Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

ADHD meds (psychostimulants) are fast-acting anti depressants. I hope the regiment works out regardless of the underlying condition they're helping you manage, but just another perspective.

I'm fascinated.

> I am in the later half of an adventurous and successful career. I continue to grow, have a long-term stable marriage, good savings, great life.

This passage could describe me as well, but as I look back on high school and college I've become convinced that if I'd been born 10-15 years later I would have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (I don't know if the 'hyperactivity' part is a distinction psychologists make anymore.) I struggled in school but in an unusual way: I got As in some classes and Cs (or worse!) in others.

In school balancing my attention between more than three different classes was an impossible and mystifying task, but generating very intent focus on a few very interesting things was easy (e.g. programming, playing guitar). In college, I found myself dropping down to the minimum full-time course load often, and I envied my friends at schools on the quarter system who took only three classes at a time over shorter terms.

When I started working as a programmer, I found things much easier, had fewer things to divide my focus between, and could arrange my work (mostly) as I pleased, and I had a lot of success. I also discovered coffee, and looking at my coffee consumption over the years, one might reasonably conclude I'm self-medicating with stimulants. Even now, this XKCD resonates with me: https://xkcd.com/1106/

I'm moderately curious about whether I would be diagnosed, in the spirit of self-knowledge, but I don't feel the need to engage professional help to figure it out.

You may need the diagnosis if you want to start medication. If you don't care about medication it might be nice to know what you're suffering from (if you're suffering from it), and how this may impact your life and that of the people around you.

I found the medication useful in interesting ways.

While on its effect, I've learn what it feels like to be focused, how ones mind works when in "not easily distracted mode", and I've very slowly learnt to apply some of these things even then not taking the medication.

It's important to note that an ADHD diagnosis does not necessarily end with stimulant medication. Stimulant medication can be helpful for some people, but it's not the only way to treat ADHD. Having an ADHD diagnosis could help you choose appropriate therapy methods, self-help practices, and other self-improvement measures. Of course, an ADHD diagnosis isn't necessary to begin implementing better time management practices, so I'd suggest addressing any issues you might have with time management, time boxing, and organization whether or not you have an ADHD diagnosis.

When it comes to stimulant medication anecdotes, it's important to separate them by how long the person has been taking the medication. You'll get very different answers from people who have been taking stimulants for 1 month, 1 year, or 10 years. One of the side effects (key phrase: side effect) of the first few weeks or months of stimulant medication is a sense of euphoria and extra motivation. Be careful, because this effect fades with time.

In general, I'd recommend focusing on anecdotes from people who have been treated for at least 1 year or more, while taking any reports from someone who just started medication with a huge grain of salt. In particular, I'd recommend ignoring any reports from people who are taking excessively high doses of stimulants, dosing stimulants sporadically ("as needed" isn't standard practice), or who just started taking a stimulant medication. The realities of decades of prescription stimulant have pros and cons, which aren't apparent in the first few weeks or months.

Also beware that some psychiatrists greatly overdiagnose certain conditions. Unfortunately, some practitioners are known to overdiagnose their pet condition, from depression to ADHD to anxiety. If a practitioner is pushing you toward a diagnosis or treatment you don't feel comfortable with, don't hesitate to get a second opinion.