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Comment by stevewodil | Hacker News Reader

Not the person you are replying to, but generally speaking I look at getting a diagnosis (for most mental health problems) like so:

Do these symptoms cause me struggle with my everyday life? Are things that normal people do all the time oddly difficult for me to complete?

If so, go get a diagnosis. Everyone struggles with procrastination to an extent, but if you try to sit down and try to start the work and just CANNOT emotionally bring yourself to do the work or get your brain to engage, then it's probably something more than just normal procrastination. If you are frustrated with your inability to remain focused and complete things on time that are just not inherently interesting to you, recognize that most people don't struggle like that. It's not a discipline problem it's an emotional regulation problem which is common of ADHD.

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> if you try to sit down and try to start the work and just CANNOT emotionally bring yourself to do the work or get your brain to engage, then it's probably something more than just normal procrastination

I've had so many problems with this in high school and college, it's unreal. I've only started to fully comprehend my problems with anxiety this past semester but reading all of this makes me wonder if there's something more to it than just that.

If it's really that hard to get engaged into something that you aren't innately interested in but that you know you "should" do, I would seek an ADHD diagnosis. It's a pretty big symptom. Sometimes it really is not possible and even if it is it's extremely difficult and you feel dumb for it (but obviously you shouldn't, it's not your fault). It's like your mind throwing a tantrum and refusing to engage with the work at all.

This is my struggle. But also, nobody likes to focus on something uninteresting. What's the difference between ADHD and just not wanting to do it?

The difference is really not being able to focus if it's not interesting. Your brain will constantly turn to other stimulation if it's not getting it from the current task. Sometimes you might be able to do it, and other times you won't. That's one of the most frustrating parts of ADHD. You feel like you've done it before, so why can't you do it now? "Normal" people can still focus (or get started) even if something is not interesting, they just have to start.

Most people won't like to do uninteresting things, but the threshold for boredom is extremely low in those with ADHD so they will struggle a lot more to stay focused. It's a spectrum unfortunately, so there's no one definitive measure that says "that's definitely ADHD". To be honest, if you find yourself seriously questioning/wondering about whether or not you have ADHD it probably means you're struggling to an extent and aren't 'normal'. Otherwise, it wouldn't be something you are questioning.

Not wanting to do it and not being able to do it are two different things. To an adhd person boring tasks aren't just boring to do, they are impossible to do even if they were paid a million dollars to do it.

I call it not being able to put one foot in front of the other. You will find all kinds of distractions to try to not think about it, because to think about it is almost physically painful.

Would second this, if the though of doing the dishes is equivalent to someone shooting your dog emotionally then you have an issue. It just seems like life cannot go on to get yourself to drag yourself to the sink and start washing them. Now I do them almost every time I take a break.

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