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ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

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Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#441

Post by TOGoS »

pgt wrote: post #169
TOGoS wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reminds me of troubles I used to have falling asleep if anyone was making any noises nearby (I would get very annoyed at the fact that I was startled, which would make it even harder to fall asleep, in a terrible feedback loop). I think I managed to improve eventually, using the 'Paradoxical intention' technique that Viktor Frankl talks about in Man's Search for Meaning.

What is the ‘paradoxical intention’?

In my case it was to try to stay awake listening to all the sounds. Maybe combined with just getting up and doing something else if after a long time I still wasn't sleeping.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#442

Post by brailsafe »

rubyn00bie wrote: post #197
Diederich wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> marijuana May I ask: which strain do you use? I've been treating my ADHD with (sparing, irregular use of) the main stimulants, which has worked fairly well. I've only used cannabis a couple of times, and each time I rather hated how it made me feel.

I personally used marijuana for years to help me. The best strains I've found were high potency sativas (like 28%+) like Super Silver Haze or J1. I find the higher the percentage the sativa high tends to be more clear, energetic, and cerebral. If it's too low it's usually "muddied" so to speak. Additionally, ummm how can I put this, if I took a break from smoking it wouldn't help with my ADD as it would make me anxio…

God damn that's a lot of weed. I have some hippie friends that might go through that, but you've gotta be spendin.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#443

Post by afarrell »

khalilravanna wrote: post #80
vonseel wrote: post #47

I’m 31 and have ADHD (diagnosed in my teens) and I’m pretty sure NOBODY with ADHD is going to have the wherewithal to read this entire article! Unless it happens to magically coincide with their hyper-focus topic of the moment! In all seriousness, I skimmed parts of the article and kept scrolling and it just kept going and going and going... like the Energizer bunny. I guess the author found a doctor to prescribe sti…

That's interesting to hear about ADHD causing mood swings/anger/irritability and the stimulants doing away with them. Is that a common trait of the illness? I only noticed that after I started taking stimulants my temper became a lot more short. It's to the point that I have to be really cognizant of it lest I inadvertently snap at someone due to some biological response (really not good as a leader in an organizatio…

There are subtypes of ADHD.

This is not really a trait of the Inattentive-subtype. However, a person grows up:

- Being frequently told that they are a disappointment.

- Would have succeeded (at something they really cared about) if they'd actually cared.

- Being tuned out because they're talking in a way that seems scattered or boring to the listener.

Can develop an unhealthy relationship with anger.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#444

Post by timwaagh »

pepper_sauce wrote: post #411
timwaagh wrote: post #400

why did you settle on adhd? adhd people are typically overactive. It means Attention Defecit Hyperactivity. I mean, it is literally about being 'hyperactive'. Like my friend. He's like always walking super fast and very extraverted. He does stuff every hour of the day and never gets tired. I try to keep up but really he has to wait on me. He did have trouble with school, but that's because he's always running off som…

Your comment is inaccurate in the extreme. You don't understand the basics of the diagnosis, so please don't attempt to apply them across the internet.

the thing inaccurate about it is the relatively recent merging of the one term with the other. but you know what, i still think he has to do some more searching to do to find out what the issue is. because from his writing it is unfortunately clear it's more and less than ad(h)d alone can explain.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#445

Post by minhazm42333 »

kolinko wrote: post #385
siljon wrote: post #379

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have had this problem through my whole life... My parents and I have never understood that this definition is ADHD and always assumed it was inability to focus. My mom have always been big about don't take pills unless you absolutely have too. However it isn't until older age I finally been able to force my exert executive control to focus. It has taken a lot of practice and challenging myself and it wasn't until t…

Practice helps, it’s just an uphill battle without meds. There are many books on the subject of good exercises, and some therapists that specialise in helping adhd people.

Can u recommend any?

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#446

Post by shifto »

rustybelt wrote: post #51

Thousands of words and no mention of diet. I was diagnosed ADHD in 5th grade, tried just about every medication out there, and never landed on a workable long-term solution until I modified my diet. Medication always had mixed results. Many allowed me to focus and better control impulses, but the emotional crash at the end of the day was too much. Others caused insomnia or palpitations. Cutting sugar and limiting car…

I agree. I stopped Ritalin and changed my diet and other 'ways of life'. I can't say it's as good as using Ritalin but I have found a middle way I can work with. had been using drugs for 10 years but felt I should be able to do without. After all that time I feel I understand my own worth a bit more and have enough self-knowledge to get by as I do right now.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#447

Post by pepper_sauce »

timwaagh wrote: post #444
pepper_sauce wrote: post #411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment is inaccurate in the extreme. You don't understand the basics of the diagnosis, so please don't attempt to apply them across the internet.

the thing inaccurate about it is the relatively recent merging of the one term with the other. but you know what, i still think he has to do some more searching to do to find out what the issue is. because from his writing it is unfortunately clear it's more and less than ad(h)d alone can explain.

The earliest use of the term in the DSM is "Attention Deficit Disorder (with and without Hyperactivity)". You're clearly working from your own colloquial definitions and applying the contents of a single blog post to an anecdotal data point of your hyperactive friend.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#448

Post by hateful »

caleb-allen wrote: post #267
matheusmoreira wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unless it happens to magically coincide with their hyper-focus topic of the moment! It's funny. People with ADHD suffer from attention deficit but at the same time they display hyperattention when they encounter a subject they like. I've experienced it as well: once I start programming I have no problem doing it for 12 hours straight. I've found this trait in many ADHD patients. There's usually something that reall…

My favorite explanation is that of a hunter. Those with ADHD spend 90% of their time imagining, thinking, doing everything and nothing. And to any observer they look stupid, or undisciplined, or lazy. Like the hunt, when somebody with ADHD encounters an situation with very high (perceived) consequences, they will lock into intense hyperfocus, completely singular in their goal. So the modes of operation are 1) philoso…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#449

Post by hotfrost »

munk-a wrote: post #4
vslira wrote: post #2

About getting treatment: it's extremely irritating that some people judge using Ritalin is somehow morally wrong. Yes, I get that "lifestyle changes" could help, but I don't want to change my lifestyle. Imagine if there was a pill to reduce risk of cardiac arrest, with some increased risk of something relatively minor. Can you imagine the uproar if cardiologists denied prescribing the pill, instead forcing people to…

There's another weird factor. Ritalin is an upper and it's stigmatized to take an upper - either your performance, judged by coworkers, will be equivalent or below theirs and the stimulant is seen as the only thing keeping you in your job (which can get super depressing internally) - or, if you're doing well in your position, it can breed internal and external doubt as to whether your performance would just be normal…

> the stimulant is seen as the only thing keeping you in your job (which can get super depressing internally)

Literally experiencing this right now while getting a degree in software engineering. Got diagnosed during my first year with AD(H)D and I'm currently in my fourth, final year. Looking back at things I have no clue how I even managed to pass the harder subjects/courses. All I remember is I took my meds and studied about 12 hours a day 3 weeks straight during the hardest parts.

Before I had never studied more than 2 hours a day and I would start only about 5 - 8 days before a test.

I often wonder if I could work at a software company without my medicine because of this and it actually worries me.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#450

Post by celdon25 »

munk-a wrote: post #437
celdon25 wrote: post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The types of medications prescribed for ADHD tend to make one overconfident. They may stop certain variants of mood swings but do they really make you a more pleasant person to be around? My experience and observations tell me that's unlikely to be the case.

ADHD is related to some dopamine dysfunctions which a decent proportion of people correct for with aggression[1] - I think predominantly men do this - since conflict will supply the reward response our brains should have given out for success. So a lot of confrontational people that have un-diagnosed ADHD will actually level out with medication. 1. Sort of a vast simplification, but basically hulking out and raging -…

Yes, this is pretty spot on. In my specific case, most of the aggression gets channeled toward my work and makes me good at what I do. The stimulants (pushed on me by multiple doctors) almost ruined my career, and my life, in more ways than one! Took years away from me. Any other aggression that happens to be there is just a part of who I am, and taking that away is a bug, not a feature. The side effects and danger that comes with any of those drugs is not worth it in many cases.
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