ADHD Really?

[pjoa09]

To what extent would you say is ADHD? What would you consider ADHD?

I ask on the basis that their subscribed drugs have effects similar to and are street drugs.

As well as the symptoms are so vague any NP could consider themselves suffering from ADHD. I diagnosed myself as a sufferer of ADHD and soon started to realize that INTP spells ADHD.

So what is actually the real extent? Could we only tell from a CAT scan of our brains?

Is it just pure bullshit and all we need are more vitamins?

So far Ritalin sounds as valid as Cocaine curing Cold.

Just on a side shock... AMPHETAMINE? WHAT THE FUCK?

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

I thought ADHD was just applied to kids that got bored at school. They punish these kids accordingly. Hence, they are drugged. I think it is about time we stop destroying people's cognitive faculties because they wish not to follow the orders of a class sociopaths.

 

[pjoa09]

I thought ADHD was just applied to kids that got bored at school. They punish these kids accordingly. Hence, they are drugged. I think it is about time we stop destroying people's cognitive faculties because they wish not to follow the orders of a class sociopaths.

I was treated differently, I was forced into Study Skills for two years then my parents opted me out.

I heard its the cheat drug. It just trades health with success.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

I was treated differently, I was forced into Study Skills for two years then my parents opted me out.

I heard its the cheat drug. It just trades health with success.

I don't know what 'skills study' is but it sounds terrible!

 

[The Gopher]

It could just be that NPs have a tendency to ADHD but what is lazy vs distraction.

 

[Agent Intellect]

People with ADHD aren't people that are simply bored easily. ADHD is a problem in the reticular activating system that makes everything interesting. People with ADHD can't help but A) notice things and B) find them interesting enough to pay attention to.

Think of how when you're doing something you enjoy, everything else can become "invisible." This is the job of the reticular activating system, assigning salience to different tasks and stimuli. Someone with ADHD has an overactive RAS and will find everything salient and assign attention to anything that is the least bit attention grabbing in their environment (movement, colors, shininess, novelty etc).

I'm sure there are a lot of people misdiagnosed with ADHD, but there are probably twice as many who are self-misdiagnosed.

 

[Andropov]

None of you know anything about ADHD. It's an actual disorder that is categorized by lower amounts of dopamine receptors in the brain. It's not a "made up disease". It actually exists. Over diagnosis is a problem, but because of cretins like you, there's a huge stigma associated with both having the disease and with it being treated as a legitimate disorder. That is why under diagnosis is a much bigger problem than over diagnosis.

 

[shoeless]

regarding the drugs:

people with ADHD who take ritalin are mellowed out by it. people WITHOUT ADHD who take ritalin are hopped up on it. (that's what amphetamines do. they also improve focus, which is probably why it's prescribed for ADHD.)

so yes, it is a real disorder, but i think it tends to be a bit over-diagnosed, especially in kids.

 

[TylerRDA]

None of you know anything about ADHD. It's an actual disorder that is categorized by lower amounts of dopamine receptors in the brain. It's not a "made up disease". It actually exists. Over diagnosis is a problem, but because of cretins like you, there's a huge stigma associated with both having the disease and with it being treated as a legitimate disorder. That is why under diagnosis is a much bigger problem than over diagnosis.

Took the words right out of my mouth. I have ADD (aka ADHD-I) and I truly can not function without the medication. It does not hamper my creativity; it enhances my ability to express it. There is nothing creative about my mind because of ADD; it basically makes me a packet of reflexes. You cannot imagine the magnitude of the suckitude of ADD; my whole life I've known there was something wrong with me because of my inability to 'do' anything (I have journal entries, its no the hindsight bias). I literally get 'stuck' playing the same part of a video game for hours on end. It is with the utmost difficulty that I tear myself away. And to further amplify the suckitude is the fact that misinformed blowhards say ADD doesn't exist and it's just an excuse for kids who don't care.

/rant

 

[pjoa09]

Took the words right out of my mouth. I have ADD (aka ADHD-I) and I truly can not function without the medication. It does not hamper my creativity; it enhances my ability to express it. There is nothing creative about my mind because of ADD; it basically makes me a packet of reflexes. You cannot imagine the magnitude of the suckitude of ADD; my whole life I've known there was something wrong with me because of my inability to 'do' anything (I have journal entries, its no the hindsight bias). I literally get 'stuck' playing the same part of a video game for hours on end. It is with the utmost difficulty that I tear myself away. And to further amplify the suckitude is the fact that misinformed blowhards say ADD doesn't exist and it's just an excuse for kids who don't care.

/rant

but to what extent? catatonic? I can't really do simple tasks as well to a certain extent. I am very slow and I get hated on a lot for my speed and how distracted I am. I have on numerous occasions forgotten my books at school and even ATM cards in the ATM machine! (as in it would eat it because I forgot to take it) I lost a laptop due to my inattentiveness.

I have on many occasions been stuck at some very easy part on a game for 5 hours. E.G San Andreas the dancing in the beach part on Los Santos.

I stop and listen to supercar engines every time one passes by, which is a lot. I can't even get my ass to work because I always find something more interesting, facebook, wikipedia, this forum. I am an adrenaline addict who enjoys basketball despite being the worst at it and enjoys go-karting . Two very S type activities.

So it's just a matter of to what extent is it?

 

[Architect]

I don't know, I've never known anybody with ADD, but it reminds me of somebody I've known who is dyslexic. He was severely dyslexic, I met him in graduate schoolA. He wrote me a note once telling me something or another, because we were office mates. It was completely illegible. It looked like it was written in Sanskrit or linear B, I couldn't read a single bit of it.

What strikes me is that he was in a hard science PhD program at one of the top universities. Didn't seem to hurt him any.

 

[GYX_Kid]

this generation is basically the guinea pigs of prescribed regular ritalin and adderall intake, is it not? would common sense seem to believe that an amphetamine or low-intensity cocaine resemblance (yeah i know, big bad dramatic scary parallels omfg) would be a better idea to use as a tool when a situation called for it, instead of putting through your bloodstream daily for years?

i've known people on adderall XR and some of their habits in general, and there's no way there's no relation. i can't even understand how people can stay asleep with that in their system, having tried it myself. of course i'm no doctor and i guess building up a tolerance would be a huge factor in the drug's effectiveness.

 

[TylerRDA]

@pjoa
No, not catatonic, but just about. You very well may have those symptoms, but a major qualifier for ADD (and any other psych disorder) is "does it significantly interfere with your ability to perform day to day tasks?" For me, the answer is heck yes. For you, the answer may be no.

@GYX kid
The reason kids with ADD who take adderall can sleep with it, is because their baseline mental arousal is lower than average, and the adderall compensates for that. Just like shoeless said: ADD meds to people with ADD are calming; it is not calming for those without ADD. That's sort of like saying "I don't know how schizophrenics deal with the antipsychotics; they make me crazy!"

 

[Andropov]

i can't even understand how people can stay asleep with that in their system, having tried it myself. of course i'm no doctor and i guess building up a tolerance would be a huge factor in the drug's effectiveness.

Maybe because you don't have fucking ADHD?????

 

[natg989]

I have ADD-I and thinking it doesn't exist is pure ignorance. please go read the many legitimate scientific studies out there before you judge something you really know nothing about.

I didn't know I was smart until I started taking meds, always thought I was just a dumb kid. I was diagnosed at 20 b/c at 15 the psychologist said I was too smart to have it. It's just hard to pay attention when you constantly are in a mental fog. All my life I had faked conversations and school lectures. The teacher asks at the end "anyone have any questions?" -- I'm nodding like I understand everything but in my mind it was yeah, repeat everything you just said, I didn't process that at all. I never followed conversations well unless they were terribly interesting, even then I always missed details and my mind would go into 10 second daydreams before I'd get pissed at myself and snap out of it. After the convo would end, they'd look at me to respond and I'd say ohhh yeaaah, *mutter some stupid statement agreeing with them* because I really only 1/2way followed what they said. You get sick of people thinking you're stupid and giving you that look of confusion when you ask them to repeat things so many times it's better just to stay quiet and nod and pretend you know what they're talking about. It's humiliating because you truly want to listen and understand, but what are you gonna do about it if you don't know it's ADHD?

When you have ADHD and take stimulants you talk to those same people, follow the entire conversation, and impress them with your INTP brain by pulling off connections left and right, throwing in insights, actually CONTRIBUTING like any smart person should be able to do. People start to think you're really smart, you become more confident, and you no longer write notes verbatim in class because you're actually LISTENING and wow, learning. You have motivation to do things, talk to people, READ. I never read until I got on meds because I would read the same sentence over and over. Now I am always checking out books at the library. It's painful to know how many years of my life I lost because of not being medicated, how many years I could have payed attention in school and not been humiliated b/c of my incompetence. If an INTP gains their happiness from intellectual ability and competence then having ADHD really is a terrible, terrible evil.

 

[pjoa09]

I have ADD-I and thinking it doesn't exist is pure ignorance. please go read the many legitimate scientific studies out there before you judge something you really know nothing about.

I didn't know I was smart until I started taking meds, always thought I was just a dumb kid. I was diagnosed at 20 b/c at 15 the psychologist said I was too smart to have it. It's just hard to pay attention when you constantly are in a mental fog. All my life I had faked conversations and school lectures. The teacher asks at the end "anyone have any questions?" -- I'm nodding like I understand everything but in my mind it was yeah, repeat everything you just said, I didn't process that at all. I never followed conversations well unless they were terribly interesting, even then I always missed details and my mind would go into 10 second daydreams before I'd get pissed at myself and snap out of it. After the convo would end, they'd look at me to respond and I'd say ohhh yeaaah, *mutter some stupid statement agreeing with them* because I really only 1/2way followed what they said. You get sick of people thinking you're stupid and giving you that look of confusion when you ask them to repeat things so many times it's better just to stay quiet and nod and pretend you know what they're talking about. It's humiliating because you truly want to listen and understand, but what are you gonna do about it if you don't know it's ADHD?

When you have ADHD and take stimulants you talk to those same people, follow the entire conversation, and impress them with your INTP brain by pulling off connections left and right, throwing in insights, actually CONTRIBUTING like any smart person should be able to do. People start to think you're really smart, you become more confident, and you no longer write notes verbatim in class because you're actually LISTENING and wow, learning. You have motivation to do things, talk to people, READ. I never read until I got on meds because I would read the same sentence over and over. Now I am always checking out books at the library. It's painful to know how many years of my life I lost because of not being medicated, how many years I could have payed attention in school and not been humiliated b/c of my incompetence. If an INTP gains their happiness from intellectual ability and competence then having ADHD really is a terrible, terrible evil.

Same story for me but some how I catch something and it works out. Is there a fine line? Because this 10 second daydream shit is old, I do that for my free time as well. I do read but its on and off. My teachers always bitched about how disorganised I am.

I also have that sit down on the chair get up do something else and try to get back on the task and say wait a minute let me look this up before I do this and breaks and what no as an exuse to not do it.

Sorry popping off an old thread but I just remembered about it.

 

[crippli]

I find myself to me much much more energized with a little alcohol inside in all sorts of constructive ways(moderate intake). Is this a sign of add?

 

[natg989]

Maybe because INTPs are so rare what we have few others do and so we get lumped in with the ADDers for our creativeness? I know that I can concentrate on things that interest me without the meds but those interesting things are few and far between. Maybe I haven't tried hard enough... I don't know. In a perfect INTP world maybe I wouldn't need the meds because we'd all be discussing interesting topics and challenging the brain. But the non-INTP world sucks and I need the pills to survive.

 

[17pounder]

Took the words right out of my mouth. I have ADD (aka ADHD-I) and I truly can not function without the medication. It does not hamper my creativity; it enhances my ability to express it. There is nothing creative about my mind because of ADD; it basically makes me a packet of reflexes. You cannot imagine the magnitude of the suckitude of ADD; my whole life I've known there was something wrong with me because of my inability to 'do' anything (I have journal entries, its no the hindsight bias). I literally get 'stuck' playing the same part of a video game for hours on end. It is with the utmost difficulty that I tear myself away. And to further amplify the suckitude is the fact that misinformed blowhards say ADD doesn't exist and it's just an excuse for kids who don't care.

/rant

So you are telling me that I have ADD, yet somehow I learned to control it, and even excel? I could not perform even the smallest task correctly, and now I am the person who is relied apon when a task needs to be done twice as fast, and twice as good.
Instead of treating people with ADD like they have something wrong with them, feed it. I was overwhelmed by life for over a decade, I had to run at 110% just to survive, and it really made me grow out of ADD. I was malnourished, had IBS, had to go to school and work, feed myself, had no friends, no money, and was shit on by every person I knew. Guess what? I dont care. Having to run at 110% taught me how to take all that inability to concentrate and make evaluations with it.
Im still the only person I know who can sit down, consider 200 different issues, and find the best solution. Guess what? It feels great.
Know what doesnt feel great? Being locked into the railraod tracks of standard idiot life.
Dont pity yourselves for having ADD, learn to use it to your best.

Oh, and Ive taken Ritalin and it calms me.

 

[a detached retina]

INTPs fit the stereotype of ADD perfectly. In reality the condition probably effects all types. Maybe INTPs are more commonly misdiagnosed.

It's possible that SJs have ADD less frequently since the typeology is descriptive. If you test as an SJ you probably would also score lower on an ADD diagnostic questionnaire. I think it's more likely that SJs are just underdiagnosed though.

 

[socialexpat]

A lot need to have a diagnose, you can't imagine how many times i have heard about ADD & ADHD.
Oh oh peeps with probs.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

I think I have ADD, even though I hate to admit it because everyone seems to be screaming they have ADHD/ADD nowadays(probably because they all drink so many energy drinks...).

Sometimes I feel sleepy because of caffeine, too. It's a really weird effect.

 

[Melkor]

People with ADHD aren't people that are simply bored easily. ADHD is a problem in the reticular activating system that makes everything interesting. People with ADHD can't help but A) notice things and B) find them interesting enough to pay attention to.

Think of how when you're doing something you enjoy, everything else can become "invisible." This is the job of the reticular activating system, assigning salience to different tasks and stimuli. Someone with ADHD has an overactive RAS and will find everything salient and assign attention to anything that is the least bit attention grabbing in their environment (movement, colors, shininess, novelty etc).

I'm sure there are a lot of people misdiagnosed with ADHD, but there are probably twice as many who are self-misdiagnosed.

I was diagnosed when I was nine, after a rough few years in school, medicated for about seven years. Then I reached a state where I denied needing them anymore and embraced my less controllable side.

Ha.

I went back to them about a year ago, though solely for their capacity to make me feel at ease. It was then, as an older, more self aware creature, that I realised the shocking difference...
Was this the real me?
Had the increased concentration and awareness brought out my natural state, or did it act in opposition to it?
I still don't know the answers.
Regardless I don't continue to take them, though I wish I could.

 

[Yet]

My daughter is diagnosed with ADD and a nephew. It runs a bit in our family somehow.
I have most of the symptoms of ADD but do not want a diagnose. I use a lot of coffee. Not very healthy I know. I does not make me bounce about at all, it makes me calm, alert and focused.

It is funny ... I am quiet and calm on the outside but my desk is an 'organized' chaos (depicts my inner me)

 

[SpaceYeti]

My daughter is diagnosed with ADD and a nephew. It runs a bit in our family somehow.
I have most of the symptoms of ADD but do not want a diagnose. I use a lot of coffee. Not very healthy I know. I does not make me bounce about at all, it makes me calm, alert and focused.

It is funny ... I am quiet and calm on the outside but my desk is an 'organized' chaos (depicts my inner me)

A sign that you have ADD.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

My daughter is diagnosed with ADD and a nephew. It runs a bit in our family somehow.
I have most of the symptoms of ADD but do not want a diagnose. I use a lot of coffee. Not very healthy I know. I does not make me bounce about at all, it makes me calm, alert and focused.

It is funny ... I am quiet and calm on the outside but my desk is an 'organized' chaos (depicts my inner me)

I am pretty much exactly the same way. People often call me 'the most laid back person they know'... If only they knew what was going on in my mind.
I just drift off so much in my own thoughts that I appear to be all relaxed and easy-going, while in my head I'm calculating all sorts of risks, analyzing things, thinking of stuff to do, ideas, inspiration, anything.
Things like coffee and tea help me concentrate and feel tranquil and relaxed but they still hold the stimulant effect of giving me anxiety if I take too much... Which kind of sucks.

 

[Moocow]

My concentration has been tons better since I gave up coffee. Recently though I picked up a habit of drinking plain matcha green tea, because used just right, it helps me do just about anything. The theanine in it is very VERY useful for maintaining a relaxed focus.

 

[Da Blob]

well for the Newbies and those Others that procrastinate I posted this list of
ADD/ADHD sites a good while ago in the Websites of Interest subforum...

http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=5146

 

[^_\\]

I might have this. Either way it'd be cool to get myself some concentration drugs.

 

[a detached retina]

^ agreed.

I think the natural order of things might be for us to have a stable ability to concentrate but society seems to want us to have a fluctuating ability to concentrate and do work.

 

[P.H.]

Ritalin makes me perform, so I only take it when I feel I need to show others my capacities. Though I've accepted my disorganized (prone to distraction) mind, and acquired some tools to handle it. I prefer myself that way. Yes, it can be annoying, but that doesn't really bother me any longer.

It's funny that I give the impression of being an organized person ("you always make your deadlines!") while I don't feel that way. (I'd be lost without my (paper)diary)

 

[Hadoblado]

INTPs seem quite prone to symptom like behaviour for all sorts of disorders, whether they actually have them or not. I recently got diagnosed with dyslexia, however I can read and write at an above average level... I don't understand at all how I might have it. I do have crazy messy hand writing, but with the exception of some cultural confusions my spelling and grammar are quite okay.
Other disorders that have reared their ugly head include ADHD, assburgers, and to a smaller extent even schizophrenia.

 

[Awaken]

^^^Please tell me you jokingly spell Aspergers like that.


I dont see why so many people on this thread claim INTP is a recipe for ADHD. Introversion does not equal ADHD, not even close. My guess is a lot of people have huge misconceptions about the diagnosis criteria of ADHD (although I hate making assumptions).

 

[Thales]

I've been diagnosed as having severe ADHD-PI (Predominantly Inattentive). I took some Vyvnase recently, and the first day...man...I felt fantastic, second day, I felt more jittery as it was combined with a heavily human-infused environment, and I also have social anxiety pervasively. I also lost close to seven pounds, and my pupils seemed quite dilated at that time. Soon after, I stopped taking it.

Honestly, I have no idea if I have ADHD or not, but something is drastically impairing my ability to focus. Drastically isn't even the correct word, I don't think there is a correct way to verbalize how I'm feeling, closest would probably be I'm being dragged down by a "inhuman level sluggishness."

 

[Zensunni]

Anyone read The Lancet?

They published a study where most ADHD has been shown to be intolerance/allergies to foods.

 

[SkyWalker]

"drugs"would be a better idea to use as a tool when a situation called for it, instead of putting through your bloodstream daily for years?

YES....

you should develop the skills to handle the situation even though you are a type that is not prone to focus.

if however, 1 situation happens for which you unprepared, you dont have the skills and your life depends on the outcome, then TAKE THE PILL ONCE

thats the only way it is useful! but who can handle that? its massively addictive. something like: just sniff coke once a month?? for eaxmple: just for 1 important negotiation once a month? difiicult!

and usually that ONCE, will happen again and then next time you need to take the drug again. Better to develop the skill yourself.

so only if its a once or twice in a lifetime situation, then it would be the only reason to take a drug to temporarily change your behavior

 

[Tangent]

Took the words right out of my mouth. I have ADD (aka ADHD-I) and I truly can not function without the medication. It does not hamper my creativity; it enhances my ability to express it. There is nothing creative about my mind because of ADD; it basically makes me a packet of reflexes. You cannot imagine the magnitude of the suckitude of ADD; my whole life I've known there was something wrong with me because of my inability to 'do' anything (I have journal entries, its no the hindsight bias). I literally get 'stuck' playing the same part of a video game for hours on end. It is with the utmost difficulty that I tear myself away. And to further amplify the suckitude is the fact that misinformed blowhards say ADD doesn't exist and it's just an excuse for kids who don't care.

/rant

I sooo agree! I also have ADD and it sucks. It infuriates me when people treat it like it's a made up disease. My sister says things like "everyone has difficulty concentrating when the subject is boring. If you really tried..." and I just want to rip her head off.

If I'm not on medication and try to pay attention or get something done I can sometimes think that I'm really succeeding until I suddenly remove myself from the situation and realize that I haven't been listening at all or instead of writing an essay I have only opened a word document and given it a title and nothing else. But I don't really like being on medication because it makes my hands cold, makes me boring and, this makes me sound schizophrenic but, environmental noises and calm voices in my head steadily berate me

The mass hysteria about ADHD being overdiagnosed and overmedicated MUST be hindering productive research. Sure they need more research into behavioral training but I wouldn't mind a bunch of research being done to produce new medications as well.

 

[pjoa09]

Sorry for reigniting my own thread but I am still pondering over this time to time. I am still confused at what point is it worth consulting doctors about it? I mean, doesn't everyones dopamine receptors are different? I present every single symptom but I have made it this far without any medication. Under stress I would take on mentally strenuous acts without drifting off.but when the deadline is far and my workplace is relaxed I tend to start drifting into other things.so you could say that I am ADHD-PI or just have poor dopamine receptors in my head. The "if it effects your daily life the. It is" suggestion doesn't work because ofcourse it effects my life. I would've been so much better off not loosing books and pens and phones and laptops all week.would've been able to avoid all the yelling if i were organized and had tasks completed.But could it be a smaller problem and be dealt with by trying to discipline myself?