I really think I have ADD. Should I get it checked out?

[pjoa09]

Or should I try omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and magnesium to sort it out?

I am not sure how serious is it.

I really think the stimulants can cause dire consequences.

We all know the amphetamines and methylphenidates are notorious stimulants that are abused quite often for their qualities.

The symptoms attributed to the disorder are very apparent in me. I pretty much apply for almost all the symptoms on the DSM-IV.

I am very specific to ADD inattentive.

I know not an ADD forum but I'd rather hear some decent arguments. The ADHD forums are really comfortable with their discussions of use with these sorts of dangerous medications.

 

[Dove]

How severely is it affecting your life? What symptoms do you have

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

The main issue you're likely to encounter is the length of time and number of visits before many will diagnose you and prescribe meds.

Speaking for Adderall and Concerta, they work wonders, especially if you have insurance that will pay for them. If you're uncomfortable with the amphetamines/stimulants, go/lobby for Strattera.

 

[IdeasNotTheProblem]

I've got ADHD-in. The meds really did help when it came to school work and actually listening to pointless lectures. There's many forms of treatment, and you should look in to ALL of them before the Doc throws the newest, most expensive, pills at you. I found that just being able to recognize the symptoms and knowing ahead of time what tasks are going to cause problems was really helpful. If you do go with a stimulant I recommend a low dose and avoid any prolonged periods of use. They act on the most addictive prone region of the brain.

 

[TriflinThomas]

All I can say is Adderall is a major boon during tests (not that I condone prescription abuse).

 

[kvothe27]

It depends on the severity of the symptoms. If it's mild you may be better off trying to control the symptoms via exercise, supplements, training, etc.

In my case, I've been diagnosed with inattentive adhd. I was on amphetamines for a year. I eventually started to drift in and out of psychosis (severe paranoia). I became paranoid and convinced people were plotting against me. Luckily, my general detachment prevented me from acting on this paranoia.

They helped me a great deal in getting things done, but they actually inhibited my ability to think logically. I was tackling problems using perspiration rather than inspired states of mind. But, god damn do they feel good and it is awesome to be able to get large projects done in a short amount of time.

I eventually stopped taking them when I started feeling like I was going to have a heart attack. It ended up just being anxiety, but it's obviously not the kind of experience I want to repeat.

tangent:

I also experienced some religious types of experience when I saw through social reality (not when I was paranoid). It was like being behind the scenes almost. I wasn't a part of it; I was apart from it. I increased my intuitive understanding of people quite a bit while on it.

 

[TriflinThomas]

It depends on the severity of the symptoms. If it's mild you may be better off trying to control the symptoms via exercise, supplements, training, etc.

In my case, I've been diagnosed with inattentive adhd. I was on amphetamines for a year. I eventually started to drift in and out of psychosis (severe paranoia). I became paranoid and convinced people were plotting against me. Luckily, my general detachment prevented me from acting on this paranoia.

They helped me a great deal in getting things done, but they actually inhibited my ability to think logically. I was tackling problems using perspiration rather than inspired states of mind. But, god damn do they feel good and it is awesome to be able to get large projects done in a short amount of time.

I eventually stopped taking them when I started feeling like I was going to have a heart attack. It ended up just being anxiety, but it's obviously not the kind of experience I want to repeat.

tangent:

I also experienced some religious types of experience when I saw through social reality (not when I was paranoid). It was like being behind the scenes almost. I wasn't a part of it; I was apart from it. I increased my intuitive understanding of people quite a bit while on it.

You should try a good sativa strain (I recommend Jack Herer).

 

[kvothe27]

If I ever come in contact with a source to acquire such things again, I'll keep that in mind. Experiencing different states of consciousness has always fascinated me. Part of the reason I continue on in school is because it teaches me new ways to look at things -- new conceptual tools at my disposal. Similarly, drug-induced shifts in consciousness broadens my understanding of perception itself, in addition to other things.

 

[intpz]

Get checked out if you want, but know that the piece of paper will follow you everywhere...

 

[H1N1]

I think Dor brings up a very solid point: how is it affecting your daily life?

Prescription drugs are a very dangerous thing. I would suggest doing extensive research on any and all drugs prescribed to you before you agree to take them if you do indeed follow up with this concern and go to a doctor and get prescriptions. Big pharma companies make my skin crawl and the paranoia is not unwarranted.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Is ADD even real?

 

[Bhagavat]

Is ADD even real?

Yes. A diagnosis of ADD is applied to extreme cases of inability to focus on the task at hand. While I think there are many mistakes made in this regard, I know a few people who need the medication.

 

[pjoa09]

@Dove

Mine is not that strong on the spectrum.

But "Oh shit, I forgot.. " is very very common and I had poor grades in school that did not really reflect my effort. I often failed to do assignments because I was heavily engrossed in youtube, wikipedia, or even some little toy. If I did the assignment I would forget to hand it in. Same went with the tests and the exams. Just inconsistent results because 90% I was unmotivated or I forgot about the test and 10% of the time I got some assistance and I was motivated. Id easily forget and loose books, laptops,t-shirts, pens, bags, mp3 players, and etc. easily.

Just really forgetful,disorganized, and careless.

I also need to stay away from video games. I get glued to them and never know when to stop. I do know I should stop but the 'little bit more' thing goes really far.


The whole off-task bit is definitely my problem. Once it gets complicated I quit and return to quit again.

I get by, though. I just wonder if it's really like "glasses"! It would be nice to be a hell a lot more productive.

I know some who have ADHD and hate Ritalin and suggest never to go that route even though it made them perform extremely well.

Closest description the symptoms would be this in this link.

@ProxyAmenRa

It is real. I think. Well according to a lot of professionals. I don't know if it is though. I mean, no one stays on the medication, they grow out of it, and the drugs sound like they are supposed to be found on the streets illegally. Sometimes I think it's like short girls wearing heels.

The 'POTENTIAL UNLOCKED!' thing seems to allude me.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

It is real. I think. Well according to a lot of professionals. I don't know if it is though. I mean, no one stays on the medication, they grow out of it, and the drugs sound like they are supposed to be found on the streets illegally. Sometimes I think it's like short girls wearing heels.

The 'POTENTIAL UNLOCKED!' thing seems to allude me.

I was thinking, if I am working on something which is not related to my specific fields of interest, I get distracted extremely easily i.e. can't concentrate.

If you can't concentrate at school/college, that is because school is god awfully boring.

 

[pjoa09]

I was thinking, if I am working on something which is not related to my specific fields of interest, I get distracted extremely easily i.e. can't concentrate.

If you can't concentrate at school/college, that is because school is god awfully boring.

Yeah, but even with stuff I like I only have so much of an attention span before stuff refuses to enter my head.

If I reach even a mild dead end with whatever I am learning I linger around and start doing other stuff.

But you got to look at those 4.00 kids go! I mean shit... I used to stare at my homework and think ... basketball. now. ok.

edit : okay, yeap, its definitely ADHD-PI or SCT (the subset).

That whole ISTP vs INTP shit is right there.

"Challenge or risk, something to literally get their adrenaline pumping, can be key to keeping their attention and to eliciting optimum performance from persons with ADD. In line with this, adults with ADD sometimes say they can focus better when driving if they speed than if they drive slowly. Children with ADHD broadly defined often perform normally on the continuous performance task when challenged by a fast presentation rate (Chee, Logan, Schachar, Lindsay, & Wachsmuth, 1989; van der Meere, Wekking, & Sergeant, 1991). Individuals with ADD, although typically shy, may engage in risk-taking and thrill-seeking activities, such as bungee jumping or riding roller coasters, as ways to experience a level of engagement they have difficulty sustaining in their daily lives. Computer and video games (which children with ADD can play for hours and hours) are fast paced, often with imminent danger keeping arousal high. Such games often rely on the execution of well-practiced associations between button presses and game features or well-practiced sequences of button presses, which children with ADD have no difficulty retrieving from their intact long-term memory and procedural memory. Executive function is taxed when conscious, top-down control is needed. The execution of any well-practiced skill, such a playing a computer game, is impaired by attempts to exert top-down control and is optimized by allowing older, subcortical systems to guide performance (e.g., Herrigel & Suzuki, 1953; Miller, Verstynen, Raye, Mitchell, Johnson, & D'Esposito, 2003)."

got it off of here.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

"Challenge or risk, something to literally get their adrenaline pumping, can be key to keeping their attention and to eliciting optimum performance from persons with ADD. In line with this, adults with ADD sometimes say they can focus better when driving if they speed than if they drive slowly. Children with ADHD broadly defined often perform normally on the continuous performance task when challenged by a fast presentation rate (Chee, Logan, Schachar, Lindsay, & Wachsmuth, 1989; van der Meere, Wekking, & Sergeant, 1991). Individuals with ADD, although typically shy, may engage in risk-taking and thrill-seeking activities, such as bungee jumping or riding roller coasters, as ways to experience a level of engagement they have difficulty sustaining in their daily lives. Computer and video games (which children with ADD can play for hours and hours) are fast paced, often with imminent danger keeping arousal high. Such games often rely on the execution of well-practiced associations between button presses and game features or well-practiced sequences of button presses, which children with ADD have no difficulty retrieving from their intact long-term memory and procedural memory. Executive function is taxed when conscious, top-down control is needed. The execution of any well-practiced skill, such a playing a computer game, is impaired by attempts to exert top-down control and is optimized by allowing older, subcortical systems to guide performance (e.g., Herrigel & Suzuki, 1953; Miller, Verstynen, Raye, Mitchell, Johnson, & D'Esposito, 2003)."

got it off of here.

How does this differ from a normal person?

 

[The Gopher]

Maybe because it is taken to the extreme.

 

[Proletar]

I'm diagnosed with ADD (not ADHD).


And yeah. It's bogus. Medicine-companies invent diseases in order to push their product. Nothing more to it. My attention is not deficit, it just responds evasively to bullshit. I only learn stuff that I find interesting. I don't need drugs. Fuck Phiser.

 

[The Gopher]

Even stuff I find interesting though... sometimes. It's not completely bogus but it is over diagnosed. Like bouncing off walls and sliding down stairs (literally {and yes I do know what that word means})

However I hate the medication for it. For other stuff I think medication is fine but I was on something that was also an anti-depressant that was making me depressed every 8 hours after I took it.(ironic huh) (plus headaches) However different people different reactions to the medication.

Also I think people are either too quick to call it bogus or too quick to diagnose it. Not saying I am an expert just saying what I have experienced.

 

[pjoa09]

Uh.. visited the ADD Forum . Not trying to sound like an ass but they are doped up on stuff that's illegal where I live. Almost all other treatments are either ignored or taken on the side.

Sucks really, I think I will try being more routinely so I can tackle problems more easily and with more persistence. I tend to wander quite often.

I guess academics is not my ground. Maybe it is when I do interesting stuff.

@ProxyAmenRa

Well there are a lot of strategy gamers, Fiat Panda drivers, and 4.00 kids.


People who remember stuff and are organized?

I really always wondered why I played basketball while being bad at it. Not a lot of people here were chronically addicted to basketball.

There are a lot of odd peculiar things that prevented me from fitting into the INTP area (Okay fuck I know its not a box, but still). They just never add up.

Besides I sometimes can tell myself what I really want to do and not feel like doing it and spend 9 hours on Youtube so I hoped there was a cure.

There are lots of these small things that constantly interfere in my normal life.

I know for a fact once I touch an xbox360 I am fucked, so I don't buy it. I really tempted to but I got to stay away because I have played GTA from 9 pm to 3 pm at my friends house. The whole self-regulation thing is a 'one more time' goes a real long way.


@Proletar

Yeah. That is what I don't want to go through. I know the fucking psychiatrist gets paid by them fat corporate fucks.
I just fucking know they are going to shove down thousands of dollars worth of patented medication. That's why I don't want to go there. It's like going to a drug dealer.

Fuck it, sticking with a better sleeping pattern and more stimulation.

 

[The Gopher]

Better sleeping pattern and maybe a notes program like evernote for everything you forget.

 

[Solitaire U.]

Not refuting that ADD/ADHD exists. Just a few comments.

The DSM isn't exactly a trustworthy source of information. Remember that every law enforcement agency, judge, DA, and defense lawyer in the country has a copy of the DSM in their library. Any manual that is used by cops to win confessions, courts to win convictions, and pharmaceutical companies to promote their products must be used by you with extreme objectivity. The DSM can be used to diagnose every man, woman, and child on the planet with a 'treatable' disorder.

'ADDADHD' is a label (really no different from 'INTP').Like all labels, it's extremely prone to stereotyping. In primary/secondary learning institution cultures, being diagnosed with ADD is like being granted access to an exclusive club where all the cool kids reside. In higher learning cultures, it also grants access to the even cooler cool kid Adderall club. The prevailing intellect on the ADD-themed boards is a good example.

If you're inattentive, perhaps take a closer look at the things you are inattentive to. Maybe some patterns will emerge. For example, perhaps you don't have a sincere interest in any of the things you're currently involved in, as said ProxyAmenRa.

 

[pjoa09]

Not refuting that ADD/ADHD exists. Just a few comments.

The DSM isn't exactly a trustworthy source of information. Remember that every law enforcement agency, judge, DA, and defense lawyer in the country has a copy of the DSM in their library. Any manual that is used by cops to win confessions, courts to win convictions, and pharmaceutical companies to promote their products must be used by you with extreme objectivity. The DSM can be used to diagnose every man, woman, and child on the planet with a 'treatable' disorder.

'ADDADHD' is a label (really no different from 'INTP').Like all labels, it's extremely prone to stereotyping. In primary/secondary learning institution cultures, being diagnosed with ADD is like being granted access to an exclusive club where all the cool kids reside. In higher learning cultures, it also grants access to the even cooler cool kid Adderall club. The prevailing intellect on the ADD-themed boards is a good example.

If you're inattentive, perhaps take a closer look at the things you are inattentive to. Maybe some patterns will emerge. For example, perhaps you don't have a sincere interest in any of the things you're currently involved in, as said ProxyAmenRa.

I'd agree. Well, its just difficult doing these SJish type tasks. I fuck up very often. Can't count money, remember a bunch of small tasks, and all that stuff. I can't remember stuff I am being told within seconds. It just goes out the other ear all the time.

I don't understand the ADD cool thing. Why would it be cool ? Everyone now knows that you are one step from being a maniac and have classmates claim unfair treatment because you are getting tablets to boost performance.

Also, amphetamines are very likely illegal where I live.

I don't really sit on one place with interests. I bounce time to time to cars,computers, and now I am obsessing over adhds validity and performance enhancers.

 

[Solitaire U.]

re: the cool thing:

Last year my then 10 year old son remarked that if he had ADHD, he would be allowed to go to the computer lab and play video games during class. At the time I kind of passed it off as misinformation on my son's part. So this morning I asked him to elaborate. This is what he said:

HE: "The ADHD kid in my class was allowed to leave the class once a day."
ME: "To go where?"
HE: "I don't know. To the nurses office, I think. He was also in Special Ed and got to go to the computer lab for an hour a day and during lunch recess if he wanted."
ME: "So he was out of the classroom for an hour a day?"
HE: "Or longer. Sometimes he didn't come back from the office for a long time. Sometimes he never came back."
ME: "What's the computer lab like?"
HE: "It's a room with like 40 computers in it. I only went in there like 4 times for my computation (typing) lessons. It's where they have the special ed classes. If you're not in special ed, you need a pass to get in."
ME: "So how do you know the ADHD kid went in there to play video games?"
HE: "What else is he gonna do in a room full of computers?"

So apparently, through the eyes of my 10 year old son anyway, the ADHD kids have special privileges. They get to leave class (to go take their meds, I assume), and sometimes they don't come back for a long time or at all (because they're having their weekly psych evaluation or something similar, I assume). Then they get to leave class again to go to the restricted-access computer lab for special ed classes. Easy for me to see how ADHD kids could be viewed by their classmates as the cool kids, since they essentially have a 'get out of jail free' card to go do mysterious, potentially more interesting things than regular schoolwork.

I fault the school system. If it's really legitimately necessary to employ special handling in the education of ADHD kids, then there needs to be a bit (or maybe a lot) more subtlety and more openness towards the other students as to WHY it's necessary. The ADHD kids must feel alienated as all hell, and their 'normal' classmates definitely feel left out of the equation.

This is another reason why we reside in Mexico now. Kids aren't sorted into divisions with a fine tooth comb like they are in the US. This "You're special because you're mentally defective (or unusually intelligent, same difference)/crippled, or whatever..." just doesn't exist here. Everyone is accommodated at the same level. My kids couldn't speak a word of Spanish when they first started school here, so we dumped them into a private bi-lingual school and let nature do the rest. Now, after less than a semester, they're more fluent than their mother and I (and we both took six months of private Spanish lessons before moving here).

If I was calling the shots, I'd start out by having the ADHD kids tell the rest of the class what it's like to 'be ADHD'. I wonder if they could even articulate a response that sets them so far apart from everyone else.

Cool kids...there you go.

 

[pjoa09]

re: the cool thing:

Last year my then 10 year old son remarked that if he had ADHD, he would be allowed to go to the computer lab and play video games during class. At the time I kind of passed it off as misinformation on my son's part. So this morning I asked him to elaborate. This is what he said:

HE: "The ADHD kid in my class was allowed to leave the class once a day."
ME: "To go where?"
HE: "I don't know. To the nurses office, I think. He was also in Special Ed and got to go to the computer lab for an hour a day and during lunch recess if he wanted."
ME: "So he was out of the classroom for an hour a day?"
HE: "Or longer. Sometimes he didn't come back from the office for a long time. Sometimes he never came back."
ME: "What's the computer lab like?"
HE: "It's a room with like 40 computers in it. I only went in there like 4 times for my computation (typing) lessons. It's where they have the special ed classes. If you're not in special ed, you need a pass to get in."
ME: "So how do you know the ADHD kid went in there to play video games?"
HE: "What else is he gonna do in a room full of computers?"

So apparently, through the eyes of my 10 year old son anyway, the ADHD kids have special privileges. They get to leave class (to go take their meds, I assume), and sometimes they don't come back for a long time or at all (because they're having their weekly psych evaluation or something similar, I assume). Then they get to leave class again to go to the restricted-access computer lab for special ed classes. Easy for me to see how ADHD kids could be viewed by their classmates as the cool kids, since they essentially have a 'get out of jail free' card to go do mysterious, potentially more interesting things than regular schoolwork.

I fault the school system. If it's really legitimately necessary to employ special handling in the education of ADHD kids, then there needs to be a bit (or maybe a lot) more subtlety and more openness towards the other students as to WHY it's necessary. The ADHD kids must feel alienated as all hell, and their 'normal' classmates definitely feel left out of the equation.

This is another reason why we reside in Mexico now. Kids aren't sorted into divisions with a fine tooth comb like they are in the US. This "You're special because you're mentally defective (or unusually intelligent, same difference)/crippled, or whatever..." just doesn't exist here. Everyone is accommodated at the same level. My kids couldn't speak a word of Spanish when they first started school here, so we dumped them into a private bi-lingual school and let nature do the rest. Now, after less than a semester, they're more fluent than their mother and I (and we both took six months of private Spanish lessons before moving here).

If I was calling the shots, I'd start out by having the ADHD kids tell the rest of the class what it's like to 'be ADHD'. I wonder if they could even articulate a response that sets them so far apart from everyone else.

Cool kids...there you go.

Oh. The hell. That's fucked up. Actually, if I remember correctly that was kind of what was going on in my High School for me. I'd be given a class to work on my homework or whatever. If I had absolutely zilch to work on I'd go out and play basketball. I didn't think it was cool. Kind of embarrassing when everyone studying their asses off and you're the messed up kid who's dribbling off some time.

But I am really just concerned about the medication. I mean, there are a ton of side effects and all the medications have been abused one way or another. Kids have killed themselves while on it. It doesn't spell safe.

 

[Solitaire U.]

Yeah, I don't have any words of wisdom gleaned from actual experience with the meds. My overriding assumption is that meds in this case are an extreme solution to an otherwise workable problem. I think the meds exist more for the sake of easy manageability by others than for actual benefit of the patient.

 

[HDINTP]

I personally do not think that you have ADD

 

[kora]

Ha I was convinced I had ADD two years ago, I actually sent myself to the doctor to ask them about it and told them my mum thought I had it (she doesn't I just didn't want them to think I was a hypochondriac or something) they told me I just needed to concentrate more and try harder or something, honestly I think we are probably just INTP.

To be honest, you might very well have it, so might I, but the truth is as long as you're not failing school they don't see any reason to treat you as it's not causing any serious problems...

 

[Da Blob]

DYI

Harvard test

http://www.help4adhd.org/documents/AdultADHDSelfReportScale-ASRS-v1-1.pdf

 

[pjoa09]

Ha I was convinced I had ADD two years ago, I actually sent myself to the doctor to ask them about it and told them my mum thought I had it (she doesn't I just didn't want them to think I was a hypochondriac or something) they told me I just needed to concentrate more and try harder or something, honestly I think we are probably just INTP.

To be honest, you might very well have it, so might I, but the truth is as long as you're not failing school they don't see any reason to treat you as it's not causing any serious problems...

Well... I really toughed out a 2.32 GPA and I wasn't having much fun. I just had basketball,guitar, and Linux as hobbies. The shitty bit is when you have pages of ungraded work in your folder and you just have the sinking feeling that it was supposed to be submitted 3 months ago.

It was so bad I just bummed out of academics. I am on my 3rd year of hiatus since I graduated from High School. I have just been working at my father's company. Now if I wasn't genetically related to this company I am pretty sure I would've gotten fired.


@Da Blob

Thanks man! That's really helpful. Lots to relate to.

 

[Da Blob]

Glad to be of help.

Could I suggest continuing your education with a home field advantage?

Take a few courses online in topics you really like with the goal to learn, as opposed to getting a decent grade. Grade your self as to how much you enjoyed the experience and how much you learned. If you continue you probably can find a way to eventually earn a degree using accumulated credit from your hobby of learning...

 

[pjoa09]

Glad to be of help.

Could I suggest continuing your education with a home field advantage?

Take a few courses online in topics you really like with the goal to learn, as opposed to getting a decent grade. Grade your self as to how much you enjoyed the experience and how much you learned. If you continue you probably can find a way to eventually earn a degree using accumulated credit from your hobby of learning...

I am doing that currently. It hasn't gone that well. I have sporadic moments of interest. I spend some time on Udacity, Khan Academy, and the Python Tutorial. Currently I am dead stuck on 'building a web crawler'. I just can't push through it, it's been a couple of months since I was in it and now I again struggle, all of it left my head. I wish Chrome had the functionality of banning websites and not their content so I can stay on my track.


Often my work is not as much work as bearing distractions. For a guy like me I can't function productively with distractions one bit.

 

[Proletar]

DYI

Harvard test

http://www.help4adhd.org/documents/AdultADHDSelfReportScale-ASRS-v1-1.pdf

Yep, black on white. Total bullshit.


"Do you sometimes play with your hands when you are waiting and have got absolutely nothing to do?" YES, I do that, PEOPLE DO THAT.

"How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?" Often. I'm a perciever, for gods sake.

 

[Ink]

If you want to use ritalin sure, otherwise what's the point?

 

[pjoa09]

Yep, black on white. Total bullshit.


"Do you sometimes play with your hands when you are waiting and have got absolutely nothing to do?" YES, I do that, PEOPLE DO THAT.

"How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?" Often. I'm a perciever, for gods sake.

LOL.

Yeah man that argument/discussion/debate/philosophy goes a very long way.

Not promoting or explaining that I am convinced to consume Ritalin.

But this discussion over personality and neuroscience is quite vast. I mean I am very much convinced that INTPs and ISTPs in general get very little in their dopamine receptors. Certainly the ISTP, who craves for dangerous activities.

Then this could spark a chart to how much dopamine the average of each of the 16 personality type gets in their dopamine receptors.

One could even make a reasonable argument that major political events have occurred due to a politician smoking crack. Actually that is a fair hypothesis.

But you see my point. I mean, I understand that ADHD is not a disorder in itself. I am reluctant because I know its a spectrum. Just like autism. IMO/hypothesis they both are very influential to ones MBTI type.

I am just considering the possibility that I might not have enough dopamine to do anything worthwhile or I am being hindered by too little dopamine.

@Ink On some days I think about that, get rid of all that complaining from peers and work on a big personal project.

 

[Architect]

Personally I suspect that ADD is at best a reaction to poor diet and other influences. I haven't done much research on this issue so don't get hairy on this opinion. Regardless I wouldn't do anything to try an fix it beyond dietary, exercise and mental/psychic exercises.

For example, when I was young I was diagnosed with cardiovascular issues. I decided that instead of taking drugs I would only try and fix the problem with dietary and exercise changes. If that wasn't good enough then so be it; I wasn't going on drugs my entire life. Now this was long before we knew about the link between diet and cardiovascular health, which seems obvious now. People thought I was crazy, but the end result today is that I have better physical health than just about anybody I know.

So my recommendation is to see what you can do without resorting to the pharmaceutical companies.

 

[Proletar]

LOL.

Yeah man that argument/discussion/debate/philosophy goes a very long way.

Not promoting or explaining that I am convinced to consume Ritalin.

But this discussion over personality and neuroscience is quite vast. I mean I am very much convinced that INTPs and ISTPs in general get very little in their dopamine receptors. Certainly the ISTP, who craves for dangerous activities.

Then this could spark a chart to how much dopamine the average of each of the 16 personality type gets in their dopamine receptors.

One could even make a reasonable argument that major political events have occurred due to a politician smoking crack. Actually that is a fair hypothesis.

But you see my point. I mean, I understand that ADHD is not a disorder in itself. I am reluctant because I know its a spectrum. Just like autism. IMO/hypothesis they both are very influential to ones MBTI type.

I am just considering the possibility that I might not have enough dopamine to do anything worthwhile or I am being hindered by too little dopamine.

@Ink On some days I think about that, get rid of all that complaining from peers and work on a big personal project.

Now that is a good train of thought.


The way I see it the diagnosis in itself is just crap. But that, on the other hand, doesn't mean that ritalin doesn't help certain individuals. My friend for example is diagnosed with ADHD, and he has been prescribed and been using ritalin for 5-8 years or so, and he thrives from it. Me on the other hand only got nervous and lost my appetite from it, even though I'm diagnosed with ADD. So naturally, I quit using it. AD(H)D and ritalin doesn't equal 'a + b', life and the universe are way to complex for that sort of judgement.

So what I'm saying is that even a blind hen (doctors and such, in this case) finds a worm once in a while. Diagnosing people (be it ADD or INTP) may be somewhat correct, but it isn't 100% correct. And certainly not when the practice of diagnosing the diagnosis itself is promoted from companies pushing drugs. Ritalin may be good for you, sure, but there is no such thing as ADD.


So in conclusion: People are different and (atleast somewhat) unique. Everyone has to search for what makes them tick, and diagnosing an illness only paves the way for treating symptoms, and that's really what those pills and the whole medical corporatation is all about. In fact - symtoms can occur due to a VAST number of reasons. (And the Harvard test only searched for symptoms, meaning that ADD is a syndrome (= X/X symptoms (like 6/10) on a bullshit list)).


I'm drunk by the way.

 

[pjoa09]

Personally I suspect that ADD is at best a reaction to poor diet and other influences. I haven't done much research on this issue so don't get hairy on this opinion. Regardless I wouldn't do anything to try an fix it beyond dietary, exercise and mental/psychic exercises.

For example, when I was young I was diagnosed with cardiovascular issues. I decided that instead of taking drugs I would only try and fix the problem with dietary and exercise changes. If that wasn't good enough then so be it; I wasn't going on drugs my entire life. Now this was long before we knew about the link between diet and cardiovascular health, which seems obvious now. People thought I was crazy, but the end result today is that I have better physical health than just about anybody I know.

So my recommendation is to see what you can do without resorting to the pharmaceutical companies.

This topic is what is ripping me to shreds. It's been very hairy in my head. I mean so far I have INTPf and my brother(ADHD diagnosed) saying don't take the drug, My country has Adderall illegal and Ritalin as a controlled substance, I am quite scared of the side effects, and ADDforum guys have promoted these drugs as the only possible cure. ADDforum has the nutrition topic murdered like St.Valentines.

This is really a curiosity kills a cat situation. I am pretty damn sure I'd transform as a personality after this thing and yet I am thinking what if there is this extra potential. I mean the minute they know I have ADHD these sponsored doctors are going to be crawling on the roof trying to scoop up extra dough off of my ass. I have had it happen.

Maybe I am being all to much of a hypochondriac.

I have also been thinking maybe I can terrify myself daily to get the dopamine dosage naturally. Maybe play video games after productivity. Although, I am pretty sure that is my mind at work to trick myself.

I must say Zinc and Omega have had a mildly profound effect. Not sure if its placebo but I have been more irritable to distraction.

 

[pjoa09]

Now that is a good train of thought.


The way I see it the diagnosis in itself is just crap. But that, on the other hand, doesn't mean that ritalin doesn't help certain individuals. My friend for example is diagnosed with ADHD, and he has been prescribed and been using ritalin for 5-8 years or so, and he thrives from it. Me on the other hand only got nervous and lost my appetite from it, even though I'm diagnosed with ADD. So naturally, I quit using it. AD(H)D and ritalin doesn't equal 'a + b', life and the universe are way to complex for that sort of judgement.

So what I'm saying is that even a blind hen (doctors and such, in this case) finds a worm once in a while. Diagnosing people (be it ADD or INTP) may be somewhat correct, but it isn't 100% correct. And certainly not when the practice of diagnosing the diagnosis itself is promoted from companies pushing drugs. Ritalin may be good for you, sure, but there is no such thing as ADD.


So in conclusion: People are different and (atleast somewhat) unique. Everyone has to search for what makes them tick, and diagnosing an illness only paves the way for treating symptoms, and that's really what those pills and the whole medical corporatation is all about. In fact - symtoms can occur due to a VAST number of reasons. (And the Harvard test only searched for symptoms, meaning that ADD is a syndrome (= X/X symptoms (like 6/10) on a bullshit list)).


I'm drunk by the way.

So... I should get it checked out? I mean, there are people like you and my brother who had this drug make your lives miserable and there is your friend and other ADDforum members who have had their lives straightened out by it.

One pill won't hurt that much.

That's what I am getting off of it.

But yeah, these doctors are now drug pushers.

They'd give you a pill for any possible fucking case in mind.

Case point : I had my jaws clicking for a while, went on Yahoo, got scared into thinking I have TMJ, went to doctor, got muscle relaxants for $100, I got pissed off, they went away on their own, and therefore I lost $100.

 

[Proletar]

So... I should get it checked out? I mean, there are people like you and my brother who had this drug make your lives miserable and there is your friend and other ADDforum members who have had their lives straightened out by it.

One pill won't hurt that much.

That's what I am getting off of it.

But yeah, these doctors are now drug pushers.

They'd give you a pill for any possible fucking case in mind.

Case point : I had my jaws clicking for a while, went on Yahoo, got scared into thinking I have TMJ, went to doctor, got muscle relaxants for $100, I got pissed off, they went away on their own, and therefore I lost $100.

Listen. There is no such thing as ADD.

On the other hand, it's good for you to know if you benefit from ritalin or not. That's what the true test is about. Try for a week or so. If it helps your persuits in life, keep using it. If not, stop taking it. That's my advice. (and by god, I do give good advice.)

I personally hated it, and my friend (INTJ btw) liked it. People are different.

 

[DeadonDreaming]

Listen. There is no such thing as ADD.

On the other hand, it's good for you to know if you benefit from ritalin or not. That's what the true test is about. Try for a week or so. If it helps your persuits in life, keep using it. If not, stop taking it. That's my advice. (and by god, I do give good advice.)

I personally hated it, and my friend (INTJ btw) liked it. People are different.

I tend to agree. I really doubt there is such a thing as ADD; it may just be the sad fate of a hunter in a gatherer society. But some people believe life is better through chemistry, and if you're not straight edge with Xs on your hand and Minor Threat in your heart, then go for it.

 

[Architect]

I tend to agree. I really doubt there is such a thing as ADD; it may just be the sad fate of a hunter in a gatherer society. But some people believe life is better through chemistry, and if you're not straight edge with Xs on your hand and Minor Threat in your heart, then go for it.

Agree. Also I have a buddy who is bipolar - really bipolar. He has medications to treat it, but the problem is nothing just works because the body/brain adapt. They have to change the cocktail periodically to try and find a combination that can keep him in control.

Of course those drugs have side effects you don't want to know about. Seriously, for something as mild as having trouble focusing try meditating.

 

[pjoa09]

Aye. Fair enough.

But @DeadonDreaming fair amount have complained about having low testosterone on the ADDforum which could just be sad fate for the unfortunate. I do think ADHD exist though. Some people do better with medication others do not. The medication hasn't seen much breakthroughs but I see medicines like Ritalin and Adderall as curing a toothache with heroin.

I think I will just try to put my mind to the tasks and use mild supplements. I don't want side effects. But it bugs the hell out of me to think that I might not be at my full potential. I could have been better when I was at school.

 

[SpeedAgent]

I have to jump in here. I was diagnosed ADD as a young kid, I think 7 or 8, maybe earlier. A comment on this page about a kid who got to leave class and go to the computer room for an hour a day....that was me in my class. We didn't have an easily accessible computer room in the early 90's when I was in high school, but where I went I didn't want to go. Kids like me were shuffled into rooms with other kids with ADD, but also kids with serious mental and physical dysfunctions. It was embarrassing, humiliating, and totally unproductive. The point of sending kids to a class with others with "learning disabilities" was intentionally set up for kids to get extra help on classwork, a little like an extra homeroom time during the school day. What it ended up being was a waste of time and an opportunity for smart kids to fuck off for an hour and sit in the corner so nobody noticed they were there. For me, I believe being shuffled off to this class and being treated differently from other classmates scarred me for life. Since I was diagnosed in 3rd or 4th grade I was treated differently in my classes. You get labeled and it stays with you throughout school. It can be devastating to young kids.

I started working with a career coach months ago and I confessed to her that I was diagnosed with ADD as a child. She asked me what my symptoms were and she said I could also apply those traits to the INTP personality and it might not be that I'm ADD as much as I'm an INTP. Regardless, it requires this type of person to study and learn differently than other people. I had/have all of the same traits as the OP and somehow I was able to focus for 2.5 years in college- just long enough to pass some classes and graduate college. I'm now twelve years into my working career and unemployed for the third time. I'm in an online MBA program and I couldn't have less focus than I do now.

I don't recommend ADD meds mainly because I've tried most all of them at some point and all seem to have at least one serious side effect. One of them gave me tachycardia. My heart rate would go from a resting 52 bpm to max 200+ in less than a second while doing nothing. Literally, I would be sitting watching TV and my heart would feel like it was about to explode. I thought I was having heart attacks. This was the stimulant effect and I dropped it like it was hot. I wish I had words of encouragement because I know how difficult it is. I'm in my mid 30's and I'm still struggling to figure out my place in the world and what I am good at. Sometimes it feels like too much to handle. Keep searching for answers about how you can manage your own focus. In college, I had to turn all things off and only concentrate on the book I was reading. I made myself read for an hour, then I watched a little tv or got a snack, but then returned to reading for another hour. Etc. Etc. Routine is important.

Sorry for the long post that probably reads like nonsense, but it is a little therapeutic to write about what I'm struggling with myself.

Chris

 

[pjoa09]

I have to jump in here. I was diagnosed ADD as a young kid, I think 7 or 8, maybe earlier. A comment on this page about a kid who got to leave class and go to the computer room for an hour a day....that was me in my class. We didn't have an easily accessible computer room in the early 90's when I was in high school, but where I went I didn't want to go. Kids like me were shuffled into rooms with other kids with ADD, but also kids with serious mental and physical dysfunctions. It was embarrassing, humiliating, and totally unproductive. The point of sending kids to a class with others with "learning disabilities" was intentionally set up for kids to get extra help on classwork, a little like an extra homeroom time during the school day. What it ended up being was a waste of time and an opportunity for smart kids to fuck off for an hour and sit in the corner so nobody noticed they were there. For me, I believe being shuffled off to this class and being treated differently from other classmates scarred me for life. Since I was diagnosed in 3rd or 4th grade I was treated differently in my classes. You get labeled and it stays with you throughout school. It can be devastating to young kids.

I started working with a career coach months ago and I confessed to her that I was diagnosed with ADD as a child. She asked me what my symptoms were and she said I could also apply those traits to the INTP personality and it might not be that I'm ADD as much as I'm an INTP. Regardless, it requires this type of person to study and learn differently than other people. I had/have all of the same traits as the OP and somehow I was able to focus for 2.5 years in college- just long enough to pass some classes and graduate college. I'm now twelve years into my working career and unemployed for the third time. I'm in an online MBA program and I couldn't have less focus than I do now.

I don't recommend ADD meds mainly because I've tried most all of them at some point and all seem to have at least one serious side effect. One of them gave me tachycardia. My heart rate would go from a resting 52 bpm to max 200+ in less than a second while doing nothing. Literally, I would be sitting watching TV and my heart would feel like it was about to explode. I thought I was having heart attacks. This was the stimulant effect and I dropped it like it was hot. I wish I had words of encouragement because I know how difficult it is. I'm in my mid 30's and I'm still struggling to figure out my place in the world and what I am good at. Sometimes it feels like too much to handle. Keep searching for answers about how you can manage your own focus. In college, I had to turn all things off and only concentrate on the book I was reading. I made myself read for an hour, then I watched a little tv or got a snack, but then returned to reading for another hour. Etc. Etc. Routine is important.

Sorry for the long post that probably reads like nonsense, but it is a little therapeutic to write about what I'm struggling with myself.

Chris

Thanks for the insight! Yeah, I think I will definitely stay away from ADD medication now! As far as I can remember its only the psychiatrists and ADDforum guys who say ADD medication helps. As far as Youtube videos, experiences from people on INTPf, Asian narcotics law, my brother's personal struggle with ADHD, and case stories of deaths caused by psychostimulants I think Ritalin or Adderall could kill me.

Having Adderall here could be punished by jail time. I think it's fairly reasonable given the fact that it acts just like cocaine. Japan has outlawed it too. There have been crackdowns on amphetamine users where I live and they have footages of overdosed amphetamine users who arrive at unstable mind states and full blown crashes.

I got such treatment in 8th grade and it was devastating at times. My brother pulled me out within 3 years. I think time management is crucial to maintaining a decent life with ADHD. It's natural for most people to comfortably get into routine and out of routine. I tend to become self destructive if I let loose and go about doing whatever I want. It helps to maintain goals that you really want to achieve and are of interest otherwise it just melts almost immediately.


Your story makes university a scary prospect!

Makes me a little glad I took sometime away from academics. I just have incredible difficulty doing stuff I don't want to do. I think work has helped a bit in that area. I am more at comfort with getting a little out of comfort zone.

 

[SpeedAgent]

School was scary for me. I fucked around my first two years when I discovered alcohol, sleeping with girls, and a part-time non-paying job with the athletic department. I got kicked out of school because I didn't like doing things that I didn't enjoy and my grades suffered. It really took me searching for what I wanted and I came to the realization that I wanted to at least graduate. Was never sure what I wanted to do after, but I put in the effort, got decent grades and went to school full-time for the next 2 1/2 years straight.

I started college when I was 17 and in hindsight wished I had not started so young. I didn't know what the hell was going on and I wasted some good opportunities....similar to the pattern I have chosen in my life since. I guess things never change. I would tell you that if you are not fully committed to putting in the effort then you might be better off waiting until you are. School is expensive and you can't really do it over. If you graduate with a low gpa or don't graduate at all, what are you left with? It just makes things harder as you go on.

Take it or leave it, but that is my $0.02.

 

[pjoa09]

School was scary for me. I fucked around my first two years when I discovered alcohol, sleeping with girls, and a part-time non-paying job with the athletic department. I got kicked out of school because I didn't like doing things that I didn't enjoy and my grades suffered. It really took me searching for what I wanted and I came to the realization that I wanted to at least graduate. Was never sure what I wanted to do after, but I put in the effort, got decent grades and went to school full-time for the next 2 1/2 years straight.

I started college when I was 17 and in hindsight wished I had not started so young. I didn't know what the hell was going on and I wasted some good opportunities....similar to the pattern I have chosen in my life since. I guess things never change. I would tell you that if you are not fully committed to putting in the effort then you might be better off waiting until you are. School is expensive and you can't really do it over. If you graduate with a low gpa or don't graduate at all, what are you left with? It just makes things harder as you go on.

Take it or leave it, but that is my $0.02.

Wow, how strange. I spent a month repenting the fact that I did not go to college when I was 17 and you are repenting the fact that you went to college when you were 17.

Those were the exact things that I was afraid of when I was thinking about college. I am not so sure if I could get some action in beds but surely would be dreaming about it. I too have serious impulsiveness issues. I still have difficulty rationalizing the whole concept of going to college. I always think I can do all my learning at home at my free time and just do regular old work that I am entitled to.