Just got officially diagnosed with ADHD.
I am still wondering if this thing is a real disorder or just a consequence of modern overstimulated world and my general lack of planning abilities?
Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
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Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#2Does it make a difference? You would still have to approach the same problems.
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#3My ADHD is measurable on EEG (I had the appropriate medical professional do it at a hospital, not some home-made braincap). Has nothing to do with anything external IME.
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#4It's got nothing to do with the web. Put bluntly, it means your brain is wired slightly differently. This isn't a 'bad' thing but it means that you may struggle with things that others find simple. But this can be mitigated greatly with proper counselling. I'm sure you will find there are advantages to having ADHD but it's crucial to understand exactly what it is and how it affects you in many different ways. Also having ADHD in no way implies that you are 'damaged' or 'special'. Just think of it like it's an ingrown toenail. Good luck.
Edit: i would also add that learning proper coping mechanisms is at least as important as taking medications in that the pills would have very little effect unless taken with the correct mindset.
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#5I got new glasses a few weeks ago. As I was being fitted, I asked the guy if there were any tools I could buy that would help me adjust my glasses myself. He asked me what I do for a living. "I'm a programmer." "Well, would you want an optician messing with your code?"
People that specialize in mental health, psychiatry and brain research have concluded that ADHD is a diagnosable mental disorder. I'm glad they're doing that instead of trying to write books on rust or go.
More to your question, I think a lot of the common hesitance and skepticism is the result of stigma in the vein of anti-vax ideas. Some lay people think they know better than the medical community and won't hesitate to tell you their unqualified opinion. Consider them nuts. Try some treatments, read some books, work on your systems of support, and always remember it's REAL, don't be ashamed to struggle. You're not making it up. You're not faking it. You're not bad.
It might not be obvious to other people, but you just need a little help, like when someone breaks their leg or gets the flu. It's no one's business anyway, unless you decide to confide in them.
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#6[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#7My ADHD is measurable on EEG (I had the appropriate medical professional do it at a hospital, not some home-made braincap). Has nothing to do with anything external IME.
Did you get the theta-dominance signals?
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#8> or just a consequence of
If you diagnosed yourself (or by a friend) after consulting some articles on Internet then of course.
If you got diagnosed by a medical professional (and preferably by not a one) then there is a chance it is real.
But the biggest problem with ADD/ADHD is what even if someone can properly understand what there is a problem it is rare when someone could do something with it without external help.
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#9My ADHD is measurable on EEG (I had the appropriate medical professional do it at a hospital, not some home-made braincap). Has nothing to do with anything external IME.
Did you get the theta-dominance signals?
I'm sorry but I don't know. I was laying down, eyes closed with light patterns blasting into them, and instructed to try to not focus on anything. Afterwards, I got a written report from the concilium (3 people were studying the recording for a few days), but that did not include these details, it's intended for layperson like me and it simply says "Conclusion: ADHD very likely, hints of Asperger syndrome too.". I inquired about getting the brain-recording file, but they said I'd have to get it in person (I had it done in my home town where I don't live).
Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?
#10You can learn to cope with ADHD, that's why it presents differently in adults than in children - all of the small problems are hidden under many layers of coping strategies but still may cause shame and anxiety.
There is a scientific debate still whether it is 'real' or not, you will run into psychotherapists and psychiatrists who tell you it isn't real - you will run into clinicians and specialists who have helped people immensely by treating it as real.
Whether or not they reach agreement, what is a fact is that there are people who have various problems with adapting to our modern structured life (distractability is only one of many issues connected to the complex) that benefit immensely from various approaches to the complex of issues we mean when we say ADHD.
Edit: I myself got diagnosed and tried Ritalin - but after a year switched to antidepressants because it was better for me to manage my anxiety to not fall into depression from burning out (anxiety that is basically conditioned coping due to distractability, hyperfocus and emotional disregulation).