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I have ADHD (inattentive), and wasn't diagnosed until I was in my mid 20s - I somehow managed to graduate from university. I attribute the countless all-nighter
by TrackerFF 3y ago
I have ADHD (inattentive), and wasn't diagnosed until I was in my mid 20s - I somehow managed to graduate from university. I attribute the countless all-nighters for that. I never tried ADHD meds before I was officially diagnosed, but I good chunk of my classmates would regularly use meds in the days / weeks leading to exams, so that they could cram for 12 hours.
From experience, the different drugs available can feel wildly different on me - so I'm going to assume that would also be valid for the non-ADHD users?
But, anyway, looking back - the playing field def seemed uneven. How on earth are unmedicated neurodivergent going to compete against "enhanced" healthy people - it's like playing football with crutches, while your opponent is not only healthy, but also using steroids.
EDIT: And, yes, I'm sure some % of the students that perform better when using meds may have some underlying/undiagnosed condition.
- culi 3y agoI think you have a very simplified view of how ADHD and stimulants work. There's no actual research to back up the oft-repeated claim that stimulants affect people with an ADHD diagnosis differently from those without one. Actually the one bit of research I found suggests the exact opposite—that stimulants negatively impact the productivity and concentration of people without ADHD https://www.healthline.com/health-news/if-you-dont-have-adhd-ritalin-and-similar-drugs-may-hurt-your-concentration https://www.healthline.com/health-news/if-you-dont-have-adhd...
- TrackerFF 3y agoSo the implication is that there must be millions of students out there that are experiencing placebo effects from taking stimulants? Because there is practically an endless supply of feedback out there, from "normal" students, that report their ability to study/focus/cram going up, when using ADHD meds.
- anonymoushn 3y agoIf they negatively impact productivity and concentration for people without ADHD, and they affect people with and without ADHD diagnoses the same way, do they negatively impact productivity and concentration for people with ADHD?
- astrange 3y agoThey both positively and negatively affect all people at different doses. The question is what the best dose is.
- culi 3y agoPeople seem to be focused on the study I cited rather than what my comment was saying overall. It's just one study with a sample size of 40. My point in including it was to show how variable (and generally lacking) research results are about the effects people feel from these substances.