ADHD as Motivation Deficit Disorder

In response to a subscribers request, I have created a short video that can be used to educate friends and family on the nature of the motivation deficits that plague people with ADHD. I start by pandering to the propensity of Internet viewers to love dogs and cats by giving a brief cameo to our dog, Moose, a Coton de Tulear. That said, this video discusses how ADHD as a disorder of self regulation and executive functioning leads to problems with the sense of time and anticipation of the future. That creates a high time preference, which is a greater desire for immediate over delayed rewards. That can then lead to serious problems in self motivation when work or other unrewarding tasks have to be done. While this motivational deficit is clearly neurobiological in origin, people with ADHD must find ways to compensate for it in order to succeed in the demands of work, school, home etc. I give several suggestions for refueling the motivational tank at the end of this clip. Note that ADHD medications, especially stimulants, can also help compensate for this motivational issue by enhancing the reward value of environmental events related to the task to be done.