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Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

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Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#141

Post by photojosh »

GavinMcG wrote: post #130
djur wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "neurodiversity" viewpoint here is that what we call "ADHD" is part of the natural variation in how human brains work, and that it's a category error to think of it as a malfunction to be repaired, but rather as a difference to be accommodated. That accommodation may or may not be via medication and therapy, but that shouldn't necessarily mean that the underlying neurological state is a diseased one. A good analo…

That viewpoint makes the same strawman argument: > is part of the natural variation in how human brains work, and ... it's a category error to think of it as a malfunction to be repaired No! No one is saying that everyone at one end of the spectrum has a disorder. It is specifically not a category error because the term "disorder" is not applied based on the variability, but rather based on whether the variation mean…

Yes!

I would just add that I like to refer to it as "attention dysregulation" rather than 'deficit'... my experience I can focus on one singular task to the exclusion of all other needs and demands (even base biological ones), to point of being in pain and exhaustion and causing myself harm.

Staying up for 40 hours programming... running trails for hours and hours... I have more than enough attention.

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#142

Post by chrischen »

FollowingTheDao wrote: post #42
chrischen wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If the authors life is not being impacted by his ADHD then he does not have ADHD. I’m not sure this is correct. If someone is managing their ADHD it doesn’t mean they don’t have it.

The expression of a disease or disorder is all that really matters. If he went into a doctors office today, instead of say 10 years ago, they would not diagnosed him with ADHD.

A lot of people cope really well with ADHD but it doesn’t mean biologically they are not “suffering” from the disorder.

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#143

Post by symlinkk »

triggercut wrote: post #84
symlinkk wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not. How are you so sure you really have it?

I would assume from the fact they were diagnosed (as they stated) by a professional (hopefully)? As someone who also fights an internal battle with my diagnosis 24/7, comments like this are not helpful and can even be hurtful. Would you ask someone with a hearing aid how they could be sure they were deaf? Or someone wheelchair bound how they could be sure they can't just walk if they try hard enough? The world of wor…

No post body was provided.

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#144

Post by ImaCake »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #2

“ Depression is not something with upsides and downsides.” Not sure if this is true. Evolutionary psychologists have explored the improved tunnel vision that accompanies depression as a means for finding one’s way out of harmful situations. Society-wide it seems many people are living in harmful situations/ways and are able to medicate their way out of the tunnel vision before recognizing the sources of pain.

Im sure there is some truth to depression being adapative, but I wouldn’t trust anything that evo psych has to say. There is just no way to properly validate their arguments. We can barely explain bird beaks let alone the most complex organ we know of.

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#145

Post by symlinkk »

jrapdx3 wrote: post #129
symlinkk wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not. How are you so sure you really have it?

> "I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not." What benefits of Adderall are you referring to? Drugs like Adderall can have distinct adverse effects, like cardiac arrythmias, increased blood pressure, jitteriness, insomnia, anxiety. And drug misuse/dependence is a major problem with stimulant-class agents. So for sure it's not true that everyone benefits from Adderall. Widely abused on colleg…

I think you’re purposely pretending like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Adderall gives you euphoria, focus, and energy whether you have ADHD or not. For people without ADHD it’s kind of like a strong cup of coffee.

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#146

Post by symlinkk »

scollet wrote: post #67
symlinkk wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not. How are you so sure you really have it?

Adderall does not work on NT brains. They would be able to perform tasks regardless.

Where’d you hear that? It works quite well on people without ADHD

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#147

Post by Bolkan »

adhd1110101 wrote: post #68

> When I was around seventeen I took a Real Analysis class at Columbia University. How typical. > When my first-year hallmates were “studying” they were looking out the window, playing with their pencils, talking to their roommates, all sorts of stuff that wasn't studying. When I needed to study I would hide somewhere and study. I think the ability to focus on just one thing for a few hours at a time is a great gift…

> I think the ability to focus on just one thing for a few hours

Fucking lol

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#148

Post by jrapdx3 »

gibquaaludes wrote: post #138
jrapdx3 wrote: post #41

ADHD is a common condition in adults, estimated to be around 3-5% of the population. It's very frequently comorbid with other behavioral disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. But even "pure" ADHD can be quite disadvantageous. People with ADHD are much less likely to finish school, have trouble staying employed, more likely to be divorced, have greater health care utilization…

Do you know how a patient would get funneled to someone like you with expertise on this matter? My experience with GPs is that they do not understand those issues and do not know how to direct to someone who does. It's not like a physical ailment where they know with a fair degree of certainty what the next avenue is.

Yes, it is a problem finding clinicians with interest in and experience with ADHD adults. In larger cities there are usually a handful of people who qualify, sometimes associated with teaching hospitals. Another possibility is asking at a college or university health clinic (even if you don't attend there).

Organizations like CHADD, local or state psychiatric associations have referral lists that can be useful. Likewise some insurers publish lists of clinical specialists. Other folks with ADHD who are in treatment might have a practitioner with room to see a new patient.

Pays to keep trying to find a provider you can work with, it will happen sooner or later and will be well worth all the trouble you went to.

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#149

Post by unmole »

hirvi74 wrote: post #134
atian wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The DSM-5 defines a mental disorder as a syndrome that causes significant disturbance in behavior, emotion, and cognition. These disorders are also usually accompanied by significant distress that affects a person's work, school, and social relationships.

> causes significant disturbance in behavior, emotion, and cognition According to other people. What if I think my behavior or emotions are appropriate or justified? The people that are not like me get to tell me how I should be? Seems kind of sick to me. What about the opposite? Are the people that lack disturbances in behavior, emotion, and cognition really that much better off? Regardless, they are definitely acce…

> Are the people that lack disturbances in behavior, emotion, and cognition really that much better off?

Yes.

Re: Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering

#150

Post by adhdgaslight »

symlinkk wrote: post #56
lghh wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am 30. I got diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago and I started treatment (adderall and lifestyle changes). Growing up, ADHD was my biggest enemy in life and I didn't even realize it. Once I began treatment, the change was almost overnight. I know I'm just one data point in a sea of data points, but I really just want to add that I'm on the other end of the parent comment and getting diagnosed, other than my marria…

I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not. How are you so sure you really have it?

The scientific consensus of the medical community is very clear [1]. ADHD exists. It is also clear that the individuals who have it do in fact suffer from it.

Unfortunately medical science is not at the point yet where it can, in an individual case, objectively verified with e.g. a brain scan or a blood test.

You should be aware that comments like yours, while surely not your intention, do real damage to the large category of people (more than half; ibid) who have the disorder and are not receiving treatment because they are being gaslit by a society that already minimizes the disorder at every turn.

[1] http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/Consensus2002.pdf

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