ADHD & Hypersensitivity & Empathy

According to this article on ADDitude, being hypersensitive is common among adults with ADHD. 

Hypersensitivity — also known as being a “highly sensitive person” (HSP) — is not a disorder. It is an attribute common in people with ADHD. Symptoms of hypersensitivity include being highly sensitive to physical (via sound, sight, touch, or smell) and or emotional stimuli, and the tendency to be easily overwhelmed by too much information. ...

According to Elaine N. Aron, who wrote the book The Highly Sensitive Person, 15 to 20 percent of the population is born with a high level of sensitivity.

The article further says: 

Psychologist and ADHD coach Michele Novotni, Ph.D., says she sees higher levels of physical sensitivities and emotional reactivity in her ADHD clients than in the general population. She told me about a client whose manager made an unkind, unfair remark at work. A person without ADHD may have let the words bounce off of him, but her client, who has a high level of sensitivity, ended up in tears.

The article has also listed simple but very good strategies to cope with hypersensitivity - I can recommend reading them!

As for me, I am a HSP and an Empath, and according to katieturnerpsychology on Instagram a majority of Empaths tend to also be HSP (but not all).

My sense of smell usually isn't that good, but I can smell hydrogen cyanide, and this year the river in my city smells different, more algal, but I seem to be the only one who can smell the difference from previous years.

My sense of taste also usually isn't that good, I can't taste the difference between chicken and turkey, and I can't taste where and how a wine was grown, but I can taste the difference between water from different districts in my city or from different bottlers.

Today I am walking barefoot at home for the first time in decades. As a child, I only walked on tiptoes because though I love the feeling of carpets, I can't stand the feeling of wooden or stone floors.

At the same time, I am very helpful, sometimes absorb emotions, and have a strong energy sensitivity as well as intuitive awareness.

Also, Introverts often have those traits, that's why I am following some Introvert groups on FB, which is sometimes helpful and often highly amusing! 😁

I found this and I think it shows in a very comprehensive way, what the difference between an Empath and HSP:

tbc.