Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt More Than They Help

Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by theonemind on Thursday December 15, 2016 @11:15PM (#13191019)

It looked to me like he described his hyper-focus and context switching as the advantage. ADHD causes both of those things. It looks to me like you imply that ADHD, as an impairment, can't cause an advantage in some situation. I disagree. People on the autistic spectrum, while undoubtedly also having abnormal brains, can process information in a way that others can't, sometimes giving them an advantage in 'cerebral' professions, while also possibly causing functional deficits in other contexts.

This feels to me like a one-size-fits-all reply, and dismissive of what looks like a valid and realistic self-assessment. "Significant cogantive impairment diminishes your ability to realise your own goals" doesn't hold true without context. A person may have a goal of not depending on medication, or choosing to view their state as a strength and building on their differences. Consider Stephen Hawking. I don't think he would have wished for his condition, but a friend of his once noted that when he got a book, he would remember what he saw, because he could not easily pull the book down again. If he didn't have physical impairments, he might have gone in other directions. He had to focus on a mental career. He took his position for one of strength and made the most of it.

I find your reply dismissive of this person's experience, reality, and values.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by mjburgess on Friday December 16, 2016 @10:31AM (#13193903)

People with ADHD are incapable of making a "valid self assessment". It's a disorder of the specific faculties involved in being self-aware in the right sort of ways.

It's a very common phenomenon to encounter a person with ADHD who insists their life us going well but who are being fired every month.

We're talking about serious cognitive impairments not 'differneces' it's reckless to encourage people with this condition to avoid seeking help.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by komali2 on Friday December 16, 2016 @02:12PM (#13195858)

I'd argue that the ability to make a "valid self assessment" is missing from every person on the planet. We can only use the tools available to us, i.e. track our workflow against our peers, our performance in academia, etc.

I agree that we shouldn't encourage people to not seek help, that's no good. But people with the disease sharing how they can leverage it to their advantage can help.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by mjburgess on Friday December 16, 2016 @04:35PM (#13197075)

Yes, but that's very unlikely to be the case. There are pop books out their peddling the idea that ADHD provides different advantages -- it's perverse and entirely non-clinical. No one is writing books about the wonders of blindness, or missing a limb -- because physical impairments are so obviously, on the whole, impairments even if we might imagine some circumstance they could be beneficial.

ADHD is a developmental delay in the frontal lobe which causes significant cognitive impairments, that far and away, on the whole cause havoc for people.

People with ADHD should not be encouraged to attribute their successes to their disorder, they are almost always due to unaffected cognitive skills -- NOT ones impaired by ADHD, or affected by stimulants. People with ADHD are often the worst at making this mistake which is why I wrote my initial reply -- because I am concerned for the writer of the comment that they are making this very mistake and that they should really be taking medication.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Hurt... by Diederich on Saturday December 17, 2016 @10:16PM (#13204123)

I can only speak to my own professional performance, as evidenced by people who have been paying me (quite well) to do various things for the past 25 years.

There are certain kinds of things I am better at when I'm not on my meds.

There are certain kinds of things I am better at when I am on my meds.

I'm not speaking for everyone, and I'm not encouraging people to not seek medical attention.

It's possible what I'm reporting is non-clinical, and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're not speaking broadly when you use the word 'perverse'.

I am not down-voting your replies in this thread, but I understand why people are. You are using non-nuanced and absolutist language which won't be that effective in conveying your perspective.

[ Parent | on HN ]