Tell HN: Check for ADHD | Hacker News Reader

Tell HN: Check for ADHD

21 pointsadhdthrowaway7710 comments

I'm 19. Just a week ago I was diagnosed with ADHD. Up until two weeks ago I didn't believe ADHD is a real disease, I thought it's a made up thing to sell drugs or whatever. Obviously I never googled it, never checked out what the symptoms are. Once I did, my 19 years on this world suddenly made sense. All the way from kindergarten to college, it couldn't be any more obvious. Yet nobody noticed because 1) little people around me know anything about ADHD 2) ADHD runs in the family so it's "normal" even though mine is more severe than my parents and 3) I was academically successful because thank God I have a high IQ. I relied on that my entire academic life. Come last years of high school and college, smarts wasn't working anymore, like many others like me. At that point I had since long accepted I was 'lazy' and 'can't study'.

All my life I didn't achieve anything of value unless I was extremely pressured or very hyped/interested in very short timescales. I suffered from impulsivity, short temper and a bunch of addictions, some of which don't even make sense. I was socially isolated because of my 'weird' behavior, which is, looking back, is just various manifestations of seeking stimulation 24/7. I was late most mornings to school bus, most appointments, most classes and exams in college. I used various off-the-brain ways and productivity software to manage my life because I couldn't do it otherwise. All metrics of my life are on a downward slope since forever.

Since starting medications I'm doing a world better. It's absolutely amazing to be able to start a task and finish it. To just sit and be, without a thousand thoughts in my head. I'm working as a freelancer and I'm hopeful this time I can finish the project on time without staying awake for 36 hours before the deadline.

I don't know whether ADHD was an advantage in hunter gatherer societies, but it sure is a disability in modern times.

Consider the possibility if you have the symptoms. Take care.

I found this YT channel really helpful for learning about and understanding my ADHD. https://www.youtube.com/@russellbarkleyphd2023/featured

ADHD is a mental state that every human being can be afflicted.

> Since starting medications I'm doing a world better. It's absolutely amazing to be able to start a task and finish it. To just sit and be, without a thousand thoughts in my head. I'm working as a freelancer and I'm hopeful this time I can finish the project on time without staying awake for 36 hours before the deadline.

You just decide to turn off a part of yourself to better fit the yourself in the rat race.

Do you have ADHD? Because famously people without this disorder can’t understand it. I am certainly not doing that.

Would you say the same thing to someone with schizophrenia to stop hearing voices? Or someone who was suicidal who took drugs for depression? Where do you draw the line?

Like it or not, to survive in the modern world you have to be able to consistently complete tasks. It's not just for the rat race. You need to be able to keep promises to friends and loved ones to maintain your relationships. Even just finding enjoyment with your hobbies needs a certain level of perseverance.

it's more like giving glasses to someone with bad eyesight, or giving a wheelchair to someone with a broken leg. "turning off part of yourself" is propaganda to keep the plebs down.

I find it concerning that changing yourself with medication is the solution, unless the symptoms become extreme. My young daughter is showing signs of this, but I would be very resistant to giving her medication if I could avoid it, at least until she could be actively involved in making that decision.

Disclaimer: Not medical advice, just what I know.

Everybody exists somewhere in the ADHD spectrum. It’s only considered a disorder when it seriously interferes with the person’s life. If I weren’t so lucky as to be able coast on my smarts and still get praised even though I studied zilch my entire life I’d sure as hell be on depression meds instead right now. Heck, not being able to accomplish anything at all, no matter how small or big, no matter school, work or hobby, is depressing enough itself and I had depressive episodes multiple times throughout high school, where you expect yourself to grow out of constant stimulation seeking behavior like a child and finally take on some responsibilities but you somehow aren’t able to.

You can see my old comments believing “everybody is on their smartphones as much as rest of their life allows it”. No lol. It’s just me who doesn’t sleep 36 hours non-stop watching Instagram then going to math finals starving, thirsty and sleepy, if I don’t screentime-restrict my phone in a non-bypassable manner with custom software.

Medication can be life saving, useless or life threating. In critical years of development, middle school, high school? It can be absolutely life saving. Low to mild ADHD & in summer holiday? I’d enjoy my scatterbrain. Risk of heart disease? Can shorten your life. Consult your psychiatrist.

Children have the advantage of having their day planned by parents and school. Once they grow up and go to uni or work this rigid life structure is dropping away. Don't ignore their ADHD, don't hide the diagnosis from them.

What meds do you take? I am not asking for medical advice but straterra had slightly negative effects for me and I was curious to know.

Concerta

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