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> "Not shared by the rest of the world" And that is their loss. ADHD is very much a cause whose impact goes far beyond just procrastrination. It causes people
by exergy 9y ago
> "Not shared by the rest of the world"
And that is their loss. ADHD is very much a cause whose impact goes far beyond just procrastrination. It causes people to be terrible spouses who are never there when they are needed. It causes lost friendships through blinkered social conduct. It causes persistent self hatred and anxiety and depression.
"you might want to try behaviour change first"
This is such a, forgive the harshness, ignorant way of thinking about ADHD that it makes my blood boil. Behaviour change works when the person in question has the capabilities of making that change stick. This is the equivalent of telling a handicapped person to try b-mod to climb the stairs.
It. Just. Won't. Work. A shortage of persistence cannot be solved through more vigorous exhortations towards greater persistence. Here's how I think of the drugs. The drugs lay the platform so that I can implement the behaviour change. They don't let me study better. They let me start studying in the first place, at which point, all the best practices and behaviour modifications can come into play.
- kortex 9y agoThank you. It's such a toxic sentiment which seems to only originate from people with limited exposure to the condition. It makes my blood boil as well to hear/read things like "you might want to try behaviour change first". I want to be like, "what do you think I've been trying to do since the age of 8?" Meds have been absolutely indispensable for at least starting to implement good habits, extended focus, etc. And it's still a huge struggle.
- tome 9y agoAs disinclined as I am to enter a discussion about this I'd like to suggest interpreting my hasty terminology "behaviour change" as encompassing a wide variety of behaviours, and not just of the affected individual. "Environment" might have been a better word. For example, under "behaviour" or "environment" as opposed to "medication", I include the poor conditions in public schools, the poor quality of food, the addicting quality of television, internet and computer games and the poor quality of many interpersonal relationships.
- loco5niner 9y agoThank you for saying the things I wanted to say. Environment is certainly the better word. Really, how much can an 8-year-old change? Not much. *edit - of course, there is a level of individual responsibility as well.
- wpietri 9y agoEight year olds can't change the environment much. But if we are making a lot of eight year olds struggle when we put them in an artificial environment, I hope we're considering whether we've make mistakes designing that environment.
- loco5niner 9y agoagreed. I assume you are talking about the school environment? I would add home environment (parents and siblings especially), culture, entertainment, friends, religion, sleeping habits, socioeconomic status... etc.
- falcolas 9y agoAs someone diagnosed with ADHD in their mid 30's, I've had plenty of environment changes over the years (including with a Psychiatrist who understood my then-reluctant view on meds); honestly none helped me nearly as much as meds.
- loco5niner 9y ago> ADHD is very much a cause whose impact goes far beyond just procrastrination. It causes people to Just because ADHD causes other problems doesn't mean that ADHD itself comes out of nowhere. The previous post has a valid point that ADHD itself is a symptom of something else and that drugs aren't necessarily the best way to reduce/eliminate ADHD at the source.
- falcolas 9y agoThe currently understood source of ADHD is a mis-wiring of the brain. Currently we don't know of a better way than meds to alleviate such a condition. CBT helps to a degree, CBT + meds works much better for more severe cases.
- brookside 9y ago> The currently understood source of ADHD is a mis-wiring of the brain. Is that actually understood, though? We had the heavily promoted social consensus for a long while that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, which is now seen as a somewhat disproven theory that never had much evidence.
- falcolas 9y agoVery little about the brain is really well understood. That said, this is about the best we have so far. From a video I linked elsewhere in this discussion: Gallo, E. F., & Posner, J. (2016). Moving towards causality in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: overview of neural and genetic mechanisms. Lancet Psychiatry, 3(1), 555-567. Konrad, K., & Eickhoff, S. B. (2010). Is the ADHD brain wired differenctly? A review on structural and functional connectivity in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Human Brain Mapping, 31(1), 904-916. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5tLi1bYilA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5tLi1bYilA
- scottLobster 9y agoHow is it ignorant to suggest behavior change as a first option? If the person can't make it stick then sure try the drugs, but if they don't need the drugs they're likely better off without them. Add in the fact that ADHD is commonly over-diagnosed and yeah, I'd try behavior modification first. People can display the "signs" of ADHD for a whole host of non-ADHD reasons.
- kazagistar 9y agoYou are right of course. The frustration comes because people with adult ADHD have likely had a lifetime of this suggestion, and a lifetime of failing to stick to such modifications, often to the point of developing comorbid issues like low self esteem. When medications finally open the door they have fruitlessly banging their head against, it's frustrating to hear people espousing that, actually, behavior modification is all you really need, even if it is not intended as such (though often it is).
- bunfunton 9y agoThis is very accurate. Thanks.