The silent struggles of workers with ADHD • Hacker News Board

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#21

Post by cheeseomlit » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:42 PM UTC

whatshisface wrote: post #9

Moissanite wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I should have put quotes on "wrong"; I acknowledge (intellectually) that it is not a personal failing to have ADHD and would not think less of other people for it, but I apply a higher standard to myself for reasons passing understanding.

It's too late for you to apply any standards to your DNA, you've already been born.

Is there any evidence ADHD is genetic? The only connection I've read about is that parents who are diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to have their children diagnosed with it, but that itself is not evidence of a genetic trait. Seems just as likely to be nurture than nature to me- for example if parents over-stimulate their kids by putting them in front of TVs/iPads/etc. from a young age it's not surprising they'll develop attention problems

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#22

Post by pcurve » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:42 PM UTC

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…

"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?

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#23

Post by k__ » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:45 PM UTC

pcurve wrote: post #22

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…

"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

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#24

Post by __derek__ » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:46 PM UTC

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…

Is it possible that your new employer has prioritized making accommodations for folks with ADHD, leading to more of them joining? Many companies don't have a compatible environment/culture.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#25

Post by _some_guy » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:48 PM UTC

As a father of 10 year old with horrible ADHD reading articles like these reminds me of the world she'll have to face on her own, and that's not a nice thought.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#26

Post by corobo » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:48 PM UTC

pcurve wrote: post #22

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…

"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?

Statistics might ignore the "birds of a feather flock together" tendencies of humans.

Over the years it's turning out my entire since-college friend group have some sort of mental health disorder that's been missed for 30 years.

If I found a team with a couple other ADHD folks that seemed to be thriving that company would be top of my list for sure.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#27

Post by sirmarksalot » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:49 PM UTC

I'm also reluctant to tell managers about my ADHD because even if they're supportive, they often have a very shallow understanding of how it works. That means they'll suggest strategies that make sense for solving the problem of "easily distracted," but fail when the problem is "motivation is interest-based, and starting on new things is difficult."

The explosion of resources for ADHD adults has made it a lot easier to understand ourselves and how we work, but that information hasn't necessarily made it out to the neurotypical world.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#28

Post by chrsig » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:51 PM UTC

pcurve wrote: post #22

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…

"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?

Possible that the people are misdiagnosed, also possible that there's bias in hiring, or bias in field selection from people with adhd. It could also just be that yes, it is statistically unlikely, and this is just a less likely sample.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#29

Post by chrsig » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:51 PM UTC

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

> Probably because ADHD people have trouble getting along with neurotypicals

In our defense, normies suck.

Re: The silent struggles of workers with ADHD

#30

Post by smnrg » Mon, Dec 12, 2022, 7:52 PM UTC

tjkrusinski wrote: post #15

Glad to see this article focus on more than distractibility. In my mid twenties I struggled with managing impulsive behavior. I would regularly say inappropriate things in meetings, unable to understand why I said what I said. After a lot of work in therapy and many different types and dosages of medications, I'm in a better spot. I've turned what was a problem into something I'm proud of. Through putting my foot in…

Rejoice, you have a spark of humanity left in you—even in a corporate environment.

Which is usually a requirement to be hired in my team.

I vastly prefer direct, humorous, and respectful coworkers like you over perfectly controlled machines.