4 ms·

I think the drugs thing is more common than anyone wants to admit. Of course caffeine is huge, but we had a 10x type programmer who suddenly went full 180 degr

I think the drugs thing is more common than anyone wants to admit. Of course caffeine is huge, but we had a 10x type programmer who suddenly went full 180 degrees. Turns out he stopped taking his Adderall. My company tried to hide it by saying "mental illness". That's still the official message, despite everyone next to him knowing full well what happened. >Until that guy burns out and crashes I see this most with new grads. The company knows their enthusiasm and ignorance to red tape and how disposable they are. They use these new grads on the worst jobs, long hours, terrible work experience, or thankless. The new grads do a decent job, but become disenchanted because their hard work wasn't rewarded either professionally with a promotion, or never made an impact on the company. --- I genuinely don't know what to do with over productive people. They are going to be disappointed. Although I'll take one at my current company, we have a backlog!

fire 4y ago
do you happen to know if they were ADHD and it was prescribed meds? The effects of my ADHD were pretty severe before I got a diagnosis and was able to start stimulant meds, and when I run out it comes back in force. With how difficult it can be to do anything with an executive dysfunction disorder ( what ADHD is ), I can totally see someone being fine on their meds, running out, and then being super unproductive as they also navigate scheduling mandated check-ins with a medical professional so they can get a refill ( it can be a huge pain in the ass )
- jknutson 4y ago
  I feel what you mean. I have ADHD as well, and similar to as the poster above mentioned, I really do feel like I am batting quite far out of my league in terms of quality of work to years of experience… but only when I am taking my medication before I start my working days. When I am without it, I honestly believe I am the least productive member of my team. Anecdotally, I kind of relate (diagnosed & managed) ADHD as being somewhat similar to Bipolar Disorder, but applied to the attention span instead of to the mood. When I am capable of working (either once in a blue moon off my meds, or anytime I’m on my meds), I can clearly see that I outperform for my experience level. Without the meds, it’s the opposite. When I’m “on”, I’m more “on” than my colleagues, but vice versa for when I’m “off”. The peaks and valleys to my attention span and productivity are far more intense than my peers.
Nevermark 4y ago
This is why I will never stop taking my Adderall! (Actually, this is why I only take Adderall on days it will make a noticeable difference. The symptoms it corrects don’t need daily doses, and intermittent use preserves my therapeutic response to it AND my ability to function without it. Use drugs wisely!)

fire 4y ago

do you happen to know if they were ADHD and it was prescribed meds? The effects of my ADHD were pretty severe before I got a diagnosis and was able to start stimulant meds, and when I run out it comes back in force. With how difficult it can be to do anything with an executive dysfunction disorder ( what ADHD is ), I can totally see someone being fine on their meds, running out, and then being super unproductive as they also navigate scheduling mandated check-ins with a medical professional so they can get a refill ( it can be a huge pain in the ass )

jknutson 4y ago
I feel what you mean. I have ADHD as well, and similar to as the poster above mentioned, I really do feel like I am batting quite far out of my league in terms of quality of work to years of experience… but only when I am taking my medication before I start my working days. When I am without it, I honestly believe I am the least productive member of my team. Anecdotally, I kind of relate (diagnosed & managed) ADHD as being somewhat similar to Bipolar Disorder, but applied to the attention span instead of to the mood. When I am capable of working (either once in a blue moon off my meds, or anytime I’m on my meds), I can clearly see that I outperform for my experience level. Without the meds, it’s the opposite. When I’m “on”, I’m more “on” than my colleagues, but vice versa for when I’m “off”. The peaks and valleys to my attention span and productivity are far more intense than my peers.

Nevermark 4y ago

This is why I will never stop taking my Adderall! (Actually, this is why I only take Adderall on days it will make a noticeable difference. The symptoms it corrects don’t need daily doses, and intermittent use preserves my therapeutic response to it AND my ability to function without it. Use drugs wisely!)