Understanding Dopamine
The ADHD Brain’s Fuel
Dopamine is the brain’s “feel good” chemical. It’s what the ADHD brain is all about. Dopamine is essential for motivation, focus, and pleasure. For people with ADHD, dopamine plays a more critical role than in their neurotypical peers. This is because the ADHD brain typically produces less of it naturally.
This shortage can explain many of the challenges we ADHDers face – from struggling with concentration to engaging in dangerous or risky behavior. Let’s chat about the connection between ADHD and dopamine, why it matter, and at the end I’ll give you a few tips, too!
Lower Dopamine In ADHD Brains
We know that ADHD brains typically have lower levels of dopamine. This makes many tasks that don’t give us an immediate reward (read dopamine) very difficult to focus on.
This dopamine deficiency impacts the brains ability to
- maintaining attention
- regulate their emotions
- get or stay motivated
The lack of sufficient dopamine can make everyday activities feel like climbing a mountain, leading to procrastination, frustration, or zoning out. Understanding this dopamine shortfall is key to understanding why certain tasks feel harder for those with ADHD.
ADHD Dopamine Mining
Dopamine mining is what some ADHD folks explain how their brain is constantly looking for little or big hits of dopamine. This looks different from person to person but here are some common ways:
- Hyperfocus on exciting (to the ADHDer) task or activity
- Impulsive actions or activities
- Social media scrolling or addiction
- Picking fights with siblings or friends
- Risky or dangerous behavoirs
- Self Stimulating Actions
Because of this lower dopamine level, the ADHD brain craves stimulation, often making mundane tasks feel unbearable and fun, stimulating ones hard to stop.
Tips For Supporting Dopamine Levels
There are many ways to support dopamine production in healthy ways. Here are a few options!
- Medication – This is not to say everyone with ADHD should be medicated. However, medication is a common method as it can help balance dopamine levels.
- The Core Four – Regularly paying attention to your core four – rest, hydration, nutrition, and movement.
- Structure Tasks to include small, frequent rewards – This works for kids and adults!
- ADHD friendly routines – while ADHDers typically fight against routines, they also find themselves functioning better within them.
- Celebrate Wins – Progress Over Perfection
If you are looking for some community, please consider joining one or both of my ADHD related groups. These are FREE and INCLUSIVE groups for people to share, care, and support each other. There’s no need to feel alone, join the groups today.
Free and Inclusive Community Group for anyone age 18 and over with ADHD Join Here
Free and Inclusive Community Group for parents and caregivers of kids with ADHD Join Here
Thank you, as always, for spending your time with me today. Remember – you are amazing!
Don’t Delay Joy
Kat Sweeney, MCLC
PS – If you are new, here are a couple more of my posts from this year that you may enjoy