I built an ADHD app with interactive coping tools, noise mixer and self-test
adhdhelp.app
adhdhelp.app
The app offers:
Interactive Coping Techniques: Immediate guided steps for calming anxiety, managing procrastination, and handling emotional overwhelm using CBT, DBT, and mindfulness methods.
Ambient Sound Mixer: Customize and layer soothing background noises (nature, white noise, café sounds) to enhance focus or relaxation.
Quick ADHD Self-Test: A quick screening to help identify ADHD symptoms.
Curated Blog: Practical articles, personal insights, and evidence-based advice on living better with ADHD.
Would love your feedback and thoughts!
Check it out here: https://adhdhelp.app
- Neat.
- Those images on the blogs look potentially AI Generated, which I'm personally turned off by. Others may vary.
- The first blog (by you?) is _very_ long, also "ADHD as Superpower" is somewhat of a trope that I, and others I've spoken with, aren't happy to have as a bullet point of why ADHD isn't the end of the world.
- Anyway, clicked on the "Procrastination" mood button and oh sweet lord there are so many buttons on this page and why do they have "likes" counted in the corner?
- The web developer in me admires the automatic resizing blocks. The user in me doesn't like that the buttons jump around as I click on them. E.g. I clicked on "breath loop" and the interface totally changed an I wasn't actually sure how to get back to where I was (Figured it out: Musical Stimulation), additionally I know there _was_ a button below breath loop but its moved and I forgot which one it was. I'd suggest categorizing the buttons and either hiding them in drawers or collapsible sections so there aren't quite so many immediately visible. And then I'd suggest keeping the controls for each technique in the same place on the screen and just highlight which technique is selected from the buttons, instead of dynamically moving the controls around. On any user interface I interact with regularly I don't even see or read them much anymore because I just know where the buttons I want to interact with are. On this page the buttons are constantly moving around, and I'm only on desktop, I'm sure its different on a phone but I'm almost scared to look (I looked, its good, but the constantly changing height of the scrollbar is a pet peeve of mine, so its functional, I just don't like it). If you don't want to move the controls to a consistent spot, I'd suggest giving the movement a bit of an animation (maybe with an option to disable it?) so people can at least get a feel for what is happening when they click a button instead of an instantaneous change that is impossible to track with their eyeballs.
- I don't love the "Atmosphere" button being in the bottom middle where text/images appear from the content, feels messy.
The overall design is unfocused and cluttered, just the exact thing I don't need as someone with ADHD.
I don't think I'd use this.
This is particularly concerning for a tool like this, you already took shortcuts on images why should we expect anything less for the rest of the app? Has anyone that knows anything about ADHD actually ever looked at anything this app is saying?
I’m not trying to be mean, but it makes it difficult to trust any content on this site.
ADHD, to me, always, even before the diagnosis, felt like a valve that doesn't open for no reason and due to the build up pressure, some other valve with different "filters" releases whatever mixture of thoughts and actions to compensate.
Children's sugar-induced behavioral roller coasters have a similar characteristic. And this website looks like too much candy without there being any candy.
Sorry, I don't believe you. The way that the initial post has identical paragraph lengths with headers on every one is extremely uncanny. The prose is very dry, repetitive, often written in passive voice, and completely lacking in personality.
Can you expand on this? I don't see the connection.
Not an artist or customer myself but just follow a good few of them.
What's worse is many of them would have had work they did scraped to train some models of the models displacing them.
Idk wtf is wrong with these people whining about AI generated images.
So that is why AI is a deal. Looks-wise they are good, and they fit their context very well. But they do communicate much more than that, and that makes them iffy for many.
This is not specifically directed at this product launch, rather a general observation, but we have evidence based instruments to aid in diagnosis (that still requires a contextual clinical interpretation!) and evidence about what works and what doesn't. Most of the stuff I see is pretty squarely an evidence-free affair. Wether it's a cash grab or a well-intentioned effort, both can be harmful.
Marketing interventions to a specific diagnosis with known treatments should not be taken lightly. Non-medical interventions can be effective, and therefore they can be harmful.
> Should QbTest be used with other measures?
> It is not meant to be a standalone tool for diagnosing ADHD. Instead, it has been designed to be added to the assessment process along with a clinical interview and rating scales.
You mentioned evidence about what works and what doesn't. As someone who struggled with ADHD, I am curious about your thoughts on the app intentions or goals.
Never occurred to me that something focused on symptoms instead of treatment could be harmful, but I suppose it's worth considering.
But succinctly, if something can help you form habits, it can probably help you form bad habits.
I used to try the Pomodoro technique it worked fantastic ...briefly.
Once the novelty wore off I stopped using it. It turned into an extra task I needed to do in order to do other tasks.
AI would probably follow the same trajectory for me unless you make it impossible to turn off.
Psychiatrist charges one person more. But if you can charge a million people $5 dollars you'll make a lot more.
My sister was properly diagnosed with ADHD several years ago, and she encouraged me to get tested. My tester, a PhD psychologist who specialized in neuropsych testing, said the evidence was borderline, but ultimately refused to give a diagnosis because I did well in high school and that's unheard of in "true" ADHD. I promise I'm not exaggerating--I have the report to prove it. He completely ignored that I never had to pay attention in school because it was so easy for me, and I only started to run into problems in college when the material got more difficult.
Thankfully my psychiatrist disagreed with that and started me on medication anyway, and since then I've actually been able to understand why I am the way I am and work through my issues. (I found out a year later that my parents actually had me tested in first grade and I was diagnosed then, but they intentionally kept it from me my whole life.)
I know this is just one anecdote, but it's a common discussion point online that mental healthcare like this isn't always the most accessible. I think well-intentioned research and self-diagnosis can certainly have their place, depending on one's circumstances, and as long as care is taken to avoid unscientific information.
I do not advocate for drug-seeking behaviors, but I find it wild how there are such contrasting diagnostic experiences.
I wonder if professionals would be less adverse to treatment administration if patients were more willing to trial non-stimulants first?
It's just far more concerning in the medical profession than for the average software engineer.
I am biased too but I have endured a lot of anguish putting my faith in psych professionals. The vast majority of progress I've made over the years has come via discussions with other folks like me. But you claim it's unsafe? It's been more effective (and safer) to find my own way.
But at the same time as someone diagnosed in my 30's that meds really helped. i'd feel like i'm pulling up the ladder on others.
The neurodiversity at work trend does irk me a little, especially when people start talking about so called "superpowers" and their benefits to the company.
I cannot stand people like that.
I am not trying to be all 'woe is me', but ADHD has had non-stop negative impacts on my life from childhood through present time. I am in my 30s too (diagnosed in early 20s and treated since), and I've basically just given up on life.
Like imagine saying you need to spend thousands in proving to people that coffee is something that would help you get a pep in your step at 3pm on Wednesday to be able to get your morning latte.
Or to reframe this, why does everyone care so much, especially in an era when we’ve given up so many other values and multi-generational investments at times in a baby and bathwater sense.
The issue I have with "ADHD" in general is that there are so many other well-recognized and researched causes that more satisfactorily explain many of these behavioural issues - like depression and / or anxiety - than "ADHD". There are even personality disorders that can cause such long-term behavioural issues - for e.g., Avoidant Personality Disorder or even Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (both stemming from anxiety issues), and they can be more correctly and confidently diagnosed than the cluster** that is "ADHD" (whose diagnostic criteria has been already revised multiple times in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual).
Alan Schwarz, the author of the book ADHD Nation has investigated the ties between pharmaceutical companies and doctors:
> "The six-question screening instrument that was endorsed by the World Health Organization was devised by doctors with a very long history in ADHD research," he says. "These are, generally, men who have been enriched by the pharmaceutical industry in order to churn out research and churn out things like this that merely expand the ADHD market. "What we've seen over the past 10 [to] 20 years is a constant enthusiasm on the part of the ADHD lobby to get more and more adults to consider the possibility that they, too, have ADHD," Schwarz says.
(Source: Adult ADHD Can't Be Diagnosed With A Simple Screening Test, Doctors Warn - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/05/29/5276546... ).
I am not against self-help or personal research. But please note that it is very easy to be mislead by such things and very easy to misdiagnose your symptoms. Even the professionals have a tough time with this!
And i was lucky in a way as I have family that they could also interview about my behavior to help confirm the diagnosis.
Not to mention the medical checks to make sure I don't have preexisting heart issues etc
It was a fight against my own feelings that "other people sometimes get these thing but not me" and then it was fight to get the diagnosis.
Only someone who has no idea about ADHD and has done absolutely no research would believe that these are the symptoms.
I can concentrate on tasks very well, perhaps too well sometimes. My problem is that it's not my decision what I concentrate on.
I do feel like doing something productive pretty much all the time, perhaps even too much. It's just that there's a long road between "feeling like doing" and "actually doing".
Procrastination implies choice. It's not my choice to do things last minute, it's just that it's often the only moment when panic manages to override my lack of executive function. Sleep deprivation helps too, for the same reasons.
Why you feel you can't concentrate on some things, but on others, can also be explained id you are an obsessive compulsive personality type with anxiety disorders. Explore "anxiety avoidance" ( https://www.meridian-counseling.com/blog/what-is-avoidance-b... ). At its extreme, people trapped in the vicious cycle of anxiety avoidance often even convince themselves that they have some other serious kind of issue (as a maladaptive coping mechanism to justify to themselves why they are giving in to avoidance behaviour).
Also, is there are evidence based instruments to aid in diagnosis, then why do those same instruments tend to magically be removed from care during the treatment phase?
For the sake of analogy, if a patient were to be diagnosed with hypertension and an anti-hypertensive medication regiment is started. I imagine upon returning for a follow up visit, the patient's blood pressure will be remeasured in order to verify the efficacy of the treatment.
For ADHD, I had to go through quite a significant diagnostic process before being given the green light for treatment. Upon returning for a follow up, the only methodology used to gauge treatment efficacy is being asked, "How is <insert medication> work for you?"
I always try to answer the question honestly, but after almost 12 years of treatment, I still am not sure what to expect in terms of treatment. Are such questions truly the only evaluation of treatment? How can one tell if medication is working better than they realize or not at all? Perhaps my expectations are too high? Also, wouldn't some metric help determine if tolerance is occurring?
in my case, if i still have a job, then its working lol
see e.g. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00922-8 , https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/adhd-linked-to-trauma
I no longer think any label suits my lived experience anymore other than "traumatized", which is something that happened to me (as opposed to "ADHD", which is something I am).
Every single self diagnostic tool I have looked at in that period would have screwed me over. I would have misdiagnosed myself.
I second everything in this comment. If you think you have ADHD, explore the topic with professionals. Your own biases can trap you with internet apps.
The reason I ask is that your response leans very heavily into the importance of expertise and a specific form of knowledge, without showing the kind of subjective empathy for the experience of the people dealing with these challenges that I’m confident you have in spades given your profession.
And given your personal draw to scientific expertise (given your profession), and investment in building that expertise in yourself, and continued personal material and ego investment in that expertise being valued (and the school of thought that legitimises and makes that expertise worthy), as well as your clear intelligence and exploration and insights in this space, it seems an interesting question to ask whether in your deepest reflection there is any sense of conflict or tendency to bias, and how you consider if that shapes your views.
The landing page asks, how are you feeling? For which the possible responses are "Anxiety", "Procrastination" ... "Overwhelm".
When a person says, I a X, X is always an adjective. One doesn't say "I am Irritability" one says "I am irritable".
All of these options are nouns, except for "Overwhelm" which is actually only a verb but is being used incorrectly as a noun.
The correct responses would be "Anxious", "Hyperactive", "Overwhelmed", "Irritable".
Except for "Procrastination", which doesn't have any associated adjective. You might need to rephrase the whole header
Yes, I have ADHD. I'm making this site primarily to help me and my friends.
Yes, there's a paid subscription. By the way, it's the cheapest of all these apps. Well, and it's a fremium model. Most of the functions can be used even without registration. And no, I'm not trying to make money off of ADHD people for nothing. I really want to help.
Yes I use AI generated images for blog posts. They were agreed with the authors of the posts as reflective. I didn't realize that a lot of people didn't like it so much.
No I didn't use AI to mindlessly come up with self-help techniques. I've been collecting them for years of my life. I looked them up in magazines and so on. It's evidence-based. I'll add a page of proof.
Yes I absolutely need to better the UI as well as add a dark theme. I've already found a designer I know.
Yes the app is already being used by ADHD and it's already helping.
So thank you all very much.
4 hours/night - Poor executive function, can’t figure out what order to do things in, lose keys and random things, forget to lock doors and not even realize it
6 hours - Mild executive dysfunction, never sure if I locked the door but I did
8 hours - Zero problems
10 hours - I’ve never actually experimented
It's only been a week, so maybe my opinion will change. Who knows. I'm half writing this comment as a historical record for myself to look back at in a year.
Remeber kids! Self-medication with the Voight-Kampff test is dangerous and can lead to the serious consequences including , but not limited to:
depression personality disorders suicide thoughts obsession with a wooden minutae giant meta-corporations hunting for you overall quality of life decrease, including death
Please consult a doctor before using the test!
(somehow the last words of the post title gave me this reaction)
Each person with ADHD is affected a little differently, based on anecdotal evidence from family and friends. What are the available customization options?
Why no dark mode?
I use that on mobile so the referenced website, HN, and 99.9% of the web is in dark mode by default.
I turned on Appearance -> Brave Colors = Dark. That darkened the browser components but not web pages, inc HN.
First of all, it's not really well done: there are no control questions, no inverted questions, no consistency checks (like re-phrased duplicate questions) or anything a well-designed self-test must have. All answers are obviously ranked, introducing perception biases. Questions like "how often do you interrupt someone" or "how often you were told" or "did parents notice" are highly culturally-dependent. The childhood questions do not discern between younger and older ages (where behavioral differences are drastic), and likely to introduce a skew based on one's age and long-term memory function (which, AFAIK, ADHD does not directly affect). To me it looks like nothing of value would be lost if the whole test would be replaced with a short description what ADHD is and then a single yes/no question "do you think you may have some of the described symptoms?"
I would understand something like ANT, which (as I understand it) tests way closer to actual brain behavior, than those distant derivatives smeared over social prisms, self-perception lenses, and dice rolls of life's [pseudo-]randomness.
My ADHD partner was actually quite relaxed at the time I asked her how she was feeling. That didnt appear to be an option to choose.
I'm happy for people to try to make a business of this if the tools are helpful.
I've had a successful career, so I obviously had to develop my own strategies for managing it. But I'd be very happy if my kids didn't have to spend 20 years figuring it out for themselves. Monetize away.
Ryder Carroll is a good example. He created the bullet journal through trial and error to manage his own ADHD. He shared it for free. While he did write a book and partnered with a company to design a notebook (due to popular demand), he still gives away everything someone needs for free, and will be the first one to tell people you don’t need a special notebook.
Perhaps ironically, the less the app claims to do, the more likely I am to be interested.
I've only signed up for a paid mental health app subscription once -- and that was an app designed by a well-known psychologist with both an M.D. and a Ph.D., and even then only after reading his book.
Sure, there might be people out there selling snakeoil, but that's the case for every domain. Does that mean we nobody should try to make apps to solve domain problems at all? Of course not.
So you're asking everyone to stop monetizing ADHD. So the two alternatives are make the apps for free or don't make them at all. The former is not realistic or sustainable and later gives up potential upside.
I mean, do you think all ADHD apps will just be bad and are just people trying rip off ADHDers?
I think a more reasonable premise is yes, just in every domain, there will be snake oil sellers unfortunately and it's up to the consumer to watch out for those. But there will also be genuine people who are trying to solve this problem and that will potentially give people a lot of value for the money they pay for it.