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I'd recommend everyone who thinks he or she has ADHD to keep in mind that there are clinics who literally make money by diagnosing you. So make sure you don't g

by adflux 5y ago

I'd recommend everyone who thinks he or she has ADHD to keep in mind that there are clinics who literally make money by diagnosing you. So make sure you don't go to one of those. This is a problem, even in the Netherlands https://www.trouw.nl/zorg/in-de-adhd-fabriek-is-de-diagnose-binnen-een-dag-gesteld~b1d36556/ https://www.trouw.nl/zorg/in-de-adhd-fabriek-is-de-diagnose-... I wish I could find a translated version for you. Anyways, Methlyphinidate (ritalin) should be your very LAST step. Before that, clean up your workspace, disable distracting apps on your phone and computer, use a site blocker... And consider that a lack of discipline is not caused by ADHD. I speak with experience here, because I was "diagnosed" with this "mental illness" before it was cool, about two decades ago, when the teachers noted I couldn't pay attention in class. Took ritalin for about a decade. Always thought I had trouble concentrating, like I was told right? Well, a few years ago I rented an office space with a friend of mine, just the two of us in a very spacious (100m2), light and well-ventilated office. We received no phone calls, there were no people walking in, or cats and girlfriends asking for attention. I had less distractions than I had at home, and much less than in a traditional office. And it was a dedicated area for "work". A comfortable desk and chair, two monitors and a fast pc. Having worked in such a proper environment, I will never say I have trouble concentrating again. Anyways, what exactly do you think you have to gain by being "diagnosed" with ADHD?

Ensorceled 5y ago
It sounds like you actually have ADHD but can control it with the perfect environment. Others are not so lucky; either lacking the ability to create the perfect ADHD haven or that haven only working for a while before they relapse. > Anyways, what exactly do you think you have to gain by being "diagnosed" with ADHD? Except for an "excuse" for your problems? Please don't dismiss mental illness this way.
- adflux 5y ago
  That was too harsh, sorry.
  - Ensorceled 5y ago
    Apology accepted. Emotional responses are an ADHD symptom :-)
    - adflux 5y ago
      Hahaha as are breathing and requiring water to stay alive I think
WhyNotHugo 5y ago
Yeah, if _things_ distract you easily, it's one thing. Notifications are DESIGNED to distract you, if they do, that's not an indicator of anything. ADHD is more like "I was cooking dinner and got distracted by the idea of cleaning the toilet, so here I am buying new socks. Oh, the unfinished dinner is still on the counter."
- jkhdigital 5y ago
  Your example is a pretty extreme caricature; I suspect many of us are more familiar with the slower but broader version of this sequence where we gain and lose interest in careers/partners/lifestyles with alarming and exhausting frequency.
  - tgaj 5y ago
    For some it's not a caricature. For me is how my life looks like without meds. But yeah, ADHD is probably a spectrum.
  - q3k 5y ago
    > Your example is a pretty extreme caricature; It's a caricature? I've only recently learned that this is not something that everyone struggles with daily...
  - Ancapistani 5y ago
    > our example is a pretty extreme caricature Extreme, yes, but far from a caricature. You should see my office. I’m constantly surrounded by unfinished projects - I either unmedicated and don’t have the ability to finish them because I’m distracted by other things, or I’m medicated and don’t have time to finish them because I’m trying to catch up with the things that I’ve neglected because I didn’t have the ability to prioritize them.
instagraham 5y ago
Wow, this is like a textbook example of how not to comment on ADHD. 1 - Ritalin is not the only treatment meted out to those with ADHD 2 - ADHD isn't an "excuse". If cleaning one's desk was the solution to it, we wouldn't be discussing it so much today - and it wouldn't be one of the most studied-conditions of all time.
skinkestek 5y ago
> Anyways, what exactly do you think you have to gain by being "diagnosed" with ADHD? Except for an "excuse" for your problems? For me it helped me realize that I not normal. I excel at certain things (creative thinking, handling unexpected situations) and I'm hopeless at others (following through on plans that doesn't have to be acted on daily). I have decided to not use it as an excuse and told my wife so so she doesn't feel sorry for me. I've decided to exploit my disability for all that it is worth: I deal with tricky customers at work because it is easy for me, I wake up before certain others goes to bed etc etc. I am different and I not only accept it but actively enjoy it and take advantage of it. Also I know I speak out more easily than others so I accept that I should raise my treshold for when to speak out. My life has become better after doing this. Oh, and not a bad word about Ritalin, but be aware that for some it works wonders, for others it has nasty side effects (muscle tension, weight loss) and also the exact brand and capsules makes a difference (yes, they are supposed to be identical but I guess it is something about the microbiome because I have seen it too many times no so.)
sobellian 5y ago
As a counterpoint, I was diagnosed with ADD (now known as ADHD-PI) a couple decades ago as a child and initially took medication for it, but complained about the effects and so my parents agreed to stop giving me medication. This kind of decision seems manageable at the time if you're bright enough that you can skate through school regardless of how much work you actually do. You cannot skate through adulthood this way. My condition, ADHD-PI, is characterized by the tendency to lose focus on dull activities while hyper-focusing on fun activities. If my current task is interesting then I could work even with a rock concert held 5 feet away. This sounds like a superpower but if a task is not interesting then the slightest distraction totally derails me. There are ways for me to trick myself but they are unreliable and my brain will eventually route around them. I do my best to always work on something interesting, but this isn't always possible and the productivity hit can be quite large. My solution was to get a prescription for Adderall XR. With the benefit of hindsight I regret ever going off medication. I don't think it's always necessary but if you have these problems, you've been diagnosed, and it's severe enough that you have become depressed (this is very common among adults with ADHD) you should really consider it.
- adflux 5y ago
  lose focus on dull activities This doesn't sound like a mental illness, but rather a part of the human condition, don't you think?
  - sobellian 5y ago
    It all lies on a spectrum. No one likes doing something dull but with ADD it can become so intense as to be debilitating. You always procrastinate to the last second on everything, sometimes far past the last second. Left untreated you attain a reputation as a lazy flake and it affects your work, your relationships, etc.
  - falcolas 5y ago
    Yes, and no. Yes, because people do get bored. No, because with ADHD, you can’t even force yourself to focus despite the boredom. Bribes, identification of potential consequences, punishment - none of these work.

by adflux 5y ago

Ensorceled 5y ago

It sounds like you actually have ADHD but can control it with the perfect environment. Others are not so lucky; either lacking the ability to create the perfect ADHD haven or that haven only working for a while before they relapse. > Anyways, what exactly do you think you have to gain by being "diagnosed" with ADHD? Except for an "excuse" for your problems? Please don't dismiss mental illness this way.

adflux 5y ago
That was too harsh, sorry.
- Ensorceled 5y ago
  Apology accepted. Emotional responses are an ADHD symptom :-)
  - adflux 5y ago
    Hahaha as are breathing and requiring water to stay alive I think

WhyNotHugo 5y ago

Yeah, if _things_ distract you easily, it's one thing. Notifications are DESIGNED to distract you, if they do, that's not an indicator of anything. ADHD is more like "I was cooking dinner and got distracted by the idea of cleaning the toilet, so here I am buying new socks. Oh, the unfinished dinner is still on the counter."

jkhdigital 5y ago
Your example is a pretty extreme caricature; I suspect many of us are more familiar with the slower but broader version of this sequence where we gain and lose interest in careers/partners/lifestyles with alarming and exhausting frequency.
- tgaj 5y ago
  For some it's not a caricature. For me is how my life looks like without meds. But yeah, ADHD is probably a spectrum.
- q3k 5y ago
  > Your example is a pretty extreme caricature; It's a caricature? I've only recently learned that this is not something that everyone struggles with daily...
- Ancapistani 5y ago
  > our example is a pretty extreme caricature Extreme, yes, but far from a caricature. You should see my office. I’m constantly surrounded by unfinished projects - I either unmedicated and don’t have the ability to finish them because I’m distracted by other things, or I’m medicated and don’t have time to finish them because I’m trying to catch up with the things that I’ve neglected because I didn’t have the ability to prioritize them.

instagraham 5y ago

Wow, this is like a textbook example of how not to comment on ADHD. 1 - Ritalin is not the only treatment meted out to those with ADHD 2 - ADHD isn't an "excuse". If cleaning one's desk was the solution to it, we wouldn't be discussing it so much today - and it wouldn't be one of the most studied-conditions of all time.

skinkestek 5y ago

> Anyways, what exactly do you think you have to gain by being "diagnosed" with ADHD? Except for an "excuse" for your problems? For me it helped me realize that I not normal. I excel at certain things (creative thinking, handling unexpected situations) and I'm hopeless at others (following through on plans that doesn't have to be acted on daily). I have decided to not use it as an excuse and told my wife so so she doesn't feel sorry for me. I've decided to exploit my disability for all that it is worth: I deal with tricky customers at work because it is easy for me, I wake up before certain others goes to bed etc etc. I am different and I not only accept it but actively enjoy it and take advantage of it. Also I know I speak out more easily than others so I accept that I should raise my treshold for when to speak out. My life has become better after doing this. Oh, and not a bad word about Ritalin, but be aware that for some it works wonders, for others it has nasty side effects (muscle tension, weight loss) and also the exact brand and capsules makes a difference (yes, they are supposed to be identical but I guess it is something about the microbiome because I have seen it too many times no so.)

sobellian 5y ago

As a counterpoint, I was diagnosed with ADD (now known as ADHD-PI) a couple decades ago as a child and initially took medication for it, but complained about the effects and so my parents agreed to stop giving me medication. This kind of decision seems manageable at the time if you're bright enough that you can skate through school regardless of how much work you actually do. You cannot skate through adulthood this way. My condition, ADHD-PI, is characterized by the tendency to lose focus on dull activities while hyper-focusing on fun activities. If my current task is interesting then I could work even with a rock concert held 5 feet away. This sounds like a superpower but if a task is not interesting then the slightest distraction totally derails me. There are ways for me to trick myself but they are unreliable and my brain will eventually route around them. I do my best to always work on something interesting, but this isn't always possible and the productivity hit can be quite large. My solution was to get a prescription for Adderall XR. With the benefit of hindsight I regret ever going off medication. I don't think it's always necessary but if you have these problems, you've been diagnosed, and it's severe enough that you have become depressed (this is very common among adults with ADHD) you should really consider it.

adflux 5y ago
lose focus on dull activities This doesn't sound like a mental illness, but rather a part of the human condition, don't you think?
- sobellian 5y ago
  It all lies on a spectrum. No one likes doing something dull but with ADD it can become so intense as to be debilitating. You always procrastinate to the last second on everything, sometimes far past the last second. Left untreated you attain a reputation as a lazy flake and it affects your work, your relationships, etc.
- falcolas 5y ago
  Yes, and no. Yes, because people do get bored. No, because with ADHD, you can’t even force yourself to focus despite the boredom. Bribes, identification of potential consequences, punishment - none of these work.