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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

#491

Post by eggy »

Something I learned from my ex-girlfriend many years ago about the labeling of mental diseases in the DSM, and insurance always stuck with me. In order to allow doctors to bill for a consultation, or prescribe medicines, they need to code it. If it is not a cataloged disorder, no insurance, no pharma around the condition. A good reason to try and get a label for the DSM. I think there are far too many diagnoses of ADHD in America vs. say Europe, and I am even more skeptical about the actual category of ADD, ADHD and similar mental disorder acronyms. We strive to hard to label any behavior different than some statistical norm as aberrant, and in need of correction. I am not a doctor, but there are some professionals who also have this opinion [1,2]. I am not saying ADD, ADHD are not real descriptions of what people seem to identify with, or experience, but that maybe we are pulling in a lot of others in the wide net of attempting to normalize our children and society. Personally, I believe people need to identify with something, or have reasons for feelings or behaviors they can't seem to find cause for, or label.

I lived and grew up in Brooklyn during the 1970s, and it was interesting to note that my friends who remained in the city after having children had their kids on some type of medication (lithium, prozac, amphetamines) compared with my kids and a few others who left for the countryside, or another country. It's not urban vs. rural, but more an American thing. After having lived overseas for 8 years, and some other odd years in other countries, I returned to the US, and when I turned on a TV for the first time in a long time, all I saw were big pharma adds for everything from spastic colon to mental disorders. Fortunately, I killed cable and only watch films, or read, or watch self-curated internet snippets of videos, news and articles. When I stay in a hotel, I see the same adds pushing cures, solutions in the guise of attractive people in bucolic settings. It's no wonder there's a rush to medicate everything.

I truly feel compassionate for anyone who feels bad, or different enough to suffer mentally or physically. I know, since I have had my own battles for sure. I only hope we aren't somatizing the population of kids, and implanting the idea that something is wrong with otherwise "normal" children.

[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-theater-the-brai...

[2] https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/features/adhd-...

[3] https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/02/adhd-neither-d...

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#492

Post by screye »

dingaling wrote: post #146
screye wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have suspected for years that I may have ADHD, and the thread is slowly confirming my suspicions. (ofc, it can only truly be confirmed by an authorized professional) 1. Lazy - CHECK 2. can’t even stand the thought of a task, class, or activity I’m not interested - CHECK 3. My hobby background is ridiculously all over the place - CHECK 4. My leg never stopped bouncing, helpful when I played music to keep time - CHEC…

> can’t even stand the thought of a task, class, or activity I’m not interested But who is? This is one of the problems in modern society, the concept that if you're not interested in something then you can skip it and find a medical excuse. No-one ( generalising ) likes doing tax returns or washing dishes, but you need to look beyond the immediate discomfort to the longer-term benefits. That is self-discipline, not…

Nope it really was a problem.

My brain wanders off to the point of literally not being able to pay attention. To the point, that I would routinely get barely passing grades in a boring course but ace interesting courses. Very few other students had that level of variance in their grades.

I also just can't do anything that has to do with data entry. I start, and in 2 minutes I realize the number are all wrong. I get double vision on the screen and am either yawning/daydreaming/thinking of the interesting things within that small time.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#493

Post by screye »

c0vfefe wrote: post #462
thecatspaw wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but you need to look beyond the immediate discomfort to the longer-term benefits. That is self-discipline, not some magical superpower. And that is _exactly_ what someone with ADHD struggles with. Long term consequences be damned, I want something that excites me and gives me a benefit _now_.

A real hard problem here is distinguishing between a lack of discipline and ADHD. Maybe that's kind of unknowable.

Exactly. Thus, the discussion about the stigma around it.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#494

Post by friesen »

badpun wrote: post #304
Veen wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds familiar to me. I've been trying to launch a blog for years. It goes in cycles. I start building a site, learning a web framework or static site generator, writing CSS and JavaScript, coming up with topic ideas, etc. Then, when the interesting learning part is over, I get bored and it just sits there for a few months until I start again with a different idea for the design or typography. It's a pattern I…

Maybe you’re actually interested in design and typography?

Maybe, but only being able to focus on things that happen to grab your attention/interest is one of the major pain points of having ADHD.

It's not a matter of preferring to work on more interesting things. It's more along the lines of not realizing uninteresting things need to be dealt with (or even exist at all, sometimes) until they bite you in the ass.

Keeping up the theme of starting a blog... you'll have a rational understanding that a blog needs content. But you'll get wrapped up in solving the more interesting design/engineering problems. Once those parts of the project have been sorted out well enough that you are no longer actively solving a problem (note, I didn't say they were completed), something unrelated, but more interesting, will cross your mind and steal your attention away.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#496

Post by justbaker »

ScottFree wrote: post #392
justbaker wrote: post #340

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I currently have 52 open tabs on my laptop and another 37 open on my desktop. What about the second desktop?

Hahaha. Just the two computers for me, plus maybe 1 tab open on my phone. Luckily, my phone isn't as addictive to me as it is for other people. I type at 120wpm and having to slow all the way down to 30wpm on a phone stabs me to my very soul. My evernote and bookmarks are overflowing, though.

>I type at 120wpm and having to slow all the way down to 30wpm on a phone stabs me to my very soul.

I feel your pain. I hate typing on phones; feels so inefficient. It is definitely good to not have the 50 tabs problem mobile too.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#497

Post by beenBoutIT »

Kiro wrote: post #371
rtpg wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD is the realest mental disorder out there. It has well defined medical symptoms, diagnosis criteria, and clinical treatment is more effective than with depression. Saying “oh mayyyybe ADHD isn’t real” makes no sense unless you believe all mental disorders are fake.

Source? Claiming it's the realest mental disorder is a bold claim.

According to Stanford's sleep clinic something like 25% of people diagnosed with ADD/ADHD actually have narcolepsy. A real disease has an objective test of some kind while an ADD/ADHD diagnosis is entirely subjective.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#498

Post by omgwtfbyobbq »

tbrownaw wrote: post #471
ryanobjc wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry I don’t accept this as a legitimate reference.

Why not?

Because they're (neuro)typically annoying. :P

Practically speaking any disorder that impairs executive functioning and uses Schedule II drugs in treatment is going to be over diagnosed because of malingering by people who want the drugs and under diagnosed in the population of individuals with the disorder because of impaired executive functioning and self awareness.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#499

Post by rewgs »

Eleopteryx wrote: post #460
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…

>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 There's physiological differences in the brain though https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_hyperactivit...

Of course there are. You can’t chain a brain without doing so physically. The comment you’re replying to is positing the cause of said changes.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#500

Post by candiodari »

hoorayimhelping wrote: post #359
amelius wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there techniques to trick your mind into thinking that something is interesting?

No, you can't trick your mind into things. It's too smart for that. The best thing I've found is to just accept you have the ADHD and work around it. If I know I'm going to do a tedious task that is going to be boring and require concentration, I usually give myself a 2-3 minute break every 20 minutes just to get up and walk around. It's very important to have discipline to make sure the break doesn't turn into a hug…

Actually I've found that for my mind at least this works. Do the sort of motivational tricks that your mom/dad/teacher used on you 20 years ago. At this point we go get icecream. At this point we stop for a game. At this point we go for a bike ride. If you get here you get a small lego toy. If you get at X we go to that restaurant ...

I am fully aware of the trick and I could just choose right now to violate the thing entirely. It still works.

I don't suppose that counts as tricking your mind into thinking something is interesting. Still works.

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