Just got officially diagnosed with ADHD.
I am still wondering if this thing is a real disorder or just a consequence of modern overstimulated world and my general lack of planning abilities?
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child in the early 90s, before smartphones and PCs and all of this "overstimulation". My family has some home videos of school plays where the difference between my behavior and my classmates' is striking - a categorically different level of hyperactity and inattention. I spent a lot of my childhood working around energy and inattention issues. In adulthood the symptoms subdued and got more subtle, harder to spot, but once I knew what to look for, I still checked all the boxes and it can still cause me problems.
ADHD is very real, but just because someone struggles to focus or plan doesn't mean ADHD is the explanation. ADHD's impact is wide-ranging and nuanced, with possible symptoms like "emotional impermanence" (you forget or disbelieve how someone feels about you if they haven't told you very recently), or having "time blindness" (a poor sense of time, where it's hard to process anything more nuanced than "now" and "not now"). And ADHD doesn't always mean you outright "can't" function normally; sometimes you can but it'll just much more draining than for a normal person.
The Translating ADHD podcast is pretty good at discussing the lifestyle impact side of ADHD. That's an angle that neurodiversity research literature broadly doesn't cover much.
As a heuristic, assume that it is never the right question to ask "Is ___ real?"
Asking how it is measured, what kind of effect it has, whether the effects are meaningful, how it can be explained, whether there are more appropriate labels, what kind of alternative explanations exist, etc.
Asking whether something is "real" fails even when talking about fundamental physical phenomena like gravity, math or consciousness. So, this is almost always the wrong question.
With all due respect, I have done my research on ADHD and still couldn’t come to a conclusion.
The opioid crisis was a manufactured crisis by the greedy big pharma, right? Looking at how anyone and everyone is being prescribed stimulant medicines these days, I have my reservations about this disorder
Signed, someone with ADHD in a country without an opioid crisis and who out of necessity manages to live without medication but who definitely benefitted from them when they had them.
Your username is literally "DestroyADHD". That doesn't sound open-minded and questioning. But let's leave that aside.
A psychological disorder is a set of symptoms that negatively affects several areas in the life of the person experiencing them. That's about it. We group symptoms that often coincide and give the groups names. Getting a diagnosis is a trained professional confirming that you 1) have the symptoms and 2) confirming that it negatively affects your life. That's it. The cause of ADHD -- whether it's caused by the hustling modern world, a multitude, or any other cause -- is entirely irrelevant to a discussion about the "real"-ness of the disorder.
And of course, finding a root cause for ADHD would be incredibly useful for preventing it and helping people with it. But if the cause was found to be the modern overstimulated world that doesn't change anything about the disorder -- it's just as real as if humans have been dealing with it for 200,000 years.
Ah! Yes. Trying to fish out “intention” from a random username.
If you really wish to know my intention behind choosing that username, here you go - DestroyADHD as in destroy the symptoms and negative effects of ADHD in my life.
Anywho, didn’t expect HN to be this hostile and over-analyzing a genuine concern. So, I won’t waste my time trying to reason with anyone further.
The solution to every issue isn’t medication, and many people deal with adhd without medication. In fact, adhd meds are some of the hardest to get due to laws restricting their distribution (in us at least).
Just because a medicated opportunity exists doesn’t mean it’s an exploit on the population or that it doesn’t help people using it.
Every time when I hear or read "I have done my research", but one does not mentioned even a Wikipedia page (let alone a publication, textbook or metastudy), it is the same story.
None of these commenters are talking about the positives of this for you. Now that you have a "label", for good or bad, you can start to understand a bit more about yourself, why you tick the way you do and you can build systems to help you more in your life.
You'll also discover that you have innate strengths and creativity that will be way above your peers who do not have ADHD and you should and can harness those strengths and creativity to further your career or passions in life.
Now that you know a bit more about yourself, you have an exciting journey ahead of you to discover your true potential.
I'm not downplaying how hard having ADHD can be with regards to certain aspects of your life, but try not to focus on the negatives that people are posting; you'll have a great road ahead!
With a diagnosis you are equipped with updated instructions for yourself.
For instance, if you are having a hard time focusing on getting some work done, rather than fighting it or beating yourself up about it (my frequent go to), you can enact some behavioral intervention to help get you back on course.
It helps to reflect on what, if anything, could be done to set yourself to avoid these problems in the future.
The probability of me having a good day increases with the following: physical activity, good hydration, sleep hygeine, and not to beat myself up if things go awry.
If you go with meds, you must meet your meds half way.
I got new glasses a few weeks ago. As I was being fitted, I asked the guy if there were any tools I could buy that would help me adjust my glasses myself. He asked me what I do for a living. "I'm a programmer." "Well, would you want an optician messing with your code?"
People that specialize in mental health, psychiatry and brain research have concluded that ADHD is a diagnosable mental disorder. I'm glad they're doing that instead of trying to write books on rust or go.
More to your question, I think a lot of the common hesitance and skepticism is the result of stigma in the vein of anti-vax ideas. Some lay people think they know better than the medical community and won't hesitate to tell you their unqualified opinion. Consider them nuts. Try some treatments, read some books, work on your systems of support, and always remember it's REAL, don't be ashamed to struggle. You're not making it up. You're not faking it. You're not bad.
It might not be obvious to other people, but you just need a little help, like when someone breaks their leg or gets the flu. It's no one's business anyway, unless you decide to confide in them.
> As I was being fitted, I asked the guy if there were any tools I could buy that would help me adjust my glasses myself. He asked me what I do for a living. "I'm a programmer." "Well, would you want an optician messing with your code?"
That's a pretty useless response when the entire premise is that you have no idea whether the task is simple or difficult. It really only makes sense when you already kind of understand the ease or difficulty of the task, at which point the response is kind of redundant. It would've been a lot more helpful if he'd said something more like, "This requires professional expertise, it's not something laymen can do." That would actually give you useful context.
Imagine how silly this exchange would sound when talking to a car mechanic regarding routine maintenance: "Are there any tools I can use to replace/jump-start/whatever my car battery?" "Would you want a mechanic messing with your code?" Uh, no, but the answer to the first question is "yes" nevertheless...
I should have added smiley faces or something because our exchange was pretty cordial. I cracked up when he told me the coding thing. I knew from years of firsthand experience how easily and badly messing with glasses frames can go lol
Oh I didn't mean to say it was impolite. I just meant the logic in his reasoning isn't really sound. If it was only intended in jest then it's a great conversation maker, but I thought it was worth pointing out the issue with the logic given that the ultimate goal was to apply similar logic to the OP's question.
Ah yeah, I get that. I guess the optician's comment just struck me as deep in an abstract sense. It's like he pointed at some truism about specialization in contemporary society. That's completely counter to the extremely-online punk/hacker DIY ethos that resonates with me, so the effect was like getting my spine realigned.
> I got new glasses a few weeks ago. As I was being fitted, I asked the guy if there were any tools I could buy that would help me adjust my glasses myself. He asked me what I do for a living. "I'm a programmer." "Well, would you want an optician messing with your code?"
> People that specialize in mental health, psychiatry and brain research have concluded that ADHD is a diagnosable mental disorder. I'm glad they're doing that instead of trying to write books on rust or go.
Except the problem with the mental health industry is famously that the 'specialists' don't actually listen to the patients/clients/etc., and operate on wildly inaccurate and outdated views that ultimately end up harming those they are "treating".
Yes, ADHD is real, but "because a bunch of psychiatrists said so" is very much not the reason. And the specific way in which they describe it generally has almost nothing to do with what ADHD really is or how it's experienced by those who have it.
Your conclusion is correct, but I really don't think treating scientific communities as the sole arbiters of truth is a good idea. Science is all about being continually wrong (that's what progress is), and the experts are wrong all the time, ESPECIALLY when it comes to fields such as the human mind. These types of fields are also subject to debate among experts - it's not as if EVERY single one all agrees on the same things.
>I think a lot of the common hesitance and skepticism is the result of stigma in the vein of anti-vax ideas.
Definitely disagree. ADHD has been misunderstood as "laziness" and many things similar for a very long time. It's not a recent phenomenon.
At the end of the day, who really cares if it is a real condition or not? What I know is that my life is improved when I take Concerta. If I didn't have ADHD/ADHD wasn't real, and Concerta made my life better, then that still doesn't change the end result of taking meds = net positive.
>Some lay people think they know better than the medical community and won't hesitate to tell you their unqualified opinion.
The medical community doesn't have a great track record. Things have largely improved where most parts of the body are concerned, but I think psychiatry and psychology are still in their "four humours" phase.
Thank you. This is precisely my concern. A lot of medications that were given away like candies for depression are now turning out be harmful over the long term. So, I am not sure why HN is being so hostile to a sincere question I asked
It is real. I was diagnosed late (30s), and have been on medication for about a month now and the difference is staggering:
* My mind is silent without stimulus. I no longer desperately crave to cram every living second with input, I am OK with sitting down and doing nothing for a while.
* I now live up to my own standards: if I think that I should do something, I am way more likely to do it (tidying, running errands, making phone calls etc).
* Sloppiness and "I'll do that later"-isms are severely reduced, I tend to finish what I start.
* I no longer interject or interrupt people with tangential trivia when an idea pops into my head.
* I can listen to other people for longer, even if I find the subject boring.
For the first time in my life, I am able to function like other people without having to rely on innate ability and motivation to do basic tasks.
How did you get through the earlier parts of life un treated? Did you do well in school? If you don't mind me asking, what made you get the diagnosis in your late 30s?
Small correction: I got my diagnosis when I was 31, late in my life (in context). Phrased that a bit poorly.
> How did you get through the earlier parts of life un treated?
In a lot of ways I didn't. Spent most of my time gaming, programming and doing (combat) sports, as they were the only activities that stimulated me enough to where I could focus.
> Did you do well in school?
The few times I made an effort, yes. In the large, no. Most of my teachers realized that I was capable, and sympathized with my position (poor family, ill parents), which via social engineering gave me good enough grades to get into (the equivalent of) college, which I later dropped out of.
> If you don't mind me asking, what made you get the diagnosis in your late 30s?
Approaching seniority at work, where my skills aren't just outputting code, but attending (and contributing in) meetings. Combined with the birth of my son, I realized that I could no longer lean on strengths and humor to get me forward in life.
People, including off-the-clock-psycho(logists/therapists) have suggested that I have some variant of ADD/ADHD for as long as I can remember. I never did anything with it, as there wasn't enough pressure to justify me making the slightest effort at improving the quality of my every day experience.
It's a strange feeling to now be (effectively) "normal", and to realize that I was never (just) lazy. In a sense, my life started a few weeks ago; for once I am in control, and it feels wonderful.
Did you get the correct diagnosis? Well, no idea how even the best & brightest internet crowd could guess.
Do features of ADHD interact with one's way of life? Hell yeah! It goes both positively (e.g. providing much-needed stimulation) and negatively (modern media & marketing prey on the addiction to dopamine kicks).
It’s real unfortunately and not treatable. One can try to manage it but it’s not guaranteed success and has its drawbacks. That’s a lifelong struggle but ultimately I think that having diagnosis is at least something to hook on.
I’m slightly confused that person who provided you with diagnosis didn’t provide you with overview of how ADHD works.
The answer to the question not asked (based on this accounts posting history) is that if you want to learn to deal with it and your life successfully, you should see a therapist specializing in adhd. Many people are scared of therapy because it seems like an admission you’re broken or that their issues “aren’t that bad”. It’s not like that. Think of it like going to the gym to improve, not to a mechanic to be fixed.
See the comment from davzie, it can be a unique advantage for you and how you approach life and work.
But yes, it is very real and plenty of people have a specific set of characteristics and behaviors that are unique and associated with one another. That’s generally what disorders like that are. Some social media (esp TikTok I’ve found) tend to push a narrative and are often full of factually incorrect people trying to be “relatable” for likes/views. It’s good you’ve been diagnosed, hopefully by someone with true knowledge on the matter. There are tons of resources available online and offline that you can reference. Again, a therapist can be a great resource. They talk to lots of people who experience the same thing as you, and can provide insight into what works for others (eg to get through long video/content like another question you asked here). The solution is not always medication, but you shouldn’t be scared of it regardless.
It is real. I've dealt with it since before the internet was a big thing. Before the web, people used to tell me that books were too much of a distraction.
I highly recommend you treat it as an actual disorder because the sooner you address it, the less it will affect important parts of your life, especially your relationships.
Can be different things depending on the person. Some examples could be: Not doing house chores and your part, lack of empathy, not preparing things like trips with your partner, “out of sight out of mind” when they’re not in front of you, emotional impulsivity or overthinking small things into problems
ADHD has certain symptoms that can lead your significant other to believe you're a (socio?)psychopath:
- First, folks with ADHD tend to lack empathy. It's ironic because we also tend to be very sensitive to others' emotions, leading us to think that we are feeling empathy. It's not.
- Second, we have an absentmindedness that leads non-ADHD spouses to tear their hair. They often feel you're deliberately ignoring them. We often cover up for ourselves with pointless, white lies. Spouses can come to believe that you are perpetually dishonest.
- Third, we're impulsive. That leads us to do things we shouldn't. We also can't help ourselves from doing many things our sig others ask us not to do.
Besides that, our impaired executive function means we have extremely poor awareness time. On a short time frame, folks with ADHD are almost always late to every type of event. On a long time frame, we can be very poor savers and bad at planning for far-in-the-future events like retirement. Untreated, someone with ADHD will unfairly burden their spouse with all the planning in the household.
I found that a combination of medication, practicing mindfulness, and even having a mere awareness of your tendencies wins you 90% of the battle.
I've been in a relationship and now marriage for almost 15 years now – I cannot imagine what it would be like maintaining this thing without acknowledging the gravity of ADHD on many aspects of the relationship.
> First, folks with ADHD tend to lack empathy. It's ironic because we also tend to be very sensitive to others' emotions, leading us to think that we are feeling empathy. It's not.
This is a misconception. It's much like the misconception autistic people lack empathy. Some people without the condition lack the empathy to imagine any other explanation.
People with ADHD miss non verbal signals more often. They're more prone to difficulty putting their feelings and thoughts into words. They're more forgetful on average. Those things strain a relationship for sure. They aren't lack of empathy though.
> We often cover up for ourselves with pointless, white lies.
This isn't inherent to ADHD. Many people without ADHD do it. Many people with ADHD don't.
My wife had the "oh that makes a lot of sense" realization when I brought up that I thought I had ADHD, but getting in line for a psych eval is a long process.
The lack of empathy, absentmindedness (emotional object permanence), the clutter I'd leave in places, and the nuclear levels of frustration I get when I'm interrupted during a session of hyper focus / flow state (on something probably entirely pointless) was a huge grind on her. She would tell me that she misses feeling loved, but I sucked at love language, since my mind is basically a stream of shower thoughts and unimportant nonsense amid a constant internal dichotomy of 'tell her you feel loved' but not actually doing anything. She would have problems at work and I would come up with like, the most obvious solutions, and that would make her even more distressed (learning to JUST listen is hard for ADHD people).
On the bright side, our personalities are almost polar opposites, so turns out we mesh really well. Basically, she wants control. She's a manager at her work. She loves to plan, and I can't/hate to plan (e.g. I'm planning her birthday party and it's driving both of us crazy). She lays out the household budget and keeps everything paid with YNAB...I only save money because she tells me to put #% of my paycheck in our 401K). Fortunately I'm unusually punctual (I never forget about and often arrive TOO early to appointments, lol). Control makes her happy, but it's not controlling - she is highly supportive of my hobbies and pursuits, and I return the favor by giving her my time in her pursuits and enjoyments (traveling, homemaking, complaining about work, etc).
Over the 4 years I've worked out a lot of coping strategies, mantras, conditioning, etc to avoid problems before they start, and she's learned a lot about what I really mean when I say xyz or do abc.
Like now, I can't stand clutter. In lieu of my workbench clutter are dozens labeled boxes. Everything has a home. I can't focus on doing work or personal activities until the sink is cleared. I put the banana peels straight in the compost bin before even eating it.
If my wife is lamenting her shitty day, I just say, "that really sucks" and hug her and give the emotions time to settle before even thinking about making a suggestion (even though internally I'm emotionally blank and thinking of said suggestions lol). If I'm in a flow state, and my wife enters the setting, I prepare myself - take a breath, disengage slightly, look at her and smile. Even if she isn't there to say something and is just walking by, it grounds me and totally stops the frustration meltdown I get. She can also tell if I'm in a stoic, focused state and has knows when to break in.
Mindfulness is still a struggle for me. The moment I take a second to be mindful, the moment I remember that one thing.
But overall, it really takes a strong bond, and/or really good couples therapy, for ones significant other to make changes to their mindset and lifestyle to adapt to the discovery of ADHD. I can easily see the reason for why divorce rates are high wherein men in heterosexual relationships are so commonly attributed to inattentiveness and lack of empathy, that's it's a trope of like every Sunday comic or boomer facebook meme. If only they knew...
It's both. I don't know why the one cancels the other?
My partner and me both have ADHD & ADD. She likes working and being busy so medication is a valid choice for her to keep feeling active.
I on the other side don't care about being busy. My medication is being self employed and forming my schedule after my emotions and motivation thrives.
It doesn't change whatever we have ADHD or not. In the end it's just about making most out of every living moment.
One attitude you might have is to not care too much whether it's real or not. Your diagnosis just clusters you with a lot of other people who have had similar problems as you and it's likely you will benefit from the same things that benefit them.
ADHD is especially ambiguous because a lot of the behavioral treatments probably work for non-ADHD: prioritize your work, avoid distractions, have one clear calendar, set reminders on your phone, etc.
At the end of the day, if you follow both medical and non-medical treatment options, and your life improves, does it matter if it's "real" or not?
Disorder basically just means something that causes problems in your life, I don't think we know enough about psychology to have great ideas about how different environments could affect stuff like this. Scott Alexander has an interesting post about the nature of categorising stuff like this in general and ADHD in particular: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/ontology-of-psychiatri...
I had similar feelings when I was diagnosed. It takes time for something like this to sink in. It's also worth remembering that you don't have a point of comparison because you've always been like this.
You can try therapy. Or not. You can try medication. Or not. The diagnosis is simply more information about your situation. Talk to professionals, explore your options, reflect back on what works for you.
Thank you. I appreciate your response. I am not sure why some other comments are being hostile towards a genuine question.
I had internalised my lack of structure and focus as a moral failure. It’s hard to uproot it. I still feel like a fraud (as in trying to escape my moral failure with an ADHD diagnosis)
Some psychiatrists consider it a trait and not a disorder.
It should only be "treated" if it affects one's life negatively (which it often does in the modern world, unless you are guerilla herding sheep / living a generally interesting life). So, people "born that way" can suffer more in modern world than they did say 20 or 200 years ago.
There is evidence that medication helps.
There is an interesting book on the topic: _ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmer's World_
Disclosure: I am diagnosed as an adult with ADHD ("primarily innatentive" subtype).
Thank you for your response. Just to let you know, Dr. Russell Barkeley, who is a famous ADHD expert seems to disagree with “Hunter in a farmer’s world” analogy. In a recent podcast appearance he mentioned that it is quite false and misleading. I cannot seem to find which podcast it was. Will link it here if I find it.
Yes, there is some limited evidence both against and in favor of this theory.
Regardless, I found it helpful to see my neurodivergence not as a medical condition or "weirdness". I have trouble living "normal" life, but am still a valid person, be it "brain damage" or "ancestor of night guard / hunter-gatherer".
And here I am, both loving and hating my job as software dev.
Got here because of hyperfocus and easy dopamine from quick iteration.
Sometimes hooked on being in a different world all day, sometimes dying from being stuck in office chair for 8+ hours a day. Go figure :D
My ADHD is measurable on EEG (I had the appropriate medical professional do it at a hospital, not some home-made braincap). Has nothing to do with anything external IME.
I'm sorry but I don't know. I was laying down, eyes closed with light patterns blasting into them, and instructed to try to not focus on anything. Afterwards, I got a written report from the concilium (3 people were studying the recording for a few days), but that did not include these details, it's intended for layperson like me and it simply says "Conclusion: ADHD very likely, hints of Asperger syndrome too.". I inquired about getting the brain-recording file, but they said I'd have to get it in person (I had it done in my home town where I don't live).
That's probably why the report said only "very likely" and not "has it". Afterwards I went to a psychologist who gave me a report with "Conclusion: ADHD confirmed, ... [lengthy description of my impairment]" and referred me to a psychiatrist.
It wasn't a standard procedure. My mother works at a neurochirurgy-focused hospital clinic and the doctor who measured it basically told her "hold my beer, I can see it", and so I went to see it. It was nice because this doctor also referred me to MRI just to be safe.
Cool. I have a consumer-grade Muse EEG thing. I learned about theta and ADHD links and thought it was probably bullshit. I figured out how to get the raw data with nodejs after years of using their app.
The patterns were jaw-dropping. My graphs were all theta. It's like I'm driving my brain around with the handbrake on. It was pretty startling. I dropped that EEG project after a few hours lol I should get back to it to see if I can change my brainwaves...
Anyways, here's some links to give a cardinal direction on this:
None based on the EEG itself, I was referred to a psychologist who did a questionnaire with me + attention tests - I was building patterns out of small bricks based on images, repeating numerical series forwards and backwards, listening to a story and talking about it, etc. I got a much more final conclusion (the report says "ADHD confirmed") there and now I'm supposed to go to a psychiatrist with that.
ADHD is absolutely measurable on an EEG (I've seen it done), but asperger is A. not a real current diagnosis and B. is not clearly measurable on an EEG AFAIK. Because of how old of a diagnosis Asperger is, I would have real doubts with one.
I was then referred to a psychologist who nearly immediately dismissed that one (and confirmed the ADHD with attention tests etc), so you're probably right.
It is real. I've dealt with it since before the internet was a big thing. Before the web, people used to tell me that books were too much of a distraction.
You can learn to cope with ADHD, that's why it presents differently in adults than in children - all of the small problems are hidden under many layers of coping strategies but still may cause shame and anxiety.
There is a scientific debate still whether it is 'real' or not, you will run into psychotherapists and psychiatrists who tell you it isn't real - you will run into clinicians and specialists who have helped people immensely by treating it as real.
Whether or not they reach agreement, what is a fact is that there are people who have various problems with adapting to our modern structured life (distractability is only one of many issues connected to the complex) that benefit immensely from various approaches to the complex of issues we mean when we say ADHD.
Edit: I myself got diagnosed and tried Ritalin - but after a year switched to antidepressants because it was better for me to manage my anxiety to not fall into depression from burning out (anxiety that is basically conditioned coping due to distractability, hyperfocus and emotional disregulation).
If you diagnosed yourself (or by a friend) after consulting some articles on Internet then of course.
If you got diagnosed by a medical professional (and preferably by not a one) then there is a chance it is real.
But the biggest problem with ADD/ADHD is what even if someone can properly understand what there is a problem it is rare when someone could do something with it without external help.
Diagnosing ADHS is a checklist (like with many issues) there is no magic in that. Sure it's not an actual diagnose if done by an amateur but a skilled amateur can very well look at the same checklist.
> Diagnosing ADHS is a checklist (like with many issues) there is no magic in that
Not quite. The key difference is the reaction to some medicaments which have quite opposite effects on a regular and AD* person.
Otherwise I have the ADHD solely on the reason I didn't do shit in the last two years because I could only do something for 15 minutes and then have hours on Reddit/Zandronum.
Not a consequence of modern life. It's more probable that it's a condition which has always existed but which is particularly badly-suited to modern school and worklife, where attention and directed focus and scheduled productivity are demanded and ADHD-presenting traits are punished.
It's got nothing to do with the web. Put bluntly, it means your brain is wired slightly differently. This isn't a 'bad' thing but it means that you may struggle with things that others find simple. But this can be mitigated greatly with proper counselling. I'm sure you will find there are advantages to having ADHD but it's crucial to understand exactly what it is and how it affects you in many different ways. Also having ADHD in no way implies that you are 'damaged' or 'special'. Just think of it like it's an ingrown toenail. Good luck.
Edit: i would also add that learning proper coping mechanisms is at least as important as taking medications in that the pills would have very little effect unless taken with the correct mindset.
It has been argued that it’s prevalence has risen in the digital age, with increased (and easy) access to stimulation right in your pocket - it’s difficult to ascertain whether it’s a cause or a symptom though.
The term ‘variable attention stimulation trait’ (VAST) has also been proposed by Hallowel to describe this theory, and may more accurately describe the condition than the term ‘ADHD’.
I want to punch people asking this question. I would pay a lot of money for a cure, but there is none. Medicine makes it a somewhat better, but I still struggle daily with ADHD.
The first step is the diagnosis, the next step is to actually learn how it affects you personally and where on the ADHD spectrum you are. Some people are horrible with concentration, some others have no issue with that but are very emotionally impulsive. Some people lose interest on things extremely quick and jump around hobbies they obsess, some can’t sit still, some are very emotionally sensitive to rejection and and and.
I can also recommend reading /r/ADHD on reddit and listening to talks by Dr.Berkley to understand what ADHD actually entails
It sucks to grow up and see people trivialize your condition. While its effect varies by person, I think most people on this side of the fence would agree that, had their family (and society) was aware of and acknowledged their condition much earlier in their life, it would have saved them a _lot_ grief, anxiety, depression, self doubt, and unnecessary failure.
Please don't receive parent as hostile, I can assure you they are not. We've all grown up being told we're lazy, overstimulated, and lacked discipline. Please understand that your question "Is ADHD Real? [..] I am still wondering .. this is a real disorder [..] ?" can be perceived as a gaslight, as it seemed less an earnest question and more of a comment, really.
Yeah, like I haven’t heard these things. For someone who’s diagnosed and asking questions to understand the disorder better, it seems to me there’s a lot of thin skinned people on HN.
Think about it like this: depression is real. Everyone can feel a bit "depressed" sometimes or grieve after experiencing emotional hardships, but that doesn't mean depression isn't real.
Also much like depression doesn't simply manifest in being sad all the time, ADHD doesn't simply manifest in being distracted all the time. I've heard ADHD described as an inability to control what your brain focuses on rather than a lack of focus, but it can vary between persons.
As to whether you in particular actually "have ADHD" (i.e. meet the formal diagnostic criteria of the DSM condition by that name) that's between you and your therapist to decide.
I’m not sure where you’re located, but I will guess the United States. I believe that ADHD is in fact real, but I also believe that Americans in particular are way over-eager with its diagnosis, which is the case with most medical diagnosis in the states.(As an aside, this is one of many reasons why American healthcare is so exorbitantly expensive compared to the rest of the world.)
That’s a common problem of diagnosis, but you have the same problem with those you receive the diagnosis. Americans are often much more interested in finding labels to describe problems in life, and I’d be very careful not to consider any label ascribed to you as being a limiting factor for your own personal growth.
Real. ADHD-PI, -PH, and -C are approximations. Each person has a smattering of symptoms of the DSM-5 criteria. [0]
I'm classified closer to -PI because I'm not like a hyper woman friend, but I still have abour half of the symptoms in each area but not enough to be called -C.
My parents believed it was a psychiatry conspiracy theory, which only caused me more problems for years of non management.
I don't think it matters whether ADHD is real or not. The question is whether stimulant medications improve some quality of life for some people. Seems like they do.
Did you read the actual article? The way you've written in this thread, you come off as a guy who thinks that he's the only one that did his homework about medication, and that those who take it are your moral inferiors. Why did you even start this thread?
Yes, I read the entire post in detail. He clearly mentions that there’s significantly increased risk of parkinson’s with long term medication use.
I don’t believe anything blindly without reading both sides of the argument. Don’t know about HN crowd, but I don’t want to commit to lifetime of stimulant medication without researching the potential side effects first.
You aren’t committing yourself to a lifetime of medication. You can stop whenever you want.
Honestly, you should be having all of these conversations with your therapist without thinking you’re smarter than it all. ADHD is a journey of discovery that you can’t pontificate about without maintaining a relationship with someone qualified to help you out.
I’m not sure the question makes sense. I think ADHD is a label for a collection of behaviors that differ from the norm.
My understanding is that the behaviors are real and actually do differ from typical behaviors, and that the general collection of behaviors are actually labeled ADHD. So in that sense it’s definitely real.
It seems like the question you really want to ask is what is the cause of those behaviors, and is it internal or external.
One way to think about this is like an extra toe, is an extra toe a problem? Inherently no, but if you want to be able to expose your feet it could be embarrassing and it might cause shoes not to fit. So if it affects your life, yes it could be a problem, and then it might be worth cutting it off.
With disorders of the brain that lack an understood cause I find it useful to think of things in this way.
This is more a question for your doctor who diagnosed you. HN is not the place to be asking about a medical diagnosis.
Although something you do want to ask your doctor is why you are getting this diagnosis. If it can be linked back to something satisfyingly physical or not that will give you more useful guidance than whether the label is consistently applied or not.
I'd recommend giving https://gekk.info/articles/adhd.html a read, and seeing whether that sounds like something you can identify with. I've found it invaluable, personally, to answer this question for myself.
If someone told you it's not real, but you're still experiencing all the symptoms, what would you derive from that?
With diagnoses about mental function, you can never ever just make a simple binary statement. Many ailments come in degrees of severity. Others - come in episodes by time.
I am a chronic procrastinator, i was told I have ADHD and now on Adderall, how ever nothing has changed...I still procrastinate. Trying to see if any one else in this group facing a same situation like me.
One thing I’ve wondered is if ADHD type symptoms can be induced through negative lifestyles, such as poor sleep habits crossed with constant stimulation.
It's obviously real because you decided to make this thread and be the way that you are being in a way to get stimulation from all of the users on Hacker News as a way to help you cope with your recent diagnosis that you may be struggling with the validity of and the cause of.
I think I made a mistake asking this question here. I am appalled to read so many comments with variations of “Does it really matter whether it’s real if medications help you?”
Yes, it does to me. I don’t want to pop pills all my life. Anywho, I am logging out and won’t be engaging with anyone further.
It's highly studied and *mostly* psychologically and physiologically understood, insofar that the main (theorized) issue - dopamine dysregulation in the brain that causes disorders of executive functions - is effectively treated with CBT, lifestyle changes, and stimulants (among other medications that target dopaminergic system or otherwise).
In those without ADHD, the same treatments are not helpful, i.e. their brain has plenty of dopamine, so something else is wrong. That's a gross oversimplification, but even the mere fact of having a diagnosis will help you and those close to you understand why your brain works the way it works, and begin your path in developing strategies to work around those "executive dysfunctions." It'll also give you the ability to work with your psychiatrist to try different medicines/dosages/therapies/lifestyle changes that will most certainly help.
The idea of it not being real comes from this idea that certain parents seek the diagnosis to "fix" or have a reason for their (mental) hyperactivity (bad grades, getting in trouble, etc). These are also parents who provide far too little stimulation, attention, exercise, and enrichment to their children. Some have turned it into a conspiracy or a societal flaw because the main treatment is stimulants. The irony is that because ADHD is genetic, there's a great likelihood that the parent themselves has undiagnosed ADHD and a result of their disorder was providing too little enrichment for their child, which (caveat: nature vs. nurture is up for debate) probably had a negative effect on the resident ADHD traits, exposing and possibly worsening them to the point of it being a problem. ADHD was not a diagnosed condition in the boomer/genX generation because, well, doctors sucked. Kid not paying attention? Yell at them. Kid having bad grades? Take away their fun. Kid getting into trouble? Spank them.
Yes, that stimulant is amphetamines. And one can abuse it, get high on it, and succumb to addiction. But the dosages in ADHD treatment are extremely low - just enough that there is a perceptible change in executive function that significantly diminish those hyperactive traits of the ADHD brain. To a person with ADHD, it's like putting glasses on for the first time. The brain does build up a tolerance, so if it's not properly administered under the care of a psychiatrist, it can become ineffective or the user can self-medicate beyond safe levels. That's why ADHD treatment must be a life-long, holistic approach where medicine plays an important role as much as diet, exercise, moderation, therapy, etc. But that's not to say it's a debilitating illness; ADHD people are extraordinary creative minds, are often incredible crisis, high-pressure environment workers (paramedics, dispatchers, ER surgeons, mission control operators lol), and are really really good at deeply focusing their passion on one thing in an almost superhuman way (lawyers, gamers (speed runners holy shit), writers, artists etc)
Now, that more people are getting ADHD diagnoses (and capitol punishment is abolished lol), it's normalized to the point where taking ADHD medications is almost no different than using glasses to correct blurry vision - as it should be. Documentaries on the subject are still overwhelmingly negative brainwashing attempts by crazy people (big pharma drugging our kids with adderall bad), and it's still got a long way to go (even the name Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder sucks, while the term Neurodiversity is making strides as a general replacement for labels of common mental disorders)...but think about how far we've come.
Note: I'm making some unscientific, unfounded claims here backed up only by way too much hyperfocused reading on the topic. I'm currently seeking an ADHD diagnosis myself, because so many of my traits (and my parents) are explained by it (that I always thought were just normal struggles), and some prescribed stimulant medication for weight loss (appetite suppression) unlocked a side of me I never thought probable.
ADHD is very real, but just because someone struggles to focus or plan doesn't mean ADHD is the explanation. ADHD's impact is wide-ranging and nuanced, with possible symptoms like "emotional impermanence" (you forget or disbelieve how someone feels about you if they haven't told you very recently), or having "time blindness" (a poor sense of time, where it's hard to process anything more nuanced than "now" and "not now"). And ADHD doesn't always mean you outright "can't" function normally; sometimes you can but it'll just much more draining than for a normal person.
Here's an article I found fascinating about how ADHD brains behave differently at a physical level: https://www.additudemag.com/current-research-on-adhd-breakdo...
The Translating ADHD podcast is pretty good at discussing the lifestyle impact side of ADHD. That's an angle that neurodiversity research literature broadly doesn't cover much.