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> I am able to just be and do with exhaustion, failure, misery and self-loathing. I have a very dear friend who has grappled with ADHD his entire life. A few y

> I am able to just be and do with exhaustion, failure, misery and self-loathing. I have a very dear friend who has grappled with ADHD his entire life. A few years ago, we were talking on the phone when I asked him what the most troubling aspect of ADHD is for him, and his response was far different than what I was anticipating. For him, the one aspect that has been most debilitating is the constant self-doubt, self-loathing, and feelings of worthlessness that accompany. In a world where ADHD is viewed as a novelty disorder, stimulant abuse remains largely unchecked, and societal stigmas only serve to marginalize those afflicted, it's easy to understand why someone might feel this way.

goldenkey 9y ago
I think part of the stigma is that ADHD is very hard to diagnose. And even people without ADHD can yield benefits from taking stimulants. For years, it was perpetuated that these drugs calm kids with ADHD down, but have a different effect on health people. Actually, the drugs do exactly the same thing in people whether they are hyperactive, have problems paying attention, or are healthy. They improve focus by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, the front part of the brain that regulates attention and behavior. Basically, light that up and everything else gets controlled. But your heart still races. To get a little technical, here's an article from Neuropsychopharmacology: "For years, it was assumed that stimulants had paradoxical calming effects in ADHD patients, whereas stimulating 'normal' individuals and producing locomotor activation in rats. It is now known that low doses of stimulants focus attention and improve executive function in both normal and ADHD subjects. Furthermore, the seminal work of Kuczenski and Segal showed that low, oral doses of methylphenidate reduce locomotor activity in rats as well." Often you hear that if stimulants like Ritalin, Vyvanse, or Adderall help people stay calm, that means that they must have ADHD. This isn't true. These drugs will help anyone focus and pay attention. Giving stimulants to a kid with ADHD is more like giving a child with a learning disability more time on a test -- and advantage that might help anybody, but helps that child more -- than fixing his brain.
- smittywerben 9y ago
  Non-stimulants also increase dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex, and not everyone sees a benefit. In general though, yes dextroamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that enhances physical and mental performance in healthy individuals as well as those with ADHD.
chris_wot 9y ago
My mind gets tired. It’s very, very difficult to maintain my attention in an orderly fashion. I often start to read something and find I have to put it down from sheer frustration. That tiredness makes me anxious, and I get even more badly distracted. Somehow, I do make it through most days.
vanderZwan 9y ago
> For him, the one aspect that has been most debilitating is the constant self-doubt, self-loathing, and feelings of worthlessness that accompany. I have been diagnosed with ADD a year ago (with inattentiveness being the strongest aspect of it) and this is exactly what is on my mind the most as well, even before the diagnosis. I am constantly fighting the feeling that people only put up with me for as long as their patience lasts, and that I will inevitably screw up in a way that makes them roll their eyes one last time and be done with me. Which also causes a lot of avoidance-behaviour. I fear seeing people close to me upset that I lost (for example) a gift they gave to me, or my colleagues annoyed at me for not be on time for meetings, those kinds of things. It hurts to be judged as someone not caring about how they have to put up with my quirks, and the fact that it genuinely is a struggle for me made me feel like an incompetent failure for years. The diagnosis giving a grip on where these issues come from and how to handle them better (and also realising that my self-perception does not match that of the people around me). Even without medication, this awareness is already helping a lot in making me more productive. It also helps the people around me cope I guess, since I can explain to them that yes, I do care and I do try, and I want to come up with solutions to these frustrations together. Apparently this is a very common, and easily overlooked anxiety among people with ADHD/ADD. [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/6eq724/a_post_that_talks_about_an_often_ignored_aspect/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/6eq724/a_post_that_ta...

goldenkey 9y ago

I think part of the stigma is that ADHD is very hard to diagnose. And even people without ADHD can yield benefits from taking stimulants. For years, it was perpetuated that these drugs calm kids with ADHD down, but have a different effect on health people. Actually, the drugs do exactly the same thing in people whether they are hyperactive, have problems paying attention, or are healthy. They improve focus by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, the front part of the brain that regulates attention and behavior. Basically, light that up and everything else gets controlled. But your heart still races. To get a little technical, here's an article from Neuropsychopharmacology: "For years, it was assumed that stimulants had paradoxical calming effects in ADHD patients, whereas stimulating 'normal' individuals and producing locomotor activation in rats. It is now known that low doses of stimulants focus attention and improve executive function in both normal and ADHD subjects. Furthermore, the seminal work of Kuczenski and Segal showed that low, oral doses of methylphenidate reduce locomotor activity in rats as well." Often you hear that if stimulants like Ritalin, Vyvanse, or Adderall help people stay calm, that means that they must have ADHD. This isn't true. These drugs will help anyone focus and pay attention. Giving stimulants to a kid with ADHD is more like giving a child with a learning disability more time on a test -- and advantage that might help anybody, but helps that child more -- than fixing his brain.

smittywerben 9y ago
Non-stimulants also increase dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex, and not everyone sees a benefit. In general though, yes dextroamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that enhances physical and mental performance in healthy individuals as well as those with ADHD.

chris_wot 9y ago

My mind gets tired. It’s very, very difficult to maintain my attention in an orderly fashion. I often start to read something and find I have to put it down from sheer frustration. That tiredness makes me anxious, and I get even more badly distracted. Somehow, I do make it through most days.

vanderZwan 9y ago

> For him, the one aspect that has been most debilitating is the constant self-doubt, self-loathing, and feelings of worthlessness that accompany. I have been diagnosed with ADD a year ago (with inattentiveness being the strongest aspect of it) and this is exactly what is on my mind the most as well, even before the diagnosis. I am constantly fighting the feeling that people only put up with me for as long as their patience lasts, and that I will inevitably screw up in a way that makes them roll their eyes one last time and be done with me. Which also causes a lot of avoidance-behaviour. I fear seeing people close to me upset that I lost (for example) a gift they gave to me, or my colleagues annoyed at me for not be on time for meetings, those kinds of things. It hurts to be judged as someone not caring about how they have to put up with my quirks, and the fact that it genuinely is a struggle for me made me feel like an incompetent failure for years. The diagnosis giving a grip on where these issues come from and how to handle them better (and also realising that my self-perception does not match that of the people around me). Even without medication, this awareness is already helping a lot in making me more productive. It also helps the people around me cope I guess, since I can explain to them that yes, I do care and I do try, and I want to come up with solutions to these frustrations together. Apparently this is a very common, and easily overlooked anxiety among people with ADHD/ADD. [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/6eq724/a_post_that_talks_about_an_often_ignored_aspect/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/6eq724/a_post_that_ta...