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Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

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Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#231

Post by codr7 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #128
codr7 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oxy does the same for pain, also stops working pretty quickly. The problem with both stimulants and opiates is overdosing will kill you pretty effectively, and many will eventually overdose if they keep using them long enough, chasing the initial effect. Modern medicine unfortunately seems focused on creating ever more addictive substances and treatments, creating subscribers I guess, which says a thing or two about…

I don't know how bad are opioid overdoses, though my understanding is that for at least some products, the opioid is mixed with paracetamol, specifically in order so you die from OD-ing on the paracetamol before you get high on the opioid. As for stimulant medication, I haven't heard of this being a real danger - not at the doses that prescription drugs have. Hell, I personally know a person who ate two boxes (i.e. 6…

Yeah, I know about the paracetamol; I took Oxy 24/7 for two months after a spine operation, and then got that crap instead. It's pure evil if you ask me.

Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#232

Post by codr7 »

viraptor wrote: post #167
codr7 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oxy does the same for pain, also stops working pretty quickly. The problem with both stimulants and opiates is overdosing will kill you pretty effectively, and many will eventually overdose if they keep using them long enough, chasing the initial effect. Modern medicine unfortunately seems focused on creating ever more addictive substances and treatments, creating subscribers I guess, which says a thing or two about…

I really don't think it's reasonable to mix addictive stimulants in general into a discussion about ADHD drugs. There's a difference between (for example) crack and ritalin. It's hard to even chase the initial ritalin effects - once you go past your useful dose, you just start getting similar symptoms as not taking it at all + side effects. If it doesn't work well, you'll get lots of other options - they're just as m…

I don't find that stimulants in general have enough differences to draw a line, not that I've tried all of them but many. Maybe Ritalin is different? I've seen plenty of people hooked to different kinds of stimulants though.

Look, we're experimenting on children who can't sit still long enough by giving them pretty serious drugs, for profit. We're still waiting on the long term consequences from that game.

Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#233

Post by romwell »

viraptor wrote: post #201
romwell wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry, but have you looked at the TOVA API[1]? I have. Put simply, it's bullshit — and one that doesn't even purport to measure ADHD (which, indeed, is not something one could measure on a linear scale). It has nothing to do with how we experience ADHD symptoms and traits. It does, however, look like something one could train for by... playing videogames. Surprise, playing videogames makes one statistically bette…

You created that one? Thank you, it's amazing and painfully true.

Yup, made it when I was just learning about ADHD while figuring out how many traits are applicable to me.

100+ pages in, I figured it's time to get myself assessed [1].

Went through the assessment three times with different doctors just to be sure; unsurprisingly, they all had the same conclusion.

Life has been so much simpler since then. Adderall is a great asset to have in the toolbox, but probably 90% of life quality improvement came from stopping to expect my brain to work the same way a neurotypical brain does, and adjusting my environment / lifestyle / habits / the way I do things to how my brain works, rather than the other way around.

That ranges from little things like having a pair of scissors at all desks and places where I use them (instead of perpetually looking for them) and trusting my partner's time estimates over my brain's — to bigger things like using body doubling[2] to get things done.

On that note, the online body doubling community ADHD Actually[3] has provided a very strong effect when I needed it the most (e.g. chugging through a less-exciting work project), and I can highly recommend it.

I'm paying for it even when I'm not using it just because this needs to exist.

It's made for and by people who understand our experience, and is based on time-proven techniques that all the therapists recommend for ADHD people.

Technically, one doesn't need an online platform for that; we've organized similar sessions with friends on Zoom... But in practice, the accountability aspect is much harder to maintain (...as well as getting people to show up consistently and at the same time as you).

ADHD Actually solves this problem; and paying a small fee also adds extra motivation to make use of the service and show up.

And the impartiality of people in the group is a big plus.

[1] https://romankogan.net/adhd#Diagnosis

[2] https://romankogan.net/adhd#Body%20Double

[3] https://adhdactually.com

Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#234

Post by AILU77 »

umvi wrote: post #18

FDA approves all sorts of software as a medical device that it doesn't rigorously test or understand. Completely serious - I bet Tetris could be approved by the FDA for ADHD treatment if The Tetris Company were willing to put in the effort for all the paperwork and fees.

You don't need to put in efforts, I offer with ADHOCON.COM a contract legal manufacturer, we do all the paperwork incl. clinical evaluation for the developer and register the product with our QMS and Documentation for you

Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#235

Post by wordofx »

Spivak wrote: post #213
wordofx wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only comment I upvoted so far. But just want to clarify that I never said it doesn’t exist. Just the majority of people don’t have it. I’ve only met 2 people who really have it and they could barely function without drugs. But I’ve met multiple dozens of people who say “oh I have adhd” like it’s fashionable simply because they get bored at work. It bothers the hell out of me knowing there’s people who truly have adhd…

I think you might be confusing visibility with existence. Someone with a partially treated disorder very much looks on the outside to be faking it. Someone who is managing their ADHD by orienting their life around it with a complex system of high-effort strategies to get by and isn't visibly ADHD (especially the inattentive variant which is more common in women) around others nonetheless deserves to not have to do al…

I work with 2 people who both have meds for ADHD who just take it at random. Could go a couple of weeks then be like “I’m adhding today I need meds”. I don’t believe for 1 second they have ADHD because those who truly have it don’t go through a week of “I’m fineeee” then “I’m feeling a like todays a difficult day I think I’ll take meds”. They need the meds to function.

Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#236

Post by Wolfenstein98k »

Draiken wrote: post #206
Wolfenstein98k wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People do things for reasons other than greed.

People, yes. Corporations, no. It's literally their raison d'être.

Disagree. Profit is not the same as greed, and corporations regularly make decisions that are not profitably in the short or long term.

Look at the rise in DEI! As soon as rates went up, a lot of that started getting cut. That strongly suggests it was an unprofitable decision. So why was it made?

Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#239

Post by Draiken »

Wolfenstein98k wrote: post #236
Draiken wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People, yes. Corporations, no. It's literally their raison d'être.

Disagree. Profit is not the same as greed, and corporations regularly make decisions that are not profitably in the short or long term. Look at the rise in DEI! As soon as rates went up, a lot of that started getting cut. That strongly suggests it was an unprofitable decision. So why was it made?

Because it was a good marketing stunt and they believed it would increase profits in the long term by hiring/keeping people that cared about that. Also, I wouldn't discount the fact that there's a lot of cargo cult induced decisions everywhere. But as soon as profits get hit, companies will correct course.

I don't think companies are perfect at optimizing for their profits (thankfully), but profit is and will always be their only driver for decisions.

A good example is how Google seemingly spoiled their employees with benefits and high pay. Their objective was to hoard talent so they could continue to grow their profits. It's not because they are thinking of the well being of their employees. As soon as they weren't growing as much, they had mass layoffs.

The only way a company isn't optimizing for profits is if it's smaller with owners that personally want to prioritize something else at the cost of profits. Which, in theory, means they will go out of business at some point because of being undercut by their competitors that don't care.

Companies are abstract entities that only serve one purpose: to make profit. Every single action is towards this goal. They are NOT people. Even the people behind them make decisions that they would never do individually but, behind the facade of a "company decision", they nevertheless do.

> Profit is not the same as greed

Greed is defined as:

  An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth
For me that's basically the definition of a company's purpose. If companies only generated enough profits to survive, we wouldn't live in the world we live in today. Numbers must go up!

Re: Doctor-prescribed videogame for ADHD

#240

Post by readthenotes1 »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #210
yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unironically yes. Neuroplasticity means that that is exactly a way to improve brain function. Not perfect, not universal, not the only way, but absolutely a working approach. (Obvious disclaimer: Not a doctor, not your doctor, this is not medical advice.)

As a middle-aged adult with ADD, "try harder, just do it" is absolutely not an effective overall treatment for ADD at any age.

Agreed. However, doing things that reinforce ADD are an anti-treatment.
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