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Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

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Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#51

Post by vineyardmike »

To answer the question asked, yes it’s real.

The answer to the question not asked (based on this accounts posting history) is that if you want to learn to deal with it and your life successfully, you should see a therapist specializing in adhd. Many people are scared of therapy because it seems like an admission you’re broken or that their issues “aren’t that bad”. It’s not like that. Think of it like going to the gym to improve, not to a mechanic to be fixed.

See the comment from davzie, it can be a unique advantage for you and how you approach life and work.

But yes, it is very real and plenty of people have a specific set of characteristics and behaviors that are unique and associated with one another. That’s generally what disorders like that are. Some social media (esp TikTok I’ve found) tend to push a narrative and are often full of factually incorrect people trying to be “relatable” for likes/views. It’s good you’ve been diagnosed, hopefully by someone with true knowledge on the matter. There are tons of resources available online and offline that you can reference. Again, a therapist can be a great resource. They talk to lots of people who experience the same thing as you, and can provide insight into what works for others (eg to get through long video/content like another question you asked here). The solution is not always medication, but you shouldn’t be scared of it regardless.

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#52

Post by sdze »

Apocryphon wrote: post #43
sdze wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my friends fixed his adhd with cannabis. It somehow acts paradoxically just as stimulants.

How does he know if it really fixed it or not?

He told me he can program now and is focused. Who knows if it was fixed…

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#53

Post by stared »

DestroyADHD wrote: post #29
dr_dshiv wrote: post #18

As a heuristic, assume that it is never the right question to ask "Is ___ real?" Asking how it is measured, what kind of effect it has, whether the effects are meaningful, how it can be explained, whether there are more appropriate labels, what kind of alternative explanations exist, etc. Asking whether something is "real" fails even when talking about fundamental physical phenomena like gravity, math or consciousnes…

With all due respect, I have done my research on ADHD and still couldn’t come to a conclusion. The opioid crisis was a manufactured crisis by the greedy big pharma, right? Looking at how anyone and everyone is being prescribed stimulant medicines these days, I have my reservations about this disorder

Every time when I hear or read "I have done my research", but one does not mentioned even a Wikipedia page (let alone a publication, textbook or metastudy), it is the same story.

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#54

Post by hnbad »

ADHD is a thing. Every brain is different.

Think about it like this: depression is real. Everyone can feel a bit "depressed" sometimes or grieve after experiencing emotional hardships, but that doesn't mean depression isn't real.

Also much like depression doesn't simply manifest in being sad all the time, ADHD doesn't simply manifest in being distracted all the time. I've heard ADHD described as an inability to control what your brain focuses on rather than a lack of focus, but it can vary between persons.

As to whether you in particular actually "have ADHD" (i.e. meet the formal diagnostic criteria of the DSM condition by that name) that's between you and your therapist to decide.

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#55

Post by joepie91_ »

nefitty wrote: post #5

I 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 doi…

> I 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.

Except the problem with the mental health industry is famously that the 'specialists' don't actually listen to the patients/clients/etc., and operate on wildly inaccurate and outdated views that ultimately end up harming those they are "treating".

Yes, ADHD is real, but "because a bunch of psychiatrists said so" is very much not the reason. And the specific way in which they describe it generally has almost nothing to do with what ADHD really is or how it's experienced by those who have it.

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#57

Post by herbst »

justsomehnguy wrote: post #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 h…

Diagnosing ADHS is a checklist (like with many issues) there is no magic in that. Sure it's not an actual diagnose if done by an amateur but a skilled amateur can very well look at the same checklist.

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#58

Post by fredrikholm »

It is real. I was diagnosed late (30s), and have been on medication for about a month now and the difference is staggering:

* My mind is silent without stimulus. I no longer desperately crave to cram every living second with input, I am OK with sitting down and doing nothing for a while.

* I now live up to my own standards: if I think that I should do something, I am way more likely to do it (tidying, running errands, making phone calls etc).

* Sloppiness and "I'll do that later"-isms are severely reduced, I tend to finish what I start.

* I no longer interject or interrupt people with tangential trivia when an idea pops into my head.

* I can listen to other people for longer, even if I find the subject boring.

For the first time in my life, I am able to function like other people without having to rely on innate ability and motivation to do basic tasks.

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#59

Post by vineyardmike »

DestroyADHD wrote: post #29
dr_dshiv wrote: post #18

As a heuristic, assume that it is never the right question to ask "Is ___ real?" Asking how it is measured, what kind of effect it has, whether the effects are meaningful, how it can be explained, whether there are more appropriate labels, what kind of alternative explanations exist, etc. Asking whether something is "real" fails even when talking about fundamental physical phenomena like gravity, math or consciousnes…

With all due respect, I have done my research on ADHD and still couldn’t come to a conclusion. The opioid crisis was a manufactured crisis by the greedy big pharma, right? Looking at how anyone and everyone is being prescribed stimulant medicines these days, I have my reservations about this disorder

The solution to every issue isn’t medication, and many people deal with adhd without medication. In fact, adhd meds are some of the hardest to get due to laws restricting their distribution (in us at least).

Just because a medicated opportunity exists doesn’t mean it’s an exploit on the population or that it doesn’t help people using it.

Re: Ask HN: Is ADHD Real?

#60

Post by soderfoo »

davzie wrote: post #34

None of these commenters are talking about the positives of this for you. Now that you have a "label", for good or bad, you can start to understand a bit more about yourself, why you tick the way you do and you can build systems to help you more in your life. You'll also discover that you have innate strengths and creativity that will be way above your peers who do not have ADHD and you should and can harness those s…

Agree with focusing on the positives.

With a diagnosis you are equipped with updated instructions for yourself.

For instance, if you are having a hard time focusing on getting some work done, rather than fighting it or beating yourself up about it (my frequent go to), you can enact some behavioral intervention to help get you back on course.

It helps to reflect on what, if anything, could be done to set yourself to avoid these problems in the future.

The probability of me having a good day increases with the following: physical activity, good hydration, sleep hygeine, and not to beat myself up if things go awry.

If you go with meds, you must meet your meds half way.

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