News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt More Than They Help. Parent comment

Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by mjburgess on Thursday December 15, 2016 @01:34PM (#13186894)
For readers, ODD == Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

Basically ADHD is just a symptom checklist, what causes it also causes a whole variety of other stuff not included in the same checklist for somewhat @political" reasons.

In particular ODD means being reflexively and exaggeratedly defiant and hostile to authority. Possibly because its associated with external demands that are inherently difficult to meet (because of the ADHD part) and so quite tortuous and frustrating.

What's remarkable is that the oppositional characteriststs associated wiith ADHD are significantly helped by stimulants. Which doesnt make any sense, if the oppositionality were some personality characteristic. It arises due to the very same cognative impairments.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by derefr on Friday December 16, 2016 @03:56AM (#13191988)
> causes a whole variety of other stuff not included in the same checklist for somewhat @political" reasons

Like what?

I have ADHD. I tend to notice that other people I know, who also have ADHD, tend to have a lot of other "not normally associated with ADHD" things in common with me. But I don't know which are true correlations, and which are just pareidolia on my part.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by 234dd57d2c8db on Thursday December 15, 2016 @02:56PM (#13187700)
Stimulants work because ADHD brains have whacked out dopamine regulation. Stimulants help smooth out the peaks and valleys associated with ADHD. Hyperfocus = overstimulated by dopamine, inattentiveness = understimulated. Taking a stimulate provides a consistent baseline level to help reduce the extremes.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by warfangle on Thursday December 15, 2016 @04:34PM (#13188647)
Stimulants work because they activate the underperforming portions of the prefrontal cortex related to attention management.

Chalking it up to dopamine is a gross simplification.

Adderal, for example, stimulates the release / reduces the re-uptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin, histamine, and CART peptides.

[ Parent | on HN ]