9 ms·

What is ADD?

108 points by adrusi 11y ago

BillyParadise 11y ago
Good article. I was diagnosed as an adult, and now have coping strategies (including some stimulants for days when I really need to get shit done). Had I been diagnosed 30 years ago, oh the things I could have done. The worst? My mother was a teacher. You'd think she would have caught it. Task switching is really my biggest issue. Once I get in hyperfocus mode on something, a) I really hate getting interrupted, probably because b) getting back focused again is all but impossible.
- robwormald 11y ago
  "Had I been diagnosed 30 years ago, oh the things I could have done" - truer words have never been spoken. I was diagnosed at 28 and it was like when I got glasses in middle school for the first time. "OHHHH, this is what the world is supposed to look like"
  - jschwartzi 11y ago
    I first got glasses at 26, so I think I understand what you mean. It was maddening to realize that my issues with math in high school may have been due to my inability to read the textbook quickly enough to succeed.
    - thaumasiotes 11y ago
      When were you reading a textbook under time constraints?
      - scintill76 11y ago
        Literally every time they read their textbook, it was under time constraints, given there is only a finite amount of time. Being slower than everyone else at any component of school will hurt your performance.
        thaumasiotes 11y ago
        Your reply only makes sense if reading that took the other students 30 minutes was taking jschwartzi 12 hours. It's not normal to be constrained for time (in any way that matters) while reading textbooks. And if ability to read really was a problem, I'd expect it to show up in English, where the great majority of the work consists of reading, much more than in math, where reading the textbook isn't common at all.
        reitanqild 11y ago
        Eating my own dogfood and explaining my downvote: expecting a kid or teenager to spend up to 12 hours on homework is crazy.
        thaumasiotes 11y ago
        I said that scintill76's reply would make sense in that case, but that I didn't believe it obtained. A factor-of-3 gap (where 30 minutes of reading for the class average translates into 90 minutes for jschwartzi) is fully within the range of normal variation.
      - jschwartzi 11y ago
        All I know is that I was working as a shipping clerk at the time, and my mis-shipment rate dropped significantly after I got the glasses. When that happened it suddenly occurred to me all the other times where I had to read a ton of numbers and symbols which were densely packed under time constraints and math was the only class like that.
- bpyne 11y ago
  Do the stimulants cause any jitters or mood alteration like caffeine can cause?
  - Cshelton 11y ago
    I took addrral as a kid and hated it. It changed my personality, it made me never hungry, I would stare into space, even though I'm super focused on a thought, friends would question what I was doing. I've been taking Vyvanse now and I don't get any jitters or change in personality. The worst side effect is dry mouth...the best side effect...well, having a body high that last for hours, it's a nice bonus I guess? Is it healthy? I have no idea.
  - JohnBooty 11y ago
    Caffeine user for decades, Adderall user (10mg, twice daily) for close to a decade. Neither gives me jitters, although I only take small doses of Adderall at a time. Adderall doesn't give me a crash when it wears off like caffeine does. Adderall can make me more high-strung at times. A little more intense, a little more irritable. It's a trade-off, of course... because failing to get necessary shit done can also make a person quite stressed out, you know? So Adderall, by helping me get stuff done, also indirectly improves my mood. It's not a magic cure, but it has been worth it for me.
  - adrusi 11y ago
    Yes. I don't take them frequently, and my dosage is still at the level it was when I was 15 and taking the regularly, and my tolerance is obviously lower than it was then, so the effects are more intense than for people who take it every day. I can experiece occaisional jitters, and perceived body temperature fluctuations. I can be more a little withdrawn from the world around me. This is the case for any amphetamine drug at least. Ritalin can be a little different, but for the most part it's about the same for me. The most notable difference is that sometimes I feel irritable on ritalin.
  - kendallpark 11y ago
    Depends on the medication, dose, and your personal physiology. I was on a low dose dextroamphetamine as needed for a while. Then life got stressful and I found myself getting mild anxiety from it. I switched to Vyvanse which dextro packaged for extended release (lasts for 14 hours). Vyvanse did not induce any jitters but would keep me up late if I didn't take it first thing in the morning. I switched to a different extended release dextro that lasts for about half the time as Vyvanse. That's worked out well because I can take it in the afternoon without jeopardizing my sleep. As a rule of thumb though I don't take stimulants on a regular basis, just as needed. Don't want to become dependent.
- Cshelton 11y ago
  I was diagnosed at age 6. I hated taking addrral back then and stopped. The next time I took it was junior year in college. Wow, I knew I was already smarter than most of my peers, and I was finally able to show it in the grades. I wish I took it in HS, it's a game changer. I do agree with the OP, and I do not understand how programming is something I can focus on and do for hours. The brain is very interesting. (Just in writing this reply I set my phone down half way through...) ADD is a blessing and a curse. I love being able to think different though.
- kendallpark 11y ago
  I was diagnosed with ADHD AFTER college. I had always performed well in school so there was no cause for alarm growing up. But I was always a spacey kid--my mind would race all over the place and I had trouble focusing on one single thing. Except when I hyperfocus. Then I have a hard time hearing other people around me. The worst? My mother was a psychiatrist. You'd think should would've caught it. During college, I coped by making my life as busy and stressful as possible. That helped me get stuff done. I also play(ed) sports. Now I am in med school and I take medications as-needed. Med school is sufficiently challenging so I find it easier to focus now compared to my previous 9-5 programming job.
lmitchell 11y ago
Thank you for sharing this - my girlfriend has ADD and this is the best explanation of what it really feels like and how it affects you that I think I've ever heard. I honestly feel like I understand her better now, which makes me really happy.
philliphaydon 11y ago
I was diagnosed with ADD and spent years on ritilin. IMO its not about not focusing or having a short attention span. It's about not being stimulated. Too easily do we throw drugs at a problem rather than solving the cause.
- thelambentonion 11y ago
  I strongly suspect that I have ADD/ADHD (and I'm looking for a good psychiatrist in my area to discuss this with now), and I fully agree with you. However, in life and at work, there are many instances where I need to do things that I don't find particularly stimulating or interesting. In these areas, my inability to force myself into the mindset of that work has seriously impacted my quality of life. I've spoken to a few people who I know have similar problems and are now on medication, and it seems like it's been INCREDIBLY constructive for them. This is all anecdotal, of course, but I figured I'd throw in my two cents. I'd still like to find a solution that doesn't involve medication, just as a matter of personal convenience, but it's been a struggle so far.
  - philliphaydon 11y ago
    Ive found things over the years that help. When I was in school the only classes I could do and focus and pass was techical drawing, and physisics and chemistry. Any other class I likely landed in the deans office for various reasons. I spent most of my schooling on a daily report where I had to get teachers to grade my behaviour in class. That helped me more than ritilin. After I dropped out of school I ended up doing programming which for me is super easy to focus with. I love solving problems. So my job is easy for me. Except meetings. I fidgit during meetings. End up scratching or biting my nails. Outside of work I travel and do photography. I like building stuff but that's hard in Singapore. So I miss building stuff with dad back in NZ. And watch movies. Anything else I can't focus long enough to do. For me. I have to be moving or solving a problem. Things like reading and writing are impossible. Even writing emails at work I keep short cos I end up never completing them.
  - JohnBooty 11y ago
    However, in life and at work, there are many instances where I need to do things that I don't find particularly stimulating or interesting. Yes! There is a school of thought that says ADD is more of a "personality type" than a "disability." Generally I view it that way as well. But it sure is a disability when you actually have to do boring things - and who doesn't have to do boring things? I mean really... who doesn't spend a significant portion of their lives doing things that aren't particularly interesting? And I'm generally in not in favor of treating myself as if I'm "disabled" in any way whatsoever - I don't expect less of myself because I have ADD. Hell, I also participate in sports even though I'm asthmatic and blind in one eye and my depth perception sucks.
robwormald 11y ago
A great book on this topic is "Driven to Distraction" - I recommend it to anyone curious about ADHD. The first chapter put me in tears - it was like reading a history of my life.
- sirtaj 11y ago
  Same. Suddenly my entire childhood made sense. It's also a little frustrating because I can't help thinking of all the lost time.
coldcode 11y ago
ADD and Autism are two instances of brain chemistry being "different" which strangely seem to work with programming and is fairly common among programmers. Sometimes I wish I had become a brain researcher, as the brain is a fascinating thing to study as we still know very little about how it works, and often times even less when it doesn't. We can't even adequately define what "normal" is if it even exists. We can't even understand how drugs affect both of these; much of what we know to prescribe them is more guesswork and anecdotal than based on solid understanding.
JohnBooty 11y ago
Very close to my own experiences. ADD is like a television with excellent reception - only problem is, you don't get to choose which channel it's tuned into. :) "Had I been diagnosed 30 years ago..." The goddamn name itself is painfully misleading. It's probably why I or my parents and teachers never even considered it until I was diagnosed in my 30s. "Attention deficit disorder" sounds like a disorder where you can't pay attention, not a disorder where you pay attention very well, just not to things of your choosing. The misleading name is also probably part of the reason why some people question ADD's existence: they don't even understand what it is. They see kids with ADD focusing on video games or whatever and say: "See, they can pay attention!" I have one problem with the article: not everybody experiences ADD exactly the same way. There are recognized subtypes such as predominately inattentive ADD, etc.
- jwdunne 11y ago
  This is exactly my feelings 100%. Teachers made me out to be dumb or mentally defective to my mother but my mother saw something different at home, where my attention was free. My mum recounted a story of me at 3 years watching my father and grandfather empty out a flooded garage trench (not sure of the name). Supposedly, I gave a suggestion that blew everyone away because it made the job 100x easier. A bit different to the teacher making fun of me to the whole class by sitting in a chair, pretending to be catatonic several years later because I didn't have the answer for her rapid fire 9 times table (I was daydreaming and as is common my mouth was slightly ajar). Not to say there wasn't problems; my mum used to send me up to get her a brush or some small thing and I'd forget once I'd get upstairs. After more than a few bollockings, I learned to ask where it was in the hopes it'd jog my memory. I was accused of not listening and I couldn't explain that it wasn't my fault! I could however spend hours on Sonic 2 without taking a break. I was also infatuated with science and spent hours coming up with inventions that, to my dismay, already existed. I remember reinventing the fire sprinkler. It was more like a fire water balloon but the principle was similar. These little memories, which form just a tiny grain of the daily struggle for the past 23 years, are almost funny. A joke, however, isn't so funny everyday, many multiple times a day. When you discuss one small nugget, people say "ohhhh everyone was like that" and, due to lack of focus, you are unable to defend against their dismissal. After 23 years, all day everyday, and the pain, hospitalisation and searching, dismissal by the ignorant is almost insulting.
dwarman 11y ago
I have 2e ADHD, diagnosed only a few years ago at 63. A revelation. Lots of study ensued. This might be be a good article, the intro seems ok, but I cannot tell. I cannot read this article. It reflows differently every time I scroll the page and the text I was reading goes .... somewhere. It is painful. iOS 8.4 Safari on iPad Air. - may be OK on desktop browsers. But I only go there for work these days. So in that sense it is a self-referential demonstration of the problem with ADHD focus. Also a downvote on reflow logic these days. HTML5 has got too clever. Reflow on scrolling? wtf! (edit). OK. I got around it. Last paragraph says it all for me. That hits what NT's cannot grasp: it's not a character defect, its not a "simple" matter of will power. FWIW, I have hit upon a way around some of the will power issues, the important ones like giving up smoking and losing weight to get out of pre-diabetic region: a form of mental Judo based on visualization and meditation. It's slow - can take a year - but it works. This after 20 years of trying using conventional will power based methods. I have a stack of Smoke-Ender certificates to attest to that. DOORKNOB!
- muriithi 11y ago
  Lots of reflows on Opera Mini.
- adrusi 11y ago
  Hmmm not sure why that would be happening. I test in on Firefox on Android (Nexus 5), where it works perfectly. I don't think I do any weird things with the CSS, although I just modified an existing theme, so maybe it's something I haven't looked at much. Not everengineering websites is important for me, It's important to me that they work with javascript disabled and even in text-based browsers, so I'll look into this tomorrow.
  - dwarman 11y ago
    It seems that Safari iOS's latest "helpful" behavior, sliding the tabs and favorites bar out of sight, is changig the window size and so invoking reflow. Which moved what I was reading off the bottom of the screen. Scrolling down to find it again re-opened the tabs and favorites, changed the window size back, invoked reflow, and moved my reading point out of view above the window. Scrolling back up again - well, I'm sure you get the picture. Part of the magnitude of the issue was moving the page header (big green panel) from the top to the side and back again, also when the header was on the side the text font was larger.
unimpressive 11y ago
I linked this on HN earlier today, Russel Barkley giving an overview talk on ADHD. Highly recommended: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyDliT0GZpE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyDliT0GZpE EDIT: This thread is disappointing me. Part of why I linked this talk is that it paints a very different picture than most people would probably already have of what 'ADHD' looks like.
- helpfulanon 11y ago
  Posted a comment about this as well - I also highly recommend watching this, Dr. Barkley's lecture altered how I view my myself
EGreg 11y ago
I honestly don't see the reactions described here as really abnormal. Doesn't want to play 300 hour RPGs Forcing oneself to study boring subjects is effective for two weeks then willpower gets worn down Hmm, sounds like often ADD is a measure of how far you are from one of those studious people who are able to sit still and intensely focus... I don't think that's as useful as acknowledging there are different types of people. Personally, ADD seems to me to be the "Hysteria" of the 21st century. If anything, short attention span is manifest a lot more in today's generation because of the fast turnaround time of electronic queries (googling from your phone vs perusing the library), and vastly increased personal reachability (cellphone vs pre-beeper), leading to a faster pace of life. Thom Hartmann wrote a book describing this phenomenon regarding ancestors who were adapted as hunters vs farmers: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis
triangleman 11y ago
> The next day I had an anxiety attack because I had squandered a whole day The root of the problem. ADD is an anxiety disorder.
smt88 11y ago
I highly recommend reading about the opinion of this doctor that ADD doesn't exist as a separate condition. It is, instead, a symptom of many other possible conditions. http://time.com/25370/doctor-adhd-does-not-exist/ http://time.com/25370/doctor-adhd-does-not-exist/ This is consistent with my own experience with people who believe they have ADD. Many of them turned out to have untreated anxiety and depression. It's also interesting to note that there's a lot of research supporting the idea that mindfulness can decrease the effects of ADD. That seems to support the idea that ADD isn't a physiological fact, but a curable behavioral issue.
- gizmo686 11y ago
  >That seems to support the idea that ADD isn't a physiological fact, but a curable behavioral issue. Are those contradictory positions? For example, consider lactose intolerance. It is true that a change in diet can "cure" lactose intolerance (in the sense of you never experience any symptoms), but lactose intolerance is still physiological. Similarly, is there any research that mindfulness actually cures ADD, rather than acts as a coping mechanism to reduce the symptoms of ADD.
  - smt88 11y ago
    I didn't say that mindfulness would cure ADD. I just said mindfulness has been shown to decrease the effects. It's a not-very-well-defined condition to begin with, so I wouldn't believe a study claiming that something could cure it. At the moment, there's no way to measure whether someone is cured. It may even be that "curing" ADD has some unintended/negative consequences -- perhaps some people have good qualities that are linked to their ADD. I really don't know.
- Others 11y ago
  I read your article, and I agree with some of the points. I don't think stimulants are much of a solution either, if I could wake up one day and be "cured" of my ADD that would be fantastic. For me, distraction is a compulsion, one that I wish to be rid of. However I really resent the suggestion that I could somehow cure myself with "mindfullness" or if I "just tried harder." It is really easy for a person who has never suffered from ADD to think this way, but neither are legitimate solutions. Sure I try hard, sure I meditate at least once a day. I do it because it helps me. That doesn't mean that one day, somehow, I'll be able to function on that alone. It is only with medication, and help from a psychologist, I can lead a normal life. Honestly, when people suggest that I somehow could cure myself I feel terrible. I feel like flawed person, like I'm failing at the basic life skills everyone else has mastered. But worse than that, I dread that someone else will be exposed to that, before being diagnosed. I was blessed to be diagnosed at a young age, and I can't imagine going through school, and into the workplace without help.
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ryhanson 11y ago
Having been recently diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type), I never thought I had ADHD, because I COULD focus on things. I didn't realize that this hyper-focused state I would go into was a major sign of ADHD, especially since I couldn't stop focusing. I, too, was one of the fortunate ones that hyper focused on computers and programming. This focus started at a very young age, and has since turned itself into a very rewarding career. You are not alone! I believe there is a pretty strong correlation between software developers and ADHD. I feel like programming works well with the chemistry of an ADHD brain. Some of the best engineers I've met have been diagnosed with ADHD. There are a few that I believe have it, but I'm not sure if they've been diagnosed or not. ADHD truly is a very interesting brain type!
- zkhalique 11y ago
  How is being able to focus on, say, a coding problem, a sign of ADHD? This DSM 5 trait sounds a bit arbitrary.
  - ryhanson 11y ago
    It's not the ability to focus on a coding problem, that is a sign of ADHD. It's the inability to focus on anything BUT the coding problem. It doesn't matter whether it is a coding problem, video game, book, website, or any other task. There are times when there is something much more important to be focusing on, but it requires such an insane amount of effort to focus on that thing, that you simply don't. Or maybe you do focus on the important task, but chances are it doesn't get your full attention or you end up distracted very quickly.
  - throwaway90135 11y ago
    It's important to note that hyperfocus is not a DSM-V criteria for ADHD. In fact, hyperfocus doesn't appear anywhere in any official diagnostic criteria for ADHD that I'm aware of (If I'm wrong, I'd love to know). The official DSM-V criteria, along with helpful explanations, are available here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html I'm still not sure how hyperfocus came to be such a popular idea on internet ADD forums and self-diagnosis websites. If someone can point me toward the etymology of the idea, I'd really like to see it.
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- JohnBooty 11y ago
  Self-diagnosis is a dangerous road. You cannot reliably diagnose yourself. That said, I think it could be worth your while to read some of the popular books on ADD like "Driven to Distraction" and "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?" The coping strategies for ADD are pretty universal. I could not possibly imagine one doing harm to one's self by seeing if anything in those books is applicable to you. Prescription medication can help, but at best is only part of the answer.
toddkazakov 11y ago
Before I read this article I never heard of ADD. Now that I am more familiar with the symptoms this sounds a whole lot like me. When I start programming I can do this for 16 hours without eating, peeing, etc. I am constantly worried, always miss appointments, my girlfriend is always annoyed with me that I only do stuff that interests me and usually out of nowhere I stop listening to her in the middle of the conversation. Finding an interesting job was priority number one for me. I just couldn't bear working 9-5 for a large corporation. In the middle of the day after I'd just stop paying attention to anything or anybody and just start playing chess. I am quite surprised I experience about 80 percent of the symptoms listed on various websites, but it never occurred to me that this can be a real condition.
- throwaway90135 11y ago
  > Now that I am more familiar with the symptoms this sounds a whole lot like me. > I am quite surprised I experience about 80 percent of the symptoms listed on various websites, but it never occurred to me that this can be a real condition. If you suspect you have ADHD and you find that it is negatively impacting your life, I would suggest seeking a good psychiatrist for a professional evaluation. Be warned that some psychiatrists are all too eager to write a prescription and send you on your way, when successful treatment hinges on a deeper understanding of the condition and the development of successful coping strategies once you've identified the negative behaviors. Moreover, it's worth noting that the author's definition of ADHD and hyperfocus doesn't actually match the medical definition of ADHD. Also, many of the ADHD websites list overly-broad ADHD criteria, such than almost any warm-blooded human could feasibly self-diagnose as having ADHD given the vagueness of the symptoms. ADHD is, first and foremost, a deficit of attention abilities. It isn't quite as selective as the author makes it out to be, in that someone with the traditional medical definition of ADHD would not be able to focus on anything for 16 hours straight as you are able to. In fact, being able to focus for such a long period of time is a truly enviable ability, and I doubt you'd find any competent medical professional who would suggest that you have ADHD if you are able to focus on your work for twice as long as the 8-hour workday that most people struggle through. It's important to note that we all miss appointments, we all prefer to do activities that interest us, we all occasionally stop listening to people mid-way through a conversation, and we all struggle to pay attention to boring jobs. These aren't signs of a disorder, these are just facts of life.
throwaway90135 11y ago
ADHD can be quite debilitating at the extremes. Understanding what it is and how to cope with it is extremely helpful for those who are afflicted. That said, it's important to point out that the author of this post is defining ADD differently than the medical definition of ADD. The idea of hyperfocus is very popular among the self-diagnosed and on internet forums dedicated to ADD, but the term "hyperfocus" doesn't actually appear in any of the medical literature I can find, with the exception of a few books that seem to suggest that "hyperfocus" is more likely related to the idea of perseveration, which is a deficit in set shifting ability. However, perseveration isn't as selective as the concept of "hyperfocus," which seems selective for enjoyable tasks. The idea of hyperfocus as a component of ADD is part of a bigger problem: The modern pop-psychology definition of ADD has been watered down and expanded so much that it is beginning to feel more like a horoscope than a medical diagnosis. Even official medical diagnostic criteria can't seem to agree on how strict the definition of ADHD is. For example, ICD-10 ADHD diagnostic criteria will yield a rate of roughly 1-2% ADHD in the general population of children. Using the DSM-IV criteria, that number rises to roughly 6-7% of children. However, if you have the average person read an internet definition of ADHD or follow one of the first results for "ADHD test" in Google, you'd be hard pressed to find an average college student or tech worker who wouldn't identify as at least mildly ADHD per the pop-psychology definitions. Take a look at one of first results in Google for "adhd test": http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/addquiz.htm http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/addquiz.htm Questions such as "How often are you easily distracted by external stimuli, like something in your environment" are so vague as to be applicable to everyone who has ever been distracted by a notification on their phone. I don't think I've known anyone who wouldn't agree with questions like "How often do you have difficulty sustaining your attention while doing something for work, school, a hobby, or fun activity" when we're expected to sit through 8+ hour desk jobs doing things that frequently aren't tasks we would have chosen to willingly pursue. The growing misconception seems to be that for a non-ADHD person, it should be easy or somehow enjoyable to focus on the things that we don't necessarily enjoy doing. That's obviously not the case, but these casual redefinitions of ADHD as a disorder that is accompanied by an increased ability to focus on enjoyable tasks are really stretching the definition of what it means to have AD[H]D.
throwawadd 11y ago
I have also been diagnosed with ADD and have serious problems focussing on studying - up to the point where I might drop out. I can pass many courses on an a+ level, but most courses that require a lot of studying are extremely hard to pass. I have already done some internships as a programmer - all of them very successful. I love computer programming and am certainly not bad at it. But I have to wonder, what are my chances of getting a decent programming job in Europe without a degree? Getting internships has been very easy, but I can't imagine getting a job as a programmer can be as easy without a degree. Are there people who know more about this, or people who I can talk to about this? Thanks
- Wingman4l7 11y ago
  I can't speak for Europe, but it seems like there are plenty of well-regarded dev houses in Seattle who are more interested in what you've done on Github or published in a mobile app store than what college degree you've got. There are also several multi-month programming bootcamps that claim a 90%+ placement rate in $70-100k+ USD jobs in development or data science.
  - unimpressive 11y ago
    >but it seems like there are plenty of well-regarded dev houses in Seattle Can you give any pointers to these or examples?
- abalashov 11y ago
  For whatever it's worth, you can read my article on dropping out of university two years in. However, this played out in the US, so it doesn't capture what I suspect to be a higher prevalence of official credentialism in Europe. Still, it might give you some pointers. http://likewise.am/2015/07/26/too-cool-for-school-a-retrospective-on-dropping-out-of-university/ http://likewise.am/2015/07/26/too-cool-for-school-a-retrospe...
whoisthemachine 11y ago
Unfortunately, the hyperfocus comes with a huge side effect: once someone with ADD reaches near-completion of whatever they are focused on, they tend to lose the focus they have. This was and still can be the biggest hurdle for me to overcome.
- deleted 11y ago
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lettergram 11y ago
It's interesting that people consider hyperfocus and lack-of-focus different. Essentially, they are two sides of the same coin. ADHD is simply the lack of ability to control attention. There are drugs that work short-term, however long-term only methods of coping are really effective. After reading everyone posts below, I figured I would direct you to my startup: http://synaptitude.me http://synaptitude.me The startup (just applied to YC) that my team and I are working on actually addresses this issue using something called neurofeedback therapy: http://synaptitude.me/blog/neurofeedback-in-200-words/ http://synaptitude.me/blog/neurofeedback-in-200-words/ Effectively, your mind is like a programmable computer. Once you learn to recognize when you start losing focus, it's possible to program it (over time) to do something different. The idea being, neurofeedback therapy lets people better understand themselves and in-turn cope better. After the brain has been reprogrammed it stays that way long-term (unless something else reprograms it). If you are interested in reading more about neurofeedback, here's a literature overview: http://synaptitude.me/blog/literature-overview-of-using-neurofeedback/ http://synaptitude.me/blog/literature-overview-of-using-neur...
rtpg 11y ago
As someone dealing with ADD but (for legal reasons) can no longer get any Adderall (which is what I had as a kid to help out), does anyone have recommendations on alternative solutions that they've found to help?
- reitanqild 11y ago
  "Gamification". And get me right here: not dumbifying. I used to depend on the pomodoro technique and a other hacks like "autofocus" etc. Basically techniques that allow you to set targets that you can easily and provably reach even if that target is just work-on-this-and-nothing-else-for-x-minutes-and-make-a-check. Edit: and deadlines. Maybe another reason why the pomodoro technique works so well.
- helpfulanon 11y ago
  The amino acid L-Tyrosine is a dopamine precursor and has a mildly beneficial effect. It's available over the counter though I've had to order on Amazon since it's not often found in stores. When I'm off meds I'll take that, some multi vitamins and a few cups of coffee (which is essentially a homemade 5-hour energy) I mentioned this in other comments on this thread but there is a video series that is really great by Russel Barkley - he talks about education and coping strategies for kids and adults that aren't totally reliant on on meds. Relying on lists and reminders are important for adults
helpfulanon 11y ago
If you have ADHD or are close to someone with it, do yourself a favor, sit down and watch this lecture series by Dr Russell Barkely: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzBixSjmbc8eFl6UX5_wWGP8i0mAs-cvY https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzBixSjmbc8eFl6UX5_wW... It's geared a little more towards childhood ADHD, and it's quite long (I needed to be medicated in order to watch the whole thing, of course..) but this Dr is a fantastic expert on the topic and doesn't hold back on explaining the disorder in clear medical terms. He also does not sugar coat anything or tell you what you want to hear. It's a very pragmatic and thorough explanation of what ADHD means, and really opened up my eyes in many ways. One of the important takeaways from that lecture is that ADHD is not simply attention problems, there are a myriad of related issues with executive function that are just not as apparent. Learning that ADHD is more than attention can fundamentally change your coping strategies. Well worth investing time into deeper education
QandAandQ 11y ago
I was diagnosed with ADD when I was young. I read tons of people on here urging others to "get help". But what does that mean? Essentially there is only one thing a therapist can do. That is, prescribe you speed/amphetamines. These will make anyone more focused, its a complete fallacy that they are proper medication for having ADD. When you take these drugs (which are neurotoxic at higher/extended doses, a fact which is actively hidden by drug companies), you are seriously messing with your reward system. This makes them very hard to get off after taking them a while, as it can take months for your brain to go back to normal. Thats why people think they have such terrible ADD. Look! I cant focus without the meds! Well no wonder, they manipulated your brain chemistry at a huge level!
- helpfulanon 11y ago
  The problem is that Drs see medication as an easy win. They prescribe meds and the patient sees results. So that's all they do, prescribe the meds and tell you to take them all the time and you'll be fine. But in reality the meds should only be used as augmentation in situations when it's hard to stick to a coping framework. But nobody tells you that, because it's complicated and doesn't always work. So they prescribe meds and ask you to depend on them instead
- theorose 11y ago
  Have you found a successful alternative to handling your condition? I used to think ADD was made up to medicate difficult kids and that amphetamines are too dangerous to use as medicine. Then I changed careers and stopped working late nights in load chaotic social environments. It was awful. I was never really able to finish projects before, now I could hardly start them. My father and his brothers had all been diagnosed with ADD, I did a little lit review, opened my mind and saw a doc. I was prescribed 5mg Dextroamphetamine daily and began finishing projects. Before my diagnosis I meditated regularly, I did yoga and got exercise, I was into all kinds of "self-programming" and "mind-hacks." Only after I began taking a small daily amphetamine prescription did I start finishing projects. It's been nearly a decade and my dosage has only increased once, to 10 mgs time-release. Every few years my doc screens my heart and liver. I am exposed to many, many chemicals that are neurotoxic at high levels. The solution to my meds is simple - don't take too much and keep them out of reach of children. And yes, I'm messing with my reward system. That's because my reward system wasn't really working for me in the first place.
studentrob 11y ago
Exercise, eat healthily, set goals and give yourself something creative and challenging to work on. Try this before taking medication.
dwarman 11y ago
Coincidetally, this article showed up in my feed. Apart from the advice to carry a notebook to record what got one into the Hyperfcus Zone (I tried, I did, but I cannot remember to remember to make the note), it is a professional take much like our anecdotal ones here. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/10117.html http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/10117.html

108 points by adrusi 11y ago

Good article. I was diagnosed as an adult, and now have coping strategies (including some stimulants for days when I really need to get shit done). Had I been diagnosed 30 years ago, oh the things I could have done. The worst? My mother was a teacher. You'd think she would have caught it. Task switching is really my biggest issue. Once I get in hyperfocus mode on something, a) I really hate getting interrupted, probably because b) getting back focused again is all but impossible.

robwormald 11y ago
"Had I been diagnosed 30 years ago, oh the things I could have done" - truer words have never been spoken. I was diagnosed at 28 and it was like when I got glasses in middle school for the first time. "OHHHH, this is what the world is supposed to look like"
- jschwartzi 11y ago
  I first got glasses at 26, so I think I understand what you mean. It was maddening to realize that my issues with math in high school may have been due to my inability to read the textbook quickly enough to succeed.
  - thaumasiotes 11y ago
    When were you reading a textbook under time constraints?
    - scintill76 11y ago
      Literally every time they read their textbook, it was under time constraints, given there is only a finite amount of time. Being slower than everyone else at any component of school will hurt your performance.
      - thaumasiotes 11y ago
        Your reply only makes sense if reading that took the other students 30 minutes was taking jschwartzi 12 hours. It's not normal to be constrained for time (in any way that matters) while reading textbooks. And if ability to read really was a problem, I'd expect it to show up in English, where the great majority of the work consists of reading, much more than in math, where reading the textbook isn't common at all.
        reitanqild 11y ago
        Eating my own dogfood and explaining my downvote: expecting a kid or teenager to spend up to 12 hours on homework is crazy.
        thaumasiotes 11y ago
        I said that scintill76's reply would make sense in that case, but that I didn't believe it obtained. A factor-of-3 gap (where 30 minutes of reading for the class average translates into 90 minutes for jschwartzi) is fully within the range of normal variation.
    - jschwartzi 11y ago
      All I know is that I was working as a shipping clerk at the time, and my mis-shipment rate dropped significantly after I got the glasses. When that happened it suddenly occurred to me all the other times where I had to read a ton of numbers and symbols which were densely packed under time constraints and math was the only class like that.
bpyne 11y ago
Do the stimulants cause any jitters or mood alteration like caffeine can cause?
- Cshelton 11y ago
  I took addrral as a kid and hated it. It changed my personality, it made me never hungry, I would stare into space, even though I'm super focused on a thought, friends would question what I was doing. I've been taking Vyvanse now and I don't get any jitters or change in personality. The worst side effect is dry mouth...the best side effect...well, having a body high that last for hours, it's a nice bonus I guess? Is it healthy? I have no idea.
- JohnBooty 11y ago
  Caffeine user for decades, Adderall user (10mg, twice daily) for close to a decade. Neither gives me jitters, although I only take small doses of Adderall at a time. Adderall doesn't give me a crash when it wears off like caffeine does. Adderall can make me more high-strung at times. A little more intense, a little more irritable. It's a trade-off, of course... because failing to get necessary shit done can also make a person quite stressed out, you know? So Adderall, by helping me get stuff done, also indirectly improves my mood. It's not a magic cure, but it has been worth it for me.
- adrusi 11y ago
  Yes. I don't take them frequently, and my dosage is still at the level it was when I was 15 and taking the regularly, and my tolerance is obviously lower than it was then, so the effects are more intense than for people who take it every day. I can experiece occaisional jitters, and perceived body temperature fluctuations. I can be more a little withdrawn from the world around me. This is the case for any amphetamine drug at least. Ritalin can be a little different, but for the most part it's about the same for me. The most notable difference is that sometimes I feel irritable on ritalin.
- kendallpark 11y ago
  Depends on the medication, dose, and your personal physiology. I was on a low dose dextroamphetamine as needed for a while. Then life got stressful and I found myself getting mild anxiety from it. I switched to Vyvanse which dextro packaged for extended release (lasts for 14 hours). Vyvanse did not induce any jitters but would keep me up late if I didn't take it first thing in the morning. I switched to a different extended release dextro that lasts for about half the time as Vyvanse. That's worked out well because I can take it in the afternoon without jeopardizing my sleep. As a rule of thumb though I don't take stimulants on a regular basis, just as needed. Don't want to become dependent.
Cshelton 11y ago
I was diagnosed at age 6. I hated taking addrral back then and stopped. The next time I took it was junior year in college. Wow, I knew I was already smarter than most of my peers, and I was finally able to show it in the grades. I wish I took it in HS, it's a game changer. I do agree with the OP, and I do not understand how programming is something I can focus on and do for hours. The brain is very interesting. (Just in writing this reply I set my phone down half way through...) ADD is a blessing and a curse. I love being able to think different though.
kendallpark 11y ago
I was diagnosed with ADHD AFTER college. I had always performed well in school so there was no cause for alarm growing up. But I was always a spacey kid--my mind would race all over the place and I had trouble focusing on one single thing. Except when I hyperfocus. Then I have a hard time hearing other people around me. The worst? My mother was a psychiatrist. You'd think should would've caught it. During college, I coped by making my life as busy and stressful as possible. That helped me get stuff done. I also play(ed) sports. Now I am in med school and I take medications as-needed. Med school is sufficiently challenging so I find it easier to focus now compared to my previous 9-5 programming job.

lmitchell 11y ago

Thank you for sharing this - my girlfriend has ADD and this is the best explanation of what it really feels like and how it affects you that I think I've ever heard. I honestly feel like I understand her better now, which makes me really happy.

philliphaydon 11y ago

I was diagnosed with ADD and spent years on ritilin. IMO its not about not focusing or having a short attention span. It's about not being stimulated. Too easily do we throw drugs at a problem rather than solving the cause.

thelambentonion 11y ago
I strongly suspect that I have ADD/ADHD (and I'm looking for a good psychiatrist in my area to discuss this with now), and I fully agree with you. However, in life and at work, there are many instances where I need to do things that I don't find particularly stimulating or interesting. In these areas, my inability to force myself into the mindset of that work has seriously impacted my quality of life. I've spoken to a few people who I know have similar problems and are now on medication, and it seems like it's been INCREDIBLY constructive for them. This is all anecdotal, of course, but I figured I'd throw in my two cents. I'd still like to find a solution that doesn't involve medication, just as a matter of personal convenience, but it's been a struggle so far.
- philliphaydon 11y ago
  Ive found things over the years that help. When I was in school the only classes I could do and focus and pass was techical drawing, and physisics and chemistry. Any other class I likely landed in the deans office for various reasons. I spent most of my schooling on a daily report where I had to get teachers to grade my behaviour in class. That helped me more than ritilin. After I dropped out of school I ended up doing programming which for me is super easy to focus with. I love solving problems. So my job is easy for me. Except meetings. I fidgit during meetings. End up scratching or biting my nails. Outside of work I travel and do photography. I like building stuff but that's hard in Singapore. So I miss building stuff with dad back in NZ. And watch movies. Anything else I can't focus long enough to do. For me. I have to be moving or solving a problem. Things like reading and writing are impossible. Even writing emails at work I keep short cos I end up never completing them.
- JohnBooty 11y ago
  However, in life and at work, there are many instances where I need to do things that I don't find particularly stimulating or interesting. Yes! There is a school of thought that says ADD is more of a "personality type" than a "disability." Generally I view it that way as well. But it sure is a disability when you actually have to do boring things - and who doesn't have to do boring things? I mean really... who doesn't spend a significant portion of their lives doing things that aren't particularly interesting? And I'm generally in not in favor of treating myself as if I'm "disabled" in any way whatsoever - I don't expect less of myself because I have ADD. Hell, I also participate in sports even though I'm asthmatic and blind in one eye and my depth perception sucks.

robwormald 11y ago

A great book on this topic is "Driven to Distraction" - I recommend it to anyone curious about ADHD. The first chapter put me in tears - it was like reading a history of my life.

sirtaj 11y ago
Same. Suddenly my entire childhood made sense. It's also a little frustrating because I can't help thinking of all the lost time.

coldcode 11y ago

ADD and Autism are two instances of brain chemistry being "different" which strangely seem to work with programming and is fairly common among programmers. Sometimes I wish I had become a brain researcher, as the brain is a fascinating thing to study as we still know very little about how it works, and often times even less when it doesn't. We can't even adequately define what "normal" is if it even exists. We can't even understand how drugs affect both of these; much of what we know to prescribe them is more guesswork and anecdotal than based on solid understanding.

JohnBooty 11y ago

Very close to my own experiences. ADD is like a television with excellent reception - only problem is, you don't get to choose which channel it's tuned into. :) "Had I been diagnosed 30 years ago..." The goddamn name itself is painfully misleading. It's probably why I or my parents and teachers never even considered it until I was diagnosed in my 30s. "Attention deficit disorder" sounds like a disorder where you can't pay attention, not a disorder where you pay attention very well, just not to things of your choosing. The misleading name is also probably part of the reason why some people question ADD's existence: they don't even understand what it is. They see kids with ADD focusing on video games or whatever and say: "See, they can pay attention!" I have one problem with the article: not everybody experiences ADD exactly the same way. There are recognized subtypes such as predominately inattentive ADD, etc.

jwdunne 11y ago
This is exactly my feelings 100%. Teachers made me out to be dumb or mentally defective to my mother but my mother saw something different at home, where my attention was free. My mum recounted a story of me at 3 years watching my father and grandfather empty out a flooded garage trench (not sure of the name). Supposedly, I gave a suggestion that blew everyone away because it made the job 100x easier. A bit different to the teacher making fun of me to the whole class by sitting in a chair, pretending to be catatonic several years later because I didn't have the answer for her rapid fire 9 times table (I was daydreaming and as is common my mouth was slightly ajar). Not to say there wasn't problems; my mum used to send me up to get her a brush or some small thing and I'd forget once I'd get upstairs. After more than a few bollockings, I learned to ask where it was in the hopes it'd jog my memory. I was accused of not listening and I couldn't explain that it wasn't my fault! I could however spend hours on Sonic 2 without taking a break. I was also infatuated with science and spent hours coming up with inventions that, to my dismay, already existed. I remember reinventing the fire sprinkler. It was more like a fire water balloon but the principle was similar. These little memories, which form just a tiny grain of the daily struggle for the past 23 years, are almost funny. A joke, however, isn't so funny everyday, many multiple times a day. When you discuss one small nugget, people say "ohhhh everyone was like that" and, due to lack of focus, you are unable to defend against their dismissal. After 23 years, all day everyday, and the pain, hospitalisation and searching, dismissal by the ignorant is almost insulting.

dwarman 11y ago

I have 2e ADHD, diagnosed only a few years ago at 63. A revelation. Lots of study ensued. This might be be a good article, the intro seems ok, but I cannot tell. I cannot read this article. It reflows differently every time I scroll the page and the text I was reading goes .... somewhere. It is painful. iOS 8.4 Safari on iPad Air. - may be OK on desktop browsers. But I only go there for work these days. So in that sense it is a self-referential demonstration of the problem with ADHD focus. Also a downvote on reflow logic these days. HTML5 has got too clever. Reflow on scrolling? wtf! (edit). OK. I got around it. Last paragraph says it all for me. That hits what NT's cannot grasp: it's not a character defect, its not a "simple" matter of will power. FWIW, I have hit upon a way around some of the will power issues, the important ones like giving up smoking and losing weight to get out of pre-diabetic region: a form of mental Judo based on visualization and meditation. It's slow - can take a year - but it works. This after 20 years of trying using conventional will power based methods. I have a stack of Smoke-Ender certificates to attest to that. DOORKNOB!

muriithi 11y ago
Lots of reflows on Opera Mini.
adrusi 11y ago
Hmmm not sure why that would be happening. I test in on Firefox on Android (Nexus 5), where it works perfectly. I don't think I do any weird things with the CSS, although I just modified an existing theme, so maybe it's something I haven't looked at much. Not everengineering websites is important for me, It's important to me that they work with javascript disabled and even in text-based browsers, so I'll look into this tomorrow.
- dwarman 11y ago
  It seems that Safari iOS's latest "helpful" behavior, sliding the tabs and favorites bar out of sight, is changig the window size and so invoking reflow. Which moved what I was reading off the bottom of the screen. Scrolling down to find it again re-opened the tabs and favorites, changed the window size back, invoked reflow, and moved my reading point out of view above the window. Scrolling back up again - well, I'm sure you get the picture. Part of the magnitude of the issue was moving the page header (big green panel) from the top to the side and back again, also when the header was on the side the text font was larger.

unimpressive 11y ago

I linked this on HN earlier today, Russel Barkley giving an overview talk on ADHD. Highly recommended: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyDliT0GZpE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyDliT0GZpE EDIT: This thread is disappointing me. Part of why I linked this talk is that it paints a very different picture than most people would probably already have of what 'ADHD' looks like.

helpfulanon 11y ago
Posted a comment about this as well - I also highly recommend watching this, Dr. Barkley's lecture altered how I view my myself

EGreg 11y ago

I honestly don't see the reactions described here as really abnormal. Doesn't want to play 300 hour RPGs Forcing oneself to study boring subjects is effective for two weeks then willpower gets worn down Hmm, sounds like often ADD is a measure of how far you are from one of those studious people who are able to sit still and intensely focus... I don't think that's as useful as acknowledging there are different types of people. Personally, ADD seems to me to be the "Hysteria" of the 21st century. If anything, short attention span is manifest a lot more in today's generation because of the fast turnaround time of electronic queries (googling from your phone vs perusing the library), and vastly increased personal reachability (cellphone vs pre-beeper), leading to a faster pace of life. Thom Hartmann wrote a book describing this phenomenon regarding ancestors who were adapted as hunters vs farmers: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis

triangleman 11y ago

> The next day I had an anxiety attack because I had squandered a whole day The root of the problem. ADD is an anxiety disorder.

smt88 11y ago

I highly recommend reading about the opinion of this doctor that ADD doesn't exist as a separate condition. It is, instead, a symptom of many other possible conditions. http://time.com/25370/doctor-adhd-does-not-exist/ http://time.com/25370/doctor-adhd-does-not-exist/ This is consistent with my own experience with people who believe they have ADD. Many of them turned out to have untreated anxiety and depression. It's also interesting to note that there's a lot of research supporting the idea that mindfulness can decrease the effects of ADD. That seems to support the idea that ADD isn't a physiological fact, but a curable behavioral issue.

gizmo686 11y ago
>That seems to support the idea that ADD isn't a physiological fact, but a curable behavioral issue. Are those contradictory positions? For example, consider lactose intolerance. It is true that a change in diet can "cure" lactose intolerance (in the sense of you never experience any symptoms), but lactose intolerance is still physiological. Similarly, is there any research that mindfulness actually cures ADD, rather than acts as a coping mechanism to reduce the symptoms of ADD.
- smt88 11y ago
  I didn't say that mindfulness would cure ADD. I just said mindfulness has been shown to decrease the effects. It's a not-very-well-defined condition to begin with, so I wouldn't believe a study claiming that something could cure it. At the moment, there's no way to measure whether someone is cured. It may even be that "curing" ADD has some unintended/negative consequences -- perhaps some people have good qualities that are linked to their ADD. I really don't know.
Others 11y ago
I read your article, and I agree with some of the points. I don't think stimulants are much of a solution either, if I could wake up one day and be "cured" of my ADD that would be fantastic. For me, distraction is a compulsion, one that I wish to be rid of. However I really resent the suggestion that I could somehow cure myself with "mindfullness" or if I "just tried harder." It is really easy for a person who has never suffered from ADD to think this way, but neither are legitimate solutions. Sure I try hard, sure I meditate at least once a day. I do it because it helps me. That doesn't mean that one day, somehow, I'll be able to function on that alone. It is only with medication, and help from a psychologist, I can lead a normal life. Honestly, when people suggest that I somehow could cure myself I feel terrible. I feel like flawed person, like I'm failing at the basic life skills everyone else has mastered. But worse than that, I dread that someone else will be exposed to that, before being diagnosed. I was blessed to be diagnosed at a young age, and I can't imagine going through school, and into the workplace without help.

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ryhanson 11y ago

Having been recently diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type), I never thought I had ADHD, because I COULD focus on things. I didn't realize that this hyper-focused state I would go into was a major sign of ADHD, especially since I couldn't stop focusing. I, too, was one of the fortunate ones that hyper focused on computers and programming. This focus started at a very young age, and has since turned itself into a very rewarding career. You are not alone! I believe there is a pretty strong correlation between software developers and ADHD. I feel like programming works well with the chemistry of an ADHD brain. Some of the best engineers I've met have been diagnosed with ADHD. There are a few that I believe have it, but I'm not sure if they've been diagnosed or not. ADHD truly is a very interesting brain type!

zkhalique 11y ago
How is being able to focus on, say, a coding problem, a sign of ADHD? This DSM 5 trait sounds a bit arbitrary.
- ryhanson 11y ago
  It's not the ability to focus on a coding problem, that is a sign of ADHD. It's the inability to focus on anything BUT the coding problem. It doesn't matter whether it is a coding problem, video game, book, website, or any other task. There are times when there is something much more important to be focusing on, but it requires such an insane amount of effort to focus on that thing, that you simply don't. Or maybe you do focus on the important task, but chances are it doesn't get your full attention or you end up distracted very quickly.
- throwaway90135 11y ago
  It's important to note that hyperfocus is not a DSM-V criteria for ADHD. In fact, hyperfocus doesn't appear anywhere in any official diagnostic criteria for ADHD that I'm aware of (If I'm wrong, I'd love to know). The official DSM-V criteria, along with helpful explanations, are available here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html I'm still not sure how hyperfocus came to be such a popular idea on internet ADD forums and self-diagnosis websites. If someone can point me toward the etymology of the idea, I'd really like to see it.

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JohnBooty 11y ago
Self-diagnosis is a dangerous road. You cannot reliably diagnose yourself. That said, I think it could be worth your while to read some of the popular books on ADD like "Driven to Distraction" and "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?" The coping strategies for ADD are pretty universal. I could not possibly imagine one doing harm to one's self by seeing if anything in those books is applicable to you. Prescription medication can help, but at best is only part of the answer.

toddkazakov 11y ago

Before I read this article I never heard of ADD. Now that I am more familiar with the symptoms this sounds a whole lot like me. When I start programming I can do this for 16 hours without eating, peeing, etc. I am constantly worried, always miss appointments, my girlfriend is always annoyed with me that I only do stuff that interests me and usually out of nowhere I stop listening to her in the middle of the conversation. Finding an interesting job was priority number one for me. I just couldn't bear working 9-5 for a large corporation. In the middle of the day after I'd just stop paying attention to anything or anybody and just start playing chess. I am quite surprised I experience about 80 percent of the symptoms listed on various websites, but it never occurred to me that this can be a real condition.

throwaway90135 11y ago
> Now that I am more familiar with the symptoms this sounds a whole lot like me. > I am quite surprised I experience about 80 percent of the symptoms listed on various websites, but it never occurred to me that this can be a real condition. If you suspect you have ADHD and you find that it is negatively impacting your life, I would suggest seeking a good psychiatrist for a professional evaluation. Be warned that some psychiatrists are all too eager to write a prescription and send you on your way, when successful treatment hinges on a deeper understanding of the condition and the development of successful coping strategies once you've identified the negative behaviors. Moreover, it's worth noting that the author's definition of ADHD and hyperfocus doesn't actually match the medical definition of ADHD. Also, many of the ADHD websites list overly-broad ADHD criteria, such than almost any warm-blooded human could feasibly self-diagnose as having ADHD given the vagueness of the symptoms. ADHD is, first and foremost, a deficit of attention abilities. It isn't quite as selective as the author makes it out to be, in that someone with the traditional medical definition of ADHD would not be able to focus on anything for 16 hours straight as you are able to. In fact, being able to focus for such a long period of time is a truly enviable ability, and I doubt you'd find any competent medical professional who would suggest that you have ADHD if you are able to focus on your work for twice as long as the 8-hour workday that most people struggle through. It's important to note that we all miss appointments, we all prefer to do activities that interest us, we all occasionally stop listening to people mid-way through a conversation, and we all struggle to pay attention to boring jobs. These aren't signs of a disorder, these are just facts of life.

throwaway90135 11y ago

ADHD can be quite debilitating at the extremes. Understanding what it is and how to cope with it is extremely helpful for those who are afflicted. That said, it's important to point out that the author of this post is defining ADD differently than the medical definition of ADD. The idea of hyperfocus is very popular among the self-diagnosed and on internet forums dedicated to ADD, but the term "hyperfocus" doesn't actually appear in any of the medical literature I can find, with the exception of a few books that seem to suggest that "hyperfocus" is more likely related to the idea of perseveration, which is a deficit in set shifting ability. However, perseveration isn't as selective as the concept of "hyperfocus," which seems selective for enjoyable tasks. The idea of hyperfocus as a component of ADD is part of a bigger problem: The modern pop-psychology definition of ADD has been watered down and expanded so much that it is beginning to feel more like a horoscope than a medical diagnosis. Even official medical diagnostic criteria can't seem to agree on how strict the definition of ADHD is. For example, ICD-10 ADHD diagnostic criteria will yield a rate of roughly 1-2% ADHD in the general population of children. Using the DSM-IV criteria, that number rises to roughly 6-7% of children. However, if you have the average person read an internet definition of ADHD or follow one of the first results for "ADHD test" in Google, you'd be hard pressed to find an average college student or tech worker who wouldn't identify as at least mildly ADHD per the pop-psychology definitions. Take a look at one of first results in Google for "adhd test": http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/addquiz.htm http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/addquiz.htm Questions such as "How often are you easily distracted by external stimuli, like something in your environment" are so vague as to be applicable to everyone who has ever been distracted by a notification on their phone. I don't think I've known anyone who wouldn't agree with questions like "How often do you have difficulty sustaining your attention while doing something for work, school, a hobby, or fun activity" when we're expected to sit through 8+ hour desk jobs doing things that frequently aren't tasks we would have chosen to willingly pursue. The growing misconception seems to be that for a non-ADHD person, it should be easy or somehow enjoyable to focus on the things that we don't necessarily enjoy doing. That's obviously not the case, but these casual redefinitions of ADHD as a disorder that is accompanied by an increased ability to focus on enjoyable tasks are really stretching the definition of what it means to have AD[H]D.

throwawadd 11y ago

I have also been diagnosed with ADD and have serious problems focussing on studying - up to the point where I might drop out. I can pass many courses on an a+ level, but most courses that require a lot of studying are extremely hard to pass. I have already done some internships as a programmer - all of them very successful. I love computer programming and am certainly not bad at it. But I have to wonder, what are my chances of getting a decent programming job in Europe without a degree? Getting internships has been very easy, but I can't imagine getting a job as a programmer can be as easy without a degree. Are there people who know more about this, or people who I can talk to about this? Thanks

Wingman4l7 11y ago
I can't speak for Europe, but it seems like there are plenty of well-regarded dev houses in Seattle who are more interested in what you've done on Github or published in a mobile app store than what college degree you've got. There are also several multi-month programming bootcamps that claim a 90%+ placement rate in $70-100k+ USD jobs in development or data science.
- unimpressive 11y ago
  >but it seems like there are plenty of well-regarded dev houses in Seattle Can you give any pointers to these or examples?
abalashov 11y ago
For whatever it's worth, you can read my article on dropping out of university two years in. However, this played out in the US, so it doesn't capture what I suspect to be a higher prevalence of official credentialism in Europe. Still, it might give you some pointers. http://likewise.am/2015/07/26/too-cool-for-school-a-retrospective-on-dropping-out-of-university/ http://likewise.am/2015/07/26/too-cool-for-school-a-retrospe...

whoisthemachine 11y ago

Unfortunately, the hyperfocus comes with a huge side effect: once someone with ADD reaches near-completion of whatever they are focused on, they tend to lose the focus they have. This was and still can be the biggest hurdle for me to overcome.

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lettergram 11y ago

It's interesting that people consider hyperfocus and lack-of-focus different. Essentially, they are two sides of the same coin. ADHD is simply the lack of ability to control attention. There are drugs that work short-term, however long-term only methods of coping are really effective. After reading everyone posts below, I figured I would direct you to my startup: http://synaptitude.me http://synaptitude.me The startup (just applied to YC) that my team and I are working on actually addresses this issue using something called neurofeedback therapy: http://synaptitude.me/blog/neurofeedback-in-200-words/ http://synaptitude.me/blog/neurofeedback-in-200-words/ Effectively, your mind is like a programmable computer. Once you learn to recognize when you start losing focus, it's possible to program it (over time) to do something different. The idea being, neurofeedback therapy lets people better understand themselves and in-turn cope better. After the brain has been reprogrammed it stays that way long-term (unless something else reprograms it). If you are interested in reading more about neurofeedback, here's a literature overview: http://synaptitude.me/blog/literature-overview-of-using-neurofeedback/ http://synaptitude.me/blog/literature-overview-of-using-neur...

rtpg 11y ago

As someone dealing with ADD but (for legal reasons) can no longer get any Adderall (which is what I had as a kid to help out), does anyone have recommendations on alternative solutions that they've found to help?

reitanqild 11y ago
"Gamification". And get me right here: not dumbifying. I used to depend on the pomodoro technique and a other hacks like "autofocus" etc. Basically techniques that allow you to set targets that you can easily and provably reach even if that target is just work-on-this-and-nothing-else-for-x-minutes-and-make-a-check. Edit: and deadlines. Maybe another reason why the pomodoro technique works so well.
helpfulanon 11y ago
The amino acid L-Tyrosine is a dopamine precursor and has a mildly beneficial effect. It's available over the counter though I've had to order on Amazon since it's not often found in stores. When I'm off meds I'll take that, some multi vitamins and a few cups of coffee (which is essentially a homemade 5-hour energy) I mentioned this in other comments on this thread but there is a video series that is really great by Russel Barkley - he talks about education and coping strategies for kids and adults that aren't totally reliant on on meds. Relying on lists and reminders are important for adults

helpfulanon 11y ago

If you have ADHD or are close to someone with it, do yourself a favor, sit down and watch this lecture series by Dr Russell Barkely: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzBixSjmbc8eFl6UX5_wWGP8i0mAs-cvY https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzBixSjmbc8eFl6UX5_wW... It's geared a little more towards childhood ADHD, and it's quite long (I needed to be medicated in order to watch the whole thing, of course..) but this Dr is a fantastic expert on the topic and doesn't hold back on explaining the disorder in clear medical terms. He also does not sugar coat anything or tell you what you want to hear. It's a very pragmatic and thorough explanation of what ADHD means, and really opened up my eyes in many ways. One of the important takeaways from that lecture is that ADHD is not simply attention problems, there are a myriad of related issues with executive function that are just not as apparent. Learning that ADHD is more than attention can fundamentally change your coping strategies. Well worth investing time into deeper education

QandAandQ 11y ago

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was young. I read tons of people on here urging others to "get help". But what does that mean? Essentially there is only one thing a therapist can do. That is, prescribe you speed/amphetamines. These will make anyone more focused, its a complete fallacy that they are proper medication for having ADD. When you take these drugs (which are neurotoxic at higher/extended doses, a fact which is actively hidden by drug companies), you are seriously messing with your reward system. This makes them very hard to get off after taking them a while, as it can take months for your brain to go back to normal. Thats why people think they have such terrible ADD. Look! I cant focus without the meds! Well no wonder, they manipulated your brain chemistry at a huge level!

helpfulanon 11y ago
The problem is that Drs see medication as an easy win. They prescribe meds and the patient sees results. So that's all they do, prescribe the meds and tell you to take them all the time and you'll be fine. But in reality the meds should only be used as augmentation in situations when it's hard to stick to a coping framework. But nobody tells you that, because it's complicated and doesn't always work. So they prescribe meds and ask you to depend on them instead
theorose 11y ago
Have you found a successful alternative to handling your condition? I used to think ADD was made up to medicate difficult kids and that amphetamines are too dangerous to use as medicine. Then I changed careers and stopped working late nights in load chaotic social environments. It was awful. I was never really able to finish projects before, now I could hardly start them. My father and his brothers had all been diagnosed with ADD, I did a little lit review, opened my mind and saw a doc. I was prescribed 5mg Dextroamphetamine daily and began finishing projects. Before my diagnosis I meditated regularly, I did yoga and got exercise, I was into all kinds of "self-programming" and "mind-hacks." Only after I began taking a small daily amphetamine prescription did I start finishing projects. It's been nearly a decade and my dosage has only increased once, to 10 mgs time-release. Every few years my doc screens my heart and liver. I am exposed to many, many chemicals that are neurotoxic at high levels. The solution to my meds is simple - don't take too much and keep them out of reach of children. And yes, I'm messing with my reward system. That's because my reward system wasn't really working for me in the first place.

studentrob 11y ago

Exercise, eat healthily, set goals and give yourself something creative and challenging to work on. Try this before taking medication.

dwarman 11y ago

Coincidetally, this article showed up in my feed. Apart from the advice to carry a notebook to record what got one into the Hyperfcus Zone (I tried, I did, but I cannot remember to remember to make the note), it is a professional take much like our anecdotal ones here. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/10117.html http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/10117.html