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Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

shimmer.care

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Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#101
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, that theory says that typically memories of traumatic events are repressed and show up only in form of symptoms like ADHD. Your "claim" that you had a non-traumatic childhood (and your parents did neither?) does not invalidate that theory. It's interesting how I was downvoted. I am just curious, I am not saying one or the other is "true". I have no idea, I am not a professional. However, I do think it is a rele…

Maybe there's just overlap between CPTSD symptoms and ADHD, not that they're literally the same thing.

Both PTSD and ADHD (and any other mental "disorder") are _defined as_ a list of symptoms, and do not imply different root causes.

see e.g. "The hidden links between mental disorders" https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00922-8 available on sci-hub

"Since the 1950s, psychiatrists have used an exhaustive volume called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in its fifth edition. It lists all the recognized disorders, from autism and obsessive–compulsive disorder to depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. Each is defined by symptoms. The inherent assumption is that each disorder is distinct, and arises for different reasons. However, even before the DSM-5 was published in 2013, many researchers argued that this approach was flawed. “Any clinician could have told you that patients had not read the DSM and didn’t conform to the DSM,” says Hyman, who helped to draft the manual’s fifth edition. Few patients fit into each neat set of criteria. Instead, people often have a mix of symptoms from different disorders. Even if someone has a fairly clear diagnosis of depression, they often have symptoms of another disorder such as anxiety. “If you have one disorder, you’re much more likely to have another,” says Ted Satterthwaite, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

This implies that the way clinicians have partitioned mental disorders is wrong. Psychiatrists have tried to solve this by splitting disorders into ever-finer subtypes. “If you look at the way the DSM has evolved over time, the book gets thicker and thicker,” says Satterthwaite. But the problem persists — the subtypes are still a poor reflection of the clusters of symptoms that many patients have. As a result, the world’s largest funder of mental-health science, the US National Institute of Mental Health, changed the way it funded research. [...]"

Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shimmer is NOT clinical and we do NOT provide licensed medical services. We are most definitely not trying to substitute a real doctor. Full stop. We hope that is clear in all of our communications and website, and do NOT try to obscure that. However, we do a lot of work to work with the right experts (which include clinicians, psychiatrists, etc.) to ensure what we do it safe, follows best practice, is science-backe…

> Shimmer is NOT clinical and we do NOT provide licensed medical services In which case I personally find the phrase "All of our Shimmer ADHD Coaches are licensed or certified mental health professionals" to be quite deceptive.

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We definitely are not trying to pass as a medical service. However, we do our due diligence to make sure we have medical staff on board to advise us on our protocols, services, train our staff, supervise our staff, and to stand in if there is any escalation needed. We hope it's clear Dr. Anil himself is not coaching and very happy to make things more clear by adding his title to the front of the card.

It's absurd to claim that you're not trying to pass as a medical service when you're offering coaching for a neurological condition. You can argue medical vs healthcare or whatever semantics you want but if it quacks like a duck it's a duck.

Is my golf coach a physical therapist or a physical movement coach? He's been helping me improve my swing around an injury I had dirt biking.

Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#106

Funny this is one of the most distracting blog posts I've read in a bit. Emojis everywhere, boxes, Intercom, sign up to the newsletter, animations, confusing wordings, multiple colors for the text. I doubt the author has a grasping of ADHD.

I didn't look at the article until now. Gah that's terrible. I think we found a new low, folks!

Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#107
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We definitely are not trying to pass as a medical service. > HSA/FSA-eligible. Try harder?

healthcare and medicine aren't synonymous psychologists, mental health therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and so on, do not practice medicine - but the services they provide can be paid for with HSA and FSA money https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_health_professions

Technicalities don't matter, explicitly calling it out creates a false connection in readers brains. Like how some snake oil treatments say "FDA cleared" because they know consumers don't know what it means.

Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#108
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have some powerful coping mechanisms. I can manage my ADHD on my own. But earlier this year, I finally got around to working with a doc who prescribed me meds. It's amazing how much extra mental energy I have now that I'm not expending so much of it on those coping mechanisms. It's great to learn how to get by without meds. That's important, and the meds aren't a magic wand that will miraculously make you happy and…

This. I got meds with 37. Did a degree in CS and was successfully self-employed for years until that. Everything worked out okay-ish, but meds are a game changer. It really felt like I was playing "life" on hard mode until then.

I'm happy you found a good balance for yourself - I've been medicated since I was about 14 and I've definitely noticed a difference whenever I've been forced onto a break. I think one thing that puzzles people observing us from the outside is that we're talking about stimulants and from the outside it looks like the meds are filling us full of energy to complete a task - but most[1] people with ADHD actually "come down" when on stimulants and rather than the medication boosting my energy level upwards, for me personally at least, it makes the constant distractions less important and vital allowing me to concentrate my energy on a single task.

Brains are complicated stuff so everyone is going to find a different ideal treatment path - some people can manage with exercise alone and have a strict morning regiment, some people find medication to be the perfect pills - others use a mix of both. Trying to train yourself to not be ADHD and maintain completely through self-discipline is indeed hard mode.

1. There are some people that respond terribly to normal ADHD meds and they were part of the reason that ADHD used to be divided into the ADHD and ADD labels with the older version of ADHD labeled persons usually responding poorly to standard medications like methylphenidate.

Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#109
post #104

Hi Christal and Vikram — I'm working on something in the same space but for autism and social skills. I'd love to hear more about how you went through the process for HSA/FSA eligibility.

I assume this is basically their main "secret sauce". I wouldn't count on it being shared.

Re: Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD coaching for adults, now on web

#110
post #3

> Our pricing: $115/mo. for Essentials plan (15-min weekly sessions), $230/mo. for Standard plan (30-min weekly sessions), $345/mo. for Immersive plan (45-min weekly sessions); all plans additional 30% off first month, HSA/FSA-eligible. Please please put a link to this information on the main site. Anything I'm half interested in using I do a cmd+F "Pricing" and if there aren't results I usually bail. Also when I hit…

"Please please put a link to this information on the main site. Anything I'm half interested in using I do a cmd+F "Pricing" and if there aren't results I usually bail." That's a pretty specific thing to measure folks on

I have the same opinion. Someone trying to sell has a full understanding that you need to know the price. It's The fundamental of the transaction. The only reason someone hides a price is that they have something to hide, or they want to do a hard sell. I'm not interested either of those intimately related things, especially the tribulations that would follow.

It's great to see they freely added the price. I suspect they're not guilted of anything above.

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