   
Hyperfocus
Q:
"Is hyperfocus a type of ADHD? If so, are any medications designed specifically to treat this type?" 
A:
Hyperfocus describes the state of being so overfocused on something that it is difficult for anyone to "reach" and interact with a person. It usually takes a tap on the shoulder or a wave of the hand in front of the eyes for a hyperfocused person to "snap out of it." Many people with ADHD tend to hyperfocus from time to time, but it's not a symptom or a subtype of ADHD. Hyperfocus may be a way to compensate for a distractibility - hyperfocused ADDers are often quite productive - or it could be a symptom of another disorder, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Inattention and distractibility - the brain's inability to filter out unimportant information from internal processes or external stimuli (sounds, sights) - are problems that usually respond to ADHD medications. We have no medication to minimize hyperfocusing.
Larry Silver, M.D., is the author of Dr. Larry Silver's Advice to Parents on AD/HD and The Misunderstood Child: Understanding and Coping with Your Child's Learning Disabilities. He is also a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
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