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Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

zackshapiro.com

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Re: Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

#2

Post by bradmccarty »

There's a lot of investigation that has been done around ADHD and the ability to "hyperfocus". Dr Russell Barkley has an interesting insight on this phenomenon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfkg0VWx3rM

I'm not certain that I agree with him in full. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was in my early 20s. The ability to deeply focus on a project was helpful to me as well. I certainly don't think that we can call it a "cure" for ADD, but it can absolutely be a positive byproduct.

Re: Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

#3

Post by kine »

bradmccarty wrote: post #2

There's a lot of investigation that has been done around ADHD and the ability to "hyperfocus". Dr Russell Barkley has an interesting insight on this phenomenon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfkg0VWx3rM I'm not certain that I agree with him in full. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was in my early 20s. The ability to deeply focus on a project was helpful to me as well. I certainly don't think that we can call it a "…

I see your point, Brad. Cure might have been a little strong of a word to use but I agree, definitely a positive byproduct. Watching the video now.

Re: Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

#4

Post by wtracy »

Huh.

I'm actually getting tested for ADD on the recommendation of my therapist (the preliminary answer seems to be that no, I do not have ADD). I most emphatically cannot work while I have a TV running. In fact, I can't even seem to program and listen to music at the same time.

Re: Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

#5

Post by kine »

wtracy wrote: post #4

Huh. I'm actually getting tested for ADD on the recommendation of my therapist (the preliminary answer seems to be that no, I do not have ADD). I most emphatically cannot work while I have a TV running. In fact, I can't even seem to program and listen to music at the same time.

I would switch between TV and work, letting one distract me from the other.

I struggled with music for a while too. Ambient stuff like Tycho, The Mattson 2 and Blue Sky Black Death really helped at the outset.

Re: Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

#7

Post by pserwylo »

Thanks for the write up.

Can I ask, how much do you think the non-ability to focus on a task it is about procrastination and how much is about your ADD?

For example, I am doing my PhD now, and find it very hard to focus on actual research, instead losing time to procrastination (I'm looking at you, HN!). After hours, I also tend to have several different projects running at once, for which I struggle to prioritize and get any single one finished. However, when I'm at my paid job as a developer, I focus just fine. Given the other anecdotes here, I would expect a clinical diagnosis would show that I have signs of ADHD, but I would attribute them to laziness on my part.

I don't want to comment on your case specifically, but my fiancé is doing her PhD in psychophysiology, and more specifically, natural treatments for ADHD, and there is certainly a perception that ADHD is somewhat over diagnosed. I am interested if you would have attributed a different name (e.g. procrastination) to some of the behaviours you discussed before hearing about or being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.

Re: Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

#8

Post by barbs »

wtracy wrote: post #4

Huh. I'm actually getting tested for ADD on the recommendation of my therapist (the preliminary answer seems to be that no, I do not have ADD). I most emphatically cannot work while I have a TV running. In fact, I can't even seem to program and listen to music at the same time.

I can't work with a TV on either. And music with lyrics is hard to program to as well. Ambient music is ok, I usually find it helps get me into the zone. I thought that was pretty normal though...

Re: Programming as a cure for A.D.D.?

#9

Post by chimeracoder »

> I never noticed or accepted that I had mild A.D.D. until a few months ago and around that time, I started thinking about methods to work with it.

Not to be rude, but it's unclear whether the author has had an actual professional diagnosis. ADHD is one of the most commonly self-diagnosed conditions, and also one of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions.

It doesn't help that ADHD is much more difficult to diagnose in individuals (particularly adults) who perform well in other metrics (IQ, etc.), as they oftentimes have simply developed compensatory mechanisms - these same mechanisms which have enabled them to have success also make a diagnosis much more difficult, even for professionals.

> It’s nice. I can let the A.D.D. run wild when I’m thinking about a problem or how to solve it but when I sit down to solve the problem, I force myself into that zone and try my hardest not to let anything in while I check mini-task after mini-task off on my list.

'Hyperfocus' is common in individuals with ADHD, but this doesn't sound quite right - hyperfocus isn't something that can be turned on and off easily. With ADHD, focusing on programming is a challenge as much as anything else is.

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