Staring and ADHD

Okay so I have been trying to do some research about what I thought were me having staring spells, but I found out that that is something different than what I have been experience, but I very vaguely remember my doctor telling me the staring thing was linked to ADHD (which I have a sever case of) when I was really little. Basically I get racing thoughts all the time really fast. I jokingly call it brain diarrhea sometimes because it is just all these ideas exploding out at one time. Sometimes though when the racing thoughts are at their peak, it all just shuts down and I become still in the position I was in, like a statue. My heart rate drops, my breathing nearly comes to a halt, my vision blurs, sometimes my ears ring, all thought stops, my head is empty, and I just stand there not blinking. I have taught myself to snap out of them (and I found some ways to trigger them on my own), but before that I would be stuck in one place for hours, until somebody would say "Are you okay?" or wave their hand in front of my face and i would snap out of it with a start, which often prompted people to try and startle me out of them back then. I usually keep memory of what goes on around me when I am in a staring spell, but no thoughts occur. Occasionally it will happen when I am walking and continue to slowly shamble in one direction, there have been instances where I follow a group of people, followed a line (like painted on the road for example) or just follow another path such as a sidewalk, but most of the time I just shamble forward until I hit something or stop walking just before hitting something. Before I learned to snap out of them on my own, sometimes I would moan softly trying to communicate what was happening. It is very much like a 'zombie' except without the urge to nom on people's brains. Sometimes I worry I will wander somewhere i am not supposed to be, like somebodies house or into traffic, as I have wandered pretty far in this state before and had to find my way home. This is why I want to research more about it, that an curiosity. I have heard this has to due with sever ADHD, but I do not really know. Does anybody know where I can find more information?

You might want to look into the link between ADHD and Parkinsons.

I believe that some adults with ADHD actually have a "Parkinsons personality", which is an indicator of developing Parkinsons later in life. Or that perhaps not fully develop Parkinsons, but forever have minor symptoms of it. I never found much information to back that idea.

I also think that people with ADHD (and with possibly no link to Parkinsons) can experience psychomotor retardation at certain times in their life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychomotor_retardation

However you can always go down the route of the link between schizophrenia and ADHD that some talk about, since catatonia is a schizophrenic symptom (also bipolar).

Lastly, it could be something more related to impulse control or OCD type of things. Maybe the same as some find themselves compelled to repeat actions, a person could feel compelled to get "stuck staring".

Overall, definitely look into dopamine pretty closely. It's a neurotransmitter of motivation. Which is why I first brought up Parkinsons with ADHD and your issue. Parkinsons patients lack the dopmaine to motivate movement. ADHD lack the dopamine activity for organized though. It's a complex neurotransmitter, or subtle in its understanding.

Thank you for your response. Upon further research I do not believe I have those and there is not much history of those in my family, although my brother has OCD. I display some of the symptoms of most of that, but not enough to say I actually have them. If I do it is a minor case. I may have to do more research of consult a doctor to determine the real cause, but this information was helpful. Thank you for taking the time to supply me with this information.
The best way I can think to describe it is very much like I have fallen into a coma but never went 'sleep' if that helps at all.

I never meant to insinuate you have any of these things (other than ADHD). The other disorders are to help paint a fuller and deeper concept of your ADHD, overall and specifically the kind you have since there are many different biological and environmental causes for ADHD.

I was unaware that there were different versions of ADHD. I am unsure if the staring is actually linked to the ADHD though, it is just the only possible lead I have on it. I have not heard of anybody else with the issue, so I have nobody to ask and no where to really start yet, which is why I came here; to help me find a place to start my research, so I do not have to spend hours to get another lead.

There are more than one reason people can have similar symptoms. People have ADHD for different reasons. I might not go so far to say different versions in this respect, because two people could have different causes but show the same exact symptoms of ADHD. [Though, there are different versions, such as inattentive and hyperactive.]

I don't think this is something so common that a quick search will give you an answer. It will likely take hours, and not one specific lead. It might be that there is nothing really spelled out, but more of something you'll have to connect the dots of on your own.

Good luck.

Alright. Thank you for the information. I feared it might be one of those issues that take forever to research (like that strange issue where my blood turns black for no apparent reason. Hours of research and asking around and no correct answers still. Many guesses such as liver problems, necrosis, issues with iron, etc, but upon research, it was none of those thing, and even when I describe it to my doctor just said "well it does not seem like a serious issue" but did not seem to know what it was. Sometimes I joke with me friends because it would mean I literally have a black heart, because the blood turned black in it. Anyway I am starting to ramble and get off topic so I digress.) I will try to do some more looking into the issue and talk with my doctors. I will try and give a heads up on this thread when/if I can if/when I figure out what this issue is.

Hiya..

sounds like a common zoning out issue. (well, common for me and my family.. we have aspies and adhd as a common theme)

it sounds very much like your brain gets overloaded with the amount of thoughts running around and switches to auto mode for a while to process everything underneath the conscious level..

I could be wrong but i get this happening a lot to me.. i don't go quite as deep as you anymore but i did as a child and adolescent.
http://www.livescience.com/33357-why-we-zone-out.html

Ps..
Try and snap yourself out of these spells when you're outside if possible..
you're basically running on ''automatic processing'' mode in these scenarios so your brain is still somewhat aware but the bumping into things is concerning..
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2853281/

I think it could be an issue with zoning out, but if it is the question becomes why it is so sever of a zone out that I am practically sleep walking. I do have sever ADHD as mentioned and I do have a minor case of aspergers.

I typically try to snap out of them unless I am in a safe place stationary, otherwise I am worried about walking somewhere dangerous, like into traffic, or somewhere I will not be able to find my way back home from. I used to be unable to snap out of them on my own, but I do now how now, so it is rare that I am in one for more than a few seconds unless I simply allow it to happen.

Thanks for the info!

Reminds me I forgot one thing!

Dissociation is common with adult ADHD. I was tested for DID right before ADHD.

I feel I should warn you that a lot of people are under the impression that DID is multiple personality disorder, which isn't the case. Or, at least wasn't the case last I was up to date with current psych mumbo jumbo. Perhaps I should just say dissociative disorder.