ADHD in Gurps?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by GilliganIII

Thank you to all who have commented on this post. As I reread them and learn more about our tribe I realize that all of your suggestions are valid. Some are ADD symptoms and some are side effects.

However, I was wondering what would be the advantages that reflect the symptoms of Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity?

Impulsiveness (or a quirk level version depending on severity) is pretty obvious for impulsivity. The other two are already addressed, by Absent-Minded and OPH (Hyperactive).

[Icelander]

I have Laziness and can probably also qualify for limited Single-Minded when something interests me or I have a deadline.* This combination is enough to rate a medical diagnosis of ADD for me.

I don't actually know if I have it or not, though, as when I visited the psychiatrist, I already knew what drug would be useful as a Mitigator for my Laziness and to help induce Single-Minded whenever I needed/wanted (not to mention euphoria in slightly larger doses), so I simply arranged for the appropriate diagnosis to be made.

I don't think I have Impulsive or any signs of hyper-activity. Absent-Minded might be valid, though I don't know if it's more than a Quirk, as it only seems to affect things which bore me (which, unfortunately, happen to be a lot of things technically necessary in modern society, such as the less intellectually demanding aspects of work, filing taxes, paying bills or being aware of them, really, etc.). Seems like it could be just Quirk-level, with Laziness providing most of the game effects.

*I wrote my Master's thesis in five days, not managing to start it any earlier than five days before the due date. For the last 72 hours, I only moved from my chair twice, both times to go less than ten feet to the bathroom, and was mostly unaware of my surroundings and the wonderful girl providing moral support and occasional drink and bites to eat. When I was finished, I had severe pain in my hip from sitting in the same position so long (didn't move even once during the last 24 hours of the deadline), which took a week to heal, during which I had trouble walking, but I never noticed any discomfort while writing. Granted, I was taking copius amounts of methylphenidate, which is extremely useful for allowing Single-Minded.

[GilliganIII]

So maybe I should've capitalized Advantages, but my question was more on how could we could spin those three symptoms into abilities or strengths rather than weaknesses.

What Advantages or Perks would properly represent Inattention (less centralized focus), Hyperactivity (large amounts of energy for extended periods of time), or Impulsivity (quick reaction time/thinking)?

Or what other upsides exist for ADHD besides Hyperfocus?

[Icelander]

Single-Minded is a pretty useful Advantage, for those whose ADHD or ADD allows for occasional stints of hyperfocus.

Some literature on ADHD theorises that it may be a side-effect of noticing too much detail and being bad at filtering out irrelevant sensory input. As such, increased Perception might be associated with ADHD symptoms in some cases.

[AlexanderHowl]

I think that you could actually use Manic-Depressive as a template for ADHD. The difference would be that someone with ADHD suffers changes in focus rather than changes in emotion. The symptoms could manifest as Overconfidence and Workaholic (Hyperactivity) or as Laziness (Attention-Deficit). The trigger for the switch would be changes in activities rather than a period of time. I honestly think that Single-Minded should be forbidden for characters with ADHD, as it is an advantageous rather than disadvantageous version of hyperfocus.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by GilliganIII

Or what other upsides exist for ADHD besides Hyperfocus?

Delusion (There are upsides to ADHD) [-5]

[AlexanderHowl]

Hyperfocus is not really an upside of ADHD (if you want an advantageous form of Hyperfocus, take Single-Minded). Yes, you are more productive than when you are distracted, but that only means that you have normal productivity. If you want better productivity, I would suggest taking Advantages (or even bonuses to Attributes and/or Secondary Characteristics) that only appear during your Hyperfocus period (which, if we use Accessibility, would be a -40% limitation, if we decide Only During Hyperfocus Period is as limiting as Only Within Alternate Personality).

For example, you could have a character who gains +2 IQ, Allure 4, Intuition, and Single-Minded during the Hyperfocus period (representing very extreme changes in focus). With the -40% Accessibility limitation, the character would pay 48 CP for the bonuses that apply only during their Hyperfocus period. The character would actually be smarter and sexier during their Hyperfocus period (you could also do something similar for a character with Manic-Depressive who is much more capable during their Manic phase).

[Anthony]

Broadly speaking, the advantage of ADHD in GURPS is that it has a negative point value and thus you have extra points which you can spend to make your character better in other ways... (real world is not so zero sum, but a lot of mental quirks do amount to a reallocation of brain resources, rather than a net loss).

[GilliganIII]

Okay, so I've been thinking that ADD could result in a great Warrior or Hunter type, because we can absorb massive amounts of data and react only on the most important information. I think this hasn't been explored yet because most people don't know how to use ADD in this manner.

I also think more people with ADD would excel if they were taught the advantages of their gift rather than being told they have a disability and letting them accept it as solely a disadvantage.

I know this a fairly new concept.

I am also aware that there are different types of ADD (some say as many as 7) with emphasis on the 3 main symptoms, but I have seen many examples of famous people who surpass their peers because of their ADHD.

It forces us to get up and go do something outside.

It makes think of a million other things and distracts us from the mundane.

It gives us the power to imagine in ways others can only dream of.

ADD is a gift, but like any gift, it takes time to master.

[AlexanderHowl]

Hm, I have to disagree. If ADD and ADHD are advantageous, then it is not a disadvantage according to GURPS. Of course, ADD is easily expression in GURPS as Absent Mindedness, Impulsiveness, and/or Short Attention Span, it is ADHD that is the problem.