ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Ticklishness

[Lion35]

Hi guys,

First off I just want to say what a great community this is here at TMF that I'm glad to be a part of!

I have an interesting point of discussion. I was approached by a woman on Fetlife asking to be my 'lee play partner. She described her interest in tickling that stemmed from her extreme ticklishness. She described how it is related to her ADHD, and possibly something called sensory processing disorder that can be related.

As a medical doctor up in Canada I was pretty intrigued about this. I never learned about this phenomena when learning about ADHD or even reading one of the popular medical books on the topic. I did a google search and then a medical literature search and found that it seems like ADHD seems to be associated with sensory processing problems and ticklishness. In theory, it could make sense as the brains of people with ADHD/ SPD can't filter out unimportant stimuli, making them very sensitive to ticklish sensations.

I was just wondering what the members of this forum have experienced? For starters, has anyone else heard of this association between ADHD and ticklishness? Is there anyone with ADHD here that is very ticklish or not ticklish at all?

Thanks for any thoughts on this curious topic!

 

[CrystalLight]

For starters, has anyone else heard of this association between ADHD and ticklishness?

I have not.

Is there anyone with ADHD here that is very ticklish or not ticklish at all?

I know many who have ADHD, but they aren't as sensitive as those I know that are not. I suppose it varies by person.

 

[Teal]

I have ADHD. I'm about as ticklish as a brick.

 

[Aeveirra]

How interesting .
I just posted something recently http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?261320-15-Facts-Of-Tickle-Science!&p=3918945#post3918945
This thread outlines brain regions associated with ticklish laughter.
I have been studying neuroscience for three years, and I may be able to offer an explanation for this:
Brain activty for ADHd is focused in the prefrontal and frontal lobes of equal lateralization. The processing sequence of ticklish laughter ends in the prefrontal lobe, and is expressed via vocalizations in the frontal lobe. The only connection I can make, Is this condition may be reinforcing her ticklishnness because it causes additional activty to exist the frontal lobe.
I am not too familiar with studies on the spesific disorders that would cause increasing sensitivity. They exist, but as far as I know, electrochemical localization is what matters most in this case, and it is logical to conclude that ADHD and ticklishnness may be related.

 

[TripleH1]

I have Asperger's and am very ticklish. I have a massively high pain tolerance though. When I broke my leg in high school and it had to be reset, I just watched and asked questions and the doctor thought there was something wrong with me as he said I should be screaming.

 

[evilwomanhehe]

I officially have Aspergers Syndrome. I was diagnosed with having high-functioning Aspergers 2 weeks ago today. I also have ADHD and OCD. With those factors involved, the person who has this has a very low tolerance to pain and being touched. I have the ability to turn off ticklishness--especially if I feel nervous and/or uncomfortable with the person I'm with. It gets worse as you get older. I'm going to be 47 soon--and I'm not wanting to be touched at all. Being molested as a child may be a factor in this also. Pain is very painful as well. I don't wish this Syndrome on anyone.

 

[ticklishangel52]

I have Aspergers, ADHD, and Depression. I'm very ticklish almost all over my body, and I have the ability to turn it off as well if I dont want it. Here is another interesting topic of discussion for this, tickling as therapy for depression. I think it could work.

 

[Lion35]

Interesting responses! I like seeing psychologists and neuroscientists in the crowd! I LOVE psych and neuroscience!

Aeveirra - fascinating post about the neuroscience of tickling! So essentially it's a pain response that has its own laughter centre in the brain... I remember reading some neuroscience papers on it a while back too... Fascinating!

Ticklishangel52 - I think tickling therapy for depression could work based on something called behavioural activation. For the same reason people speculate botox could work for depression. I actually have a book on this topic I have yet to finish. The premise is that our bodies and minds have reciprocal feedback. For example if I make you stand in a dominant posture you'll feel more dominant - and actually secrete more testosterone on a biological level. If I make you smile more, the idea is that it will retrain happiness centres in the brain.

Tickling over botox at least has a physical contact component which helps release oxytocin, the "hugging hormone" thought to have anti-depressive, anti-anxiety effects. The adrenaline rush and so on probably has effects similar to exercise in helping the body release BDNF, brain derived neurotrophic factor.

That all being said, I don't know how the culture of medicine/ psychology/ psychiatry would view tickling as an intervention. If you were going to set up a clinical trial it would have to be set up as boundary driven as possible, probably with one of those tickling machines I've seen in other studies to take as much human component out as possible. That may take some of the benefit of interpersonal contact out of the therapy but it also takes potential harms out of the equation as well.

I don't think it's unreasonable but it would have to be a carefully designed study.

As for ADHD - perhaps a study is needed where ADHD patients are tickled and their ticklishness is rated compared to normal matched controls. Even further, Aveirra can fMRI their brains and see if their specific brain differences yield a different response to tickling.

Interesting discussions!

 

[Tklr90]

I have ADHD and I'm about as close to a 10 and you can get on the ticklishness scale. Based on the other replies, they probably aren't related though

 

[a7hgsir4h3jk]

FWIW, I have Aspergers and Depression, and some people who are close to me also suspect that I have OCD and Anxiety. I was EXTREMELY ticklish as a young child - as in, pretty much everything tickled - but back then I really hated it. I haven't been tickled recently, but I suspect that I'm still fairly ticklish. I don't have the ability to "turn it off", though. Strangely, I actually still dislike being touched most of the time.

Here is another interesting topic of discussion for this, tickling as therapy for depression. I think it could work.

Interesting - I've been thinking about this very same concept recently. Mainly because I'm both depressed and I want to be tickled. Haha.

 

[Tickleslave83]

I am fairly ticklish although I don't have much experience. When I was younger I had ADHD and I suspect that I probably have Asperger's syndrome. That is interesting about not being able to filter out sensations because I find that I am very sensitive to almost all stimuli. Annoyingly I find myself getting very itchy easily and cannot ignore it and any little different sensation can drive me crazy. I also find that I have difficulty ignoring you need to go to the bathroom, which is also interesting because my other fetish is bladder desperation. It seems like that may stem from a similar inability to ignore certain sensations. I think because I am so sensitive to all types of different bodily sensations being in a position where I am bombarded with extreme bodily sensations, such as the urgent need to go to the bathroom, or being brutally tickled, may very well be much more intense due to the fact that I cannot ignore intense stimuli.