Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder

by Edward M. Hallowell

1. Something “startles” the brain. It may be a transition, like waking up, or going from one appointment to the next, or it may be the completion of a task, or the receiving of some piece of news. It may be, and usually is, trivial, but the “startle” requires some reorganization on the part of the brain. 2. A minipanic ensues. The mind doesn’t know where to look or what to do. It has been focused on one thing and is now being asked to change sets. This is very disorganizing. So the mind reaches out for something red-hot, something to focus on. Since worry is so “hot,” and therefore so organizing, the mind finds something to worry about. 3. Anxious rumination replaces panic. While anxious rumination is painful, it is at least organized. One can say over and over in one’s mind, thousands of times a day, “Will I get my taxes paid on time?” or “Does that look she gave me mean she is angry with me?” or “Did I pass the exam?” The panic induced by the “startle” is replaced by the focused ache of anxious rumination.