The noisy ADHD brain — plus ADHD and lying (Oliver Vaquer’s story)
Oct 17, 2023
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Actor Oliver Vaquer discusses his 'noisy' ADHD brain and the challenges he faced growing up. He talks about using ADHD medication to build better habits and the experience of feeling like he's operating at 100% for the first time ever. The podcast also touches on ADHD social anxiety and the misconceptions surrounding the condition.
ADHD affects perception and attention to detail, as demonstrated by the host's experience of hearing new lyrics in a familiar song after being diagnosed.
Creativity and ADHD can be harnessed by developing discipline, self-teaching, and prioritization skills to overcome challenges and achieve proficiency.
Deep dives
Discovering ADHD through music
The podcast episode starts with the host sharing a personal experience where she heard lyrics in a song she had heard many times before for the first time after being diagnosed with ADHD. This moment highlighted the impact of ADHD on perception and attention to detail.
Diagnosis and the questionnaire
The guest, Oliver Vakher, shares his experience of being diagnosed with ADHD. He recounts how his doctor, during an unrelated visit, asked him to fill out an ADHD questionnaire and recognized his symptoms based on his responses. The questionnaire included questions about distraction and difficulty focusing.
Creativity, discipline, and self-teaching
Oliver discusses the connection between creativity and ADHD, emphasizing the importance of discipline and self-teaching. He shares how he had to develop methods to incrementally build concentration and discipline himself to achieve tasks. He also talks about how he learned to prioritize and incrementally develop skills to become proficient in areas he had previously struggled with.
Actor Oliver Vaquer has a “noisy” ADHD brain. Growing up, he had a hard time paying attention to just about everything — and he’d lie to cover it up. His thoughts would all shout at him at once, and he felt pressured to blurt them out before he forgot them.
As an adult, Oliver’s rushed, “staccato” speech spurred his doctor to give him an ADHD questionnaire. His responses to the questionnaire surprised them both.
Also in this episode: How Oliver uses ADHD medication as a tool to build better habits. Plus, ADHD social anxiety and feeling like you’re operating at 100% for the first time ever.
Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give
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