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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.?

#41

Post by ahknight »

heurist wrote: post #40
ahknight wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Got hired by one. They didn't have enough people so I added about a dozen acronyms to the resume. After it cratered I picked up a job based on those acronyms. Rinse and repeat.

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

#42

Post by dasmithii »

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'd be interested to hear what Alan Watts would think of this self dialog.

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

#43

Post by Xcelerate »

Well huh. I'd never thought I had ADHD, just a complete inability to motivate myself to do things. However, the descriptions in this article describe me perfectly! Everything seems dull, I'm constantly seeking new experiences, the idea of a daily routine terrifies me (even though my father keeps encouraging me to develop one), but I can play piano for an entire day.

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

#44

Post by ericcumbee »

dasmithii wrote: post #37
trippy_biscuits wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 yo…

The Diagnosis of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) has been folded into ADHD as a subtype Attention Deficit HyperActivity Disorder- Primarily Inattentive.

It is a symptom when normal people even if they are disinterested in a task can still summon the level of focus needed to effectively complete a task. That is a much harder proposition for someone with an attention deficit syndrome condition.

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

#45

Post by ahknight »

Xcelerate wrote: post #43

Well huh. I'd never thought I had ADHD, just a complete inability to motivate myself to do things. However, the descriptions in this article describe me perfectly! Everything seems dull, I'm constantly seeking new experiences, the idea of a daily routine terrifies me (even though my father keeps encouraging me to develop one), but I can play piano for an entire day.

Nailed it. But do yourself a favor and don't self-label. Go talk to a professional for a while and see what their take is. By which I mean an LCW or psychologist, not a GP. :)

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

#47

Post by warfangle »

oddtarball wrote: post #39

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…

That's the thing, I think. Treatment (both cognitive behavioral therapy and chemical) has enabled me to get on with my life in so many ways.

It's not about getting rid of the symptoms - they're still there. It's about knowing when your symptoms are getting the better of you -- and taking agency over them. If my brain is a wall of TV's all tuned to different channels with the volume turned to 11, adderal finally gave me a clicker to be able to turn all but one off. Or, at least, mute.

And in many ways, I'm glad I'm not asymptomatic on medication: many of the downsides of ADHD can actually be huge, huge upsides. I thought it would kill my creative problem solving, going on meds: if anything, it's put it into overdrive. Instead of stashing something in my subconscious and hoping a solution percolates up a few minutes, hours, days, or weeks later ... I can pick up the puzzle, look at it, really concentrate and think about it. It's a life changing thing to realize what it's like to actually ruminate on a problem. On the other hand, I still make the zany off the wall connections between two problems that let me come up with a solution to both of them.

Instead of hoping for the luck of the draw, though, I can stack the deck.

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

#48

Post by tsarzen »

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,…

I know it's not the same as pure Java, but I found that trying to build an Android App was a practical way of learning Java. I had an app I wanted to make, and having that as the goal kept me going through all the boring parts of learning a new language.

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

#49

Post by furyofantares »

ahknight wrote: post #45
Xcelerate wrote: post #43

Well huh. I'd never thought I had ADHD, just a complete inability to motivate myself to do things. However, the descriptions in this article describe me perfectly! Everything seems dull, I'm constantly seeking new experiences, the idea of a daily routine terrifies me (even though my father keeps encouraging me to develop one), but I can play piano for an entire day.

Nailed it. But do yourself a favor and don't self-label. Go talk to a professional for a while and see what their take is. By which I mean an LCW or psychologist, not a GP. :)

LCW?

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

#50

Post by guiambros »

JimboOmega wrote: post #7
guiambros wrote: post #6

It's sad that the article didn't even mention exercise as a potential treatment for ADHD. The OP implies that kids will simply "grow out" of ADHD, drugs, or changing the environment may be enough. While these are valid solutions, exercise may be equally or even more effective. John J. Ratey, one of the pioneers of ADHD [1], recently wrote the excellent Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain [2…

Exercise is the miracle cure for everything, it would seem. Though it'd be a moderate help if we could agree on what "counts as exercise" - a 15 minute walk? Resistance training (how many sets/reps)? HIIT? The fads can be tough on the average person who just wants health.

The book (Spark, link above) analyzes a handful of studies comparing the correlation between the type and duration of exercise, and its effects.

In short: you won't see any long lasting benefits from a single 15min. The best results were achieved at 75-85% of your aerobic capacity, at least a couple of hours per week (total).

You can also benefit from mixing simple aerobic exercises with others that require more coordination and fine movement of your body - martial arts, for example.

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