Empathy Test

52.

I have ADHD, likely PI - no subtype was discussed, but I have only a few hyperactive/impulsive traits (and of those, almost purely physical).

However... I have a high-strung temperament, am highly sensitive to the expectations of others, and constantly aim to avoid being seen as 'less' in any way - A rigid, perfectionist personality (interestingly, I think that tendency helps to mitigate some of the symptoms of ADHD - For example, while my sense of time is distorted, as it is for many, I am always significantly early, rather than late. No matter how many times I try to convince my brain my commute is only twenty minutes, I need to leave twenty minutes earlier than I actually do).

That, I think, is at least partially because I had one of, you know... those childhoods. Growing up in an unstable environment frequently results in hypersensitive traits.

My social skills are average - Better in a work environment or at a formal function than with friends (indeed, I am often told I have excellent 'military bearing' in interactions with others - professionalism, basically) but not bad! I was a little awkward in college, but so are many people, and as a child almost exclusively connected to adults. Now, in my mid-twenties, I do have a reputation for being overly forward or blunt (and impatient/short-suffering) in situations with peers (but not with authority or workmates with whom I have no personal connection), as well as being unpredictable and difficult to read (I was also intermittently moody before I started Adderall, but this has significantly leveled). I also also having a reputation for being empathetic to how they are feeling, even when they have not expressed their feelings. Certainly, I care about society as a whole deeply - Indeed, I intend to become a social worker. I find it easy to put myself into hypothetical situations and consider how someone might feel.

So, I dunno... Yes, I do think ADHD has an influence on me as far as empathy and social connectedness, but it depends on a lot of things.

/r/ADHD Thread