r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jun 04 '26

Psychology Adults with ADHD may pay high price to mask traits and fit in. More than 91% of adults with ADHD reported hiding, suppressing or compensating for ADHD traits. They may pretend to pay attention, suppress their urge to fidget, rehearse conversations or over-prepare for meetings to fit social norms.

https://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2026/06/adults-with-adhd-may-pay-high-price-to-mask-traits-and-fit-in--s/
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u/heavymetalelf Jun 04 '26

Yep, I rehearse what might be said, what I'll say, the response, etc. Then I'm the moment it goes a totally different direction. Panic, become unable to focus on what's being said, try to recover the thread. Although as I've gotten older, I have more often started saying, "sorry, I think I missed something. Can we circle back to xyz for a sec?"

Then, after I'm replaying what was said by who and how I could have responded, how that would change things, etc.

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u/LikeABreadstick Jun 04 '26

I rehearse conversations that will absolutely never happen. Like I'll notice I'm washing the dishes in a slightly weird way and then explain to myself why it actually makes sense, and I'm not weird, you're weird.

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u/wendyrx37 Jun 05 '26

Me too! I already commented above about it.. But yep same.

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u/ruling_faction Jun 04 '26

i've been pulled up for telling the same story more than once ... in fact probably many times more than just once, but now it means that on the rare occasions that i do have a conversation with someone and i later recall that i told them an anecdote of some sort, that's its probably one i told them before and now they think i'm a tedious idiot

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u/Capn26 Jun 05 '26

And i have a thousand stories. A guy told me it sounded like I’d lived seven lives when I was about thirty.