay strong, listen to your nervous system.
I doubt it's due to your overdoing it physically. 40% by 40 and 70% by 70 have ED, and ADHD meds can contribute to it, not to mention porn itself.
Thanks for all videos.
Wow, Dr., this explains much about my life. Thanks again.
Hi RB, it'd be awesome to see a video talking about connections between NPD and ADHD. I've been obsessed with Mark Ettenson's channel lately, he reminds me very much of your work but for NPD. Ive also felt like despite feeling ADHD, a lot of my impulsive and hypersexual moments can be derived from waves of grandiosity where I am convinced I can do whatever I want and make major life changes with no real deliberation. Not to ask for too much but if you guys chat together it would be worlds of amazing and could help to untangle some of that nature vs nurture confusion since I think their expressions can overlap.
I am thinking of this for a long time thank you
First, thank you for the foray into an uncomfortable topic I have been curious about for some time, but didn't quite know how to bring up. More so who it would have been appropriate to bring it up to. As always you do a wonderful job at sticking with facts, making sure to properly address all the angles, and being objective and professional with your conclusions and summaries. Well done!
Not to stray too far off the yellow brick road here but as I was looking at that list of traits something occurred to me: could a proper Big Five personality trait assessment be used as a secondary or possibly tertiary confirmation of previously undiagnosed adults being evaluated for ADHD?
The only ones I've anecdotally observed among ADHD friends and family are higher openness and anxiety and lower conscientiousness. Extraversion and agreeableness vary too much.
@@davidc2072 Thank you! I was just curious. I appreciate the clarifications!
I have ADHD, depression and anxiety, and I was definitely hypersexual in my early 20's. New weekend, new stranger at the bar. Now that I'm in a long term monogamous relationship, my sex drive is almost nonexistent (and no, it's not because the sex is bad). I'm not sure why this is, but I suspect it's my ADHD brain getting bored.
Not getting bored but comfortable. Usually it means you found your “stride” since the ADHD brain function on minimal stimulation. You have won in that aspect😅
Funny I’m going to quit it due to my hypersexuality and Dr.B is out here hearing my calling and making this video. I’ll check it out later doctor, thanks!
I feel like there's missing data: what is the overlap between non-ADHD people WITH those aggravating factors who suffer from problematic porn use and hypersexuality?
I'm other words, how much of a differentiating factor is ADHD among people with aggravating factors?
It's not enough to say that ADHD is overrepresented among hypersexual people. If the aggravating factors alone predict hypersexuality with or without ADHD, then we would say that there is positively no direct link between ADHD and hypersexuality. Rather, we just say that, among people with those aggravating factors, ADHD'ers happen to outnumber nuerotypicals.
As Dr Barkley said, there isn't a lot of data. If there was, you could do logistic regression and ANOVA statistical analysis to figure out how much each trait contributes to the overall likelihood of ADHD (amongst these traits). At least that's my thinking 13 years after I last took stats.
You’re only as good as your data, and when we discuss high correlational data, it is still just correlational data.
What can we do with this data? Get more data, but also tentatively treat symptoms of ADHD and both hyper sexuality and collect data for further investigation. Always worth doing more research.
It has been a problem for me for a long time, problematic Pornographic use, being ADHD-C. Seems to be more of a male problem unfortunately. It got a bit better with age though. Hope it will become better once I get medical treatment 🙂
When you notice that Barkleys morning is the same time I wake up in Europe, that means the time zone difference is the same as my delayed sleep 🤣🤣
Dr.Barkley are there cases of people diagnosed with ADHD that never find the right medication? I’ve tried everything stimulants, non-stimulants and I’m almost at the point of dysfunctional because of my extreme problem with executive function. It’s affecting my marriage and family life. I have anxiety, depression, low self esteem, no friends and can’t seem to keep a job. I was born in the 80’s and as a girl growing up in those times I was made to believe that there was something really wrong with me due to my problems focusing and paying attention. I was diagnosed in my 30’s and a few years later a therapist suggested I undergo testing and as a result I was diagnosed with ASD. Doctors don’t seem to know much about ADHD much less if combined with ASD. It’s so frustrating trying to get help as an adult with disorders that are traditionally associated with children. I live in NC. Any words of advice?
I am being treated by a doctor who specialises in ADHD in adults. In the meantime, we have tried all the medications that are possible for ADHD. Nothing works. According to him, it's not that rare. So I'm no longer taking anything and just have to learn to deal better with my neurodiversity.
Had a similar experience. Diagnosed earlier this year aged 60 severe both types. I’d got to a crisis point of executive disfunction.
Immediately went onto Elvanse (Vyvanse) and was very optimistic seeing all the positive and life changing experiences of so many others but didn’t seem to have any noticeable effect on me even after going to max dosage, except for a barely perceptible improvement initially on executive function which soon disappeared.
None of the epiphanic euphoria so many seem to have for me.
Backed out of mainstream meds and tried microdosing psilocybin as I realised how crucial my habits and patterns of thinking were to my issues, but that didn’t seem to help either. I also explored NLP a little with a practitioner. Didn’t work for me either.
Meanwhile I’d been starting to track my mood and doses etc daily so I had some kind of consistent reference.
I went back on Elvanse as a last resort before trying other ADHD meds, and tried to adopt a different mindset.
I started to try to tackle things I’d just not been able to face before, even though I didn’t feel any different, but then I found that I actually COULD make progress if I kept at it. The mental block seemed to become easier to overcome.
When I doubted this progress or had a bad day I looked back at my daily journal scores and saw that I WAS improving.
In some ways it felt like I’d just managed to make work my fixation instead of all the other interests that usually got my attention, but I found I was also starting to tackle things I’d long put off as well.
I’m in no way ‘cured’ or ‘fixed’, so much still to work on, but this positive shift really has changed my outlook and hope, and overall mood and confidence has improved enormously, a kind of ‘positive feedback loop’ if you like.
Looking at this channel’s video on Tolerence to Stimulant meds and the comments made me realise that not everyone feels a big impact when starting meds, in my case I think also I was just so overwhelmed at the time I just didn’t have the clarity of mind to detect it.
Second time around though has been different. Checking with friends and colleagues as well as my journal and also my health professionals supported my observations of improvement the second time around.
Perhaps you might have had a similar response to meds that I did.
What I’m trying to say is don’t give up, maybe try meds again but really think about what you can do to explore whether they have made a difference. Maybe don’t try to do everything and fail, but pick something you really struggle with and see if, in isolation, and while being kind to yourself with reasonable expectations, just see if it gets any easier. And keep track of moods and feelings so you have evidence that doesn’t rely on memory to show any changes that may have occurred.
I really hope you can find something that works for you. We are all different after all and may respond differently. Just keep trying things, and keep an open mindset to how they may affect you differently to others and what you can change about your approach and methodology when trying new meds or techniques to see if you can make them work for you.
Reframing expectations away from what others have experienced and starting over with a clean sheet.
At least that has been my experience so far.
Hi, I'm also an 80s child. Parenting was not that nurturing in the 80s. What strikes me is you said you were made to feel that there was something really wrong with you. Sometimes that belief makes things worse. I have adhd and i have root belief there is something wrong with me and I'm not good enough. The more I embody that belief the stronger my adhd symptoms get. Like literally feel incapable.
As I work on unpacking that belief in therapy it lifts some of the blocks I have that makes my functioning worse. Our brain is powerful. Beliefs can make things worse.
I'm not saying this will be the fix but it is something I'm realising in my self.
Online autism combined with ADHD is often called AuDHD - look for stuff about that. Remember that people are not professionals, so don't treat it as professional information, but peer interaction where they can say what worked for them.
@@publius9350 Audhd isn’t a thing. One can have ADHD and comorbid autism/ASD. Don’t lump autism and adhd together in one term - they have different causes, treatments, and underlying theory of neurochemistry and neuropsychology.
Good morning from 🇩🇰 it’s early morning 06 here 🤗
Also from Denmark, ❤
I was geared this way long before puberty. I have to do it all of the time, 3-12x’s/day, every single day since I discovered it, and pornography just “speeds things up”. I don’t think of my needs as a problem, but others do.
Regarding your chart, I’ve had depression since before age 12, multiple hormonal malfunction/syndromes, and I use the orgasm to momentarily calm my brain. I guess I use dopamine like a drug. (AuDHD)
I need a shirt like that doc!
i wish i knew how to slow down, or interrupt the sensation seeking behavior. for years i've been stuck in this loop of only sleeping 6 days a week because i just stay up, trying to do things. and the lack of sleep is......something for me.
but i want it to stop. but not doing it is.......not enough.
Congratulations you're the first person who i truly resonate with. I only sleep 6 days also...i hate sleeping regular hours even when i do it and am more rested during the day..its just not in my nature so sleep so much..
where do you buy your shirts? what brands?
I have ADHD/ASD hypersexuality or addiction to pornography have never been my case. If anything I don’t like to be touched too much. I understand that it may be related to impulse control or lack their of. ADHDers more often than not have low self-esteem due to the social problems we have and I could see how the hypersexuality may happen
Do you have a partner or not?
Do you not make masturbation at all? When yes, how often?
Hypersensitivity (HSP?) ? Maybe connected to autism spectrum… very often connected to ADHD-group…🤔
@@bentehove3945 and if not?
ASD is not ADHD.
@@bentehove3945 there isn't a relationship between ASD and ADHD.
thank you
Great video
Thank you. Without commenting further 😅
I have always found kissing and sex to be boring. In other words, boring sex has never been an option for me.
Exactly .... variables ..... job jobbed .
Thanks for this video, Dr. Barkley. Can you refer us to a high quality channel like yours which deals more directly deals with hypersexuality? There’s so much poor quality content on TH-cam, I would trust your recommendation.
thanks, really interesting
I think there needs to be some addressing of how much is due to hypersexuality and how much is just internet addiction generally and the easy consumption and emotional comfort of pornography. In other words, I can doom scroll porn, but it's not that different than any doom scroll. I also found that a decade ago this was problematic in getting therapy as I would talked about addiction issues with Internet generally, and there was confusion about it not being porn addiction.
good shirt old man
Can you please define the terms used in the diagram? I have no context of what these terms mean in the research.
it get worse with age when porn gets boring, but there's still a "Trying" to get it to work.
At what age does that happen? Is it not simply the natural reduction in sex drive with age?
@@loganmedia1142 well i'm 40. i still feel horny and have desires, but the porn is boring now, and it needs to be a specific type that is too rare to find. Nothing taboo or weird, but it just has to be a specific type, specific angle, and specific type of person. But back in the day, any sort was fine. I guess you could say "Porn Tolerance". And it's like that with more than just porn. As time goes on, more things are boring and needs to be more and more specific. Like video games. I'd say the older i get, the more things lose novelty, and things are used up, so I require specific things that are waaay harder to find. So constantly searching. And aging just makes things harder to find. As if there is a limited amount of things in the world and the older you get, the more you've gone through all the things you have access to.
@loganmedia1142 It's different for every man. But, you should not accept it as just something you have to live with. There's treatment for dysfunction of that kind. Sometimes it's just a matter of needing testosterone therapy. Lots of men have this at a relatively young age. 40s isn't uncommon. If it's ever a problem, see a urologist. Don't buy any of the supplements claiming to fix it all up, they're all scams.
Of course, I'm assuming you're a man. For both sexes, always check meds because lots of meds have side effects. Especially SSRIs.
@@loganmedia1142 It happens at the age you've already seen 99% of the videos on pornhub lol.
Pornography use does not need to be “excessive” or “hypersexual” to cause a problem or unmanageability in someone’s life. There is help out there if you think you have a problem.
If it causing a problem, that would make it excessive by definition.
How does it cause problems otherwise?
See you later alligator/ in a while crocodile 😂
The algo is trying to tell me something...
Problematic porn use? You mean addiction?
Not necessarily. Addiction is not the only way use of porn can be problematic.
It can be disruptive of healthy relationships with others and oneself.
Some (not the only) examples:
• excessive use of porn warping attitudes toward, and expectations of, sexual interactions.
• “escalation” of stimulation intensity required, leading to degraded stimulation with partners or increasingly risky/harmful behaviors.
• “using up” emotional/sexual energy/interest, resulting in degrading the user’s capacity to pursue and maintain healthy relationships.
Etc.
Funny how you wrote "Cluster-B co-morbidity" as "High sensation seeking Stressful life experiences Anxiety and anxious attachment Depression Identity problems in partnerships"
Porn addiction and ficophillia over here. 😢
too much masturbation :(
I certainly need to cut down on pornography
Why bother??!! 😅
Why bother??!! 😅😅
Because I've wasted a significant chunk of my life on it. I watch it obsessively and anxiously, it's hardly even driven by lust at this point and more by some occult compulsion. Need to make time for other things
The only way is to quit it altogether. There's no healthy or normal amount of porn use. That's like saying you can consume a normal amount of poison, no problem. Nonsense, it's straight up damaging in any amount.
Btw I say this as someone who was introduced to porn at 11, was addicted for years straight in my formative years and still have had relapses at 26. It fucked me up tremendously.
No, you don't need to cut down you need to stop completely.
😳