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25% of Adults Suspect Undiagnosed ADHD

15 points by m463 2y ago

AIFounder 2y ago
[dead]
navjack27 2y ago
You know what's a really ADHD oppositional Defiant disorder thing? I was diagnosed when I was two and all of this rapid new diagnosis and people wanting to be diagnosed now is making me want to not be diagnosed anymore extremely badly. I can't help it. It's my gut impulse reaction to not want to be associated with this thing that everyone wants to be associated with. It's annoying. ( The it's annoying part is my reaction ( Meaning that I am annoyed that this is my reaction. ), not the fact that others are being diagnosed by the way. ) I'm glad a majority of people are actually getting help with this. Don't get me wrong. But it's just something I've noticed inside my head since this has been going on and becoming more and more of a thing over the past 5 years. Edit: Sure love getting downvoted because I'm speaking about my own subjective experience in life as of recently. You think I don't know with 36 years of experience about my own mental facilities and I'm not growing every single day of my life learning more about myself. I know ADHD isn't a oppositional defiant disorder, but I know what I'm saying, okay?
- grugagag 2y ago
  ADHD and oppositional Defiant disorder are not quite the same thing. The former is a lot more common than the latter. Sure they could be comorbid in some cases…
  - navjack27 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - numeri 2y ago
      My take on this: You're absolutely allowed to speak on your experience, but you should also take the feedback at face value and try to figure out whether it's useful or not. Plenty of feedback here on HN is good, but of course there's also plenty that misses the mark. That being said, an ADHD diagnosis at the age of 2 goes against all current best practices, so it might be good to revisit the subject and ask to be evaluated again. Even in the likely case that it's confirmed, you might get additional support, advice or diagnoses that can help you in the future.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
    - squigz 2y ago
      I wouldn't take it so personally when someone disagrees with you and downvotes you.
- smokeydoe 2y ago
  Diagnosed when you were two? That doesn’t sound right. I’m assuming this was during the ritalin craze. I’m extremely curious what that test looked like, do you know? Was it like this? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iqItINoE5xc https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iqItINoE5xc
  - navjack27 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - smokeydoe 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - navjack27 2y ago
        [flagged]
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        Dylan16807 2y ago
        > Deleted this is highly annoying Wow! Don't do this! Especially because you did this in multiple, separate conversations.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
- adastra22 2y ago
  ADHD isn’t diagnosable at age two… Oppositional Defiant Syndrome is something else.
  - navjack27 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - adastra22 2y ago
      American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines does not permit diagnosis of ADHD before age 4. None of the commonly used assessments would apply to such a young age anyway. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/144/4/e20192528/81590/Clinical-Practice-Guideline-for-the-Diagnosis https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/144/4/e20192...
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- TomK32 2y ago
  No one will stop you from freshing up your diagnosis, even if it's just to figure how severe your symptoms are compared to those diagnosed at a later age. Just like Autism, it's a wide spectrum, some are worse, some are mild, some cope a lot better or have to right support around them to function better. Don't feel bad about it, make an OG ADHD or pepperridge farm remembers meme instead :-)
dexwiz 2y ago
Title is a bit misleading. 25% of adults self diagnosed themselves with ADHD while diagnosis rates of adults are actually 4.4%. For myself and others, depression manifests itself as ADHD like symptoms. Something anxious takes up residence in my mind, and until it’s resolved, it can dominate all other thoughts. Combined with a million distractions, and I seem to loose all ability to focus on what I want. But in reality I am just focusing, or avoiding focussing, on something else. We are not machines. Concepts like willpower lead people to believe they can just choose to focus on what they want, when they want without concern for what’s going on in their lives. Mindfulness is a step in the right direction, but it is not a panacea alone. You still have to address what you discover through self reflection.
- adastra22 2y ago
  I don’t mean to be critical, but as someone with actual diagnosed ADHD it is kinda annoying. When I got diagnosed I did my research online about what to expect, and it was frustrating (and confusing) just how many blogs were talking about symptoms I could not relate with at all. Eventually I figured out these people were discussing coping with depression, and it was disheartening that they probably are still not treating their underlying illness appropriately.
  - smokeydoe 2y ago
    Actual diagnosis? Did you answer “very often” to “How often do you have difficulty keeping your attention when you are doing boring or repetitive work?” Maybe we shouldn’t be going around convincing ourselves we have a disorder we may or may not have. Blaming ADHD and hindering ourselves more. That being said, if medication helps you thats a good thing.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - adastra22 2y ago
      Yes, actual diagnosis. As an adult, after it already destroyed my marriage and career.
smokeydoe 2y ago
[flagged]
- navjack27 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - smokeydoe 2y ago
    Let’s assume you’re right and it definitely “leads to A boost in all of the neuro pathways that are physiologically underdeveloped”. Can we think about the other side effects of amphetamine on a child? Nevermind sleep, malnutrition, overstimulating nervous system, cardiovascular damage (from nih, please search). You are physically and permanently changing your child's brain chemistry, or “who they are”. I’m not saying this should never ever be done, but it should be considered a very extreme and desperate solution.
    - LeafItAlone 2y ago
      An abnormal percentage of your HN comments are anti-ADHD/treatment. What’s the reason for this? Why do you have such strong feelings on the topic?
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
  - dang 2y ago
    Please don't gut comments like this—it's not fair to the users who replied, nor to readers who can no longer follow the thread. I realize that internet discussions can be annoying and everyone goes on tilt sometimes, but you broke the site guidelines quite badly in this thread (as did others). If it were a one-off, I wouldn't mention this, but you've broken the guidelines in other places too—for example https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415931 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415931. We have to ban accounts that attack other users—let alone attacking kids who are sharing their work on the site. That was extremely nasty of you. Please don't do that again. Your comments are mostly just fine and I don't want to ban you, so if you'd If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules from now on, we'd appreciate it.
aaron695 2y ago
[dead]
sheepybloke 2y ago
My wife was diagnosed with ADHD when she was very young, and this rise of people believing they have ADHD is something we talk about a lot. We think most of this comes from social media and ADHD memes. Many of the memes touch on things that are connected with being ADHD, but are more so just things that are human or are about living in the modern age with distractions and entertainment. People connect with these memes, and then have something that they can blame for when they forget to do the laundry or get distracted doing the dishes. Like dexwiz says, we are not machines! And I think with the rise of social media and these relatable memes, it provides the perfect scapegoat for the distraction that is modern life.
- jokoon 2y ago
  I have the conspiracy theory that big pharma is pushing those memes, and also psychedelics studies, to gain momentum. Astroturfing is a real marketing technique
  - smittywerben 2y ago
    My apologies but I'd like to carve out the ADHD medication here saying that most people are misinformed. The same lawyer who did the "big tobacco" and "asbestos" lawsuits pushed the big Ritalin thing. They filed several class actions and all of them were shut down hard in court, which might have been a surprise to them given their previous success. The sleazy lawyers never undid the damage. My conspiracy theory is ADHD meds conflict with the law industry's whole "ambulance chasing" business. They don't want people to drive safe on their meds so they don't fix it. It's probably just laziness because the law industry being overpaid and scummy pretend legal system failed to self-regulate their professionals.
- m463 2y ago
  I wonder if it is like people saying "I have OCD" when they want things "just so" or do minor things like closing their car window after parking.
  - sheepybloke 2y ago
darthrupert 2y ago
Anxious Generation grows.
gotoeleven 2y ago
ADHD is the "Im not fat I'm big boned" of stupidity.

15 points by m463 2y ago

[dead]

You know what's a really ADHD oppositional Defiant disorder thing? I was diagnosed when I was two and all of this rapid new diagnosis and people wanting to be diagnosed now is making me want to not be diagnosed anymore extremely badly. I can't help it. It's my gut impulse reaction to not want to be associated with this thing that everyone wants to be associated with. It's annoying. ( The it's annoying part is my reaction ( Meaning that I am annoyed that this is my reaction. ), not the fact that others are being diagnosed by the way. ) I'm glad a majority of people are actually getting help with this. Don't get me wrong. But it's just something I've noticed inside my head since this has been going on and becoming more and more of a thing over the past 5 years. Edit: Sure love getting downvoted because I'm speaking about my own subjective experience in life as of recently. You think I don't know with 36 years of experience about my own mental facilities and I'm not growing every single day of my life learning more about myself. I know ADHD isn't a oppositional defiant disorder, but I know what I'm saying, okay?

grugagag 2y ago
ADHD and oppositional Defiant disorder are not quite the same thing. The former is a lot more common than the latter. Sure they could be comorbid in some cases…
- navjack27 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - numeri 2y ago
    My take on this: You're absolutely allowed to speak on your experience, but you should also take the feedback at face value and try to figure out whether it's useful or not. Plenty of feedback here on HN is good, but of course there's also plenty that misses the mark. That being said, an ADHD diagnosis at the age of 2 goes against all current best practices, so it might be good to revisit the subject and ask to be evaluated again. Even in the likely case that it's confirmed, you might get additional support, advice or diagnoses that can help you in the future.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
  - squigz 2y ago
    I wouldn't take it so personally when someone disagrees with you and downvotes you.
smokeydoe 2y ago
Diagnosed when you were two? That doesn’t sound right. I’m assuming this was during the ritalin craze. I’m extremely curious what that test looked like, do you know? Was it like this? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iqItINoE5xc https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iqItINoE5xc
- navjack27 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - smokeydoe 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - navjack27 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - Dylan16807 2y ago
        > Deleted this is highly annoying Wow! Don't do this! Especially because you did this in multiple, separate conversations.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
adastra22 2y ago
ADHD isn’t diagnosable at age two… Oppositional Defiant Syndrome is something else.
- navjack27 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - adastra22 2y ago
    American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines does not permit diagnosis of ADHD before age 4. None of the commonly used assessments would apply to such a young age anyway. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/144/4/e20192528/81590/Clinical-Practice-Guideline-for-the-Diagnosis https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/144/4/e20192...
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
TomK32 2y ago
No one will stop you from freshing up your diagnosis, even if it's just to figure how severe your symptoms are compared to those diagnosed at a later age. Just like Autism, it's a wide spectrum, some are worse, some are mild, some cope a lot better or have to right support around them to function better. Don't feel bad about it, make an OG ADHD or pepperridge farm remembers meme instead :-)

dexwiz 2y ago

Title is a bit misleading. 25% of adults self diagnosed themselves with ADHD while diagnosis rates of adults are actually 4.4%. For myself and others, depression manifests itself as ADHD like symptoms. Something anxious takes up residence in my mind, and until it’s resolved, it can dominate all other thoughts. Combined with a million distractions, and I seem to loose all ability to focus on what I want. But in reality I am just focusing, or avoiding focussing, on something else. We are not machines. Concepts like willpower lead people to believe they can just choose to focus on what they want, when they want without concern for what’s going on in their lives. Mindfulness is a step in the right direction, but it is not a panacea alone. You still have to address what you discover through self reflection.

adastra22 2y ago
I don’t mean to be critical, but as someone with actual diagnosed ADHD it is kinda annoying. When I got diagnosed I did my research online about what to expect, and it was frustrating (and confusing) just how many blogs were talking about symptoms I could not relate with at all. Eventually I figured out these people were discussing coping with depression, and it was disheartening that they probably are still not treating their underlying illness appropriately.
- smokeydoe 2y ago
  Actual diagnosis? Did you answer “very often” to “How often do you have difficulty keeping your attention when you are doing boring or repetitive work?” Maybe we shouldn’t be going around convincing ourselves we have a disorder we may or may not have. Blaming ADHD and hindering ourselves more. That being said, if medication helps you thats a good thing.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - adastra22 2y ago
    Yes, actual diagnosis. As an adult, after it already destroyed my marriage and career.

smokeydoe 2y ago

[flagged]

navjack27 2y ago
[flagged]
- smokeydoe 2y ago
  Let’s assume you’re right and it definitely “leads to A boost in all of the neuro pathways that are physiologically underdeveloped”. Can we think about the other side effects of amphetamine on a child? Nevermind sleep, malnutrition, overstimulating nervous system, cardiovascular damage (from nih, please search). You are physically and permanently changing your child's brain chemistry, or “who they are”. I’m not saying this should never ever be done, but it should be considered a very extreme and desperate solution.
  - LeafItAlone 2y ago
    An abnormal percentage of your HN comments are anti-ADHD/treatment. What’s the reason for this? Why do you have such strong feelings on the topic?
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
- dang 2y ago
  Please don't gut comments like this—it's not fair to the users who replied, nor to readers who can no longer follow the thread. I realize that internet discussions can be annoying and everyone goes on tilt sometimes, but you broke the site guidelines quite badly in this thread (as did others). If it were a one-off, I wouldn't mention this, but you've broken the guidelines in other places too—for example https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415931 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415931. We have to ban accounts that attack other users—let alone attacking kids who are sharing their work on the site. That was extremely nasty of you. Please don't do that again. Your comments are mostly just fine and I don't want to ban you, so if you'd If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules from now on, we'd appreciate it.

aaron695 2y ago

[dead]

sheepybloke 2y ago

My wife was diagnosed with ADHD when she was very young, and this rise of people believing they have ADHD is something we talk about a lot. We think most of this comes from social media and ADHD memes. Many of the memes touch on things that are connected with being ADHD, but are more so just things that are human or are about living in the modern age with distractions and entertainment. People connect with these memes, and then have something that they can blame for when they forget to do the laundry or get distracted doing the dishes. Like dexwiz says, we are not machines! And I think with the rise of social media and these relatable memes, it provides the perfect scapegoat for the distraction that is modern life.

jokoon 2y ago
I have the conspiracy theory that big pharma is pushing those memes, and also psychedelics studies, to gain momentum. Astroturfing is a real marketing technique
- smittywerben 2y ago
  My apologies but I'd like to carve out the ADHD medication here saying that most people are misinformed. The same lawyer who did the "big tobacco" and "asbestos" lawsuits pushed the big Ritalin thing. They filed several class actions and all of them were shut down hard in court, which might have been a surprise to them given their previous success. The sleazy lawyers never undid the damage. My conspiracy theory is ADHD meds conflict with the law industry's whole "ambulance chasing" business. They don't want people to drive safe on their meds so they don't fix it. It's probably just laziness because the law industry being overpaid and scummy pretend legal system failed to self-regulate their professionals.
m463 2y ago
I wonder if it is like people saying "I have OCD" when they want things "just so" or do minor things like closing their car window after parking.
- sheepybloke 2y ago

darthrupert 2y ago

Anxious Generation grows.

gotoeleven 2y ago

ADHD is the "Im not fat I'm big boned" of stupidity.