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Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#91

Post by TrevorJ »

This doesn't surprise me. I've been prescribed Ritalin at times both as a child and an adult in small doses. It is a remarkable strong medication, and operates much like I imagine recreational drugs operate - there's a definite strong high, and an equally brutal comedown afterword. I would be extremely cautious about prescribing this to anyone, especially children unless nearly every other kind of intervention has been explored.

If you are a parent and considering Ritalin for your child, first ask yourself if you'd consider legal cocaine to be a reasonable solution for your child. If that sounds insane to you, then you should consider the fact that Ritalin is probably not so different.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#92

Post by doliveira »

falcolas wrote: post #70
robonerd wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "I'll never be able to succeed" Is it the condition which causes this, or the diagnosis of the condition? I think diagnoses can easily inspire feelings of futility. It's no longer something you can change about yourself by wanting to change, it becomes a medical condition you've been stuck with.

The condition. It's abso-fucking-lutely the condition. Executive Dysfunction means you're screaming in your head to stand up and get work done, but your brain just keeps browsing hacker news. And not just monthly or weekly, but hourly. Sometimes even every few minutes. Diagnosed or undiagnosed.

I wonder if it's a "horoscope reading" kind of feeling, but I just identify so much with these descriptions of ADHD.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#93

Post by thomastjeffery »

robonerd wrote: post #45
falcolas wrote: post #19

FWIW, ADHD increases the risk of depression too. Executive Function Disorder creates a lot of internal thoughts of "I'm a loser" "I'll never be able to succeed", and so forth. Though, being fair, those are thoughts other people will direct at those with ADHD as well.

> "I'll never be able to succeed" Is it the condition which causes this, or the diagnosis of the condition? I think diagnoses can easily inspire feelings of futility. It's no longer something you can change about yourself by wanting to change, it becomes a medical condition you've been stuck with.

As a 28 year old who was just diagnosed, I can tell you from lived experience that it's the condition, and by extension, the expectations that people have of you that you aren't capable of meeting.

When I was a kid, I constantly described myself as "lazy" and "tired". Now I understand I was really experiencing "executive disfunction" and "understimulation".

Adding those words to my vocabulary didn't cure my ADHD, but it did relieve some internalized shame and anxiety that were caused by living undiagnosed (and therefore untreated).

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#94

Post by Avamander »

robonerd wrote: post #45
falcolas wrote: post #19

FWIW, ADHD increases the risk of depression too. Executive Function Disorder creates a lot of internal thoughts of "I'm a loser" "I'll never be able to succeed", and so forth. Though, being fair, those are thoughts other people will direct at those with ADHD as well.

> "I'll never be able to succeed" Is it the condition which causes this, or the diagnosis of the condition? I think diagnoses can easily inspire feelings of futility. It's no longer something you can change about yourself by wanting to change, it becomes a medical condition you've been stuck with.

It's the condition. You can try place your hand on a glowing hot stove. Couldn't? Imagine that with every task, however willing or not you are. Some have it better, some worse. Just one side of the disorder already being a big hindrance.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#95

Post by n8cpdx »

TrevorJ wrote: post #91

This doesn't surprise me. I've been prescribed Ritalin at times both as a child and an adult in small doses. It is a remarkable strong medication, and operates much like I imagine recreational drugs operate - there's a definite strong high, and an equally brutal comedown afterword. I would be extremely cautious about prescribing this to anyone, especially children unless nearly every other kind of intervention has be…

If you’re getting a high from it, your dose is too high. If there is a “brutal” come down, your dose is too high.

What do you consider a “small” dose?

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#96

Post by lettergram »

adastra22 wrote: post #30
citilife wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was actually going to point that out. IMO from what I've seen of parents are that people who bring their children at a young-ish age to a therapist have a different issue. Especially "being to hyper" or "being unable to focus" have a different issue. Children are supposed to be outside moving 8-12 hours a day, have you seen puppies? They need something similar. Instead many parents give their children tablets, plop…

As someone with ADHD, who has a kid with ADHD, this dismissive attitude is really unwelcome. Inattentiveness is a real symptom with drastic life-altering effects for which medication is a godsend. Studies have shown that exposure to screen time does not result in ADHD. To be told "you're just a bad parent who lets their kid watch an iPad too much" is infuriating. (I'm trying to keep things civil per the site rules, b…

Sounds like you’re not up to date on research, there’s a few citations in later comments.

Anyway, I don’t think the poster was saying it doesn’t exist. They appear to be saying there are correlations and often a diagnosis at a young age is a reflection more on a willingness to accept a hyper child vs not. That is to say, a child can have ADHD, but that doesn’t mean you have to medicate them. Medicating them (again at a young age) for ADHD, indicates a willingness and potentially eagerness to medicate, as opposed to attempting to correct issues. Ie just give the drugs, don’t try to figure out why they’re depressed.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#97

Post by TrevorJ »

CodeMage wrote: post #29
ALittleLight wrote: post #3

Quoted post unavailable.

It's more horrifying to me that HN has turned into a kind of place where people will confidently assert their judgment something they have no knowledge about. My son has ADHD. There are other ADHD cases in the family, so we knew that could be the case with him, but we waited until he was in middle school to even try to check, because we didn't want him to "depend on drugs", as the trope goes. We got the diagnosis fro…

Two things can be true at the same time. Some kids truly do have a disorder that benefits from medication. Some kids are prescribed medication they don't need simply so they are able to do something that no child should reasonable be expect to do: sit in a chair and listen to people talk at them for 8+ hours a day. One truth does not preclude the other.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#98

Post by jamal-kumar »

citilife wrote: post #42
greesil wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"People who are diagnosed with ADHD at a younger age likely have parents who just don't want / know how to deal with issues." Once you have a child with ADHD, or if you are someone with ADHD, you will understand just how wrong you are. Until then, enjoy your bliss.

I formed this opinion from knowing many and seeing the way they are being / were raised. There's quite a bit of evidence to support this btw (outside of my observations). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2431-12-50 > Approximately 10% of the sample was classified as having ADHD. We found depression, anxiety, healthcare coverage, and male sex of child to have increased odds of being diagnosed with ADHD.…

I can see very clearly from the facility of your statements that you don't have children of your own.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#99

Post by dymk »

memish wrote: post #89
CodeMage wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more horrifying to me that HN has turned into a kind of place where people will confidently assert their judgment something they have no knowledge about. My son has ADHD. There are other ADHD cases in the family, so we knew that could be the case with him, but we waited until he was in middle school to even try to check, because we didn't want him to "depend on drugs", as the trope goes. We got the diagnosis fro…

Glasses are not drugs. That's not at all equivalent. These drugs are altering brain chemistry and one's natural state so they fit into the unnatural environment that is school. It's horrifying to me that people are doing mental gymnastics to defend drugging kids who don't want to sit at a desk for hours every day memorizing useless information. If I was a kid today I'd fit the qualifications and be drugged to better…

Please read up on the diagnostic criteria for ADHD (it's not just "can't sit down"!), and understand that not everybody is born with a brain chemistry that serves them well in life. People with ADHD are affected by it even when they're not in school.

Lucky for those with ADHD, most respond to medication very effectively.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#100

Post by eyelidlessness »

It’s worth mentioning that ADHD also increases the risk of depression. Along with anxiety, depression is one of the most common comorbidities particularly in people with undiagnosed ADHD.

I didn’t take ADHD meds as a kid, so I can’t speak to their effect on me. But when diagnosed as an adult, I had suffered nearly my whole life with chronic depression and anxiety.

Both reached a crisis level a few years back, which was a major factor in seeking diagnosis. This diagnosis, and treatment, saved my life. I won’t share my medical charts or anything, but I will say that since my meds and dosage have been consistent, depression is still there but barely noticeable. Anxiety much more manageable.

These meds helped me put my life back together. I’m not dismissing the study, or that other people have different experiences. But I share my perspective when things like this come up, in case it benefits others who might have similar struggles and wonder if ADHD might be a factor.

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