Hacker News Reader

Comment by Ballas | Hacker News Reader

That is a trait of ADHD. Hyperfocus until you find the next thing to hyperfocus on and then completely forget about the previous one.

The best way to deal with it* IMHO is to have a long term goal - and a reason why you want to achieve it. The reason should be chosen so that it motivates you to continue with the project. If you cannot think of a good one that will meet that requirement, then consider switching to a project that you can think of a good reason to keep you motivated. Set targets and then break it down into small tasks that are easy to track and achieve (the same as you probably do professionally). Ideally this task list should be somewhere visible, to remind you of it - along with your long term goal/reason.

edit: *it referring to the original complaint. I'm not a Psychiatrist.

View on HN

That's a very rash assumption. I'd go easy on diagnosing people with ADHD based on 4 paragraphs when it can be explained with either unrealistic expectations or lack of discipline.

I'm not saying it's not ADHD, I'm saying it's a risky thing to imply it.

As someone with ADHD, the author’s issues sound very much like ADHD. I have yet to hear of someone who has a “lack of discipline” to this degree who does not have ADHD. I used quotes because the concept of discipline is also very relative.

I have yet to hear of anyone being told by a medical professional that they don’t have ADHD but instead simply lack self-discipline. Yet probably many people become depressed or feel hopeless because of comments like this.

>I have yet to hear of anyone being told by a medical professional that they don’t have ADHD but instead simply lack self-discipline.

So you're saying that everyone who feels like this who goes to a medical professional, 100% of the people, will get told they have ADHD?

Well obviously not, since ADHD is not the only mental health disorder that could cause the symptoms being discussed here.

Also sounds like anxiety. One could lead to the other. This is why you should not self-diagnose

except OP and everyone else that didn’t get an ADHD diagnosis right

Paradoxical standard

The OP is clearly dealing with the symptoms commonly associated with ADHD. Whether or not they would be formally diagnosed by a psychiatrist is actually irrelevant. People with ADHD have coping strategies for these symptoms. It is wise to share in and learn from those strategies. Note that GP did not recommend a pharmaceutical treatment. But, when we notice that somebody has the symptoms of ADHD, it's common to recommend they see a doctor to have it checked out.

I think you're overreacting. I didn't read that comment as "you definitely have ADHD." More like "this behavior is a trait many with ADHD have, so it is worth considering seeing a psychologist."

I agree, but I don't think I diagnosed anybody, or at least that was not my intention. I simply stated that it's a trait and gave advice that I consider to be valid regardless.

I agree. He could have just cut out the first paragraph and it would have been decent advice. Some people have health anxiety and suggesting something like this can trigger them to obsessively worry about whether this have this or not.

I do not think this is that risky, it sounds quite clear from the parent's description of their life.

Does it matter if it is or isn't ADHD if the suggestion works?

Speaking as someone whose partner is a psychiatrist, popping in to echo that 1) it may or may not be ADHD, 2) only a doctor 1:1 can diagnose you, and 3) if it is, medication works wonders for many people.

It may be good to know that depending on the country where one lives getting a diagnostic can be a very long and laborious process. Online comments make it sound as something simple, it really depends on circumstances. But it’s definitely worth trying. Finding the correct medication is also not always simple, that takes some attempts, not everybody reacts the same way to a given molecule, and local scheduling laws can make it difficult to get access to the most effective ones.

Oh absolutely agreed. It's a process to work with a psychiatrist, and if it is ADHD, medication isn't right for everyone.

If this behavior is due to ADHD, then the best way to deal with it is to get diagnosed and then medicated, as medication is a really effective treatment.

"ADD" is so prevalent that it's basically part of normal human variation, and has enormous advantages. The name ought to be changed. I find the knee-jerk suggestion of medication offensive tbh. It's like medicating introversion.

The trick is to learn how to use these personality traits to succeed, not to use a chemical cosh to beat yourself into being just like everybody else.

I don't want to stigmatize ADHD in any way, but the executive dysfunction of this disorder is debilitating and it is definitely not a "normal variation". Neurodiverse people are forced to lean into and develop their other talents to be able to cope with adult life, which gives an impression that neurodiversity has certain advantages, but the negative symptoms of ADHD and ASD outweigh the benefits. I'd rather have a prefrontal cortex that actually works.

“Cancer” is so prevalent that it’s basically part of normal human variation and has enormous advantages.

I find the knee-jerk suggestion of medication offensive tbh. The trick is to learn how to use your tumors to succeed.

Prevalence in adults is 0.5% to 1%. Around a half of the population is introverted. OP, please see a doctor.

Depends which country you're in. Predicted prevalence is 2-3% (you'll see higher quoted) diagnosis rate in the US is higher, of course, and lower elsewhere. 2.5% is higher than a lot of popular modern identities. By all means see a therapist, but you don't need to assume that medicalising normal variation is the right thing to do.

I agree. I added a note to my comment for clarity - I did not want to discuss medication as I'm in no way qualified, but nevertheless agree with this sentiment.

After reading 4 paragraphs of text, your first suggestion to OP is to acquire dangerous drugs? This mentality defies common sense, medication should be a last resort.

Medication in psychiatry is not the last resort but the first line of treatment, because it drags people out of bad mental states and allows them the mental space to adjust their life to better cope with their condition.

Dangerous? Give me a break. You're clearly unaware of the medications given for ADHD, or how they work, how they're dosed, etc.

this is me, gpt has sort of fixed me by making it easier and faster to churn out an app before I get bored, but I'm also working on an ai app that's sort of become a passion. I just wish I had another dev to team up with, one with better nextjs/UI skills than me would be nice.

I think finding a real passion to go after can help stay focused, but I've started my app over life 4 times, modeling bits off many open source GitHub repos. im finally close to launching something.

> I just wish I had another dev to team up with, one with better nextjs/UI skills than me would be nice.

Maybe I should drop you an email

What is a really good reason that has motivated you? Can you give some examples? This is the place where I get stuck.

I'm in the same boat and also find that having a good goal can alleviate some of the pains of ADHD. In my case I like to set goals that I can easily visualize and associate with a tangible outcome. That way when I get off track, I can nudge myself in the right direction with reminders of what having the end product would be like.

An example is "implement XYZ paper" -> when you get off track, think about the algorithm running on your computer, how much faster it would be than the previous one, etc.

Hacker News has an obsession with ADHD. Why do you need to tell yourself you have a "mental illness"? Can't we be honest with ourselves and admit that amphetamines make programming easier?

It’s an ADA-recognized disability that affects many aspects of life, not just programming.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com