“As an adult with ADHD, do you still have the hyperactivity aspect?”

As an adult, my occasional hyperactivity shows up as things like:

  1. fidgeting (e.g., bouncing my knee or feet, tapping my fingers on the table, wriggling in my seat)
  2. hyperverbalism (e.g., talking lots, fast, and loud without interruption; pressured speech)
  3. speedy movement (e.g., striding briskly or almost running down the hall in a business setting where slow walking is customary)
  4. restlessness (e.g., inability to stay seated in a meeting, reluctance to go to the movies or a lecture where I’ll be expected to stay in one place (seated!) for a long time)
  5. jumpy or jerky actions (e.g., leaping out of a chair when someone knocks at the door, uncoordinated sorting of physical objects (e.g., books) that ends up with things knocked down or spilled)

Other adults (but not me) see hyperactivity show up (or get resolved) in things like:

  1. clenched jaws, tooth grinding, and clenched stomach muscles that can occur when adults with ADHD attempt to suppress hyperactivity impulses
  2. a high need for action-oriented sports (e.g., running, tennis, etc.)

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I wrote this post in reply to a question on Quora. See here for more answers: https://www.quora.com/As-an-adult-with-ADHD-do-you-still-have-the-hyperactivity-aspect