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The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

nytimes.com

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Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#51

Post by UK-AL »

lfuller wrote: post #49
negativity wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's exactly the same thing as coffee, and it's not a medical condition at all. Coding really IS naturally boring and mind numbing. That's neither your imagination nor subjective experience. No one ever steps through a series of break-points in a debugger, or skims through 1,000 lines of log output, and thinks: "YEAH, MAN! THIS IS REALLY LIVING!" It pretty much requires an altered state to enjoy this stuff. I…

Is this really a common viewpoint in the developer community? I'm a programmer, and I do it because I find what I do to be exciting. I, in fact, truly enjoy "skimming 1,000 lines of log output" to finally find a bug I've been scouting for, or spending hours solving a particularly difficult problem. If I found coding naturally boring and mind numbing I certainly wouldn't have chosen it as my career. Perhaps you should…

Different developers are good at different things. Some developers like looking at the big picture structure of program, other like minute detail(Bug hunting) for example.

People with ADHD can't focus on detail before they zone out. They need be in either intense(Lots of pressure, like sales), or big picture and creative positions.

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#52

Post by [deleted] »

pedalpete wrote: post #47
negativity wrote: post #10

I don't suffer from ADD/ADHD but I grew up during the 90's, when lots of kids in school, around me, were being put on all kinds of prescription medication, but most prevalent were the ADD/ADHD prescriptions. Of the roughly 20 names I can remember, who I know for a fact were prescribed ADD/ADHD medications, AND who I knew growing up both before the medication and after, there was only one guy that obviously had proble…

Amphetamine is not a bad word, much like Nuclear, Fat or Hacker. It's all in how and what it is used for. I have no idea how much Ampetamine is in Crystal Meth or other illegal substances (Google wasn't very helpful with this, I'm sure as always, somebody here on HN knows), but just because something has Amphetamine does not automatically make it a bad thing.

[deleted]

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#53

Post by UK-AL »

maratd wrote: post #26
duaneb wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a brilliant idea—help a person by framing their issues as personal and moral failures. That's sure to be a positive catalyst for change. EDIT: For some reason I can't respond to the comment below. My point was, it's easy to frame problems with terms like "weak", "irresponsible", and "lazy". It's hard to actually attempt to communicate, identify a problem in a way that you can talk about the same thing, and fin…

> Here's a brilliant idea—help a person by framing their issues as personal and moral failures. That's sure to be a positive catalyst for change. You're being sarcastic, but it actually IS. We live in a culture where everything is a disorder. How convenient, that all of your failures can be blamed on something you don't control. Here's an idea. Everything you don't take responsibility for. Everything you don't see as…

This is dangerous.

People with ADHD are at high risk of suicide and depression, precisely because they blame themselves, and think its a moral failure.

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#54

Post by [deleted] »

lfuller wrote: post #46
negativity wrote: post #10

I don't suffer from ADD/ADHD but I grew up during the 90's, when lots of kids in school, around me, were being put on all kinds of prescription medication, but most prevalent were the ADD/ADHD prescriptions. Of the roughly 20 names I can remember, who I know for a fact were prescribed ADD/ADHD medications, AND who I knew growing up both before the medication and after, there was only one guy that obviously had proble…

It could be that, or perhaps these substances "without accepted medical value" have been vilified for years without adequate rational thought, and in fact help certain people live normal lives. I wonder if the label on a hepatotoxin such as "ACETAMINOPHEN, 400MG" gives you pause.

[deleted]

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#55

Post by RankingMember »

I've been on adderall for awhile, and while it has had a marked positive effect on my ability to focus (which has been life changing), the negative side effects suck. I've looked into DIY biofeedback setups, and look forward to the day cheap off-the-shelf biofeedback setups become available for treating ADHD.

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#56

Post by Cthulhu_ »

The main issue here is that people that don't fit the norm get labeled as sick - either (or both) by themselves and by society, and drugs will make you or your kids 'normal'. Or 'better', as some of those ads are trying to tell you. We live in a meritocracy, and if you're not able to be awesome, you need to be treated.

ADD and ADHD are both horribly overdiagnosed conditions. Kids will be hyperactive and hard to control, either by themselves or depending on what you fed them fifteen minutes earlier (sugar).

I could rant more, but it's late and my brain's fried.

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#57

Post by OGC »

pedalpete wrote: post #47
negativity wrote: post #10

I don't suffer from ADD/ADHD but I grew up during the 90's, when lots of kids in school, around me, were being put on all kinds of prescription medication, but most prevalent were the ADD/ADHD prescriptions. Of the roughly 20 names I can remember, who I know for a fact were prescribed ADD/ADHD medications, AND who I knew growing up both before the medication and after, there was only one guy that obviously had proble…

Amphetamine is not a bad word, much like Nuclear, Fat or Hacker. It's all in how and what it is used for. I have no idea how much Ampetamine is in Crystal Meth or other illegal substances (Google wasn't very helpful with this, I'm sure as always, somebody here on HN knows), but just because something has Amphetamine does not automatically make it a bad thing.

> Google wasn't very helpful with this

Try harder, have some amphetamines

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#58

Post by Cthulhu_ »

modfodder wrote: post #11
invalidOrTaken wrote: post #3

I don't know. I just don't know. I earned a perfect score on the SAT and was voted "Class Genius" in the yearbook, but barely graduated from high school. I was dismissed from university. I went to work for a machine learning company, where we (self included!) did some really neat stuff, including some heroic pre-sales-meeting coding that saved the day in a minor way. But I was fired six months in for low productivity…

I have a similar history to yours (except GenX not millenial). I've built a decent career for myself, but have always struggled with SAD and bipolar symptoms. When I feel good I'm sure it's something I can control, but as soon as it sneaks up, my life goes into self-destruction mode. I always feel bad about complaining about the effect this has on my life as my income is typically in the top 10% in the U.S., but stil…

I'm no psychologist, but part of what I'm reading here is guilt and pressure about your 'potential'. Trying to pursue that potential and whatnot will probably only make your problems worse or equal.

It's not a bad thing to aim a bit lower and just find balance in things.

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#59

Post by j_baker »

negativity wrote: post #10

I don't suffer from ADD/ADHD but I grew up during the 90's, when lots of kids in school, around me, were being put on all kinds of prescription medication, but most prevalent were the ADD/ADHD prescriptions. Of the roughly 20 names I can remember, who I know for a fact were prescribed ADD/ADHD medications, AND who I knew growing up both before the medication and after, there was only one guy that obviously had proble…

I take steroids for allergies. Did you know that methamphetamine is also an effective ADHD drug? Cocaine is a great painkiller for facial/nasal injuries. Then again, there's a whole class of illicit drugs that make effective painkillers.

The point is, just because your DARE teacher told you to to say no to something doesn't mean that a doctor shouldn't prescribe it and a patient shouldn't take it. Sometimes, drugs that are harmful in the wrong dose are good when prescribed and taken correctly.

Re: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

#60

Post by wikiburner »

neurotech1 wrote: post #45
invalidOrTaken wrote: post #3

I don't know. I just don't know. I earned a perfect score on the SAT and was voted "Class Genius" in the yearbook, but barely graduated from high school. I was dismissed from university. I went to work for a machine learning company, where we (self included!) did some really neat stuff, including some heroic pre-sales-meeting coding that saved the day in a minor way. But I was fired six months in for low productivity…

What I find frustrating is discussing with doctors that not all focusing difficulties are caused by depression. I do experience periods of (unipolar) depression. One thing that I notice among "smart" people is that its easy to burn-out. My only real advice is aim to do things that your passionate about. Two examples that come to mind is Elon Musk[1][2], who clearly enjoys building rockets and electric cards, and Mitc…

> Elon Musk hasn't commented publicly on ADHD specifically.

Is there speculation that he has ADHD?

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