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The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

bbc.com

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Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#121

Post by brazzledazzle »

fsociety wrote: post #50
ryandvm wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, most ADHD is really just a case of "I have limited willpower for extremely boring shit." Give me something interesting to do and I can work on it non-stop for 12 hours. The problem is that most jobs and almost all schooling is flat out incompatible with being an easily distractible person. I think it's just a phenotype that doesn't work well in the traditional professional environment. And yes, Adde…

Idk my experience is much different. On the weekend, I would have a list of games I really wanted to play. Boot one up, play for a few minutes, feel like I should be playing a different one, switch and repeat. Or I would have hobbies or activities I would want to do. But would end up in the same cycle. Then at the end of my weekend I would feel down because I spent the entire past two days constantly task switching w…

That sounds somewhat like depression/anxiety paired along with ADHD. In adult ADHD they can often be very intertwined because by the time you've reached adulthood you have a history of impulsive decisions or bad time management to regret. Or perhaps it's just a symptom of ADHD combined with aging. I don't know about you but "hyperfocus" seemed to come much easier when I was younger which I associate with being less aware of my shortcomings.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#122

Post by itronitron »

wins32767 wrote: post #110
itronitron wrote: post #103

This article is basically just one giant pharmaceutical advertisement. Consider this excerpt: “I had a tough time grappling with the sorts of executive functioning that our world operates by, like being able to set up meetings, follow through with things, focus and be detail oriented,” he says. His manager had pointed out these failings for months, which is why his termination was hardly shocking. Folks, learn how to…

How effective would you be if someone stood behind you all day and interrupted you every minute or so on tasks that you found uninteresting? Would you perform at the same level as you would if someone wasn't interrupting you all the time? Would tools eliminate this problem or just mitigate it?

You are describing a workplace that isn't suited for the type of work that needs to be performed. That is a management failure not a medical diagnosis.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#123

Post by kneebonian »

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF wrote: post #95
EdwardDiego wrote: post #61

So much of this is familiar, the timeliness, forgetfulness, the blurting things out, but especially that feeling of "FFS, why can't I do these things like everyone else, I suck". I was incredibly lucky, once I got into software dev, that my untreated ADHD often manifested in hyperfocus, so I could deliver large amounts of business value in bursts, that meant my other foibles were tolerable. Of course, my spending 20…

> "Just write a list, how hard is that?" 1. Remember to keep a list 2. Remember to update the list 3. Remember to check the list 4. Start a new list because I can't remember if / why I care about anything on the old list (Personally, I've never started a list but I can imagine how it would go.)

Not to mention how onerous it is to remember to keep the list up to date consistently, it sucks.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#124

Post by kurikuri »

itronitron wrote: post #103

This article is basically just one giant pharmaceutical advertisement. Consider this excerpt: “I had a tough time grappling with the sorts of executive functioning that our world operates by, like being able to set up meetings, follow through with things, focus and be detail oriented,” he says. His manager had pointed out these failings for months, which is why his termination was hardly shocking. Folks, learn how to…

> Folks, learn how to use the tools that are available to you in order to schedule your workday. And if you are a manager then you have an obligation to train your staff in the use of tracking tools, which can be something as simple as post-it notes.

Learning tools doesn't solve the problem, a person with ADHD can know about the tools and the thought simply won't enter their mind to keep up with the tool itself [1]. Many ADHD medications can be relatively cheaply had (generics are available for Adderall, Straterra, Ritalin, etc.), but the stigma associated with those medications are still quite high.

[1]: https://youtu.be/_tpB-B8BXk0?t=71

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#125

Post by drewcoo »

mitchdoogle wrote: post #89
2bitencryption wrote: post #17

I just started working with a new team a few weeks ago. So far I've had "nice to meet you" calls with six or seven of the people on this team. And nearly half of them mentioned "by the way, I have ADHD, just so you know." And since I share so many characteristics with these individuals, now _I'm_ wondering if I have ADHD. Certainly the never-ending Instagram ads want me to think so. Or is this becoming a blanket term…

There is strong evidence that ADHD is overdiagnosed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8042533/ And of course, there is the issue of drug-seeking - for increased concentration and focus, for fun, or some other reason. And many doctors suspect patients of drug-seeking. Symptoms can easily be faked and are difficult to spot. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3173757/ https://healthland.time.com/201…

> many doctors suspect patients of drug-seeking

And many of us (and many, many published articles) suspect big pharma of making docs drug pushers.

So many fingers pointing in all directions!

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#126

Post by dirtybirdnj »

k__ wrote: post #23
pcurve wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"And nearly half of them mentioned "by the way, I have ADHD" Statistically that seems rather unlikely, so I wonder if people are being over-diagnosed?

Many of my friends have ADHD. Probably because ADHD people have trouble getting along with neurotypicals

NTs have no incentive to understand NDs, yet the lives of NDs hinges on how much effort we put into understanding and being understood.

One side is motivated to be open and communicative and the other is motivated to be insular and closed.

I know the "us vs them" mentality isn't healthy but I've lived an entire lifetime in a societal warzone and I refuse to just roll over and pretend that I'm not part of a socially marginalized group.

NTs are the problem. Society's intolerance is the problem. NDs aren't the problem, NTs are.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#127

Post by brazzledazzle »

unethical_ban wrote: post #59
ryandvm wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, most ADHD is really just a case of "I have limited willpower for extremely boring shit." Give me something interesting to do and I can work on it non-stop for 12 hours. The problem is that most jobs and almost all schooling is flat out incompatible with being an easily distractible person. I think it's just a phenotype that doesn't work well in the traditional professional environment. And yes, Adde…

I am having this issue at work, and have throughout my career, come to think of it. Give me a challenge, AND all the tools to conquer it, and I can get it done. Give me a lab environment with the servers and scripting tools I need to automate something, and I'll put it all together. Hamstring me by not giving me the tools I need, make the barrier to accomplishment too much, or give me really boring work without some…

One thing that worked for me with the anxiousness is pairing stimulants with something like hydroxyzine. Taking half of a dose 1-2 times a day when you feel that helps smooth the edges quite a bit.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#128

Post by hateful »

RationPhantoms wrote: post #53

This article feels like it was written for my brother. He's been fired, sequentially, 4 times in roles of progressively narrower scope/salary. From project manager (80k+) at a large NYC-BASED structured-cabling company to a billing coordinator position ( It makes me want to put my head into a pillow and scream because he's an intelligent, sociable and kind person but his mind just sits so juxtaposed from what these c…

The fact that he's intelligent make him what we refer to in the ADHD world as Twice Exceptional (me included!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa5v1a2H-xs

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#129

Post by wins32767 »

itronitron wrote: post #122
wins32767 wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How effective would you be if someone stood behind you all day and interrupted you every minute or so on tasks that you found uninteresting? Would you perform at the same level as you would if someone wasn't interrupting you all the time? Would tools eliminate this problem or just mitigate it?

You are describing a workplace that isn't suited for the type of work that needs to be performed. That is a management failure not a medical diagnosis.

ADD is like having that person interrupting you regularly. Saying "just use tools" isn't sufficient for everyone to get appropriate performance. Sometimes medication is the appropriate answer to banish the interruptions.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#130

Post by brazzledazzle »

cheeseomlit wrote: post #36
pcurve wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"And nearly half of them mentioned "by the way, I have ADHD" Statistically that seems rather unlikely, so I wonder if people are being over-diagnosed?

Quoted post unavailable.

This seems like uninformed conspiratorial thinking. Many stimulants have generic equivalents which is what most people are going to end up with when using insurance, at least in the US.
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