ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018) • Hacker News Board

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#121

Post by kitsune_ » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:36 PM UTC

mmanfrin wrote: post #73

matheusmoreira wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unless it happens to magically coincide with their hyper-focus topic of the moment! It's funny. People with ADHD suffer from attention deficit but at the same time they display hyperattention when they encounter a subject they like. I've experienced it as well: once I start programming I have no problem doing it for 12 hours straight. I've found this trait in many ADHD patients. There's usually something that reall…

The way I've come to describe it with my therapist is that it feels like, internally, I have 12 different brains. All of them are constantly scanning around, interested in different things, making it very hard to focus on one thing, but conversely making me very good at understanding a thing as a whole. The other part of this analogy is that when there is something that grabs my interest, it grabs it with all 12 brai…

I think as awful this sounds, it is also why often adhd people can synthesize a lot of information very quickly because their brains have this rapid association chain which can lead to absolutely lucid insights, downside is that it's hard for them to stay on topic and not go into rambling monologue mode.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#122

Post by CathedralBorrow » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:38 PM UTC

sibeliuss wrote: post #83

verst wrote: post #78

I'm 34 and I am finally meeting a psychiatrist soon for what I suspect has been ADHD all along. I do not suffer from depression or anxiety (to my knowledge). I have a perfectly healthy lifestyle - I run 5 days a week, about 40 miles total, eat healthily and sleep well. During my runs (which physically feel painful) I have few moments of clarity in my head. Other than running though my mind has a thousand thoughts all…

Before going down a road that involves powerful stimulants that have a high likelihood of abuse or misuse -- the danger is that they're fun, and one develops a tolerance, just like other similar illegal drugs -- it might be worthwhile to investigate a mediation practice, or other exercises to improve your attention. If you're already high functioning its likely not as bad as it seems. From experience: First thing to…

> the danger is that they're fun

I don't know about others, but fun isn't the word I'd use to describe the ADHD medication which I'm basically chained to for life because I cannot function without it, and yet causes me so many other problems that I need to work around or cope with like loss of appetite (food is no longer a thing I enjoy), insomnia, anxiety, restlessness and mood swings. Where's the fun part again?

Are you willing to be skeptical yourself and understand that you might have blind spots just like the people you're talking to?

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#123

Post by Maxion » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:39 PM UTC

remote_phone wrote: post #86

ADHD is not a disease. It’s a collection of symptoms that have been arbitrarily grouped together. My son’s psychiatrist who was diagnosing my son for ADHD said that it’s psychiatry’s dirty little secret. Back in the 60s or 70s ( I can’t remember what he said) people were starting to notice that kids were having behavioral problems, trouble focusing etc. So what they did was collect a group of symptoms, and then arbit…

You're showing shocking ignorance of psychiatry and the classification of mental disorders, not to mention any of the latest research into ADHD.

In the US there is a larger percentage of the population who are diagnosed than in other countries, but even there, adult ADHD is under diagnosed.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#124

Post by jakoblorz » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:40 PM UTC

ranman wrote: post #74

pgt wrote: post #24

From years of amateur neurochemistry - As best as I can tell - ADD & ADHD are two sides of the same coin resulting from a dopaminergic deviation that serves the tribe but not the individual. Most people think of dopamine as the "pleasure chemical," but in reality it is the "anticipation chemical." Dopamine says: "You got this. Almost there!" And it is up-regulated when an uncertain profit presents itself, implying th…

I’m definitely interested in the software you mentioned. > Exploit the manic highs and outsource as much rote work as you can. This. 1000x this. If I’ve found a flow I tell my partner that I’m canceling plans so I can exploit the focus as long as it lasts. Those bursts of work every few weeks will pay dividends for years

> for years So true!

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#125

Post by ohbleek » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:40 PM UTC

sibeliuss wrote: post #83

verst wrote: post #78

I'm 34 and I am finally meeting a psychiatrist soon for what I suspect has been ADHD all along. I do not suffer from depression or anxiety (to my knowledge). I have a perfectly healthy lifestyle - I run 5 days a week, about 40 miles total, eat healthily and sleep well. During my runs (which physically feel painful) I have few moments of clarity in my head. Other than running though my mind has a thousand thoughts all…

Before going down a road that involves powerful stimulants that have a high likelihood of abuse or misuse -- the danger is that they're fun, and one develops a tolerance, just like other similar illegal drugs -- it might be worthwhile to investigate a mediation practice, or other exercises to improve your attention. If you're already high functioning its likely not as bad as it seems. From experience: First thing to…

I have NOT found that, when taken at a therapeutic dosage, people with ADD/ADHD thinktheir medications are fun other than the "fun" feeling of satisfaction you get when you complete a task.

I have found that people who do not have ADD/ADHD find those same medications to be fun, however, even at a therapeutic dose.

Otherwise your comments on the effects are spot on. Personally I had to make a choice in my mid-twenties, the meds or a happy-go-lucky life where I feel unfulfilled but I have a fun time.

I used to just sit all day, thinking about what I needed to do, yelling at myself in my head to do it, but never doing anything. Just constant maladaptive daydreaming. I have inattentive type ADD. I didn't develop mental executive functions until I was 28. I started recognizing there was a "manager" in my brain that wasn't there before. I sobbed when I found out most of my peers developed that 10 years earlier.

From what I've seen, people with ADD/ADHD go through a cycle of recognizing then denying that they have a disability. I have done this personally 4-5 times in my life. I will accept I have a disability and deal with it, then eventually decide that it was my environment that was causing the symptoms, only to later come to a point where I once again have to accept I have a disability that cannot be managed entirely with CBT, task lists, meditation, mindfulness, etc... I'm happy for those that feel they can do it without medication, but I also have to wonder if I'm just meeting those people at a point in time before they have to get back on medication again...

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#126

Post by VonBraunsGhost » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:42 PM UTC

ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder ADHD - Attention Deficit 'Hyperactivity' Disorder

Two different things. One is a lack of interest and ability to retain information, the other is an overactive, overly busy brain that doesn't allow you to focus. Your 'executive function' is shot.

Personally, as someone diagnosed with it as an adult, I feel it's legitimate. The treatment however is questionable. Amphetamine addiction/abuse is a hard thing to come back from. It floods your brain with Dopamine (just look at how long that article is... lmao) and when you attempt to remove it, it's welcome to Hell.

There's just too much for us to process nowadays. Most of us have an endless list of responsibilities and all we really want is to be human. Long story short, I think it's a legitimate thing, but a side effect of the modern environment we're forced to live in.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#127

Post by 40acres » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:43 PM UTC

remote_phone wrote: post #86

ADHD is not a disease. It’s a collection of symptoms that have been arbitrarily grouped together. My son’s psychiatrist who was diagnosing my son for ADHD said that it’s psychiatry’s dirty little secret. Back in the 60s or 70s ( I can’t remember what he said) people were starting to notice that kids were having behavioral problems, trouble focusing etc. So what they did was collect a group of symptoms, and then arbit…

This is wrong, studies have shown that ADHD brains are fundamentally different from non-ADHD brains in the sense that they have reduced frontal lobe (read: executive functioning, ie. cognitive inhibition, working memory, decision making) matter.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#128

Post by kitsune_ » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:45 PM UTC

viklove wrote: post #97

vslira wrote: post #2

About getting treatment: it's extremely irritating that some people judge using Ritalin is somehow morally wrong. Yes, I get that "lifestyle changes" could help, but I don't want to change my lifestyle. Imagine if there was a pill to reduce risk of cardiac arrest, with some increased risk of something relatively minor. Can you imagine the uproar if cardiologists denied prescribing the pill, instead forcing people to…

A pill that decreases the risk of cardiac arrest is very different than a pill that is psychoactive. Many people just can't relate to taking a drug that quite literally changes your behavior on a day-to-day basis, even if it has positive effects on your life. This is something I myself have struggled with. I suffer from anxiety but I can't bring myself to take medication because I like the person I am and I don't wan…

" Lanham, Md. (Jan. 8, 2019)— The message is clear. Treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with the related health risks it poses, has the possibility of adding an average of nine to 13 years to the lifespan of children and adults diagnosed with ADHD. This is the implication of a cutting-edge research study conducted by Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D., who evaluated the connection between ADHD and 14 critical health factors including nutrition, exercise, and tobacco and alcohol use." https://chadd.org/advocacy-blog/new-research-suggests-untrea...

ADHD is an extremely harmful condition. You are more likely to end up in jail, crash a car, suffer from diabetes, smoke etc. than neurotypical people. 9 to 13 years in life expectancy, I mean, wowzah.

And opinions held in society or groups obviously have an effect on individuals. That's how social systems work.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#129

Post by 40acres » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:47 PM UTC

ranman wrote: post #60

40acres wrote: post #9

I was diagnosed in 2019 after a long series of conversations with a therapist following a work disaster that nearly cost me my job. Getting diagnosed was like finding the missing piece of the puzzle regarding my life. My schooling history suddenly made sense, the poor financial decisions, etc. everything became clear. The biggest thing I realized is how tightening feedback loops is the key to my productivity, I gravi…

How do you use it right? I was on stimulants as a kid and they worked but made me feel emotionally empty and suppressed my appetite and energy. I’m 28 now and I’ve started taking it again to help with work. The appetite suppression is gone but the emotional apathy remains. If you have suggestions or experiments to make the best use of these meds I’d love to hear them. I started with the lowest possible dose. Also, yo…

Get plenty of sleep the night before, try to get some form of aerobic exercise daily, start working on whatever task you need to focus on within 30 minutes of dosing (ideally before), stay hydrated, turn off notifications on your phone and block addictive sites, wear noise cancelling headphones. If you're going to listen to music have it on random shuffle so that you don't have to break focus to change the music yourself.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#130

Post by techopoly » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:49 PM UTC

elamje wrote: post #88

With all of these types of conversations and threads I am more curious to hear from the disciplined, focused people who seem to be the goal for what Adderiddlinvanse fixes. I have wondered if I have ADD many times in the past. Mostly, because I was in school and being forced to do a task that I didn't enjoy, nor wanted to enjoy. When I have found things that I do genuinely enjoy, I can focus for hours and hours on en…

This is a good point. People have an incentive to act as if they have 100% focus all the time, especially at the workplace, and especially in American-style culture. So, many people also feel as if they are broken because they get distracted. There is probably a significant portion of the population that truly has a disorder, but for the rest of the population, should we really be calling distraction behavior a "disorder" if it's a massive portion of the population?

I think much of the modern issue with focus can be attributed to the Digital Age. How can anyone focus with all these alerts and dings and emails and sounds everywhere all the time? And multitasking is worshipped like it's the modern man's solution to all problems. We're still drinking the 60s Kool-Aid, as if the modern, fancy, carefree Jetsons' lifestyle is right around the corner. It isn't. We're still the same human beings with the same old problems, except now we have additional problems due to the onset of technology.

(Not that technology doesn't solve certain issues, of course.)