Brains are like computers - My ADHD Metaphor

I have been trying to think of the best way to explain an ADHD brain to others in a way that most people my age would understand. So here is my attempt at relating brains to computers and why mine sucks.



Think of yourself and your brain like a giant computer.

On your desktop, there are icons, folders and files all used to execute or identify various programs and information.

You can create new things, access saved information, do complex problem solving, learning, creative tasks and a myriad of other functions just by double clicking on the correct thing.

Even when you have multiple windows and tabs open, the ability to switch back and fourth between them is effortless. You can even do many things at the same time, finish a work project while listening to your favorite podcast, proof-read your essay while skype-ing with your best friend, finish writing that code while rocking out to your favorite music.

If you are interrupted, you can easily save your work and return to it later and pick up where you left off.

After you're finished, sending that email, submitting that article, creating that spreadsheet, editing that photo, watching that video - you save, close the tab and shut down for the day.


ADHD Brains are like computers too - but ours run on crappy operating systems, are organized by chimpanzees and are filled with viruses.

All of the same software and programs exist, but often times our desktops are cluttered, things are mis-named, mis-filed and they take a lot longer to find.
Sometimes in order to even get started, we have to open multiple folders, program and tabs just to locate the one thing we actually need.
When we do locate what we need, we have already booted up so many other applications and files that there is often not enough memory available to efficiently run it.
Closing everything takes what feels like forever, resulting in massive delays and is often is unsuccessful leaving us struggling to figure out where the heck that music is coming from.

When we do finally manage to locate, open and start working on something - it's not too long before that nasty spyware kicks in. Pop-ups start to block the screen, encouraging us to visit other sites, do other things, create new accounts and shop online.
Each of the annoying boxes somehow directly relates to us or some aspect of our lives but we have no idea how on earth it showed up on the screen. They span a wide variety of topics and often have no real theme or overall direction. Some want you to watch something, listen to something, buy something, research something, expose you to harmful images and ideas,  and some want you to turn off your computer altogether. Each one is interesting in it's own way and each one tempts you to click.

No matter how many times we click the "X" in the top corner, another box will eventually replace it. Sometimes we are able to keep closing the tabs as they open and push through the task at hand - but it makes whatever we are doing harder to focus on, take longer and the end result often contains tons of errors.
Often though, we are under-stimulated by what we are working on, bored, frustrated or have poor impulse control and without even realizing it, we have clicked on about a dozen different things. Sometimes it seems as though they actually take control of our computers and open themselves.
The "rabbit hole" is a deep and dark place, and even the most innocent diversion of curiosity can quickly turn into hours of click-bait hell.

Of course, we don't realize it - the clock in the bottom right hand corner of our screens doesn't tell accurate time or exist altogether. Time is instead measured by the increasing levels of frustration, hunger and anxiety or decreasing levels of concentration, personal hygiene and motivation.

Working with an operating system that is different from that of our friends makes asking for help enabling the clock, finding the off switch, rebooting or troubleshooting other various problems useless. The games and programs they offer us often aren't compatible with our systems, which makes us feel bad, left out and overall upset about the quality of our workstations. (Despite the fact that we probably spent way more money and time on ours than our friends.)
Sometimes it's like our operating system stops working altogether.

After a long day, having accomplished little to nothing and having overwhelmed our CPU with 1000 open tabs we are simply too tired, upset, worn out, stressed, anxious and overall fed up to even consider yet alone have the energy to try to figure out how to close it down and properly log off. Our over-heated rigs stay lit up, humming and running all night long impossible to ignore and lying in wait to ambush us with the problem of yesterday the next morning.

Fin.