ADHD Different Types Overview

The Different Types, or Styles, of ADHD

The diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is very broad, including several different types of ADHD.


What are these different types of ADHD?

And in each article we will discuss the best targeted alternative treatment strategies for each of these five types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Different Types, or Styles, of ADHD

Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to the fact that there are different types, or styles, of ADHD.

In the past we referred to Attention Deficit Disorder: Inattentive Type, or Impulsive/Hyperactive Type, or a Combined Type. Today the diagnostic differences are a bit less clear, but the reality doesn't change.

Dr. Daniel Amen has written a great book on the subject, titled "Healing ADHD:The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD" where he uses his SPECT scans of patient's brain activity to help in making his six classifications.

His classifications include these "Types" ...

1. Classic ADD - Inattentive, distractible, disorganized. Perhaps hyperactive, restless and impulsive.

2. Inattentive ADD - Inattentive, and disorganized.

3. Over-focused ADD - Trouble shifting attention, frequently stuck in loops of negative thoughts, obsessive, excessive worry, inflexible, oppositional and argumentative.

4. Temporal Lobe ADD - Inattentive and irritable, aggressive, dark thoughts, mood instability, very impulsive. May break rules, fight, be defiant, and very disobedient. Poor handwriting and trouble learning are common.

5. Limbic System ADD - Inattentive, chronic low-grade depression, negative, low energy, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.

6. Ring of Fire ADD - Inattentive, extremely distractible, angry, irritable, overly sensitive to the environment, hyperverbal, extremely oppositional, possible cyclic moodiness.

We will be discussing these classification in more detail in this section.

Here our classifications are a bit different, and are based more on our clinical observation and experiences.

Our classifications are based on the classic children's stories of Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Each of these types of ADHD (using either Amen's system or ours) will have different treatment needs and approaches.

ADHD Inattentive Type

Just Like Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD. Although Pooh is very lovable, loyal, and kind, he is also inattentive, sluggish, slow-moving, unmotivated. He is a classic daydreamer with brain fog. In other works we have called this "Space Cadet" style ADHD.

People with this type of ADHD are:

Inattentive ADHD Explained

Normally in the brain the prefrontal cortex will speed up activity when there is work to concentrate on. But with this type of inattentive ADHD the prefrontal cortex actually slows down when placed under a work load, like reading or doing homework.

This part of the brain looks normal when "at rest," but actually looks like it is starting to fall asleep when asked to "go to work." This makes it very hard to pay attention to school work, get homework done, listen to the teacher, clean your room, and so on.

We have actually observed this hundreds of times with subjects on an EEG. When at rest, the brainwave activity is pretty normal. But once the subject is asked to read, or to do a math worksheet, the subject's brainwave activity begins to look like the subject is falling asleep. And often times they do fall asleep! This sure makes school hard for these students!

Winnie the Pooh style inattention is seen more in girls than in boys.

It responds well to stimulants, such as ritalin and adderall, but other interventions like Attend and diet work well also, and without the side effects.


We have much more on Inattentive Type (Winnie the Pooh Type) ADHD for you, including an in-depth look at some alternative treatment strategies.

Classic Hyperactive ADHD

Tiggers Like to Bounce... Bouncin' is What Tiggers Do Best!

We call this bouncy type of ADHD "Tigger Type" for good reason. This classic form of ADHD is characterized by adhd with hyperactivity like tigger

This type of ADHD reminds us of Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh stories.

Dr. Daniel Amen refers to this type of ADHD as "Classic ADHD" for good reasons. When you think about someone who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, this is the classic picture that you think of.

Someone with this type of ADHD typically:

  • Is easily distracted
  • Has a LOT of energy
  • Is hyperactive
  • Can't sit still very long
  • Is fidgety
  • Talks a LOT, and can be LOUD
  • Is very impulsive, does not think before he acts
  • Has trouble waiting his turn in line, or in games
  • and more...

Tigger Type ADHD results from UNDER-ACTIVITY in the Prefrontal Cortex, both when at rest, and when performing concentration tasks.

This type of ADHD is most often seen in males, and can respond well to stimulants.


We have more in-depth information about ADHD with Impulsivity-Hyperactivity for you to learn, including alternative treatment strategies.

Learn more about each of the DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADHD:

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