Typically, people with the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive subtype of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are considered to have attention deficit disorder (ADD). However, for clarification (and because this is the Suite 101 ADD/ADHD site) I use the term ADD/ADHD instead. Also, in the DSM-IV, hyperactivity and impulsivity are not considered separate features, but as stemming from an overall difficulty in controlling behavior. However, for the purposes of understanding, I have separated the two symptoms.
American Psychiatric Association Recognized Symptoms of Impulsivity:
- Blurts out answers before questions have been finished
- Difficulty waiting his/her turn
- Interrupts or intrudes on others conversations or activities
Other Indicators of Impulsivity:
- Acts on urges too readily
- Social difficulties because acts on whim
- Fails to stop and think
- Difficulty organizing work
- Needs lots of supervision
- Excitable
- Low frustration tolerance
- Poor planning ability
Important things to remember and understand about impulsiveness:
- Emotions are impulses. People with ADHD are more likely to have emotional outbursts.
- Impulsivity can make delaying rewards difficulty. It is their "impulse" to do what is most immediately satisfying.
- The best example of the difference between a child without ADHD and a child with ADHD is this: Two children want to hit someone. The child without ADHD gets the impulse, looks to see if anyone is looking, and then hits the person. The child with ADHD gets the impulse, hits the person, and then looks to see if anyone was looking.
- Impulsivity is probably the hardest to control and can have the most serious impacts on a person's life. The impulsive shopper can end up in debt just as the impulsive outburst can cause a person to lose friends and jobs. It can also cause risk-taking behavior such as darting out in the street without looking.
For more information, check out these pages: Spotlight on Hyperactivity, Spotlight on Inattention, and The Big Three of ADD/ADHD.
Note: Recognized symptoms refer to those listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision.
