Ask Someone With ADD/ADHD

[Levitas1234]

-snip-

It's not like the doctor peaked inside your head to check for a chemical imbalance he merely assumed. The medication is also not some sort of miracle treatment, it's just a stimulant to help you focus and anyone can take these stimulants to focus. Anyone can say "this child has adhd" and prescribe him expensive pills.

 

[Aerodyamic]

Why is it called ADD and treated with medication? When I was a kid, it was called hyperactivity and was treated with a clip round the ear and told not to be a twat.

That wasn't uncommon for me, either, but then they did some tests and found I was missing a couple important neuro-chemicals. Apparently, there's one that keeps you awake, and I'm woefully short of it, so my brain tries to latch onto anything that MIGHT keep it awake.

But I had a lot of headaches as a kid too, and both my ears now lay pretty close to my skull.

 

[laststandman]

Anyway, first off, don't tell me "oh everyone has that" I was legitimately diagnosed with this condition.

Sometimes I push deadlines, but I'm a very successful student, and that's because when I need to, that very same hyperactivity that can be a problem allows me to focus and work very quickly and efficiently, when I go into "laser focus" (yes, I named it ) I can get quality work done at an unbelievable rate.

By any chance are we the same exact person!? I have ADD (diagnosed) and I'm doing that right now to keep up my 95 average!

 

[Rakun Man]

Alright here I go,
Sowhat'sitlikebeingADHDdoyoutakelotsofpillsdoyoulookoutthewindowalotareyougoingtobeabletoreadallthisdoyoulikerunningorisitboringdoes
yourhyperactivitygiveyouanedgetogamesareyougoingtobeangryatmeforwritinglikethisihopeyouarentimnottryingtobeoffensiveoranythinglikethat.
SQUIRREL...
anywayasiwassayingiforgotwhatiwassayingisyourpsychologistniceordoyouseeapsychiatristisyourrefrideratorrunningdoyou
likesugaryfoodsordoyoustayawayfromthemdoyoubreathenormallywhenyoutalkfastdoyoutalkfastdoyouhaveADHDfriendsare
zombiescooldoesthisdressmakemelookfatareluckycharmsreallyluckyihadafishnamedluckybuthedied...
I going to need my inhaler.

 

[TheLaofKazi]

I absolutely love how we are all showing off how dysfunctional we are

While we're all at it, I have some weird problem with writing W's quickly. For some reason, I hesitate to make the first downward curved line at least 2-3 times and just sort of vibrate my fingers for second. Happens with U's as well.

And the odd thing is, I never remember doing it until halfway through freshmen year. Just one day, I suddenly began to suck at writing W's and U's.

 

[Danpascooch]

BANDWAGON JUMPING IS FUN!!!


Anyway, first off, don't tell me "oh everyone has that" I was legitimately diagnosed with this condition, and am medicated for it, it's a spectrum condition, but you can't self-diagnose, if you think you have it, you should talk to your doctor so they can refer you to a specialist.

What is ADD like? It's not quite what you might think. Everyone knows about the slacking off and not paying attention, but there is another side to it that I personally love. Sometimes I push deadlines, but I'm a very successful student, and that's because when I need to, that very same hyperactivity that can be a problem allows me to focus and work very quickly and efficiently, when I go into "laser focus" (yes, I named it ) I can get quality work done at an unbelievable rate.

If you want to know what it feels like, imagine being hyper all the time, like you're on a combination of caffeine and cocaine, it can be a problem, but it can also be very fun.

I think you just want attention. I've had ADHD since I was 10. over half my friends were diagnosed with it too. Its one of the most OVERdiagnosed problems with young students in america today. They said I had ADHD. I told them I didn't care about what they were teaching me. I dropped out of college after 2 years. went back after another 2 for a completely different major and now I'm on Deans list and have been for the past 4 semesters. According to the doctors I still have ADHD and I never once took medicine for it.

You're welcome to think what you want, but I'm trying to raise awareness and have a discussion.

The thing about ADD is it's a spectrum disorder, some have it minor, some have it so severely that it's absolutely debilitating. My biggest problem is that on average (even when exhausted) it takes me over an hour to fall asleep when my head hits the pillow in a completely dark distraction free room, that's what I hate the most, it's an incredibly annoying problem I have to deal with every single night of my life whether or not I'm on my medication.

That said, it's hard to place a direct correlation between ADD and poor grades, I for one am an absolutely exceptional student (finished high school YESTERDAY! WOO! OFF TO COLLEGE!)

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

BANDWAGON JUMPING IS FUN!!!


Anyway, first off, don't tell me "oh everyone has that" I was legitimately diagnosed with this condition, and am medicated for it, it's a spectrum condition, but you can't self-diagnose, if you think you have it, you should talk to your doctor so they can refer you to a specialist.

What is ADD like? It's not quite what you might think. Everyone knows about the slacking off and not paying attention, but there is another side to it that I personally love. Sometimes I push deadlines, but I'm a very successful student, and that's because when I need to, that very same hyperactivity that can be a problem allows me to focus and work very quickly and efficiently, when I go into "laser focus" (yes, I named it ) I can get quality work done at an unbelievable rate.

If you want to know what it feels like, imagine being hyper all the time, like you're on a combination of caffeine and cocaine, it can be a problem, but it can also be very fun.

It's officially called hyperfocus. People with ADHD tend to be among the most successful people in the world. Also, the human mind is better than other animal minds because it is larger. Our mind are better than human minds because we use them more. Their weak minds do not comprehend us and laugh at what they do not understand. You may feel small because you're writing this, but you should know that those with ADHD are genetically superior, essentially super humans. We should take over the world, one ADHD is worth a hundred non ADHD's. Raise the flag! ADHD POWER!

Sorry, got a little carried away at the end.

I'm afraid that everyone who just went to sign up got distracted and started watching TV.

 

[Danpascooch]

-snip-

It's not like the doctor peaked inside your head to check for a chemical imbalance he merely assumed. The medication is also not some sort of miracle treatment, it's just a stimulant to help you focus and anyone can take these stimulants to focus. Anyone can say "this child has adhd" and prescribe him expensive pills.

No they can't, I was referred to a specialist by my Physician, he put me through a three hour long extensive test. I performed amazingly well in all areas except the areas that are impaired by ADHD, in those areas I took a dive to under 50% of my performance in the other areas.

It was quite conclusive, and when I'm on the medicine I notice a huge difference, I have a much easier time not acting on my impulses.

 

[Danpascooch]

Anyway, first off, don't tell me "oh everyone has that" I was legitimately diagnosed with this condition.

Sometimes I push deadlines, but I'm a very successful student, and that's because when I need to, that very same hyperactivity that can be a problem allows me to focus and work very quickly and efficiently, when I go into "laser focus" (yes, I named it ) I can get quality work done at an unbelievable rate.

By any chance are we the same exact person!? I have ADD (diagnosed) and I'm doing that right now to keep up my 95 average!

That's awesome, I thought I was more or less unique in this regard, but you're like the fourth person to come forward and tell me you do this too.

I never expected to learn something major about ADD from this thread, I was aimed more at informing others.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Strangely enough, ADD is commonly treated with STIMULANTS, never quite got that.

It was actually due to some rather dodgy research done by B.F.Skinner (I believe) in the early 60s. He found that children treated with speed (Yeah...) had their hyperactivity cured. At a guess, as I'm no biologist, it couldn't exceed the energy they already had, so boosted their metabolism instead.

Problem being, of course, that when puberty hits, the metabolism changes and you have a hyperactive speed addict; but yeah, that's where treating it with Stimulants came from.

It may also be why Sunset Yellow and Tartazine can cause hyperactivity in kids but not in adults.

 

[A Raging Emo]

Is ADHD just a better version of ADD.

(Dya get it?)

Nice.

On Topic: I'm afraid I have nothing to ask, I just wanted to tell El Poncho that I did get it!

Uhm... Do people treat you differently because of the fact you have ADHD/ADD?

 

[Danpascooch]

Alright here I go,
Sowhat'sitlikebeingADHDdoyoutakelotsofpillsdoyoulookoutthewindowalotareyougoingtobeabletoreadallthisdoyoulikerunningorisitboringdoes
yourhyperactivitygiveyouanedgetogamesareyougoingtobeangryatmeforwritinglikethisihopeyouarentimnottryingtobeoffensiveoranythinglikethat.
SQUIRREL...
anywayasiwassayingiforgotwhatiwassayingisyourpsychologistniceordoyouseeapsychiatristisyourrefrideratorrunningdoyou
likesugaryfoodsordoyoustayawayfromthemdoyoubreathenormallywhenyoutalkfastdoyoutalkfastdoyouhaveADHDfriendsare
zombiescooldoesthisdressmakemelookfatareluckycharmsreallyluckyihadafishnamedluckybuthedied...
I going to need my inhaler.

Zombies are most definitely cool.

It's not so much that I have a lack of attention, it's that my attention jumps between extremes almost like a bipolar person jumps between moods, at one moment I can be off in my daydreams, but if I need to, I can do 3 hours of work in a half an hour easily, it's not really that I lack the ability to pay attention, it's an "all or nothing" type deal.

I see a counselor, it was something the physician insisted on when I went on my medication, everything in my life is going very well right now, I honestly don't need her anymore, but I like talking to her once a month, and it's covered by insurance (kind of, our insurance is really fucking complicated, but basically we aren't paying more for me to see her, we're just paying earlier)

My main problem is impulses. Sometimes I just want to scream for no reason, I do have self control though, I don't do it in public, but I often do in my room, and my family thinks it's pretty hilarious.

 

[Danpascooch]

Is ADHD just a better version of ADD.

(Dya get it?)

Nice.

On Topic: I'm afraid I have nothing to ask, I just wanted to tell El Poncho that I did[/b[ get it!

Uhm... Do people treat you differently because of the fact you have ADHD/ADD?

They usually

react with a "what!? you have ADD!?"

Then about ten seconds later they go: "Ooooh" when they finish going over what they know about me, and discover it makes complete sense, lol.

But no, they don't treat me differently, and I would never use ADD as any sort of excuse for anything.

 

[chenry]

I'd ask a question, but I think you'd probably get distracted and not fini

 

[Faustcol]

ADHD is usually with children, but it evolves to ADD around puberty.

 

[Danpascooch]

What's it like being medicated? I was diagnosed with a long time ago, but my mother refused medication because she didn't want me taking any form of pills. She's weird.

Frankly, it helps, that's about all I can say, it really does help. Less intense impulses is the big thing for me, and less twitchiness (though I still twitch)

What do you think of people who believe that ADD/ADHD should not be considered a mental disability?

This is going to sound like a euphemism, but I honestly believe it's not a disability and more of a "difference" it's not that people with ADD are less functional, they just function differently, whereas instead of being a medium degree of productive, they leap from insanely productive to barely productive, where the net productively is pretty much the same.

ADD might exist, but only a small amout of the people who have been diagnosed probably have it.

Does anybody really think that from 10,000B.C. to 1960A.D., people said "wow, so many kids have a disorder that makes them have short attention spans; I can't wait 'til the future, when someone invents medication to fix this tragic disorder."? Of course not.

Only a little before now people though cigars were good for you and lead based face paint was fine, is it that hard to believe? The kicker here is it's a spectrum disorder, so a diagnoses is hard to pin down, and an accurate one takes hours of testing.

Do you honestly believe this is a condition and not just people making excuses?

Honest question, not to be a dick.

This is the question I expected to answer the most, and don't worry, you were very polite about it.

Frankly, it's been shown that ADD is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and while that's not tested for each time it's diagnosed, a proper diagnosis involves hours of testing different cognitive abilities, and tracking whether there is a significant drop in the areas effected by ADD.

It is a real thing, but nobody should ever use it as an excuse for anything I cannot stress that enough.

 

[UnwishedGunz]

the only reason ADD exists is because some parent was worried or probbily embarrassed that their child was slacking off and failing school...most likly embarrassed but its hard to pay attention in a school thats so boring

so they go to the doctor and say "oh! hes not paying attention in school and im worried" so the doctor runs some boring test which makes the kid more bored so he starts to not pay attention to the doctor while his little mind wonders off into dream world.

so the doctor says "oh! im sure all of our boring tests didnt bore him at all so he must have a medical condition we'll call it ADD/ADHD"

like i said...the parent was worried or embarrassed about their kid and wanted to have an excuse why their kid was failing so they can tell all their high class friends that he has a disorder

plus im sure the medication costs a lot too and thats how they make money...by selling unless things to unsespecting parents

(no offence to all the parents or people with ADD/ADHD out their, im just trying to make a point)

 

[IxionIndustries]

I think I killed my ADHD with a brick one dry summer day... And possibly some fond childhood memories...

Pity.

 

[Sir Moomin]

I grew out of mine but its still there. I keep it locked away ready to unleash...like the hulk

 

[Lonan]

BANDWAGON JUMPING IS FUN!!!


Anyway, first off, don't tell me "oh everyone has that" I was legitimately diagnosed with this condition, and am medicated for it, it's a spectrum condition, but you can't self-diagnose, if you think you have it, you should talk to your doctor so they can refer you to a specialist.

What is ADD like? It's not quite what you might think. Everyone knows about the slacking off and not paying attention, but there is another side to it that I personally love. Sometimes I push deadlines, but I'm a very successful student, and that's because when I need to, that very same hyperactivity that can be a problem allows me to focus and work very quickly and efficiently, when I go into "laser focus" (yes, I named it ) I can get quality work done at an unbelievable rate.

If you want to know what it feels like, imagine being hyper all the time, like you're on a combination of caffeine and cocaine, it can be a problem, but it can also be very fun.

It's officially called hyperfocus. People with ADHD tend to be among the most successful people in the world. Also, the human mind is better than other animal minds because it is larger. Our mind are better than human minds because we use them more. Their weak minds do not comprehend us and laugh at what they do not understand. You may feel small because you're writing this, but you should know that those with ADHD are genetically superior, essentially super humans. We should take over the world, one ADHD is worth a hundred non ADHD's. Raise the flag! ADHD POWER!

Sorry, got a little carried away at the end.

I'm afraid that everyone who just went to sign up got distracted and started watching TV.

Damn it, guys. *sigh*