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Original poster

Fleeting obsessive interests - what does this mean?

33 replies

randomQuestion4839596 · 12/01/2023 10:00

So I'm an adult, mid thirties female, and this is something I think I've had for quite some time. I'm wondering if it's a symptom of a wider condition as I know most people I'm close to don't do it!

So I'll have a specific hobby, say video games or reading or painting - I'll get so into it and obsessive about it, want to do it all the time, buy all the supplies for it and focus on it intensely for a while. Then the novelty will wear off as I've been sparked by something else and the cycle repeats. Sometimes the obsession lasts a while and other times it can be changed quicker.

It covers all areas not just hobbies - sometimes specific meals, genuine areas of focus and productivity, copious time spent online researching something - sometimes I just fall into a black hole sparked by something. There's been an incel storyline in hollyoaks which sparked me to watch documentary and then bam I was obsessed with learning more about that and pulling up 50 tabs on my iPad 😅

Just in the past few months I've done this with learning illustration and signed up to subscriptions and bought supplies and started obsessively learning about it, then turned to reading and went on a mad one buying tons of books from charity shops, then I was distracted again by my games console and downloading new games for that - obsessed with one for a bit, then a new one takes over, etc etc.

I'd like to be a bit more consistent with my interests and what I focus time on and lose the obsession/abandon cycle I seem to naturally default to.

I'm not aware that I have any medical conditions other than some anxiety that this could be part of but perhaps I don't know I have it. I don't think I have autism or ADHD but how do I know for sure?

If anyone has any idea about this is be thrilled to start understanding what it could be (and probably obsessively researching about that too 😂)

OP posts:

ToBeOrNotToBee · 12/01/2023 10:02

This isn't normal???

LordLyra · 12/01/2023 10:03

This is a very ADHD trait, and the “ buying supplies” is part of it. Usually the absolute ‘best’ supplies too, with lots of research involved about best ones to get! (Based on my ADHD experience anyway, and what I’ve seen of diagnosed friends and family members)

stealthninjamum · 12/01/2023 10:07

Dc do this. One has autism and one has autism and adhd. The one with just autism tends to keep obsessions for years but the adhd / autism one has fleeting obsessions.

id say it doesn’t really matter unless you have obsessive thoughts that stop you focusing on the rest of your life. For example Dd2 would be an hour late for school because she has to do her hair in a way she saw in a YouTube video and any attempts by me to stop it would result in a meltdown that would take two hours to come back from.

FindingMeno · 12/01/2023 10:08

I think this is just normal for some of us?

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 12/01/2023 10:09

I do that and i have ADHD.

MotherOfVizslas · 12/01/2023 10:11

I'm like this, and I'm 99% sure I have ADHD

pawprintseverywhere · 12/01/2023 10:11

I do that and have done it years. I'm 40 now. Could be baking, painting, reading, woolwork, photography, drawing, home organisation - get into it, watch tons of tutorials,buy the gear, loose interest after a few days. It's a nightmare because at the initial start I'm soooo invested

liveforsummer · 12/01/2023 10:11

It's certainly a trait of adhd but if it's stand alone it could just be your personality type, you'd need a lot i more than just one trait to get a diagnosis of adhd or autism. Maybe look in to that a bit further (could be your next interest). Have you always done it. Sounds like it's not always been the case from your post?

Deathbyfluffy · 12/01/2023 10:12

I'm diagnosed with ADHD, and what you've described is exactly as I am.
Some choose to live with it as who they are, others go for a diagnosis and medication - I chose the latter as it was impacting my work.

Chinnegan · 12/01/2023 10:12

There was a good thread on here a few years ago about this. I think the conclusion was that lots of neurodiverse people do this, but so do lots of people who don't consider themselves to be neurodiverse. I very much do this, including the above of doing tonnes of research, buying the very best supplies then the interest vanishes and I move on to something else. I tend to spiral back to a previous obsession eventually so often the supplies do get used, but other times it's just a passing thing. My family is neurodiverse, primarily ADHD but I'm the only one without a diagnosis and I do this the most. I have to limit myself as I become convinced that the latest obsession will change my life and I absolutely need to buy all the best kit for bonsai trees/figure skating/raising catfish/illuminated lettering and then it just goes, usually when I realise I'm terrible at it. I've come to conclusion it's how my brain learns and that I can enjoy the immersion in the research without needing to take up the hobby. I also put most of my spending money in a locked account!

Usergjdksndjsn · 12/01/2023 10:13

This is a very common trait of adhd.
it doesn’t mean you have it though. You’d need to be showing signs of lots of other traits too.

highdrylowerwetter · 12/01/2023 10:13

There was another thread recently like this with hundreds of replies of people saying they're similar. I definitely have them too, OP.

lifter · 12/01/2023 10:13

I'm like this, diagnosed with ASD and i suspect could be diagnosed with ADHD too.

I do sometimes wonder if these labels "medicalise" normal behaviours ... although I also know that I've been a weirdo my whole life and not one of the pack generally so 🤷‍♀️

MeMyBooksAndMyCats · 12/01/2023 10:13

I do the same. I think it's completely normal.

Chinnegan · 12/01/2023 10:18

It's a how kids enjoy life isn't it, so I don't think it's that strange. I know mine change their interests so quickly that presents I bought in September are irrelevant by Christmas. I'd get so bored if I stuck with one hobby all my life, I mind have got good at something though 😂

Mabelface · 12/01/2023 10:21

This is me, although less so now my adhd is medicated. Anxiety can be a huge part of adhd, adhd medication has also sorted that.

America12 · 12/01/2023 10:50

I do this it's hyper focus. I have ADHD

caringcarer · 12/01/2023 10:56

My adult son has ADHD and he does this. At one point it was surfing, then photography, moved on to camping, then kayaking, then Airsoft and currently Lego. Each time he saves up and buys the absolute best quality equipment and lots of it then.afyer about 6 months of obsessing over it he gets fed up, often once he has finally acquired all the equipment, and moves on to another interest. I have persuaded him to sell a lot of little used equipment but you never get back much of original outlay. His gf jokes he had better not get bored with her.

JamSandle · 12/01/2023 10:58

I do this and have since childhood and am very suspicious i have undiagnosed ADHD.

Iliveditwizbit · 12/01/2023 10:59

I do this (probably adhd) but I love it.
The only problem I see with it is when it involves people. I’m aware of it but I notice with some people with the same sort of personality, they latch on to people, love bomb them to death, then dump them like a hot coal, never to be seen again.
Over time I’ve learned to manage this facet of my personality by kind of juggling interests, accepting that each one serves a purpose (I may turn to medical research when I feel I don’t have control over stuff , or middle eastern cooking or something when my marriage is difficult etc, unrelated stuff that diverts my mind ). But if I feel I’m obsessing over a friend or spending too much time with one person and neglecting others , I question myself and try hard to expand my horizons, socially.

kinvair · 12/01/2023 11:05

I do this. Supplies and everything. I have one consuming hobby that has probably been lifelong, my knowledge, even of the history of it, and detail, is scarily impressive.

Alongside that I have these newer interests and I try not to get involved, as I know the signs as it's difficult to stop. I never discard them entirely though but drop them to a much lesser level.

No autism or ADHD.

Original poster

randomQuestion4839596 · 12/01/2023 11:26

Thanks so much for all the replies. I didn't realise there had been a similar thread, I've never seen that.

I do wonder if I have some traits of ADHD as I do struggle with focus etc sometimes as well. I definitely don't have the hyperactive type, and fairly sure I don't have autism, but the inattentive ADHD could be me so I'll look into it further (hopefully not too much 😆)

To those saying it's normal, i'm not saying it's abnormal but I'm the only person I'm aware of who does it and my partner has pointed it out to me several times. I'd like to find a way to manage it better and not be so obsessive and then switch on/off. I just wondered if there could be a link to something else.

OP posts:

RedCatWhoGotTheCream · 12/01/2023 11:32

LordLyra · 12/01/2023 10:03

I have ADHD (proper diagnosis by a psychiatrist who specialises in ADHD in women) and this describes me to a T.

kinvair · 12/01/2023 11:39

I think it's quite normal. I know lots of people who do similar to me, and to you, who are not ND. Whereas my close friend who is ND (with formal diagnosis) does not. It will depend on other factors, in addition, whether it's connected ND.

Original poster

randomQuestion4839596 · 12/01/2023 11:40

Buying the supplies is a massive thing for me too. Quite annoying as my house is now cluttered but I struggle to part with it all! Definitely sounds like some things link up.

OP posts:

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