4 ms·

Doesn’t this contradict the other article that was upvoted on how procrastination is more emotional than anything else? To say it is ADHD is to suggest it is n

by tempsy 7y ago

Doesn’t this contradict the other article that was upvoted on how procrastination is more emotional than anything else? To say it is ADHD is to suggest it is neurological e.g. some chemical imbalance in the brain, but if it’s really an emotional response then saying you have ADHD is more like pointing out the symptom rather than the cause here.

jlangemeier 7y ago
This isn't saying that __ALL__ procrastination is ADHD, and the other article didn't say that __ALL__ procrastination is emotional. This article is saying that this specific person's procrastination is linked to their ADHD - and even covers some of the emotional response portion (the section on feedback dysphoria). Most psychologists and psychiatrists worth their salt will tell you that ADHD and Anxiety are kissing-cousins; and will usually look for the other if someone has one of them. Guess what is a great emotional inhibitor to doing things... Anxiety. More generally, a strong emotional response of any kind could be considered as a chemical imbalance by how you're categorizing ADHD. ADHD isn't as hard and fast assigned a "chemical imbalance" like Depression, and more closely related to Asperger/Autism as an executive function/communication disorder (via DSM 4r9 and all of DSM 5). The reason that some of us are given something like Welbutrin or Proponolol instead of a straight stimulant like Ritalin or Aderall is because ADHD can in many cases be clustered with Depression, Anxiety, or other mood disorders (which are in the "chemical imbalance" group, and knocking out one can help the other). So, short story long, there's no contradiction; but like with most things, there can be multiple root causes for a single, broadly defined outcome like procrastination.
RickS 7y ago
Difficulty regulating emotions is a component of ADHD. ADHD is a shortcoming of executive function, which manages near-term memory and keeps people "on task". "I'm going to endure this unpleasantness for a better future" is a goal that requires executive function to hang on to – you have to continue grasping it with the part of your subconscious that ADHD undermines. So you end up prone to a brand of nearsighted emotional hedonism because it's difficult to keep track of the "why"s that motivate long term management of emotions. It's basically time blindness. In other words, keeping your cool, keeping your word, and keeping your car keys are all "keep doing X", and ADHD will kneecap all of those in equal measure. A second component – and this is just anecdotal – is that ADHD makes the emotional component of procrastination worse. You drop tasks more often, and if you've got any self awareness at all, you'll notice that. Of course you feel a little bad about it. Now noticing dropped tasks makes you feel a bit worse. But your ADHD means dropping more threads, so you feel more badly more often. The pit of emotional misregulation surrounding procrastination gets steeper, faster, for someone with ADHD, because there's a compounding fit where you're twice as likely to take blows to your productivity, and half as able to recover.
Jarwain 7y ago
For context, I've been diagnosed with ADHD and this article resonates with me a lot, and I also related to the other article. But I'm no neuroscientist and it's possible my understanding is flawed I don't think this is inherently contradictory. ADHD isn't _just_ a neurochemical imbalance (and imbalance is weird because that 'balance' differs from person to person (and characterizing all neurological issues as chemical imbalances is a bit reductionistic) ). ADHD is also characterized by an under-developed prefrontal cortex, which is the region of the brain responsible for executive function. More directly addressing your point, as far as I understand, emotions are largely just temporary changes in the availability of your neurotransmitters/your neurochemical balance. So yeah, sure, procrastination is an emotional thing, which is just minor changes in your neurology. Ultimately, ADHD is kinda characterized by the Severity of these neurochemical changes and, more specifically how they affect behavior. It's a label for behavior, and also a number of traits that result in that behavior, but not a Thing in and of itself, if that makes sense. In other words, saying it's both isn't inherently contradictory, cuz ADHD also has an "emotional" component to it. You could argue that the emotional part is a symptom or side effect.
meej 7y ago
My therapist (who specializes in ADHD) says the root cause of procrastination is different in people with ADHD. I gather then that the emotional response explanation is likely true for neurotypical individuals but it may not be quite the right explanation for individuals with ADHD.

by tempsy 7y ago

jlangemeier 7y ago

This isn't saying that __ALL__ procrastination is ADHD, and the other article didn't say that __ALL__ procrastination is emotional. This article is saying that this specific person's procrastination is linked to their ADHD - and even covers some of the emotional response portion (the section on feedback dysphoria). Most psychologists and psychiatrists worth their salt will tell you that ADHD and Anxiety are kissing-cousins; and will usually look for the other if someone has one of them. Guess what is a great emotional inhibitor to doing things... Anxiety. More generally, a strong emotional response of any kind could be considered as a chemical imbalance by how you're categorizing ADHD. ADHD isn't as hard and fast assigned a "chemical imbalance" like Depression, and more closely related to Asperger/Autism as an executive function/communication disorder (via DSM 4r9 and all of DSM 5). The reason that some of us are given something like Welbutrin or Proponolol instead of a straight stimulant like Ritalin or Aderall is because ADHD can in many cases be clustered with Depression, Anxiety, or other mood disorders (which are in the "chemical imbalance" group, and knocking out one can help the other). So, short story long, there's no contradiction; but like with most things, there can be multiple root causes for a single, broadly defined outcome like procrastination.

RickS 7y ago

Difficulty regulating emotions is a component of ADHD. ADHD is a shortcoming of executive function, which manages near-term memory and keeps people "on task". "I'm going to endure this unpleasantness for a better future" is a goal that requires executive function to hang on to – you have to continue grasping it with the part of your subconscious that ADHD undermines. So you end up prone to a brand of nearsighted emotional hedonism because it's difficult to keep track of the "why"s that motivate long term management of emotions. It's basically time blindness. In other words, keeping your cool, keeping your word, and keeping your car keys are all "keep doing X", and ADHD will kneecap all of those in equal measure. A second component – and this is just anecdotal – is that ADHD makes the emotional component of procrastination worse. You drop tasks more often, and if you've got any self awareness at all, you'll notice that. Of course you feel a little bad about it. Now noticing dropped tasks makes you feel a bit worse. But your ADHD means dropping more threads, so you feel more badly more often. The pit of emotional misregulation surrounding procrastination gets steeper, faster, for someone with ADHD, because there's a compounding fit where you're twice as likely to take blows to your productivity, and half as able to recover.

Jarwain 7y ago

For context, I've been diagnosed with ADHD and this article resonates with me a lot, and I also related to the other article. But I'm no neuroscientist and it's possible my understanding is flawed I don't think this is inherently contradictory. ADHD isn't _just_ a neurochemical imbalance (and imbalance is weird because that 'balance' differs from person to person (and characterizing all neurological issues as chemical imbalances is a bit reductionistic) ). ADHD is also characterized by an under-developed prefrontal cortex, which is the region of the brain responsible for executive function. More directly addressing your point, as far as I understand, emotions are largely just temporary changes in the availability of your neurotransmitters/your neurochemical balance. So yeah, sure, procrastination is an emotional thing, which is just minor changes in your neurology. Ultimately, ADHD is kinda characterized by the Severity of these neurochemical changes and, more specifically how they affect behavior. It's a label for behavior, and also a number of traits that result in that behavior, but not a Thing in and of itself, if that makes sense. In other words, saying it's both isn't inherently contradictory, cuz ADHD also has an "emotional" component to it. You could argue that the emotional part is a symptom or side effect.

meej 7y ago

My therapist (who specializes in ADHD) says the root cause of procrastination is different in people with ADHD. I gather then that the emotional response explanation is likely true for neurotypical individuals but it may not be quite the right explanation for individuals with ADHD.