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How does somebody tell if they actually have ADHD or they are just easily distracted? Isn't "Do they respond to ADHD medication?" our only test?

throwaway98031 12y ago
> Isn't "Do they respond to ADHD medication?" our only test? No, absolutely not. It's a common internet myth that response to ADHD medication is indicative of ADHD. In reality, nearly anyone who takes ADHD medication acutely will experience increased focus and productivity (again, acutely) due to the acute (pre-tolerance build-up) effects of the drugs. Additionally, new users experience a short-lived euphoria that convinces many people that they need a stimulant to feel "normal," when in fact they're just experiencing the initial euphoric effects of the drug. Be warned that the euphoria fades and, more importantly, does not return without abusing dosing schedules. ADHD marketing materials combined with pop-psychiatry have stretched the definition of ADHD to encompass nearly anyone. It's trivial to find low-grade internet forums in which users believe that anything and everything is a symptom of ADHD. You can even find a large number of people who believe that something called "hyperfocus" (being able to focus very intently on one thing for a long period of time) is a symptom of ADHD, believe it or not. Of course, the term "hyperfocus" does not appear in ADHD medical literature or any ADHD studies. ADHD is a complex disorder, and the modern world can (and does) drive people in to ADHD-like states with all of the distractions available to us. The single best approach to dealing with this is to pursue constant discipline and self-monitoring, in order to train yourself back to a healthier mental process. ADHD medications can help people implement those disciplines and healthy processes, but they don't actually substitute for proper habits. It's not uncommon for people to pop Adderall expecting their ADHD to disappear, only to be drawn in to extended video game or web-browsing sessions that are in no way productive. So my advice would be to make efforts to structure your life in ways to minimize distractions and hold yourself accountable for your results. Realize that everyone is distracted in modern life, but that's not necessarily indicative of a disease. Stimulant medications are not to be taken lightly, and you're best avoiding them long-term if possible.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- afarrell 12y ago
  To be clear: I'm getting that from a psychiatrist and a psychologist that I've seen. Of course they would have an economic incentive to over-diagnose. Do you happen to know what one actually does in order to "pursue constant discipline and self-monitoring"? Mindfulness meditation is not really that effective, but I might have been doing it wrong. Running in the morning seems to have had some effect but I can't yet tell. The only things that have been effective have been applying external constraints by: - Getting married to someone willing to yell at me for getting distracted. - Installing http://selfcontrolapp.com/ http://selfcontrolapp.com/ and putting it on before I go to bed. - Putting my smartphone near a co-worker's desk when I get in in the morning. - Making sure my monitor faces out towards the common area so someone could look over my shoulder. - Keeping a lab notebook so that I can remember the state in my head if I do get distracted. - During meetings, pushing people to be very clear on what problem we are trying to solve. It works okay. I am a fairly productive engineer as long as I am on a team where I can succeed at that last bit. But I've never been able to get rid of the internal urge to check my email or HN or Twitter. Or worse, to look things up about, for example, the role that the Harlem Hellfighters and other WWI vets played in the Civil Rights movement of the 1920's and 30's. So whenever I have a weekend to myself to work on projects in my spare time, I don't get anything done and I haven't known how to even make progress toward fixing that.
  - ktsmith 12y ago
    > Of course they would have an economic incentive to over-diagnose. Why would your Dr have an economic incentive to over-diagnose? I was diagnosed a year ago with ADHD and I have tried every self-discipline technique you can think of without success. The quantified self just becomes an effort in futility and depression when you see where you are wasting time, actively try to correct it and still fail. I saw my Dr every six weeks initially when trying out medications. I see my Dr. every three months now instead of six months so that I can have my prescription renewed as she can only issue three one month non-refillable prescriptions but that's a tiny amount of additional money my Dr. is getting. I suppose if the Dr. is diagnosing this on a large scale the volume adds up but it just doesn't seem worth it. Especially with the changes to schedule II drugs and their prescription/distribution in the U.S. I've been medicated for the last year and it's been a life changing experience. My own day sounds similar to what you describe below as far as the distractions go. I cut down to two monitors instead of three as I was using the third for just email and other communication tools. I now hide those on a virtual desktop. I do occasionally miss the third when I have a code window on one, and an output/debugging window on the other when having all three full screen would be easier but that's about it. I only let communication apps send me notifications once an hour instead of in real time which helps. I also have scheduled blocks where the notifications are blocked on my phone and computer except for specific people which is a new feature of Android 5 that I really like (Priority notifications). The medication has helped me build a routine and stick with it, and I'm hoping that when I decide I'm ready to try going off of it full time I will be better able to continue that trend. I don't believe for a minute that I will be able to eliminate all of it completely but I hope that I will be better prepared to handle it.
bulletsvshumans 12y ago
I'd start with the DSM-V criteria for ADHD [1]. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html
- afarrell 12y ago
  I've read that.

throwaway98031 12y ago

> Isn't "Do they respond to ADHD medication?" our only test? No, absolutely not. It's a common internet myth that response to ADHD medication is indicative of ADHD. In reality, nearly anyone who takes ADHD medication acutely will experience increased focus and productivity (again, acutely) due to the acute (pre-tolerance build-up) effects of the drugs. Additionally, new users experience a short-lived euphoria that convinces many people that they need a stimulant to feel "normal," when in fact they're just experiencing the initial euphoric effects of the drug. Be warned that the euphoria fades and, more importantly, does not return without abusing dosing schedules. ADHD marketing materials combined with pop-psychiatry have stretched the definition of ADHD to encompass nearly anyone. It's trivial to find low-grade internet forums in which users believe that anything and everything is a symptom of ADHD. You can even find a large number of people who believe that something called "hyperfocus" (being able to focus very intently on one thing for a long period of time) is a symptom of ADHD, believe it or not. Of course, the term "hyperfocus" does not appear in ADHD medical literature or any ADHD studies. ADHD is a complex disorder, and the modern world can (and does) drive people in to ADHD-like states with all of the distractions available to us. The single best approach to dealing with this is to pursue constant discipline and self-monitoring, in order to train yourself back to a healthier mental process. ADHD medications can help people implement those disciplines and healthy processes, but they don't actually substitute for proper habits. It's not uncommon for people to pop Adderall expecting their ADHD to disappear, only to be drawn in to extended video game or web-browsing sessions that are in no way productive. So my advice would be to make efforts to structure your life in ways to minimize distractions and hold yourself accountable for your results. Realize that everyone is distracted in modern life, but that's not necessarily indicative of a disease. Stimulant medications are not to be taken lightly, and you're best avoiding them long-term if possible.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
afarrell 12y ago
To be clear: I'm getting that from a psychiatrist and a psychologist that I've seen. Of course they would have an economic incentive to over-diagnose. Do you happen to know what one actually does in order to "pursue constant discipline and self-monitoring"? Mindfulness meditation is not really that effective, but I might have been doing it wrong. Running in the morning seems to have had some effect but I can't yet tell. The only things that have been effective have been applying external constraints by: - Getting married to someone willing to yell at me for getting distracted. - Installing http://selfcontrolapp.com/ http://selfcontrolapp.com/ and putting it on before I go to bed. - Putting my smartphone near a co-worker's desk when I get in in the morning. - Making sure my monitor faces out towards the common area so someone could look over my shoulder. - Keeping a lab notebook so that I can remember the state in my head if I do get distracted. - During meetings, pushing people to be very clear on what problem we are trying to solve. It works okay. I am a fairly productive engineer as long as I am on a team where I can succeed at that last bit. But I've never been able to get rid of the internal urge to check my email or HN or Twitter. Or worse, to look things up about, for example, the role that the Harlem Hellfighters and other WWI vets played in the Civil Rights movement of the 1920's and 30's. So whenever I have a weekend to myself to work on projects in my spare time, I don't get anything done and I haven't known how to even make progress toward fixing that.
- ktsmith 12y ago
  > Of course they would have an economic incentive to over-diagnose. Why would your Dr have an economic incentive to over-diagnose? I was diagnosed a year ago with ADHD and I have tried every self-discipline technique you can think of without success. The quantified self just becomes an effort in futility and depression when you see where you are wasting time, actively try to correct it and still fail. I saw my Dr every six weeks initially when trying out medications. I see my Dr. every three months now instead of six months so that I can have my prescription renewed as she can only issue three one month non-refillable prescriptions but that's a tiny amount of additional money my Dr. is getting. I suppose if the Dr. is diagnosing this on a large scale the volume adds up but it just doesn't seem worth it. Especially with the changes to schedule II drugs and their prescription/distribution in the U.S. I've been medicated for the last year and it's been a life changing experience. My own day sounds similar to what you describe below as far as the distractions go. I cut down to two monitors instead of three as I was using the third for just email and other communication tools. I now hide those on a virtual desktop. I do occasionally miss the third when I have a code window on one, and an output/debugging window on the other when having all three full screen would be easier but that's about it. I only let communication apps send me notifications once an hour instead of in real time which helps. I also have scheduled blocks where the notifications are blocked on my phone and computer except for specific people which is a new feature of Android 5 that I really like (Priority notifications). The medication has helped me build a routine and stick with it, and I'm hoping that when I decide I'm ready to try going off of it full time I will be better able to continue that trend. I don't believe for a minute that I will be able to eliminate all of it completely but I hope that I will be better prepared to handle it.

bulletsvshumans 12y ago

I'd start with the DSM-V criteria for ADHD [1]. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html

afarrell 12y ago
I've read that.