2 ms·

See, yes my friends told me I might have ADHD. But I was extremely good at school (I graduated from UC Berkeley with near 4.0) and never had a problem focusing

See, yes my friends told me I might have ADHD. But I was extremely good at school (I graduated from UC Berkeley with near 4.0) and never had a problem focusing at work/school. If I sit to study, I can do so pretty efficiently. I can also do work without much trouble. Also, I tried Adderall a couple times when I was a freshman, and its effects were almost unnoticeable to me since I usually don't have hard time focusing anyway. I might have ADHD, but it just doesn't make any sense to me...

derefr 8y ago
ADHD doesn't always (or even often) manifest as inability to focus; that's a misconception. As well, ADHD can have little-to-no impact on your grades in school, if you happen to "have a mind for" the particular things you're studying. It's when you don't that it can be a problem. Also: > its effects were almost unnoticeable to me Neurotypical people don't tend to experience Adderall as "unnoticeable." If your brain chemistry starts off in the reference range (for neurostriatal dopamine reuptake latency period), a dose of Adderall would take you out of the reference range, such that you start exhibiting signs and symptoms of mania, experiencing things such as an elevated heart rate and increased sweating. If a dose of Adderall puts you into the reference range, then you were likely outside of the range to begin with. (Note: if you consume a lot of caffeine, your baseline state would be "you having not had caffeine for a week." If you don't even remember what that's like... well, that's diagnostic for ADHD, too.) Anyway, give this adult ADHD self-diagnosis questionnaire a read-through: https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnair... Other possibilities: 1. Despite being considered a different disease, narcolepsy is effectively treated by the same drugs that treat ADHD. Narcolepsy can cause the same symptoms you're talking about (which, again, if you think narcolepsy involves fully falling asleep, that's a misconception.) 2. Alternatively, you might have any of a number of conditions that affect sleep quality, such as obstructive sleep apnea, chronic fatigue syndrome, or even a simple nutrient deficiency. A regular doctor (who would in turn likely refer you to a sleep clinic) could help to figure this out. 3. Of course, it might be early-onset Alzheimer's... but that's actually much less likely than one of the above options.
- gnulinux 8y ago
  Huh, that's very interesting, all those things in Part A happen to me often (pretty much every day!) except being overly active (I'm very silent and calm). I guess I had misconceptions about what ADHD even is... I should see a doctor soon it seems like. Thank you very much!
leverdal 8y ago
ADHD is largely misunderstood, and what you're describing could definitely be a symptom. I've struggled with 'out of sight out of mind' my entire life, so your post hit close to home. For me, a post by Mark Suster[1] resonated so deeply that I finally saw a professional, and I was diagnosed with ADHD at 29. Since then, I've learned a ton about how my brain's executive function works and have developed many strategies to overcome my own challenges. It'll be a work in progress for the rest of my life, but knowing what it is I'm working on as made a huge difference. As far as medication: it's completely personal (dosage isn't even tied to weight), so try to set aside any prior experiences you've had outside of working with a medical doctor. Academic and professional performance also aren't part of the diagnostic criteria (I graduated near 4.0, too). Even if you don't have ADHD, meeting with a doctor will help you rule it out. My $.02, hope this helps. [1] https://bothsidesofthetable.com/how-to-know-if-you-have-add-and-what-to-do-about-it-e8a705765558 https://bothsidesofthetable.com/how-to-know-if-you-have-add-... (Special thanks to Mark for being so open about ADHD!)

derefr 8y ago

ADHD doesn't always (or even often) manifest as inability to focus; that's a misconception. As well, ADHD can have little-to-no impact on your grades in school, if you happen to "have a mind for" the particular things you're studying. It's when you don't that it can be a problem. Also: > its effects were almost unnoticeable to me Neurotypical people don't tend to experience Adderall as "unnoticeable." If your brain chemistry starts off in the reference range (for neurostriatal dopamine reuptake latency period), a dose of Adderall would take you out of the reference range, such that you start exhibiting signs and symptoms of mania, experiencing things such as an elevated heart rate and increased sweating. If a dose of Adderall puts you into the reference range, then you were likely outside of the range to begin with. (Note: if you consume a lot of caffeine, your baseline state would be "you having not had caffeine for a week." If you don't even remember what that's like... well, that's diagnostic for ADHD, too.) Anyway, give this adult ADHD self-diagnosis questionnaire a read-through: https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnair... Other possibilities: 1. Despite being considered a different disease, narcolepsy is effectively treated by the same drugs that treat ADHD. Narcolepsy can cause the same symptoms you're talking about (which, again, if you think narcolepsy involves fully falling asleep, that's a misconception.) 2. Alternatively, you might have any of a number of conditions that affect sleep quality, such as obstructive sleep apnea, chronic fatigue syndrome, or even a simple nutrient deficiency. A regular doctor (who would in turn likely refer you to a sleep clinic) could help to figure this out. 3. Of course, it might be early-onset Alzheimer's... but that's actually much less likely than one of the above options.

gnulinux 8y ago
Huh, that's very interesting, all those things in Part A happen to me often (pretty much every day!) except being overly active (I'm very silent and calm). I guess I had misconceptions about what ADHD even is... I should see a doctor soon it seems like. Thank you very much!

leverdal 8y ago

ADHD is largely misunderstood, and what you're describing could definitely be a symptom. I've struggled with 'out of sight out of mind' my entire life, so your post hit close to home. For me, a post by Mark Suster[1] resonated so deeply that I finally saw a professional, and I was diagnosed with ADHD at 29. Since then, I've learned a ton about how my brain's executive function works and have developed many strategies to overcome my own challenges. It'll be a work in progress for the rest of my life, but knowing what it is I'm working on as made a huge difference. As far as medication: it's completely personal (dosage isn't even tied to weight), so try to set aside any prior experiences you've had outside of working with a medical doctor. Academic and professional performance also aren't part of the diagnostic criteria (I graduated near 4.0, too). Even if you don't have ADHD, meeting with a doctor will help you rule it out. My $.02, hope this helps. [1] https://bothsidesofthetable.com/how-to-know-if-you-have-add-and-what-to-do-about-it-e8a705765558 https://bothsidesofthetable.com/how-to-know-if-you-have-add-... (Special thanks to Mark for being so open about ADHD!)