“I Do not have ADHD When I Drive My Truck” Exploring the Temporal Dynamics of ADHD as a Lived Experience

Bibliographic Data

ID18927488
AuthorsGitte Vandborg Rasmussen (0009-0000-3273-3485, Aarhus University, corresponding author), Per Hove Thomsen (0000-0002-4529-4431, Aarhus University), Sanne Lemcke (0000-0002-0542-713X, Aarhus University Hospital), Rikke Sand Andersen (0000-0003-2450-5866, University of Southern Denmark)
Year2025
Volume49
Issue3
Pages836-856
Publication date2025-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCulture Medicine and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0165-005X • E-ISSN: 1573-076X
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11013-025-09910-x
PMID40299113
OpenAlexW4409954084
LanguageEN
References cited29

With this article, we set out to introduce a dynamic and expansive notion of what it means to live with ADHD. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among families living with ADHD in Denmark and inspired by Thomas Fuchs’ Eigenzeit [own-time], we forward the notion of “own-time space” as a means of examining the dynamic nature of ADHD. Own-time spaces connect the lived experience of ADHD and time to space. Own-time spaces are situations where the presence or absence of others, and cultural expectations related to timing or tempo enter complex, rhythmic interactions in ways that allow ADHD symptoms to fade into the background. We suggest that own-time spaces are characterized by space , rhythm , and imagistic thinking , and add to our existing knowledge of shielding as a therapeutic effort in ADHD treatment. With own-time space we emphasize that shielding is not just a matter of place or protection from stimuli, but also involves temporal, meaning-making, and relational dimensions. Own-time spaces are dynamic environments where individuals can navigate and negotiate their own rhythms and temporalities and foster a sense of agency and thriving

Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Epistemology · Negotiation · Psychotherapist · Sense of agency · Sociology · Temporalities · Temporality · Time perception · Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder · Computer Science · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access