4 ms·

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 th

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.
- Ancapistani 5y ago
  > lose focus on dull activities You mean like getting distracted while actively having sex by the way the light is filtering through the leaves outside my bedroom window? How about missing half of what your spouse is saying to you because you suddenly remembered an insight you had about how relative speed and the perception of the passage of time are linked, thereby forming a universal constant connecting both? … or maybe you mean not being able to remember anything you need while at the grocery store because instead you remembered you needed something from the auto parts store, and having to drive to the auto parts store and buy that thing because it completely fills your consciousness and makes you unable to think about what food you need for the week until you have it in your hand? In all seriousness - whether an activity is “dull” or not has little bearing on whether I can focus on it. My focus is ephemeral, and feels like something completely out of my control most of the time. Medication gives me some ability to direct it. I hear people talking about “not looking forward” to doing things. I can’t relate at all. I dread even the things I want to do, because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do them.

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.
Ancapistani 5y ago
> lose focus on dull activities You mean like getting distracted while actively having sex by the way the light is filtering through the leaves outside my bedroom window? How about missing half of what your spouse is saying to you because you suddenly remembered an insight you had about how relative speed and the perception of the passage of time are linked, thereby forming a universal constant connecting both? … or maybe you mean not being able to remember anything you need while at the grocery store because instead you remembered you needed something from the auto parts store, and having to drive to the auto parts store and buy that thing because it completely fills your consciousness and makes you unable to think about what food you need for the week until you have it in your hand? In all seriousness - whether an activity is “dull” or not has little bearing on whether I can focus on it. My focus is ephemeral, and feels like something completely out of my control most of the time. Medication gives me some ability to direct it. I hear people talking about “not looking forward” to doing things. I can’t relate at all. I dread even the things I want to do, because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do them.