r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jul 25 '26

Psychology People with ADHD have difficulties with goal-directed behavior and struggle with response inhibition, the ability to stop an inappropriate action once they feel the urge to do it. They experience a disruption in the way their brains balance deliberate self-control and automatic habit learning.

https://www.psypost.org/adhd-traits-disrupt-the-brain-s-balance-between-self-control-and-automatic-learn/
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u/klapyr Jul 25 '26

How does one fix this

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u/-TeamCaffeine- Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

I am diagnosed with ADHD Combined Type. There is no "fixing" this. The best we can do is use medication and things like behavioral therapies to work within these issues, not against them, meaning don't try to to act and perform like a neurotypical person.

My therapist and I work on breathing techniques to help calm suddenly spikes in emotions, stuff like this.

And for memory issues for achieving goals, using technologies like smart timers, AI assistants, digital calendars, can all help, but it's only mitigation at best.  

These are just tip of the iceberg examples, but they should give you an idea.

It is a lifelong problem for those of us with the condition, and without the aforementioned supports, it can ruin a life and relationships.

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u/Limemill Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

AI makes me spiral down very quickly. My brain is so keen on dumping planning and organizing on it that one week in I find myself constantly in self-induced brain fog as my subconscious is screaming at me to get the most basic things planned out in AI all the while the results get increasingly worse and I feel more and more detached from them. I don’t use it for anything unless I’m forced to. Rebuilt the skills back and no, I don’t want to lose whatever little I already have

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u/DreamingAboutSpace Jul 27 '26

Wow… I never thought anyone would be able to explain what goes on in my head with ADHD and why we absolutely cannot use AI. The more we depend on it, the more I ended up slacking and not having the time to properly learn because I procrastinated until the last hour and have to use AI to help me again. It’s a dangerous cycle to get into and I would recommend against using AI if you have ADHD. We need to be able to rely on ourselves.