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How I Run a Company with ADHD

andrewaskins.com

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Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#261

Post by Mordisquitos »

jonathanstrange wrote: post #223

Okay, I start with a disclaimer, I suspect this opinion to be unpopular on HN. Anyway, I can't help thinking that ADHD is one of those mental disorders that merely reflects some increased demands of society rather than a genuine mental disorder and that people with ADHD are just part of the natural variation of different personality types. There also seems to be a huge divide between the US and Europe, where such dis…

Even if ADHD were part of the natural variation of different personality types, or if it were only manifested as a disorder in modern society, that would not be mutually exclusive with it being a genuine neurodevelopmental (not mental) disorder.

Whether the behaviours and feelings that we define as ADHD are natural or not has no bearing on the fact that people who present them can be very adversely affected as individuals. Good health is best defined in terms of adaptation to one's environment; if modern society has been built by and for the 90-95% of humans with no ADHD symptoms and that has a detrimental effect on the 5-10% of those who we define as having ADHD, then it is a legitimate and genuine disorder.

We can theorise all we want about the evolutionary origins of ADHD or whether a different society might ameliorate or eliminate the symptoms of the disorder, but people with ADHD who are born today into this society deserve the chance to live a healthy and productive life like anyone else. The fact that certain medications and therapeutic interventions are so demonstrably effective at improving the quality of life for people with ADHD means that refusing to recognise it as a genuine disorder is actively damaging to them.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#262

Post by Mirioron »

suprfnk wrote: post #247
fouc wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the best description of ADHD I heard was that it has more to do with an "attention-switching" deficit. People with ADHD are capable of intense focus on highly stimulating things like a good book. The intensity of focus drowns out everything else, making it hard to deal with other important tasks until the book is finished. It's also much more difficult to maintain their attention on things that are no longer…

> So ADHD folks are great at starting interesting projects, but once the space of possibilities has been narrowed down and all that's left is hammering it out, it becomes intensely difficult to maintain attention on that due to lack of stimulation. This is not something that most people have problems with?

Not to the degree people with ADHD seem to have this problem. A recent study looked at whether people with ADHD were more likely to repeat a grade. Here's what they found:

>28% of individuals with ADHD repeated a grade compared with 7% of controls (p

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23382575/

You can find many such studies about ADHD that find that people with ADHD just do worse in situations that require sustained attention and persistence.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#263

Post by Chazprime »

jonathanstrange wrote: post #223

Okay, I start with a disclaimer, I suspect this opinion to be unpopular on HN. Anyway, I can't help thinking that ADHD is one of those mental disorders that merely reflects some increased demands of society rather than a genuine mental disorder and that people with ADHD are just part of the natural variation of different personality types. There also seems to be a huge divide between the US and Europe, where such dis…

No. I think that it’s a condition that isn’t yet treated effectively and perhaps shouldn’t treated as much as it is in adolescence in the US, but it’s a very real condition with very real effects on work, relationships - everything that you do.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#264

Post by Mirioron »

thrav wrote: post #140
nsilvestri wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The attention switching idea seems consistent with my own experiences. I dated a girl with pretty severe ADHD; whenever she watched Arrested Development (a very fast paced sitcom with a lot happening) she would turn into a zombie and be almost entirely oblivious to any outside stimuli.

I have ADHD and have literally trained myself to use Arrested Development to put myself to sleep. Always the same episode. Even with the most crowded mind, I lay down with one earbud in, and I can’t make it 3 minutes without passing out. The rapid dialogue means there’s no opportunity for intrusive thoughts to enter, but I know it all by heart, so there’s zero intrigue in any of it.

I have a similar situation, but it's a daydream. If I lie down and think about it and let my mind wander I usually find myself waking up many hours later.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#267

Post by Fnoord »

jordanbeiber wrote: post #249
Fnoord wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its unpopular because it is wrong. The brains of someone with ADHD (assuming correct diagnosis) are different from NTs, akin to people with autism. AFAIK the latest scientific research points at that ADHD is just one of the many variants on the autism gene. But I don't have a source at hand right now, so grain + salt.

Yeah, I’ve always felt it resembles a form of autism. With ADD I score awfully high on the spectrum...

10 years before I finally got my ASD diagnosis I did not get an official AD(H)D diagnosis, but I did get Ritalin prescribed off the record. And it helped (though the coming down and instability between the high's was awful).

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#268

Post by maceurt »

jonathanstrange wrote: post #223

Okay, I start with a disclaimer, I suspect this opinion to be unpopular on HN. Anyway, I can't help thinking that ADHD is one of those mental disorders that merely reflects some increased demands of society rather than a genuine mental disorder and that people with ADHD are just part of the natural variation of different personality types. There also seems to be a huge divide between the US and Europe, where such dis…

My mom was diagnosed with adhd when she was an adult. She grew up in a strict southern household, and grew up before smartphones or the internet. She has always struggled with attention problems and distractions. Environment may make someone more likely to develop adhd, but there are people who have adhd just because of genetics.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#269

Post by ExtremisAndy »

yc-kraln wrote: post #231
jonathanstrange wrote: post #223

Okay, I start with a disclaimer, I suspect this opinion to be unpopular on HN. Anyway, I can't help thinking that ADHD is one of those mental disorders that merely reflects some increased demands of society rather than a genuine mental disorder and that people with ADHD are just part of the natural variation of different personality types. There also seems to be a huge divide between the US and Europe, where such dis…

Diagnosed at 6 with ADHD in the US by a proper battery of psychiatrists, therapists, etc. Medicated until 17. Still going to therapy regularly in the EU to deal with a myriad of ongoing issues as ADHD has changed how it impacts my life into adulthood. I am a "textbook" case. So basically the reality of my life is not subject to your opinions. Stop projecting your value system onto other people's lives.

An unnecessarily hostile and childish response to an honest and calmly stated opinion. Grow up.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#270

Post by tapland »

Mirioron wrote: post #245
tapland wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would get behind that. I was diagnosed just over two months ago and the things that have been hard for me is remembering appointments, getting around to doing chores (such as paying bills and cleaning), and managing university studies (too much other stuff to learn everywhere =/ ). I got suggested to get tested after failing out for the second time and the testing showed very much lower than average sustained atten…

The criteria in the EU are also much more strict (and "outdated") because we generally use ICD-10 still, whereas the US used the DSM.

Thats true. Also there must be documented start in childhood.
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