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My ADHD founder toolbox

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Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#271

Post by imwillofficial »

darkwater wrote: post #269

I have this question which comes up in my mind every time I read about ADHD in tech (here, Twitter, blogs etc), which is really genuine and with no second intentions: my feeling is that ADHD seems over represented in tech, but I don't know if it's because ADHD is more invisible in life outside tech jobs, or because people with AHDH in tech are "louder", or because there is a relationship between ADHD and being good a…

Maybe not just tech, but areas in tech where people are pushed to their limits.

I was a sysadmin for a decade before I landed a role that pushed me so hard that cracks started to appear.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#272

Post by trashface »

darkwater wrote: post #269

I have this question which comes up in my mind every time I read about ADHD in tech (here, Twitter, blogs etc), which is really genuine and with no second intentions: my feeling is that ADHD seems over represented in tech, but I don't know if it's because ADHD is more invisible in life outside tech jobs, or because people with AHDH in tech are "louder", or because there is a relationship between ADHD and being good a…

In America there are people with legit ADHD, but for the rest: you need the diagnosis to get the meds, and you need the meds to get jobs.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#273

Post by Eumenes »

thevagrant wrote: post #176
baby wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a noob, can you guys give me an idea of what it is to live with ADHD? My understanding is that focus is a spectrum and different people are on different spots on that spectrum. I always imagine that something becomes a condition and gets a name (like ADHD) once it becomes an issue in your life and prevents you from functioning in society. When I hear that you're a staff engineer it sorts of tells me that it's not…

It's like hearing a lot of noises up close and loud but then noticing they are far away. They distract you. The clock ticking. The tap dripping. The person on the other side of the office eating crisps. Ok, turn back to your desk and focus. Got to finish this task. "Hey John, did you fix that problem with the DB log crash?" You look up, realize John and the boss are on the other side of the room and you are not part…

Idk, sounds like normal day to day life to me.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#274

Post by coolsank »

LoganDark wrote: post #244
throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #51

I diagnosed when I was like... 8 years old. From then to 17 I was on various meds, finally gave them all up. So for about 22 years I've coped with ADHD without meds. I am a Staff Engineer and make a good living, respected in my field. Regardless of anything else, I think the key thing to remember about ADHD is that you do not need to be a high-performing human being, at all, in life. You will forget things and get di…

I've never been diagnosed, but around two weeks ago some random soul on Reddit spotted some symptoms that might be signs of ADHD, or at least things that ADHD meds could help. I was provided this article: https://invisibleup.com/articles/27/ It is such an accurate description of something I've been struggling with my whole life without ever knowing it. I'm now waiting the weeks and weeks it takes to get a doctor's ap…

oh man, i'm in my 30s and this is exactly how my daily life is. I grew up in a culture that didn't have much of an inclination of understanding what ADHD is and stuff, so I never bothered. I really need to get myself checked.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#275

Post by rtikulit »

Eumenes wrote: post #267
rastamutta wrote: post #174

The fact that everyone is diagnosed with adhd and then given amphetamines is going to be the medical scandal of this century. I have several friends who have become unbearable due to being constantly high, one of them quit their job and is now unemployed and alone, unable to function in crowds. Of course they all report that they feel great on the speed!

Seriously. There are "doctors" offices in NYC that operate in 5 minute appointment intervals. The entire waiting room is full of white collar professionals or college students with this terrible disease, ADHD. Anyone who wants it can get it, you just gotta find a pill mill. You self diagnose by saying "I can't concentrate" or "I get distracted" and the shrink writes you a legal script for speed. Some places may have…

ADHD is real, it deeply damages people's lives and it is usually treatable with stimulants, with an unusual degree of effectiveness. My psychiatrist told me up front that his diagnostic process was not directed towards ADHD and that he might end up with some other diagnosis or none at all. In the end he diagnosed me with ADHD after a process of interviews, tests, evaluation of historical evidence, and submissions by my family regarding my life and behaviour. I have a fat file of the documentation involved.

You are talking about greedy irresponsible doctors and bad faith "patients".

These are not the same thing.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#276

Post by hawaiianbrah »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #85
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My reason was that I had realized that a lot of my old ADHD symptoms were actually still happening. I was still procrastinating, still getting stressed when forced to focus on stuff I don't care about, still forgetting stuff. Anecdotally, I've watched a lot of friends and colleagues go through this exact cycle: Going on meds and then just focusing more intensely on their distractions. I really think we're doing a d…

N=1, I can confirm this effect. I started to call stimulant medication "sticky". As in, when they kick in, I find it much easier to focus on doing whatever it is I am doing at that time. So, if they kick in while I'm on HN, I can kiss the next couple hours goodbye. It's a trap that took me too long to figure out, and one I still fall into quite often (the period between taking a pill and it kicking in is long enough…

This was my experience with adderall in college, as someone who I don’t think suffers from these conditions.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#277

Post by ojkelly »

emptyfile wrote: post #230
mtsr wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need to feel so bad (edited from: be so negative) about meds. They’re a crutch, sure, or maybe a wheelchair. But you wouldn’t begrudge a disabled person their wheelchair, would you? Or if you dislike thinking of it as a disability (even if there’s nothing morally wrong with being disabled): a pair of glasses. Do we really think less of people (or in this case likely ourselves) for using a wheelchair or wearing gla…

I don't care about stigma, but comparing a drug to a wheel chair is just ridiculous. I don't want to get addicted to another thing in my life, here in Europe we're quite familiar with (ab)using speed (amphetamine paste) and the idea of being on speed every single day seems pretty bad. I don't feel "more like myself" on speed and I seriously doubt most positive effect would persist after a year of using and rising tol…

> comparing a drug to a wheel chair is just ridiculous.

Not every disability is visible. By definition they have a significant impact on someones life, as such there isn’t use for competition.

A wheelchair is a great comparison. Both enable someone to do something they previously couldn’t. Both are temporary, and stop being useful when removed. Both have a very different effect on someone who does not need them.

> I don't want to get addicted to another thing in my life FWIW, among those I know with ADHD taking stimulant meds, addiction is not a concern but remembering to take them is.

> I don't feel "more like myself" on speed

Do you have a deficit of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine? If not you’re experience will be very different from someone who does. Even then, some stimulants work better for certain people, and for other only non-stimulants work. Our brains are complex, and our experiences are not universal. Speed is also a pretty catch all term, and the ratios of salts have a huge impact on the effect. It may not be very comparable to pharmaceuticals.

> I seriously doubt most positive effect would persist after a year of using and rising tolerance.

People have been taking stimulants for ADHD for decades, but I think its effect is not what you think to an ADHD brain. It’s more akin to reading glasses.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#278

Post by slothtrop »

throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #51

I diagnosed when I was like... 8 years old. From then to 17 I was on various meds, finally gave them all up. So for about 22 years I've coped with ADHD without meds. I am a Staff Engineer and make a good living, respected in my field. Regardless of anything else, I think the key thing to remember about ADHD is that you do not need to be a high-performing human being, at all, in life. You will forget things and get di…

Similar case here. In rational circles a study (or studies) came around showing that learning outcomes between the medicated and unmedicated are roughly the same even if testing performance is better on medication. Since I improved my sleep (and lowered distractions), I've had no issues performing or focusing as needed, at least as much as the next guy.

I think the meds are a double-edged sword, and the compromise may be more appropriate for some than others. I also think even more strongly that despite real cases, ADHD medication is overprescribed in the West. If school was boring and I'm a daydreamer, do I need to be "corrected"?

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#279

Post by RobotToaster »

vbad wrote: post #5

> After meeting the founders last summer during their YC batch, I’ve been pretty consistently using the app InFlow, which I described to a friend as “super chill easy cognitive behavioural skill-building around ADHD.” I feel like I’ve made real progress using it. This blog post reads like an advertisement for InFlow (YC S21), which was roundly criticized for being exploitative of people with ADHD, when it was posted…

Yeah, I switched off the moment I saw their first recommendation was a $50 a month app.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#280

Post by hacknewslogin »

yc-kraln wrote: post #62
throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #51

I diagnosed when I was like... 8 years old. From then to 17 I was on various meds, finally gave them all up. So for about 22 years I've coped with ADHD without meds. I am a Staff Engineer and make a good living, respected in my field. Regardless of anything else, I think the key thing to remember about ADHD is that you do not need to be a high-performing human being, at all, in life. You will forget things and get di…

I was diagnosed when I was six, and, like you, I dropped all meds at 17. Recently (as in, this year) through a combination of therapy and introspection, I realized that while indeed I was able to have a successful life, career, relationships without the medication, and that, yes, my coping mechanisms were satisfactory, I was punching myself in the face for no reason Last month I saw a psychiatrist and got a prescript…

I'm right there with you, getting medication that worked for me made a huge difference. I can now just get up and do a thing without feeling like I have to tear down a wall to do it. It doesn't hurt my brain to have my focus interrupted, and I can get back to what I was doing right away.

The best explanation I've seen is this comic: https://teddit.net/r/ADHDmemes/comments/pmrh5d/quite_possibl...

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