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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

#141

Post by Tao3300 »

cheeseomlit wrote: post #96
robotresearcher wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Typical use of 'narcotics' means opiates and similar drugs (narc = sleep), and not amphetamines.

My mistake, I meant it in more of an 'often-abused mind-altering addictive scheduled drug' connotation. Not that a drug being scheduled is proof of harm in and of itself, but it seems like many people (particularly on HN for some reason) are in heavy denial that they are addicted to amphetamines and that it maybe isn't such a healthy way to solve behavioral problems. If you're an adult then fine you can make your own…

> many people (particularly on HN for some reason) are in heavy denial that they are addicted to amphetamines and that it maybe isn't such a healthy way to solve behavioral problems

You've coasted into the territory of self-appointed expert on ADHD. To me, this reads as "I have no idea what ADHD is like or how to manage it. My mind can't imagine that other minds may work differently, so what would work for my mind must work for all the other minds."

> behavior problems

Whether or not you're aware of it, that's an ableist dog whistle for "why don't you just stop being _______?" usually followed by a JBP reading list about lobsters and room cleaning.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#142

Post by brazzledazzle »

cheeseomlit wrote: post #96
robotresearcher wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Typical use of 'narcotics' means opiates and similar drugs (narc = sleep), and not amphetamines.

My mistake, I meant it in more of an 'often-abused mind-altering addictive scheduled drug' connotation. Not that a drug being scheduled is proof of harm in and of itself, but it seems like many people (particularly on HN for some reason) are in heavy denial that they are addicted to amphetamines and that it maybe isn't such a healthy way to solve behavioral problems. If you're an adult then fine you can make your own…

In an ideal world each child would have private teachers and tutors developing custom tailored curriculum and schedules for them. We don't live in an ideal world and success in public school essentially requires you be neurotypical or use medication to simulate it as much as possible.

By all means try without it first but it's going to cost you time or money you may not have. With any luck future gains in understanding the human brain will lead to medication that has the pros without the cons but today we have to use the tools we have.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#143

Post by potta_coffee »

d--b wrote: post #49

Can people stop a second with ADHD-as-a-disease? It’s the society that’s sick!! Prevalence in the US is 10% of the general population. Many of whom have active social lives and high paying jobs. Those people play the game they have been told to play. Corporate bullshit, boring tasks, endless meetings, and then they complain to their doctors they don’t feel like it fits. Something’s afoot. and the doctors say: “right…

I have the same feeling; society is sick. But I cannot just quit my job and escape society. I have no idea how to make a living on my own outside of a company.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#144

Post by Zircom »

WheatMillington wrote: post #10
Moissanite wrote: post #5

As an adult who feels like they identify with these characteristics, it is hard to know when to try to get help, or whether you are just seeing what you want to see and looking for an excuse. I have always shied away from seeking an adult ADHD diagnosis, partly because of prideful denial (not wanting to acknowledge that there might be something wrong with me), and partly because I have no faith in the NHS giving a sh…

FWIW here's my experience: mid 30s, New Zealand, wife read about ADHD due to young kids and recognised the adult symptoms in me. After some prodding I saw a specialist and was diagnosed. I take daily ritalin - outside of the first few days (which were dramatic) I haven't had a life altering experience on the drugs, and tbh it doesn't change much whether or not I take it. However, having a diagnoses changes the way I…

You might try switching to strattera or Adderall for a month or two, there can be a dramatic difference between the effectiveness of ADD medications on individuals.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#145

Post by astrange »

treeman79 wrote: post #114
EdwardDiego wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are non-amphetamine medications available now that might work for your brother, and cognitive-behavioural therapy can really help too.

Any recommendations? I took one that you take at night. It slightly improved my focus during day. But would leave me sleepy all day. Even with taking it before bed.

Strattera and Tenex are two main ones.

They actually have more side effects than amphetamines do, though Strattera works well for me as long as you absolutely always take it with food. (Otherwise it feels like you're getting kicked in the stomach.)

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#146

Post by moojacob »

noname120 wrote: post #86
moojacob wrote: post #33

As someone who has experienced a bad reaction to ADHD medication after years of using it, I can say that it was a frustrating and difficult time. I felt like I had been relying on the medication to function, but it suddenly stopped working for me and made me feel even worse. I was worried about how I was going to manage my ADHD symptoms without it. However, I eventually discovered that I could improve my executive fu…

Could you elaborate on the bad reaction that you experienced? Which treatment, brand, and daily amount?

I was on Adderall, then tried Dexamfetamine. I was on 30mg a day long lasting I think. For the first six months the medication worked, then I began to feel sick and paranoid. My social life fell apart and my work became mediocre.

Now when I take any stimulant after a couple hours I start to feel dehydrated and light headed. If I continue using for a couple days I am unable focus on anything except a couple intrusive thoughts.

Different medications work for different people, so please don't ignore ADHD treatment! It's a powerful tool, just be careful not to cut yourself like I did.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#147

Post by dmurdoch »

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.

The fact that you didn't see what he was ACTUALLY referring to is actually funny in that it means you don't really understand what having an ADHD brain is actually like.

He isn't saying this is literally the situation. He's referencing the fact that this is what its like having an ADHD brain. Your BRAIN is the one constantly interrupting you, all the time, bringing you focus away from what it SHOULD be focusing on and onto other random things, making doing consistent DEEP and thoughtful work really hard.

The "workplace that isn't suited for the type of work" you refer to is just saying that my brain isn't suited to the type of work. Which like, yeah... I agree. Thats why I take medication.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#148

Post by thethethethe »

treeman79 wrote: post #114
EdwardDiego wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are non-amphetamine medications available now that might work for your brother, and cognitive-behavioural therapy can really help too.

Any recommendations? I took one that you take at night. It slightly improved my focus during day. But would leave me sleepy all day. Even with taking it before bed.

Wellbutrin worked wonders for me. Works immediately, similar to amphetamines and is easy to obtain legitimately.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#149

Post by k__ »

ravenstine wrote: post #131
k__ wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went in an ADHD rabbit hole a week ago. I never considered my self suffering from it, my quirks were individual parts of my character! But now I highly suspect I have it. I lose focus all the time. For example, Going from doing laundry, to gathering dishes, and bringing out trash without finishing one of them. Or I can't read long articles with topics that are important for me but don't tickle one of my interests.…

I suspect a lot of ADHD people become programmers because software can compliment the countless fleeting interests we have. That said, programming as a career is still more challenging to us because non-ADHD programmers are more likely to succeed with numerous responsibilities and more complex and boring tasks. The more an ADHD programmer advances, the fewer of his immediate peers will have ADHD. This is one of the r…

Thanks.

Yes, I'm rejecting well paying jobs constantly because I couldn't bear to be employed and working 40h a week again.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#150

Post by swozey »

ravenstine wrote: post #131
k__ wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went in an ADHD rabbit hole a week ago. I never considered my self suffering from it, my quirks were individual parts of my character! But now I highly suspect I have it. I lose focus all the time. For example, Going from doing laundry, to gathering dishes, and bringing out trash without finishing one of them. Or I can't read long articles with topics that are important for me but don't tickle one of my interests.…

I suspect a lot of ADHD people become programmers because software can compliment the countless fleeting interests we have. That said, programming as a career is still more challenging to us because non-ADHD programmers are more likely to succeed with numerous responsibilities and more complex and boring tasks. The more an ADHD programmer advances, the fewer of his immediate peers will have ADHD. This is one of the r…

My problem with programming (of which I've been trying to really do decent at for years but failing) + ADHD is my memory is absolutely trash. I'll spend a week or two working on an app and then put it down for a month and it takes me a day just to get rolling with it again because I basically learn/work by brute forcing things to work as opposed to remembering concepts that would make it work without having to do so.

It's frustrating and makes me often give up. I work in Ops, so it's not a day to day thing for me to write any code. Thankfully with all of the fires and different things to work on in Ops I think it's a very good fit for an ADHD person.

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