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Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

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Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#91

Post by runnerup »

bmitc wrote: post #69
mid-kid wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all medicine, and especially not adhd meds, have the same effect on everyone.

Yes, of course, but in this specific case, it is my understanding the effects are opposite, as in calming versus agitating.

That’s really a misunderstanding, commonly repeated even by professionals but not really scientifically valid.

There are a lot of different causes / paradigms / regimes for ADHD that all get lumped into “ADHD”. Various therapies have hugely different effects on different types of ADHD.

And some ADHD drugs tend to have the same effects on non-ADHD people as they do on ADHD people.

Here is an (also outdated) breakdown of 7 types of ADHD that are differentiable using brain scans: https://neuropedia.com/7-types-of-adhd/ Each show different parts of the brain affected. The "ring of fire" type of ADHD is notable for responding very poorly to stimulants.

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#92

Post by maxverse »

ynniv wrote: post #26

I did the same two years ago and it's been transformative. There are people who will tell you that medication isn't a complete solution, or that it's not the best one. They're not wrong, but telling someone who is drowning that they just need to learn how to swim isn't doing them any favors. I was 40 when I was diagnosed, and understanding the implications of that diagnosis has made my life much better. My first coup…

It's really helpful to hear from someone a few years out from a diagnosis. There are so many accounts from people who just started meds and are thrilled with how it's going and the initial excitement of "life didn't have to be this hard". I'm in the "I should really see someone" stage, and part of the reason I'm skeptical of these accounts is that I imagine stimulants would make anyone more focused and productive. To be clear, I'm not doubting that meds are helpful to people suffering from ADHD symptoms! Just holding myself to a high bar; I'm afraid of benefitting from meds I don't really need.

If you're open to sharing, how has your lifestyle changed beyond the first few weeks? Are you still on medication, and how does it help these days? Has your diagnosis been helpful in ways other than meds? Of course, totally understand if you don't want to share.

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#93

Post by psyman »

falcolas wrote: post #74
psyman wrote: post #40

Good for you, unfortunately some of us with ADHD want to fly airplanes, and soon enough, realize that the FAA still lives in the early 1900s, where you have to "man up" and "deal with it". So we just silently suffer, every single day.

As a former pilot with a late-in-life diagnosis of ADHD - I'd not want to be a commercial pilot. I'm legitimately concerned of a loss of concentration during landing. Looking back, I saw a few of those happen in my training and in my solo flights. It's a risk v reward decision, one which I fell on the "nope" category. :)

I have no intention of commercial flying, though I can feel the pain of commerical pilots suffering from ADD. Ironically, the only time I am not able to "not concentrate" is when I'm flying the plane, as flying requires a state of constant change of focus, i.e. radios...instruments...see and avoid...controls...ipad...etc

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#94

Post by bmitc »

runnerup wrote: post #91
bmitc wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, of course, but in this specific case, it is my understanding the effects are opposite, as in calming versus agitating.

That’s really a misunderstanding, commonly repeated even by professionals but not really scientifically valid. There are a lot of different causes / paradigms / regimes for ADHD that all get lumped into “ADHD”. Various therapies have hugely different effects on different types of ADHD. And some ADHD drugs tend to have the same effects on non-ADHD people as they do on ADHD people. Here is an (also outdated) breakdown…

I see. Thank you for the correction.

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#95

Post by freedomben »

falcolas wrote: post #86
ynniv wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do need to lay off the coffee for a bit though. At first I stopped altogether, then went back to some decaf, now I'm back to drinking some regular, but always careful about how much. Also, decongestant medication, though Adder-all is a mild decongestant so I don't use separate decongestants very often.

Oh, absolutely. Learn how your body behaves on the stimulants, and I found I really didn't need (or want) nearly as much caffeine as before. I used to consume enough I would have really nasty withdrawals, and now I don't (consume as much nor get withdrawal symptoms).

Likewise. I'm completely off caffeine now (though do occasionally have a coke on bad days) and I feel a lot better. It frustrates me how hard it is (at least in the US) to get medication.

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#96

Post by specialist »

tapoxi wrote: post #3

I've been diagnosed with ADHD since I was a teenager, but the shift to working from home and additional responsibilities made it far worse, so I started seeing a psychologist earlier this year to help me reinforce organizational skills while adjusting medication. Some things that have worked for me: * Less medication. I dropped my Concerta to 36mg which avoids many of the side effects. * Frequent calendaring, even fo…

Emphatic agreement on calendaring, journaling, pen & paper.

I also created a habits tracker. Everything I'm supposed to do every day, plus common stretch goals. Spreadsheet format, with days across the top, and tasks along the side. Kind of inspired by Seinfeld's "don't break the chain".

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#98

Post by ecshafer »

carapace wrote: post #51

A friend of mine who's a neuroscientist likes to say, "Psychiatry is not a branch of medicine." He means it in a constructive way, the implied follow on is "that would be good though, and we should strive to do that." My point is, there are lots and lots of different kinds of therapy, and lots and lots of variation in therapists. If you are having problems seek help please! You're not in this alone and it's important…

The reality is that Psychology and Psychiatry are not built on top of science and are in no way legitimate studies of science or medicine. They have a loose cargo culting of science, built on some philosophy of the mind, but they are illegitimate and given far too much credence in our modern day society. The fields have basically 0 studies that have been reproduced in the last 100 years, have no theories that can be proven as per mechanism, just some loose studies on a few people with surveys.

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#99

Post by thegginthesky »

thebigspacefuck wrote: post #24

I got on meds for ADHD and they objectively didn’t help that much. I also felt like my pulse and emotions were greatly elevated in confrontational situations to an uncomfortable extent (though caffiene was involved). The other aspect was that it was almost $300/month for a prescription. In social situations they did help a bit. Any impact on productivity was minor. I’d also say right after the meds kicked in I would…

Interesting!

My doc also told me that everyone is different, and not all medicine works for everyone and most medicine doesn't work at all for some people.

That's why I didn't put emphasis on medicine alone, but I do think it's important to seek for professional help in general. It was important for me, but now I understand it's not a silver bullet.

Thanks a lot for sharing, as it put some new perspective for me and others in this thread.

Re: Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist

#100

Post by jnovek »

thebigspacefuck wrote: post #24

I got on meds for ADHD and they objectively didn’t help that much. I also felt like my pulse and emotions were greatly elevated in confrontational situations to an uncomfortable extent (though caffiene was involved). The other aspect was that it was almost $300/month for a prescription. In social situations they did help a bit. Any impact on productivity was minor. I’d also say right after the meds kicked in I would…

ADHD meds enable focus, but I find that I still struggle with picking the right tasks to focus on. I think picking the right tasks is a weaker skill for me, probably because I didn’t start to develop that skill until I was well into adulthood (and medicated for ADHD).
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