Fidgeting is something that everyone can relate to on some level, be it bouncing their leg, clicking a pen, chewing their lip, or any of the plethora of fidgeting habits. Multiple factors could pave the way for the need to fidget. Nervous tension, anxiousness, boredom, and stress are just a few examples. While everyone, no matter the state of their mental health, benefit from stimming. It should be duly noted that the most common participants in fidgeting, or stimming, are those who suffer from specific mental illnesses. For our FLY Charms, we have examined the mental disorders of ADHD, stress, anxiety, and OCD for our products.
Fidgeting/Stimming
Many people, despite how much explanation they may receive around mental illness and how they affect the human brain, will still lack a certain understanding to what those who have to live with these illnesses need. Stimming, also known as the repetition of physical movements, sounds, or repetitive movement, is common among those with these disorders, coming with many individualized benefits for each participant. When it comes to those with ADHD, fidgeting/stimming helps with under stimulation by providing an outlet for nervous energy. When it comes to those with anxiety and stress, fidgeting/stimming helps with overstimulation. When it comes to those with OCD, fidgeting/stimming helps with distraction from their OCD and compulsions (as stated by someone with OCD).
Fidgeting is a technique that the brain uses to keep itself occupied and/or interested in something that the person is trying to do. The need to fidgeting and stimming varies in intensity based on each individual’s state of mind and current environment. For example, the need for fidgeting for someone who is mentally ill may be more intense than it is for someone who is considered neurotypical, not displaying or characterized by autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior. However, many people find the need to fidget and/or stim when under stress, or when bored. When you are stressed or bored, the brain’s cognitive functions including reasoning, memory, attention, language, and the retaining of knowledge/information is negatively affected, and you don’t retain as much. However, fidgeting helps to serve as an outlet for this stress and boredom. When stress is dissipated, this facilitates better learning and enhanced attention.
Fidgeting is different for each individual, and everyone has their own form of “stimming.” For some, the motion of bouncing their leg may enough for them. For another, they have to hear a sound, and clicking their pen acts as that outlet. There are products made to satiate these needs to fidget, but the biggest issue with these is that they are relatively “one-size-fits-all,” with a very cookie-cutter like feel to them. With FLY Charms, we aim to prioritize the individual, and allow them to pick and choose what would work the best for them.
Fidgeting is a technique that the brain uses to keep itself occupied and/or interested in something that the person is trying to do. The need to fidgeting and stimming varies in intensity based on each individual’s state of mind and current environment. For example, the need for fidgeting for someone who is mentally ill may be more intense than it is for someone who is considered neurotypical, not displaying or characterized by autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior. However, many people find the need to fidget and/or stim when under stress, or when bored. When you are stressed or bored, the brain’s cognitive functions including reasoning, memory, attention, language, and the retaining of knowledge/information is negatively affected, and you don’t retain as much. However, fidgeting helps to serve as an outlet for this stress and boredom. When stress is dissipated, this facilitates better learning and enhanced attention.
Fidgeting is different for each individual, and everyone has their own form of “stimming.” For some, the motion of bouncing their leg may enough for them. For another, they have to hear a sound, and clicking their pen acts as that outlet. There are products made to satiate these needs to fidget, but the biggest issue with these is that they are relatively “one-size-fits-all,” with a very cookie-cutter like feel to them. With FLY Charms, we aim to prioritize the individual, and allow them to pick and choose what would work the best for them.
Stress
When the body is under stress, it releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenaline has the ability to focus one’s attention while also increasing their heart rate and providing them was a surge of energy. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is responsible for maintaining fluid balance and blood pressure. The amygdala of the brain perceives a threat and proceeds to alert the hypothalamus which then releases a hormone known as corticotropin.This hormone lets the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone which alerts the adrenal gland to produce the cortisol. These can be life saving depending on the situation, but when a body is releasing cortisol and adrenalin for long periods of time it can contribute to obesity, acne, high blood pressure, and it can also suppress the immune system leaving people susceptible to diseases.
According to the American Psychological Association, 75% of adults reported experiencing moderate to high levels of stress in the past month and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the past year. Furthermore, the American Institute of Stress found that 80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress, with 42% say their co-workers need such help.
Clearly, not everyone who experiences stress can go through with treatments such as medication or therapy. However, as one can assume, there is one form of comfort and coping that every person under stress has done; fidgeting.
According to the American Psychological Association, 75% of adults reported experiencing moderate to high levels of stress in the past month and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the past year. Furthermore, the American Institute of Stress found that 80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress, with 42% say their co-workers need such help.
Clearly, not everyone who experiences stress can go through with treatments such as medication or therapy. However, as one can assume, there is one form of comfort and coping that every person under stress has done; fidgeting.
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or more commonly known as ADHD, is a condition in which those who live with it experience bouts of hyperactivity and uncontrollable impulses. Many people live with ADHD. According to a study by The National Resource on ADHD, 1 in 15 children between the ages 4-10, 1 in 9 children between the ages 11-14, and 1 in 10 teenagers between the ages of 15-17 have ADHD. Furthermore, a study by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that 60% of children with ADHD in the United States become adults with ADHD, which is about 4% percent of the adult population.
When living with ADHD, the effects of it may range. The most commonly known effects involve lack of focus, difficulty staying in one spot, an overactive personality, forgetfulness, talking out of turn, behavioral problems, impulsiveness, and of course, fidgeting. Those with ADHD experience differences in the brain than those who are considered neurotypical.
The brain regions most affected are:
When living with ADHD, the effects of it may range. The most commonly known effects involve lack of focus, difficulty staying in one spot, an overactive personality, forgetfulness, talking out of turn, behavioral problems, impulsiveness, and of course, fidgeting. Those with ADHD experience differences in the brain than those who are considered neurotypical.
The brain regions most affected are:
- Amygdala (which is involved in processing emotions like fear and pleasure)
- Hippocampus (which is involved in learning, memory and emotion)
- Three brain areas within the striatum ― the caudate nucleus, the putamen, and the nucleus accumbens (which are involved in the brain’s reward system and in its processing of dopamine, which helps monitor motivation and pleasure).
Anxiety
Anxiety is a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one's daily activities. No one is really born with anxiety. Past events and circumstances bring about anxiety, but there’s not set “gene” that influences or causes anxiety. Since we develop anxiety over the course of time, the brain is, in a manner, learning how to be anxious. This is called “cognitive structuring,” in which the brain learns how and what to be afraid of. Certain events trigger anxiety, and the neurons in the brain fire off together.
The brain is creating neural pathways that carry information throughout the brain. These brain associations could trigger anxiety and release it into our system. The feeling of anxiety is a rush of adrenaline and cortisol, two hormones in the body. Adrenaline has the ability to focus one’s attention while also increasing their heart rate and providing them was a surge of energy. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is responsible for maintaining fluid balance and blood pressure. In the same manner that you would learn any other basic life through multiple events of practice and repetition, the brain becomes more familiar with anxiety through means of cognitive learning. As you learn, a new neural pathway begins to form. The more you practice, the more this new neural pathway or association grows. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the U.S., 18.1% of the population 18 years and older, with 22.8% of these cases being considered “severe.”
Since anxiety is related to chemicals, neurochemistry, and so on, there’s no real way to cure anxiety. Medication, while offering a temporary treatment by allowing a chemical change in the brain, only lasts for a few hours. Many cases of anxiety are often solved through the person finding what comforts them, and going into a sort of safe place for themselves. FLY Charms, if implemented, would offer those who suffer anxiety an output for their nervous energy through the customizable charms.
The brain is creating neural pathways that carry information throughout the brain. These brain associations could trigger anxiety and release it into our system. The feeling of anxiety is a rush of adrenaline and cortisol, two hormones in the body. Adrenaline has the ability to focus one’s attention while also increasing their heart rate and providing them was a surge of energy. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is responsible for maintaining fluid balance and blood pressure. In the same manner that you would learn any other basic life through multiple events of practice and repetition, the brain becomes more familiar with anxiety through means of cognitive learning. As you learn, a new neural pathway begins to form. The more you practice, the more this new neural pathway or association grows. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the U.S., 18.1% of the population 18 years and older, with 22.8% of these cases being considered “severe.”
Since anxiety is related to chemicals, neurochemistry, and so on, there’s no real way to cure anxiety. Medication, while offering a temporary treatment by allowing a chemical change in the brain, only lasts for a few hours. Many cases of anxiety are often solved through the person finding what comforts them, and going into a sort of safe place for themselves. FLY Charms, if implemented, would offer those who suffer anxiety an output for their nervous energy through the customizable charms.
OCD
OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Obsessions occur when the brain generates repetitive and powerful thoughts that are intrusive and produce anxiety. Compulsions are the physical actions or thoughts that a patient carries out to reduce or eliminate the feelings associated with obsessive worrying.
OCD is caused by damage to the basal ganglia. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) are more active in patients with OCD. Overstimulation of the OFC and the ACG increases the ability to detect errors. They send excessive messages to the basal ganglia that there is a problem. Obsessions include excessive cleaning and hand washing, the fear of germs, compulsive counting, etc.
In the United States, 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children have OCD. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, OCD is within the top 20 causes of illness-related disability worldwide for people between 15 and 44 years of age.
OCD is typically treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. However, like stated with medication for anxiety, these treatments only last for a few hours before being worn off. Sources are needed for continuous treatment. When the FLY Charms research team contacted an individual who has lived with OCD for years, it was stated that a product like FLY Charms would help cope with OCD in the sense that it would serve as a distraction from the compulsions that they’re constantly living with.
OCD is caused by damage to the basal ganglia. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) are more active in patients with OCD. Overstimulation of the OFC and the ACG increases the ability to detect errors. They send excessive messages to the basal ganglia that there is a problem. Obsessions include excessive cleaning and hand washing, the fear of germs, compulsive counting, etc.
In the United States, 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children have OCD. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, OCD is within the top 20 causes of illness-related disability worldwide for people between 15 and 44 years of age.
OCD is typically treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. However, like stated with medication for anxiety, these treatments only last for a few hours before being worn off. Sources are needed for continuous treatment. When the FLY Charms research team contacted an individual who has lived with OCD for years, it was stated that a product like FLY Charms would help cope with OCD in the sense that it would serve as a distraction from the compulsions that they’re constantly living with.
Works Cited
Websites:
Frequently Asked Questions about Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from https://bbrfoundation.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-anxiety-disorders
The Stimming Checklist. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from http://what-is-stimming.org/
The Athlete's Way. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201402/chronic-stress-can-damage-brain-structure-and-connectivity
Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml
Anxiety.Retrieved April 27, 2017, from https://bbrfoundation.org/anxiety?gclid=Cj0KEQiA9P7FBRCtoO33_LGUtPQBEiQAU_tBgOtluTKlAUKxUJsYoKoV_HL5zCIm2CHNNC3FOLX6j60aAia88P8HAQ.
Folk, J. Anxiety Disorder General Statistics. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-statistics-information.shtml
Reynolds, G. (2015, June 24). Fidgeting May Benefit Children With A.D.H.D. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/fidgeting-may-benefit-children-with-a-d-h-d/
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml?utm_content=buffer69236&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.
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Books:
Taylor, J. F. (2008). The survival guide for kids with ADD or ADHD. Sydney, Australia: Accessible Publishing Systems.
Warekois, R. S., & Robinson, R. (2016). Phlebotomy: worktext and procedures manual. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Orrison, W. W. (2008). Atlas of brain function. New York: Thieme.