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You don’t really sound like someone with ADHD to me. You sound like someone who is smart and gets bored with easy tasks. I’ve worked with kids with clinical ADH

by nvarsj 4y ago

You don’t really sound like someone with ADHD to me. You sound like someone who is smart and gets bored with easy tasks. I’ve worked with kids with clinical ADHD and it is very obvious to everyone involved. HN (and probably the Bay Area which usually is reflected here) has become a weird echo chamber of nerds all claiming they think they have ADHD. When really, it’s that smart people get bored very easily. And most of what we do in our jobs are boring. Of course, stimulants help with this - why do you think we all drink so much coffee. Prescription stims are even better and are well tolerated. The right western doc will happily diagnose and prescribe for ADHD regardless of the severity. I know ADHD is a spectrum, but I believe that diagnosis is only really warranted for those truly clinical - people who literally cannot hold any job at all and would be homeless otherwise. I guess there is the argument we should all just be allowed to take whatever drug we want and there is certainly merit to that. Even the most productive coders, writers, musicians etc talk about their struggles to stay focused. It takes grit and intense self discipline to sit for 8 hrs doing work that isn’t immediately satisfying. Most people can’t do this, it’s not abnormal. People goof off at work all the time in most jobs, because they can’t hold their attention for so long.

piva00 4y ago
I don't live in the Bay Area, I'm not American, I'm not going through this investigation to get medicated, I'm actively avoiding pursuing this path due to the impact that getting medicated with Aderall/Ritalin/etc. had on close friends. I have not yet been diagnosed with it but my therapist felt it was important after almost 3 years of therapy to check it. I believe my therapist has a bit more of insight into my mental health (and mental health in general) than a random HN comment. I appreciate your point of view but feel it can come off wrong, I have multiple signs that warranted from my therapist a deeper investigation and I will trust them. Again, I'm not looking into getting medicated to focus, I don't want to be constantly on speed to function. I feel like your kind of comment is exactly what made me not ever think about this. I can hold a job, I could do well in school (but not in university, at all), it's not because others might have it much worse than I do that I'm not worth to be checked on. You have no idea about the state of my mental health and struggles to be able to judge if I'm just smart and bored or if there is something else underlying it all. I just bring this up because I feel your comment comes from a good place of caring but it's ultimately unhelpful and, depending to who else you could have directed this comment, could be actively harmful.
- soylentcola 4y ago
  Thankfully, I don't feel like I am "on speed" at the dose I take. The goal was to increase the levels of neurotransmitters I'm not good at producing/not sensitive enough to while stopping short of noticeable stimulation. I honestly don't want to feel high or like I'm "tweaking out" because that's just as distracting. But the inability to maintain focus held me back for many, many years as my parents did not believe ADHD was a "thing". I didn't get medicated until I was in my 30s and it has made a world of difference. It's not a panacea and I still have my own tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. But it's more like wearing glasses instead of having to squint for my entire life. Sure, I'd survive without it, but it's a tool to somewhat make up for a biological shortcoming versus the accepted norm. I wish you luck in your pursuit of self improvement and I hope you discover effective ways to get closer to where you want to be. It's a good thing to explore and learn about for sure.
  - hirvi74 4y ago
    I find that hearing people talk about their experiences with ADHD really damaged my initial outlook on the disorder. I have it too, and to be honest, I kind of expected a panacea by how people -- even professionals -- talk about treatment. According to various sources, ADHD is the single most treatable psychiatric condition. But I guess what I expected from treatment, and what technically constitutes as treatment were misaligned.
- Melatonic 4y ago
  Thankfully there are also other drugs being researched for people who cannot tolerate some drugs well - I believe they are looking at Fascoracetam in Japan for children. I also do really believe we should be meditating more or something similar - when I try to read a novel these days (even one I am interested in) I find it is significantly more difficult to do it than it was when I was much younger and had generally lower reading comprehension.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- nvarsj 4y ago
Melatonic 4y ago
There are also many types of ADHD and also severity - a spectrum like you say. Probably everyone with it do not need major medication. But it is still probably valuable to diagnose everyone who is so they can properly develop habits to aid it. The biggest thing I ask people about is the executive function aspect. Are you simply getting distracted because you are bored or do you also find you have tasks you legitimately WANT to do but for some reason your executive function does not allow you do it. That seems to be (as a lay person) the biggest tell for someone who actually has ADHD.
firecall 4y ago
Totally agree with all of that! I’m nearly fifty and got diagnosed with ADHD about five years ago. I got expelled from school at 15 for just never showing up. Despite being one of the smartest kids in school, I would do so well I a new class and then it would tank badly. I’ve never held a job for more than 18 months. I’ve had the benefit of being a well spoken good looking white man that interviews like a god and is very good at writing a resume, plus I had good people in my corner giving me excellent references. In a booming job market, getting work was easy enough. But my life was going off the rails. Depression. Risk taking behaviour. Anti social issues and so on. Saw a GP for serious cyclical depression issues. I was self medicating with caffeine and flu meds. She said have you considered you might have ADHD? I hadn’t considered it all. Got referred to a specialist. He said it’s very hard to get diagnosed with ADHD later in life. 90 minutes later after my life history we started a trial on Ritalin! Overall - ADHD is a curse. It’s not a super power. And Ritalin, Adderall etc… are not miracles. I could write a book on my experiences….

by nvarsj 4y ago

piva00 4y ago

I don't live in the Bay Area, I'm not American, I'm not going through this investigation to get medicated, I'm actively avoiding pursuing this path due to the impact that getting medicated with Aderall/Ritalin/etc. had on close friends. I have not yet been diagnosed with it but my therapist felt it was important after almost 3 years of therapy to check it. I believe my therapist has a bit more of insight into my mental health (and mental health in general) than a random HN comment. I appreciate your point of view but feel it can come off wrong, I have multiple signs that warranted from my therapist a deeper investigation and I will trust them. Again, I'm not looking into getting medicated to focus, I don't want to be constantly on speed to function. I feel like your kind of comment is exactly what made me not ever think about this. I can hold a job, I could do well in school (but not in university, at all), it's not because others might have it much worse than I do that I'm not worth to be checked on. You have no idea about the state of my mental health and struggles to be able to judge if I'm just smart and bored or if there is something else underlying it all. I just bring this up because I feel your comment comes from a good place of caring but it's ultimately unhelpful and, depending to who else you could have directed this comment, could be actively harmful.

soylentcola 4y ago
Thankfully, I don't feel like I am "on speed" at the dose I take. The goal was to increase the levels of neurotransmitters I'm not good at producing/not sensitive enough to while stopping short of noticeable stimulation. I honestly don't want to feel high or like I'm "tweaking out" because that's just as distracting. But the inability to maintain focus held me back for many, many years as my parents did not believe ADHD was a "thing". I didn't get medicated until I was in my 30s and it has made a world of difference. It's not a panacea and I still have my own tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. But it's more like wearing glasses instead of having to squint for my entire life. Sure, I'd survive without it, but it's a tool to somewhat make up for a biological shortcoming versus the accepted norm. I wish you luck in your pursuit of self improvement and I hope you discover effective ways to get closer to where you want to be. It's a good thing to explore and learn about for sure.
- hirvi74 4y ago
  I find that hearing people talk about their experiences with ADHD really damaged my initial outlook on the disorder. I have it too, and to be honest, I kind of expected a panacea by how people -- even professionals -- talk about treatment. According to various sources, ADHD is the single most treatable psychiatric condition. But I guess what I expected from treatment, and what technically constitutes as treatment were misaligned.
Melatonic 4y ago
Thankfully there are also other drugs being researched for people who cannot tolerate some drugs well - I believe they are looking at Fascoracetam in Japan for children. I also do really believe we should be meditating more or something similar - when I try to read a novel these days (even one I am interested in) I find it is significantly more difficult to do it than it was when I was much younger and had generally lower reading comprehension.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
nvarsj 4y ago

Melatonic 4y ago

There are also many types of ADHD and also severity - a spectrum like you say. Probably everyone with it do not need major medication. But it is still probably valuable to diagnose everyone who is so they can properly develop habits to aid it. The biggest thing I ask people about is the executive function aspect. Are you simply getting distracted because you are bored or do you also find you have tasks you legitimately WANT to do but for some reason your executive function does not allow you do it. That seems to be (as a lay person) the biggest tell for someone who actually has ADHD.

firecall 4y ago

Totally agree with all of that! I’m nearly fifty and got diagnosed with ADHD about five years ago. I got expelled from school at 15 for just never showing up. Despite being one of the smartest kids in school, I would do so well I a new class and then it would tank badly. I’ve never held a job for more than 18 months. I’ve had the benefit of being a well spoken good looking white man that interviews like a god and is very good at writing a resume, plus I had good people in my corner giving me excellent references. In a booming job market, getting work was easy enough. But my life was going off the rails. Depression. Risk taking behaviour. Anti social issues and so on. Saw a GP for serious cyclical depression issues. I was self medicating with caffeine and flu meds. She said have you considered you might have ADHD? I hadn’t considered it all. Got referred to a specialist. He said it’s very hard to get diagnosed with ADHD later in life. 90 minutes later after my life history we started a trial on Ritalin! Overall - ADHD is a curse. It’s not a super power. And Ritalin, Adderall etc… are not miracles. I could write a book on my experiences….