4 ms·

I wonder if craving attention is like being lazy. I won't say I have ADHD, but I am very lazy. For my entire life, I've found myself unable to just snap out of

I wonder if craving attention is like being lazy. I won't say I have ADHD, but I am very lazy. For my entire life, I've found myself unable to just snap out of laziness and choose to stop being lazy. I don't believe that I'm selfishly lazy, because my laziness often causes obvious, preventable problems for me, and I still can't find the switch inside myself to turn it off. I wish we could set aside the labels and say "I'm lazy and I want to buy therapy to help me deal with being lazy." Maybe there is also a reason people are not getting their need for attention satisfied in whatever way they're supposed to. I satisfy my need for attention by being good at programming, and then talking to other programmers about programming. I notice most people (general population) don't have any particular skill worth showing off like I do. I don't know what the actionable to fix that is, though.

999900000999 5y ago
I'd take it a step further. Instead of forcing people to fabricate various illnesses to get performance enhancing medications, just make it over the counter. Antidepressants, over the counter. ADHD drugs, over the counter. Anti-anxiety drugs, over the counter. As long as you're at least 21, you should have the right to ingest whatever you want. I personally wouldn't recreationally take any of the above, but I think everyone has a right to make their own choices. In America there's a billion dollar industry in convincing everyone their broken. As far as I'm concerned I'm the best me I can be and that's it.
- phil21 5y ago
  I'm pretty libertarian on most political charts, but offering benzos to people OTC seems like one of the last things I'd be trying to legalize. If we had no drug enforcement whatsoever, sure. But as long as we do benzos may be one of the most dangerous forms of substances we have short of straight up opiods.
- darepublic 5y ago
  Ok sure but the notion that you are the best you you can be is also originating in America too
- guerrilla 5y ago
  The two of you sound like you're being dismissive of mental illnesses that cause immense suffering and are accusing people of just seeking attention or performance enhancing drugs. That's pretty fucked up.
  - 999900000999 5y ago
    I'm not trying to be dismissive. Their are tons of people who really do need medication. Their are others who shop doctors to get the meds they want. For example, it's common for kids struggling in college to get an ADHD diagnosis so they can study for longer hours. As far as I'm concerned as long as your adult, ingest whatever you want. But I don't think being unable to study Chem for 12 hours a day is an illness. Why stop adults from doing what they want. No one stops you from rock climbing, even though that's also dangerous.
  - pxc 5y ago
    I have ADHD and mostly agree with GP's proposal. ADHD medications don't really restore anyone to 'normal'. They're a compensatory measure ('performance enhancer') which is reserved only for some people mainly for bad reasons (the war on drugs, lack of public and accessible infrastructure for addiction treatment). They can be used to help people with certain deficits meet certain demands (typically productivity in work or school), but it's not like they counteract ADHD. They help with some aspects of the disorder (difficulty sustaining attention) and make other aspects of the disorder (difficulty being deliberate and judicious about when to switch tasks) worse. Gating them heavily behind many appointments and preventing pharmacies from providing any refills makes stimulant medications harder to access for people who have ADHD, especially during bad times when it's relatively poorly managed, which forms a vicious cycle. (ADHDers sometimes refer to the total fees associated with missed and late appointments and other such mishaps as 'the ADHD tax', and it's not unusual for that sum to exceed what an ADHD patient actually pays in copays, especially when they're first trying to get things under control.) Expanding public access both to stimulant medication and to addiction treatment could, imo, help more people live better lives (including both ADHD patients and people who don't have ADHD) and allow treatment of ADHD to focus more on people who actually have ADHD , and on all of the management aspects of living with ADHD (which are much harder and collectively at least as important as medication). (At the same time, under the policies the GP described, I would continue to consult with a psychiatrist, because adjusting psychoactive medications without professional assistance is a stupid thing to do.)
- TimTheTinker 5y ago
  Nicotine is a very effective ADHD med, and it's available over the counter. (No, I don't mean in tobacco.) I have inattentive ADHD and Aspergers, and wearing part of a nicotine patch for half the day really helps with focus issues. (Any longer and I don't sleep well, though.) I also take l-tyrosine and Avmacol, and drink tea. Since I started this regimen, my work performance went up significantly and I got a promotion to a position I'd been wanting for nearly a decade. My wife is also a bit less upset with me and I feel subjectively more able to think ahead and plan.
- schleck8 5y ago
  I don't even know how to respond to this. Do you think someone with depressive tendencies should be able to overdose? Please look up some of the package inserts. This isn't some globuli smartie medecine you are talking about. It's only legally available because the suffering caused by social isolation is less bearable than some of the side effects. You can be happy if you only get malnutrition from them, if you are unlucky you'll end up with chronic diseases or cancer
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- faeriechangling 5y ago
  You miss two of the biggest points of formal diagnosis. Legal rights to accommodation (IEP, workplace) and getting insurance/healthcare money. If an autistic person can’t hold down a job or even live independently only really being diagnosed offically will get them the support they need. I’ve had to ask for accommodation to have noise cancelling headphones in a certain workspace where I was unable to really focus and having my demands backed by legislation and a diagnosis made it much easier to demand that. On the point of medication though I largely agree, the current system is insanely paternalistic. Like having patients be forced to follow up with doctors about medications they’ve been on for 5 years. However society doesn’t truly want to deal with the true costs of freedom like somebody being able to easily legally acquire a lethal dose of anxiety meds.
drdec 5y ago
> I wish we could set aside the labels and say "I'm lazy and I want to buy therapy to help me deal with being lazy." You can absolutely go to a therapist and say exactly that. You won't be turned away. Generally therapists are more interested in helping people versus labeling people.
Tijdreiziger 5y ago
Are you sure it's not executive dysfunction, which can be a symptom of ADHD and/or autism? Your first paragraph sounds exactly how I'd describe myself before getting diagnosed with autism.
1_player 5y ago
I've spent all my adulthood thinking I'm lazy and something is wrong with me and I need to work harder at it. I can't be bothered to tell all my life story right now, but look into ADHD. It's been a revelation the moment I've learned my condition has a name and there is a chance for a normal life for me. Good luck

999900000999 5y ago

I'd take it a step further. Instead of forcing people to fabricate various illnesses to get performance enhancing medications, just make it over the counter. Antidepressants, over the counter. ADHD drugs, over the counter. Anti-anxiety drugs, over the counter. As long as you're at least 21, you should have the right to ingest whatever you want. I personally wouldn't recreationally take any of the above, but I think everyone has a right to make their own choices. In America there's a billion dollar industry in convincing everyone their broken. As far as I'm concerned I'm the best me I can be and that's it.

phil21 5y ago
I'm pretty libertarian on most political charts, but offering benzos to people OTC seems like one of the last things I'd be trying to legalize. If we had no drug enforcement whatsoever, sure. But as long as we do benzos may be one of the most dangerous forms of substances we have short of straight up opiods.
darepublic 5y ago
Ok sure but the notion that you are the best you you can be is also originating in America too
guerrilla 5y ago
The two of you sound like you're being dismissive of mental illnesses that cause immense suffering and are accusing people of just seeking attention or performance enhancing drugs. That's pretty fucked up.
- 999900000999 5y ago
  I'm not trying to be dismissive. Their are tons of people who really do need medication. Their are others who shop doctors to get the meds they want. For example, it's common for kids struggling in college to get an ADHD diagnosis so they can study for longer hours. As far as I'm concerned as long as your adult, ingest whatever you want. But I don't think being unable to study Chem for 12 hours a day is an illness. Why stop adults from doing what they want. No one stops you from rock climbing, even though that's also dangerous.
- pxc 5y ago
  I have ADHD and mostly agree with GP's proposal. ADHD medications don't really restore anyone to 'normal'. They're a compensatory measure ('performance enhancer') which is reserved only for some people mainly for bad reasons (the war on drugs, lack of public and accessible infrastructure for addiction treatment). They can be used to help people with certain deficits meet certain demands (typically productivity in work or school), but it's not like they counteract ADHD. They help with some aspects of the disorder (difficulty sustaining attention) and make other aspects of the disorder (difficulty being deliberate and judicious about when to switch tasks) worse. Gating them heavily behind many appointments and preventing pharmacies from providing any refills makes stimulant medications harder to access for people who have ADHD, especially during bad times when it's relatively poorly managed, which forms a vicious cycle. (ADHDers sometimes refer to the total fees associated with missed and late appointments and other such mishaps as 'the ADHD tax', and it's not unusual for that sum to exceed what an ADHD patient actually pays in copays, especially when they're first trying to get things under control.) Expanding public access both to stimulant medication and to addiction treatment could, imo, help more people live better lives (including both ADHD patients and people who don't have ADHD) and allow treatment of ADHD to focus more on people who actually have ADHD , and on all of the management aspects of living with ADHD (which are much harder and collectively at least as important as medication). (At the same time, under the policies the GP described, I would continue to consult with a psychiatrist, because adjusting psychoactive medications without professional assistance is a stupid thing to do.)
TimTheTinker 5y ago
Nicotine is a very effective ADHD med, and it's available over the counter. (No, I don't mean in tobacco.) I have inattentive ADHD and Aspergers, and wearing part of a nicotine patch for half the day really helps with focus issues. (Any longer and I don't sleep well, though.) I also take l-tyrosine and Avmacol, and drink tea. Since I started this regimen, my work performance went up significantly and I got a promotion to a position I'd been wanting for nearly a decade. My wife is also a bit less upset with me and I feel subjectively more able to think ahead and plan.
schleck8 5y ago
I don't even know how to respond to this. Do you think someone with depressive tendencies should be able to overdose? Please look up some of the package inserts. This isn't some globuli smartie medecine you are talking about. It's only legally available because the suffering caused by social isolation is less bearable than some of the side effects. You can be happy if you only get malnutrition from them, if you are unlucky you'll end up with chronic diseases or cancer
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
faeriechangling 5y ago
You miss two of the biggest points of formal diagnosis. Legal rights to accommodation (IEP, workplace) and getting insurance/healthcare money. If an autistic person can’t hold down a job or even live independently only really being diagnosed offically will get them the support they need. I’ve had to ask for accommodation to have noise cancelling headphones in a certain workspace where I was unable to really focus and having my demands backed by legislation and a diagnosis made it much easier to demand that. On the point of medication though I largely agree, the current system is insanely paternalistic. Like having patients be forced to follow up with doctors about medications they’ve been on for 5 years. However society doesn’t truly want to deal with the true costs of freedom like somebody being able to easily legally acquire a lethal dose of anxiety meds.

drdec 5y ago

> I wish we could set aside the labels and say "I'm lazy and I want to buy therapy to help me deal with being lazy." You can absolutely go to a therapist and say exactly that. You won't be turned away. Generally therapists are more interested in helping people versus labeling people.

Tijdreiziger 5y ago

Are you sure it's not executive dysfunction, which can be a symptom of ADHD and/or autism? Your first paragraph sounds exactly how I'd describe myself before getting diagnosed with autism.

1_player 5y ago

I've spent all my adulthood thinking I'm lazy and something is wrong with me and I need to work harder at it. I can't be bothered to tell all my life story right now, but look into ADHD. It's been a revelation the moment I've learned my condition has a name and there is a chance for a normal life for me. Good luck