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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

#161

Post by zorr »

luxcem wrote: post #147

I don't know if it's only the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon or a real impression but for the past few weeks I've seen a lot of testimony and articles on ADHD (on hn and other media). Some friends also started to mention it more than before. I always recognize myself in those testimony and I think it's time to do something about it. So thank you for your message!

I have noticed the same thing lately. I don't think it's Baader-Meinhof as I've seen my personal BM-uptick in ADHD content 2 years ago after my own diagnosis.

My theory is that it is a general increase of awareness around both ADHD and autism (and some other neuro-divergencies) in mainstream media. Fueled by the pandemic/lockdown situation which seems to have surfaced a lot of pre-existing ND problems for many people.

I'm in Europe and before COVID, going to a therapist was often viewed as only necessary for trauma. During and post-COVID everyone and their dog is seeing a therapist for focus/burnout/anxiety/motivation issues. Which could lead to an increase in diagnoses, which in turn leads to more people talking about it. Feed that into the Twitter/TikTok/Insta feedback-loop combined with the media jumping on it and we get the current situation.

It's either that or the vaccines do cause autism... /s

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

#162

Post by mawadev »

I tried taking medication to deal with a demanding lifestyle before, but then I analyzed how my environment shaped me. Turns out I spent most of my waking hours at work and no matter how much I optimized myself, it never stopped. What helped was switching jobs and where I live.

I simply needed to do maintenance on the base levels of the hierarchy of needs to keep the upper levels intact. It may not work for you, but most of your effort should first go into evaluating whether what you do still works in your favor.

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

#163

Post by lewispollard »

orev wrote: post #129
vbezhenar wrote: post #120

My personal anecdote. I have issues with focusing and prioritizing work. What helped me is getting a work with absolutely floating work time. For example today I went to work office at 19:30 and I'm going to leave it at 7:00 or something like that. It doesn't matter. What matters is: I work prolonged hours (because I still procrastinate, but I've found out that I start to focus on work after 4-5 hours or something li…

It sounds like you might have a sleep problem instead of a focus problem. Without good sleep, you can’t focus. One thing to try is melatonin (0.3 to 0.5 mg). Take it around 8:30 PM, then stay up past the point it makes you drowsy (it will kick in in about 30 minutes after taking). Got to bed at a normal time like 11:00 PM. You’ll probably wake up around 7:00 and be wide awake, and have much better focus during the da…

Fwiw, I believe there is a significant correlation between ADHD and sleep disorders (at least, that's what my psychiatrist told me when discussing my sleep problems during an ADHD checkup appointment recently - but I haven't researched this independently), so it's not necessarily one or the other.

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

#164

Post by thegginthesky »

kstrauser wrote: post #137

Please tell me how you got it taken seriously. I feel like this is literally killing me with the stress it causes, and I discussed it with a psychiatrist. Their response was "your coping mechanisms seem to be working, so why upset the cart?" Well, because I'm spending an incredible amount of energy on said coping mechanisms. Yes, I'm doing OK for myself, but I wish it didn't involve heroic efforts. Posted under my re…

I searched for a specialist in the area that worked with mainly ADHD, Eating Disorders and so on. In my country, it's easy to find one if you are willing to pay out of pocket, you can also try insurance but the quality of processionals depends on the city you are in.

After I found a few, I was brutally honest with them. I told them about how I truly felt, as for example, when overwhelmed with things around me my mind blanked and I lost complete focus on anything.

I settled with one that had a more balanced view, listened to me, gave me practical advice, and didn't rely on the on just meds or the strongest med.

When it comes to specialists, it pays to search. Although the first consult can be expensive. It's also good to do prior research on their name, my specialist had mostly very positive reviews on many sites, and the reviews didn't seem bots or friends and family.

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

#165

Post by fundad »

kstrauser wrote: post #137

Please tell me how you got it taken seriously. I feel like this is literally killing me with the stress it causes, and I discussed it with a psychiatrist. Their response was "your coping mechanisms seem to be working, so why upset the cart?" Well, because I'm spending an incredible amount of energy on said coping mechanisms. Yes, I'm doing OK for myself, but I wish it didn't involve heroic efforts. Posted under my re…

So sorry. This is difficult advice but have you tried another therapist?

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

#166

Post by fundad »

luxcem wrote: post #147

I don't know if it's only the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon or a real impression but for the past few weeks I've seen a lot of testimony and articles on ADHD (on hn and other media). Some friends also started to mention it more than before. I always recognize myself in those testimony and I think it's time to do something about it. So thank you for your message!

It might be the school calendar. Kids having difficulty and then some time to diagnose and there is a spike of diagnoses in October/November

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

#168

Post by vogt »

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…

Given the $300 price point it sounds like you may have been on vyvanse? I found vyvanse to be way too intense of a medication for me personally. I shifted to extended release Adderall which has been much better at managing ADHD symptoms without turning me into a robot running on overdrive.

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

#169

Post by K7PJP »

CommitSyn wrote: post #116
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…

Taking caffeine with Adderall gives me horrendous anxiety and heart palpitations so I don't drink coffee anymore. When I take adderall + magnesium I'm almost as calm as I am unmedicated. For anyone else taking them both that may not have made the connection yet.

Magnesium is a very helpful supplement for anyone taking ADHD meds. Take it at night, and make sure it's chelated magnesium for best absorption. It will help you sleep.

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

#170

Post by pomatic »

green-eclipse wrote: post #48

Not ADHD, but some similar symptoms for me. I could not focus on anything at work. Massive procrastination. It was just brutally painful to try to finish things I was working on. Long story short: the culprit was sleep apnea. After a sleep test, I got a CPAP machine. After a bit of time to adjust to the equipment, it made a profound change to my life. The next year or so was perhaps the most productive of my life. My…

This, I was permanently exhausted. On a bit of whim, I bought a Chinese SpO2 sleep monitor - which then lead to a conversation with my GP and access to further tests, and ultimately a CPAP.
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