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>All of the symptoms of ADHD are different areas of executive control. I am not sure what you mean. Isn't "executive control" involved in almost every behavior

>All of the symptoms of ADHD are different areas of executive control. I am not sure what you mean. Isn't "executive control" involved in almost every behavior? Why are the criteria used in ADHD diagnosis any more indicative of executive control than some other set of criteria I can come up with? Is being bored of people talking a sign of lack of control or a lack of interest? >I would argue that all people with ADHD generally also show all of the symptoms, All people show all the symptoms. Who has never lost their keys, day dreamed during a conversation, loses focuses in an activity, forget small details, etc. >yet I can’t stand up and walk without checking everything in my pockets like most people can. How do you know what most people do? I think checking your pockets is a fairly common normal behavior. Different people have different adaptations to solving this problem of making sure they have what they need when they go out. Some people may have developed the discipline from a young age for example of placing things at the same place everytime. Some people may be more risk tolerant or care free, so they may not devote so much attention to the consequences of losing things. Some people may be clean freaks, so they encounter where their things are more often as they clean, and having a clean space, are also able to find things more easily. Some people, in some circumstances may become anxious, overly excited, etc before going out, and lose track of these things. There's a million reasons for why someone does these things. These are all things that may even change by environment! I think the ADHD diagnosis can be harmful in that it makes people attribute all their behaviors to "Adhd" and makes them believe they are incapable of being changed. And this is all contingent on even trusting that you actually do forget things more often than most, which again I don't know why people are so sure about, and Im even more confused as to how a physician assesses this to be true.

afarviral 2y ago
As someone formerly diagnosed with ADHD I tend to agree with you, but I thought there were studies which found specific genes and brain structures common to many people diagnosed with ADHD, I need to look in to this. On symptoms alone the overlap between trauma-noise and ADHD means someone with C-PTSD may share the symptoms of ADHD and vice versa but psychologists need only be aware of the conditions which are often confused and find criteria to rule one or the other out. There's no doubt that many of disorders/conditions in the DSM need more work to make them as helpful as they can possibly be, and for the world to recognize that they are clusters of symptoms not true things with firm borders (unless they turn out to be through neuro-science). Once certain issues become recurrent/troublesome enough to seek a diagnosis I only hope the DSM aligns people to something which is helpful, whether it be pharmicological or developing coping strategies. Some may find it invalidating for their DSM diagnosis to be questioned but it's not an attack on the validity of their problems, only on what the labels are referring to.
_yb2s 2y ago
> Is being bored of people talking a sign of lack of control or a lack of interest? Being bored is a sign of lack of interest- being unable to focus anyways when it is boring but critically important, and you are choosing to try to focus on it but still can't would be a sign of ADHD. I hope this specific example illustrates what I mean about executive control, and answers your previous question as well. However, that is what connects the symptoms of ADHD- they are the most debilitating real world consequences or symptoms of a developmental delay in executive control. There are things other than ADHD that can permanently or temporarily inhibit executive control such as streptococcal infections and sleep deprivation, and cause a nearly identical list of symptoms. > I think the ADHD diagnosis can be harmful in that it makes people attribute all their behaviors to "Adhd" and makes them believe they are incapable of being changed. This is absolute nonsense, it's like saying that getting an X-ray is harmful, because if people know their leg is broken, it might make them think they can't walk on it like normal. ADHD is highly treatable, and there is now a huge community of people with books, podcasts, etc. that share practical tips that work for people with ADHD- when regular productivity tips typically don't. Personally, I was undiagnosed as a child and constantly abused and called a lazy slacker by adults for not doing what I was supposed to- I desperately wanted to, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I tried every productivity trick and study hack in dozens of books, and nothing worked at all, and I didn't understand why. As an adult, I have learned about practical tricks from other people with ADHD, as well as medication that let me finally focus on the things I choose to focus on. It transformed my life from being a living hell, to being a successful person with a good life. The ADHD diagnosis allowed me to understand why the things I was doing to change weren't working, and realize I wasn't the only person trying to fix this on my own, but there are proven strategies. The reality of ADHD can much more serious, and different than most people think, or the name implies. People with untreated ADHD have substantially shorter lifespans, have a huge number of other physical and mental health complications, and have a much lower quality of life. Yes, many people have mild versions of executive control challenges from time to time- and things like addictions and loss of sleep can cause them to be worse for anyone. However, it is a matter of degree, for people with ADHD these symptoms are much more severe and debilitating. For example, take the losing your keys thing... sure a lot of people lose their keys sometimes. I have a family member with ADHD living in a cold climate where she had to wear gloves to get to school, and she loses a pair of gloves everyday. It got to the point where she was spending so much on gloves that it was having a huge impact on her life. She was trying all types of strategies to not lose the gloves, yet none were working and she would still lose them. Most people, if they lose a pair of gloves, would then be able to pay extra attention, and not lose another pair the very next day.

afarviral 2y ago

As someone formerly diagnosed with ADHD I tend to agree with you, but I thought there were studies which found specific genes and brain structures common to many people diagnosed with ADHD, I need to look in to this. On symptoms alone the overlap between trauma-noise and ADHD means someone with C-PTSD may share the symptoms of ADHD and vice versa but psychologists need only be aware of the conditions which are often confused and find criteria to rule one or the other out. There's no doubt that many of disorders/conditions in the DSM need more work to make them as helpful as they can possibly be, and for the world to recognize that they are clusters of symptoms not true things with firm borders (unless they turn out to be through neuro-science). Once certain issues become recurrent/troublesome enough to seek a diagnosis I only hope the DSM aligns people to something which is helpful, whether it be pharmicological or developing coping strategies. Some may find it invalidating for their DSM diagnosis to be questioned but it's not an attack on the validity of their problems, only on what the labels are referring to.

_yb2s 2y ago

> Is being bored of people talking a sign of lack of control or a lack of interest? Being bored is a sign of lack of interest- being unable to focus anyways when it is boring but critically important, and you are choosing to try to focus on it but still can't would be a sign of ADHD. I hope this specific example illustrates what I mean about executive control, and answers your previous question as well. However, that is what connects the symptoms of ADHD- they are the most debilitating real world consequences or symptoms of a developmental delay in executive control. There are things other than ADHD that can permanently or temporarily inhibit executive control such as streptococcal infections and sleep deprivation, and cause a nearly identical list of symptoms. > I think the ADHD diagnosis can be harmful in that it makes people attribute all their behaviors to "Adhd" and makes them believe they are incapable of being changed. This is absolute nonsense, it's like saying that getting an X-ray is harmful, because if people know their leg is broken, it might make them think they can't walk on it like normal. ADHD is highly treatable, and there is now a huge community of people with books, podcasts, etc. that share practical tips that work for people with ADHD- when regular productivity tips typically don't. Personally, I was undiagnosed as a child and constantly abused and called a lazy slacker by adults for not doing what I was supposed to- I desperately wanted to, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I tried every productivity trick and study hack in dozens of books, and nothing worked at all, and I didn't understand why. As an adult, I have learned about practical tricks from other people with ADHD, as well as medication that let me finally focus on the things I choose to focus on. It transformed my life from being a living hell, to being a successful person with a good life. The ADHD diagnosis allowed me to understand why the things I was doing to change weren't working, and realize I wasn't the only person trying to fix this on my own, but there are proven strategies. The reality of ADHD can much more serious, and different than most people think, or the name implies. People with untreated ADHD have substantially shorter lifespans, have a huge number of other physical and mental health complications, and have a much lower quality of life. Yes, many people have mild versions of executive control challenges from time to time- and things like addictions and loss of sleep can cause them to be worse for anyone. However, it is a matter of degree, for people with ADHD these symptoms are much more severe and debilitating. For example, take the losing your keys thing... sure a lot of people lose their keys sometimes. I have a family member with ADHD living in a cold climate where she had to wear gloves to get to school, and she loses a pair of gloves everyday. It got to the point where she was spending so much on gloves that it was having a huge impact on her life. She was trying all types of strategies to not lose the gloves, yet none were working and she would still lose them. Most people, if they lose a pair of gloves, would then be able to pay extra attention, and not lose another pair the very next day.