


Social media and multi-player games give the experience of social interaction, without having to actually engage in real world social interactions.įor people who find social interactions stressful this can be a welcome substitute. Becoming a master in some field of endeavor.There are many positive things a child can hyperfixate on that bring positive results in life, even if it’s an avoidance strategy. Having said that, this does not mean that it’s necessarily a bad thing in the overall context of a child’s life. So, unfortunately, this is a band-aid solution that doesn’t really help in the long term. Unfortunately, many people also report that after their period of hyperfixation ends, they actually feel worse than they did before they started. While they are in the state of hyperfixation, all other things disappear from conscious awareness, giving relief from the negative feelings they have. Many people report placing their intense focus on one activity as a way of distracting themselves from recurring or chronic negative feelings like anxiety and depression. The activity is intrinsically fascinating and absorbing for the person.As a substitute for real world social interaction.As a way to distract from or avoid other things.There is research that shows that people with ADHD, ASD (Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum) and schizophrenia tend to fall into states of hyperfixation more frequently than ‘normal’ people, but there is very little research into why this happens.Īnecdotal evidence and self-reports suggest three main motivations for going into states of hyperfixation:

#HYPERFIXATION VS HYPERFOCUS HOW TO#
Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Hyperfixation Issues Why Does Your Child Hyperfixate? We cover this topic in depth in Hyperfixation: What it is – And what it isn’t. Ashinoff, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, USA and Ahmad Abu-Akel, Research Fellow at Institut de psychologie, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Having a hyperfixated child can be a real challenge, putting a strain on the parents, and often on the whole family.
