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Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

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Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#651

Post by boringds »

nathell wrote: post #348

I’m 39. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD/AS about 11 months ago, after having seen a psychiatrist complaining about chronic fatigue (cf. my Ask HN from two years ago [0]). Methylphenidate has helped _immensely_. As has accepting the wiring of my brain, taking a two-months sabbatical, and practicing awareness about the ADHD habits. I’m having the year of my life. I can’t remember being productive this consistently basica…

I just started on the same medication after seeing a psychiatrist. We are experimenting on dosage. However it's frustrating, first month on 18 mg was almost better than the 27 mg I take right now, even though 18 mg in the end did nothing anymore. How did you find your optimal dosage?

My partner reports massive improvements (no fidgetting, calmness, less impulsive) but I still feel .... the same and sometimes worse when it comes to fatigue and work, even though I sleep well.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#652

Post by RHSman2 »

nathell wrote: post #348

I’m 39. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD/AS about 11 months ago, after having seen a psychiatrist complaining about chronic fatigue (cf. my Ask HN from two years ago [0]). Methylphenidate has helped _immensely_. As has accepting the wiring of my brain, taking a two-months sabbatical, and practicing awareness about the ADHD habits. I’m having the year of my life. I can’t remember being productive this consistently basica…

It is such a revelation. But a slow one that takes a while to incorporate into being (I found.)

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#653

Post by RHSman2 »

icepat wrote: post #3

I've been in the diagnostic process for ADHD twice. First time I ended up losing all the paperwork, and getting kicked out of it. In the time between the first and second attempt, I developed PTSD which essentially stalled the second diagnostic as they could not cleanly differentiate between the two. For some reason, getting a diagnosis has been nearly impossible for me, despite each diagnostician saying "ADHD is hig…

The say that one in five people have it but that just accounts for those that can get themselves diagnosed or who had people that helped them.

I missed 3 consultations, got lost, was late and then waited a year till acting upon the diagnosis :)

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#654

Post by BaculumMeumEst »

TheRealHB wrote: post #54

The Blinking LED, A simple Hack that still works for me after years: 1. Place a tiny LED (red or yellow) by the side of your monitor or virtually on the screen corner. Basically anywhere almost bordering your field of view. 2. Make it blink like a fast heartbeat (120-150 bpm) and gradually slowdown to around 60 bpm (or your slow heartbeat base). Make the slope approx 20 to 60 minutes (you can adjust the best rate by…

i coded up an entire program to blink according to what you described before i it occurred to me my screen only runs at 60hz lol

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#655

Post by anticrymactic »

BaculumMeumEst wrote: post #654
TheRealHB wrote: post #54

The Blinking LED, A simple Hack that still works for me after years: 1. Place a tiny LED (red or yellow) by the side of your monitor or virtually on the screen corner. Basically anywhere almost bordering your field of view. 2. Make it blink like a fast heartbeat (120-150 bpm) and gradually slowdown to around 60 bpm (or your slow heartbeat base). Make the slope approx 20 to 60 minutes (you can adjust the best rate by…

i coded up an entire program to blink according to what you described before i it occurred to me my screen only runs at 60hz lol

Thankfully, heartrates are only in the single digit frequencies, so that shouldn't be a problem. 60 BPM = 1 Hz

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#656

Post by deathtrader666 »

falcolas wrote: post #380
atcalan wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now do remembering to fill your medicine when you're off your medicine :) you need extreme executive loading to argue with insurance and RXs especially with the supply chain issues.

It always bothers me how the procedure for getting ADHD meds is the single most ADHD unfriendly procedure in existence.

Kinda like requiring to climb a cliff when you require knee surgery..

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#657

Post by icepat »

83457 wrote: post #494
icepat wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes to both. I also wear an Apple Watch with the main display being a heart rate graph to monitor my stress levels over the day. I tend to average a resting rate of 100 bpm during periods of higher stress, and between 60-70 in periods of lower stress. Longer periods of high BPM indicates that I need to take a break. The PTSD presents mostly in incredibly severe trust issues, periodic nightmares related to events, dep…

If you haven't already, you should absolutely seek help and medication for the non-ADHD issues. It sounds like they are seriously affecting your life.

I have and am. I got the PTSD diagnosed when I was trying to get the ADHD one done. And most of the sorting things out is directly related to the PTSD aspect, rather than ADHD.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#658

Post by ddmf »

This article is really good and a useful summation of things I've felt and tried to explain, going to pass it on to my partner!

The only thing that I found interesting was with regards to choosing focus days, as I just cannot do that - I don't know hour to hour whether I will be able to focus or not, it's always a total battle.

However, my hack is that when coding I need to watch something silly: like cooking shows, reality tv etc - something I can partially ignore.

This was a fix I discovered about 20 years ago and it's helped me ever since, I've always described it as keeping the child portion of my brain happy whilst the adult portion gets on with its job.

I was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD (what was ADD) 8 months ago, medication really helps with emotional regulation and staying on task - yet I can still code better when I'm watching some random rubbish.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#659

Post by regularfry »

RoyalHenOil wrote: post #642
whalesalad wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Music BPM has the same effect. For me personally the right cadence can almost induce a flow state immediately.

I find music distracting when I work because I listen to it too actively, but I can imagine that a subtle regular pulse or beat might help. It would beed to be quiet and plain enough that it would not dominate my attention.

For me it's a question of whether it has lyrics or not. No lyrics? Absolutely fine. Lyrics? Instasquirrel.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#660

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

mattnewton wrote: post #526
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which treatment you're in is relatively easily detectable, so unfortunately that wouldn't work. I like the approach though, it would be a reasonable control condition (assuming that the 60bpm is a core part of the effect).

you would blind the participants to the effect you are looking to measure. If they don’t know what to expect or what conditions there are, they can still get a placebo effect from random patterns.

> you would blind the participants to the effect you are looking to measure. If they don’t know what to expect or what conditions there are, they can still get a placebo effect from random patterns.

Maybe. Generally you'd do a manipulation check at the end to ensure that people couldn't identify what condition they were in.

Additionally, that's single blind rather than double blind.

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