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A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

nytimes.com

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Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#31

Post by ahknight »

elijahparker wrote: post #2

Excerpt from article: Another patient of mine, a 28-year-old man, was having a lot of trouble at his desk job in an advertising firm. Having to sit at a desk for long hours and focus his attention on one task was nearly impossible. He would multitask, listening to music and texting, while “working” to prevent activities from becoming routine. Eventually he quit his job and threw himself into a start-up company, which…

Having worked at an ad agency and startups, if you can find an interesting startup you're going to be in a much easier place when it comes to motivation. It may not solve everything, but it'll make things easier.

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#32

Post by ahknight »

kurage wrote: post #28

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 12. Classic, "textbook" example of one. I felt like it was a curse until I was about 20. I was put on Focalin, Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse over those years.. they all made me calm and focused. Without my meds, I used to live in my head all day, theorizing how the universe and neurons work.. playing with ideas, twisting shapes in my mind. I was also prone to depression, anxiety, and…

That's an interesting story. I've read that even one use of LSD can alter the brain (similar to this: http://www.livescience.com/16287-mushrooms-alter-personality...).

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#33

Post by rezistik »

ahknight wrote: post #29
dasmithii wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying it doesn't exist. I'm suggesting that it be considered a characteristic, and not an external force. This way, we don't grow dualistic, differentiating between oneself and one's brain. I guess it's the dualism here that I'm criticizing, not ADHD itself. See the fourth paragraph: "if you have the 'illness,' the real problem is that, to your brain, the world that you live in essentially feels not very int…

As someone with clinically-diagnosed "severe ADHD" I use that language all the time. I want to do something. My mind won't let me. It really is like a devil on my shoulder sometimes. "I want to read a book." "No." "Really! It's good! We've done this be-" "No. Look, shiny!" "Neat! Now, the book..." "No. We're going to watch a show now." Sigh.

I think the way it has to be explained is that, sometimes I'll read a book but my phone will be there. Just near me so I'll tap the on button, no notifications, back to reading. Tap the on button. Read. I didn't check the time. What time is it? Tap the on button. Ignore the time. Read. Turn the on button. I can never just read. Its fun but not exciting.

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#34

Post by ahknight »

trippy_biscuits wrote: post #27
dasmithii wrote: post #12

I'm not a fan of the perspective from which this article is written. Where the author writes "X is affected by ADHD", I'm inclined toward "X has a short attention span", or "X is hyperactive". The same perspective is taken by "victims" of ADHD, parents, and members of the media alike. I think we'd all be better off if we stopped speaking of these conditions as external forces acting upon the self, and instead, as mut…

I don't have a short attention span and I'm not hyperactive. I spend a lot of time thinking about things. I deduce things noticeably faster than my peers as long as it's not socially related. I have intense focus as long as something remains stimulating. When things lose my interest or are pointless they become tedious and it's not about attention span. I cannot stop worrying about assigned tasks to the point of anxi…

Something to think about: it's possible you have more than one named disorder (though they could be related in chemistry). When I first started ADHD meds I had a similar reaction as you, though I wound up in actual panic attacks from the anxiety. When I treated the anxiety with an ultra-low dose then everything came out perfect.

I've since stopped the anxiety med and feel I've trained myself a little more on how to handle it. I have my moments but have the skills I need now to recognize those moments and bring myself down. Luckily one can do that with mild anxiety, unlike ADHD...

The biggest non-medicinal benefits are absolutely sleep, nutrition, and exercise -- you're right. Without a good foundation, nothing can be built.

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#35

Post by [deleted] »

ahknight wrote: post #13
austenallred wrote: post #11

I was diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age, and have been doing battle with my attention span for most of my life. I had only read a half dozen books all the way through when I graduated from High School, despite reading at a college reading level before I was out of elementary school and having started hundreds of them. The few books that I had read included Les Miserables and War and Peace, both of which I binge…

Similar story here: early age, 0 or 100, high tests and little completion. The difference is I've been programming for most of my life (I'm not exaggerating; I started at 7y). It's likely because I started so young that I find that's my hyper focus outlet, though I still find that every time I try to learn Java it feels so painful I break something and run away (though I know C, C++, Obj-C, Swift, Python, PHP, Perl,…

[deleted]

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#36

Post by kurage »

ahknight wrote: post #32
kurage wrote: post #28

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 12. Classic, "textbook" example of one. I felt like it was a curse until I was about 20. I was put on Focalin, Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse over those years.. they all made me calm and focused. Without my meds, I used to live in my head all day, theorizing how the universe and neurons work.. playing with ideas, twisting shapes in my mind. I was also prone to depression, anxiety, and…

That's an interesting story. I've read that even one use of LSD can alter the brain (similar to this: http://www.livescience.com/16287-mushrooms-alter-personality... ).

I took a small dose of shrooms few months ago; it made me closer to nature, and it got rid of my porn/fapping addiction. I really think that psychedelics have the potential to "round" people out.

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#37

Post by dasmithii »

trippy_biscuits wrote: post #27
dasmithii wrote: post #12

I'm not a fan of the perspective from which this article is written. Where the author writes "X is affected by ADHD", I'm inclined toward "X has a short attention span", or "X is hyperactive". The same perspective is taken by "victims" of ADHD, parents, and members of the media alike. I think we'd all be better off if we stopped speaking of these conditions as external forces acting upon the self, and instead, as mut…

I don't have a short attention span and I'm not hyperactive. I spend a lot of time thinking about things. I deduce things noticeably faster than my peers as long as it's not socially related. I have intense focus as long as something remains stimulating. When things lose my interest or are pointless they become tedious and it's not about attention span. I cannot stop worrying about assigned tasks to the point of anxi…

> "I don't have a short attention span and I'm not hyperactive"

I thought these were the defining characteristics of ADHD? I'm sorry, please forgive my lack of familiarity.

> "When things lose my interest or are pointless they become tedious"...

I don't understand how this is considered a symptom of anything. To me, this is entirely normal. Things that you aren't interested in should be tedious. The mental barrier you speak of is internal honesty - you don't find importance or interest in X, and consequently, motivation doesn't emerge.

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#38

Post by ahknight »

rezistik wrote: post #33
ahknight wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone with clinically-diagnosed "severe ADHD" I use that language all the time. I want to do something. My mind won't let me. It really is like a devil on my shoulder sometimes. "I want to read a book." "No." "Really! It's good! We've done this be-" "No. Look, shiny!" "Neat! Now, the book..." "No. We're going to watch a show now." Sigh.

I think the way it has to be explained is that, sometimes I'll read a book but my phone will be there. Just near me so I'll tap the on button, no notifications, back to reading. Tap the on button. Read. I didn't check the time. What time is it? Tap the on button. Ignore the time. Read. Turn the on button. I can never just read. Its fun but not exciting.

It's splitting hairs, IMO. One form breaks out motivations and one presents an external view. It's a writing exercise more than a useful diagnostic.

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#39

Post by oddtarball »

This article's premise is built on an incorrect understanding of "treating" or "fixing" or "losing" (symptoms).

If: baseline x is underwhelming to the point of painful boredom Else: baseline y is higher and therefore satisfyingly stimulating

Then the fundamental problem of a lacking reward system for "normal" (x) baseline activity remains unresolved.

I have ADHD and decided to try medication for the first time only a few years ago (in my 20's). Sure, keeping things "interesting" and "new" can trick one's mind into paying additional attention towards the daily grind, but not for one second does that mean that ADHD would be resolved.

To make a more clear point, let's apply this thinking to another context: Murderers would be cured if there weren't anyone to murder, right? No. You're supposed to solve problems, not symptoms.

Re: A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.?

#40

Post by heurist »

ahknight wrote: post #26
heurist wrote: post #24

So how do you do this in software? Consulting? Startup? I'm a couple years into my first software development job out of school and barely get through the moderate amount of work that's assigned to me right now. I'm afraid of switching to another development job where more would be expected of me (consulting! startups!). Without having these problems under control I may not be reliable despite my talent. Over the las…

I tried consulting. I couldn't self-motivate to self-imposed deadlines. Barely averted disaster. Never again. Tried a startup. Same problem. Worse result. Now I startup surf as a developer, but only to interesting projects. If I work on a boring project, I'm going to wind up behind schedule. One I learned that about myself, I adjusted my job searches to fit (as much as possible). Project management? I suppose if I we…

Thanks, I agree it would be best to get a few more years under my belt. How did you get into startup surfing?
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