8 ms·

So I've recently been throwing around the idea that I might have some form of ADHD after really not wanting to accept it for a while. I also happen to have the

So I've recently been throwing around the idea that I might have some form of ADHD after really not wanting to accept it for a while. I also happen to have the least structured job of all time - work from home freelance web developer and writer. After having a structure my whole life in school which I did fairly well under, suddenly I found myself with literally no structure, deadlines that are always far in the future, and the ability to literally watch Youtube all day long without any _immediate_ penalty. I love seeing things like this. I've had to build all sorts of structure into my life, but the hardest part is always getting myself to do it, because, you know, I could just _not do it._

philwelch 8y ago
I also have "some form of ADHD". Turns out stimulants work pretty well. I was terrified of them for most of my life, and it doesn't help that a lot of doctors are also scared of them, but they work, and getting treated with them is one of the best decisions I've ever made.
- tuesdayrain 8y ago
  Adderall works absurdly well for me, it's actually depressing to see how it can make being productive virtually effortless. For me it's the difference between an hour of real work per day and 15+ hours. I'm just afraid that taking it often will lead to some kind of brain damage decades down the line. Otherwise I would be taking it every day.
  - bradleyankrom 8y ago
    It freaked me out how much of a difference Adderall made when I started taking it. My productivity and general feeling of self worth have definitely improved since I started taking it seven or eight years ago. I also worry about the long-term effects, but probably not as much as my concern for how I would function if it were ever taken off of the market.
    - User23 8y ago
      It's a hell of a drug. The long term effects are why I discontinued, but it made the decade at Amazon not just bearable, but fun. That and half the other SDEs there were taking it too.
      - MetalGuru 8y ago
        What are the longterm effects? And how long is longterm? You didn't have them after a decade? It is a helluva drug though.
        jniedrauer 8y ago
        My biggest concern would be hypertension and damage to my heart.
        unixhero 8y ago
        None.
        User23 8y ago
        Cognitive decline is the main one that concerned me. You don't run an organ hot for years without doing some damage, and anyone who says otherwise is selling a dream.
        philwelch 8y ago
        If you dose stimulants properly, and you actually have ADD, you're not running anything hot. Stimulants should be used to bring a low resting dopamine rate to normal and healthy levels.
        User23 8y ago
        Sure. That sounds great. Where’s the evidence?
        8y ago
  - mepian 8y ago
    Reading this makes me wish Adderall was legal in my country.
    - namibj 8y ago
      There are other ADHD medications based on amphetamine. Be careful though, they can easily disrupt your sleep cycle and the psychological addiction to the productivity is real.
    - hu3 8y ago
      Ask your doctor about Vyvanse.
  - ip26 8y ago
    Just FYI, "normal" people aren't highly productive for 15+ hours a day. So I want to emphasize that's a drug-enhanced state, not bringing you in line with where everyone else already is. Also, forget about direct side effects of the drug, going nonstop all day long every day is unsustainable, the body will crash eventually.
- ThrustVectoring 8y ago
  Every other psychiatric intervention wishes it was effective as stimulants are for treating ADHD. It's been seriously life-changing for me.
- Robotbeat 8y ago
  Used to work for me. Now, it mostly just makes me procrastinate with better focus. I think it may be due to sleep disruption, but I don’t know.
- throwitaway666 8y ago
  I've been self medicating with modafinil for a while now and it does wonders. I don't use it daily and usually only take half a dose for a day and it has truly made a night and day change in my productivity. Even when I don't use it as I now know the "mindset" I need to be in to get things done, or at least I try.
jaggederest 8y ago
As someone who has recently started figuring out this whole ADHD thing, definitely seek out help for it. There are a ton of really powerful tools and support systems that make a tremendous difference. Especially organizational systems designed for people with executive function deficits (whether that's ADHD or not, doesn't really matter!) Caddra has an interesting chart here for suggestions: https://caddra.ca/pdfs/Psychosocial_October2016.pdf https://caddra.ca/pdfs/Psychosocial_October2016.pdf I also like Russell Barkley's lectures and books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzhbAK1pdPM&list=PLzBixSjmbc8eFl6UX5_wWGP8i0mAs-cvY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzhbAK1pdPM&list=PLzBixSjmbc... and http://www.russellbarkley.org/books.html http://www.russellbarkley.org/books.html (especially Taking Charge of Adult ADHD) And additionally, if you find that these things speak to you, medication makes a tremendous difference. I really can't overstate the degree to which it can change your life.
- vermilingua 8y ago
  I previously thought I may have ADHD, but after seeing a GP-refered psychiatrist who said “no you have anxiety instead”, I assumed him to be correct and dropped the idea. Now, despite having largely learnt to manage said anxiety, I still have a massive problem with “avoidance”; do you think it is perhaps worth revisiting the potential ADHD? I do find that Ritalin helps tremendously, but obviously I do not have a prescription, it’s something I only take when in supply and I have a pressing deadline.
  - jaggederest 8y ago
    Ritalin helps, still have a problem after resolving anxiety, big problems, you do the math. I'm not an expert but it sounds like it might be relevant.
  - ThrustVectoring 8y ago
    You probably still have ADHD, or at least enough trouble with the things ADHD folks have trouble with to get an official diagnosis and prescription. Like, the first psych wasn't wrong about anxiety being a thing. It often is very often co-morbid with ADHD. This is because ADHD interferes with keeping up with work and life commitments and deadlines, makes you tend to work closer to deadlines (and more vigorously), and causes other life issues. If your work performance is unsatisfactory, of course you are anxious.
arikr 8y ago
Yep. For people who struggle with procrastination or discipline, here's a reddit thread with more info on adult ADHD: https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9wg9p0/a_note_for_people_who_struggle_with/ https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9wg9p0/a_no...
godDLL 8y ago
I am my own life-coach. What a terrible idea that is, let me tell you. You have to constantly be two people, wear two hats. And then, at some point every day you also get to wear the tally hat, to see how you did. A bit more about being two people - it's like when you do awareness meditation, you have to watch yourself go, but you also have to be there and do the work. I am getting good results in my last three years (tally hat on) but that's after six years of miserably failing to get any control whatsoever over my life. Lots of pain there, heaps of depression. No individual trick has done it for me, nothing stuck or moved the needle any. What I ended up doing is: new place/town, new job, new acquaintances. Some distance from older acquaintances. Did that twice, and both times got fantastic results, got progress. So, reset lead to progress. I fucked up the distancing the first time, didn't move far enough away, didn't change my cellphone habits. You really are the sum average of the people around you, that is true if you want it or not. You need to shut up and cut the noise to have a chance to hear yourself weep when you're miserable doing what you do, to feel yourself content and joyful when you do something that is you. Tally hat is not optional. Measuring progress, noting it down as you go, reflecting on what did and didn't work makes all the difference. Do, note, reflect, adjust, do again. Awareness is not optional. Sitting down to watch Youtube? Think about what it is you're going to do after that, before sitting down. Set a timer, so you won't find yourself with the sun down and nothing accomplished that day. Before you go to sleep, half an hour before, shut down everything, your phone, your computer; take a shower and think - if there is one thing I am to do tomorrow, what would that be? What would make the most difference? Write it down on a sticky note and put it on your monitor's top bezel. This is what you'll do in the morning, first thing. Then you get to do anything you want (set a timer), and proceed to tally-hat, then turn your phone on. This is when you'd get back to everybody and do household chores or what have you. Do four good days like that, in a week. You don't have to be good all week. Just most of the week. There are 52 of those in a year, set your phone and desktop dash to show you what week number you're at, and use that when putting on your tally hat. Where are you coming from, what are you to do right now, what's the immediate next thing? No point planning way ahead or keeping a todo list (do keep a backlog and review it weekly, do mark things on a calendar so as not to miss them). Don't make yourself do a list of things, you're not a machine, yet. Make yourself do 23 minutes of "I'll just start doing that, even though I don't feel like it, and then take a break". You will feel like it after 15 minutes, but never before you actually start. Or hire a boss/secretary and they will do your tallying for you (moderately well), and your awareness (works better if not remote). Cheers.

philwelch 8y ago

I also have "some form of ADHD". Turns out stimulants work pretty well. I was terrified of them for most of my life, and it doesn't help that a lot of doctors are also scared of them, but they work, and getting treated with them is one of the best decisions I've ever made.

tuesdayrain 8y ago
Adderall works absurdly well for me, it's actually depressing to see how it can make being productive virtually effortless. For me it's the difference between an hour of real work per day and 15+ hours. I'm just afraid that taking it often will lead to some kind of brain damage decades down the line. Otherwise I would be taking it every day.
- bradleyankrom 8y ago
  It freaked me out how much of a difference Adderall made when I started taking it. My productivity and general feeling of self worth have definitely improved since I started taking it seven or eight years ago. I also worry about the long-term effects, but probably not as much as my concern for how I would function if it were ever taken off of the market.
  - User23 8y ago
    It's a hell of a drug. The long term effects are why I discontinued, but it made the decade at Amazon not just bearable, but fun. That and half the other SDEs there were taking it too.
    - MetalGuru 8y ago
      What are the longterm effects? And how long is longterm? You didn't have them after a decade? It is a helluva drug though.
      - jniedrauer 8y ago
        My biggest concern would be hypertension and damage to my heart.
      - unixhero 8y ago
        None.
      - User23 8y ago
        Cognitive decline is the main one that concerned me. You don't run an organ hot for years without doing some damage, and anyone who says otherwise is selling a dream.
        philwelch 8y ago
        If you dose stimulants properly, and you actually have ADD, you're not running anything hot. Stimulants should be used to bring a low resting dopamine rate to normal and healthy levels.
        User23 8y ago
        Sure. That sounds great. Where’s the evidence?
        8y ago
- mepian 8y ago
  Reading this makes me wish Adderall was legal in my country.
  - namibj 8y ago
    There are other ADHD medications based on amphetamine. Be careful though, they can easily disrupt your sleep cycle and the psychological addiction to the productivity is real.
  - hu3 8y ago
    Ask your doctor about Vyvanse.
- ip26 8y ago
  Just FYI, "normal" people aren't highly productive for 15+ hours a day. So I want to emphasize that's a drug-enhanced state, not bringing you in line with where everyone else already is. Also, forget about direct side effects of the drug, going nonstop all day long every day is unsustainable, the body will crash eventually.
ThrustVectoring 8y ago
Every other psychiatric intervention wishes it was effective as stimulants are for treating ADHD. It's been seriously life-changing for me.
Robotbeat 8y ago
Used to work for me. Now, it mostly just makes me procrastinate with better focus. I think it may be due to sleep disruption, but I don’t know.
throwitaway666 8y ago
I've been self medicating with modafinil for a while now and it does wonders. I don't use it daily and usually only take half a dose for a day and it has truly made a night and day change in my productivity. Even when I don't use it as I now know the "mindset" I need to be in to get things done, or at least I try.

jaggederest 8y ago

As someone who has recently started figuring out this whole ADHD thing, definitely seek out help for it. There are a ton of really powerful tools and support systems that make a tremendous difference. Especially organizational systems designed for people with executive function deficits (whether that's ADHD or not, doesn't really matter!) Caddra has an interesting chart here for suggestions: https://caddra.ca/pdfs/Psychosocial_October2016.pdf https://caddra.ca/pdfs/Psychosocial_October2016.pdf I also like Russell Barkley's lectures and books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzhbAK1pdPM&list=PLzBixSjmbc8eFl6UX5_wWGP8i0mAs-cvY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzhbAK1pdPM&list=PLzBixSjmbc... and http://www.russellbarkley.org/books.html http://www.russellbarkley.org/books.html (especially Taking Charge of Adult ADHD) And additionally, if you find that these things speak to you, medication makes a tremendous difference. I really can't overstate the degree to which it can change your life.

vermilingua 8y ago
I previously thought I may have ADHD, but after seeing a GP-refered psychiatrist who said “no you have anxiety instead”, I assumed him to be correct and dropped the idea. Now, despite having largely learnt to manage said anxiety, I still have a massive problem with “avoidance”; do you think it is perhaps worth revisiting the potential ADHD? I do find that Ritalin helps tremendously, but obviously I do not have a prescription, it’s something I only take when in supply and I have a pressing deadline.
- jaggederest 8y ago
  Ritalin helps, still have a problem after resolving anxiety, big problems, you do the math. I'm not an expert but it sounds like it might be relevant.
- ThrustVectoring 8y ago
  You probably still have ADHD, or at least enough trouble with the things ADHD folks have trouble with to get an official diagnosis and prescription. Like, the first psych wasn't wrong about anxiety being a thing. It often is very often co-morbid with ADHD. This is because ADHD interferes with keeping up with work and life commitments and deadlines, makes you tend to work closer to deadlines (and more vigorously), and causes other life issues. If your work performance is unsatisfactory, of course you are anxious.

arikr 8y ago

Yep. For people who struggle with procrastination or discipline, here's a reddit thread with more info on adult ADHD: https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9wg9p0/a_note_for_people_who_struggle_with/ https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9wg9p0/a_no...

godDLL 8y ago

I am my own life-coach. What a terrible idea that is, let me tell you. You have to constantly be two people, wear two hats. And then, at some point every day you also get to wear the tally hat, to see how you did. A bit more about being two people - it's like when you do awareness meditation, you have to watch yourself go, but you also have to be there and do the work. I am getting good results in my last three years (tally hat on) but that's after six years of miserably failing to get any control whatsoever over my life. Lots of pain there, heaps of depression. No individual trick has done it for me, nothing stuck or moved the needle any. What I ended up doing is: new place/town, new job, new acquaintances. Some distance from older acquaintances. Did that twice, and both times got fantastic results, got progress. So, reset lead to progress. I fucked up the distancing the first time, didn't move far enough away, didn't change my cellphone habits. You really are the sum average of the people around you, that is true if you want it or not. You need to shut up and cut the noise to have a chance to hear yourself weep when you're miserable doing what you do, to feel yourself content and joyful when you do something that is you. Tally hat is not optional. Measuring progress, noting it down as you go, reflecting on what did and didn't work makes all the difference. Do, note, reflect, adjust, do again. Awareness is not optional. Sitting down to watch Youtube? Think about what it is you're going to do after that, before sitting down. Set a timer, so you won't find yourself with the sun down and nothing accomplished that day. Before you go to sleep, half an hour before, shut down everything, your phone, your computer; take a shower and think - if there is one thing I am to do tomorrow, what would that be? What would make the most difference? Write it down on a sticky note and put it on your monitor's top bezel. This is what you'll do in the morning, first thing. Then you get to do anything you want (set a timer), and proceed to tally-hat, then turn your phone on. This is when you'd get back to everybody and do household chores or what have you. Do four good days like that, in a week. You don't have to be good all week. Just most of the week. There are 52 of those in a year, set your phone and desktop dash to show you what week number you're at, and use that when putting on your tally hat. Where are you coming from, what are you to do right now, what's the immediate next thing? No point planning way ahead or keeping a todo list (do keep a backlog and review it weekly, do mark things on a calendar so as not to miss them). Don't make yourself do a list of things, you're not a machine, yet. Make yourself do 23 minutes of "I'll just start doing that, even though I don't feel like it, and then take a break". You will feel like it after 15 minutes, but never before you actually start. Or hire a boss/secretary and they will do your tallying for you (moderately well), and your awareness (works better if not remote). Cheers.