You don’t see it as debilitating because you don’t experience it. You’re describing the experience of your chemical reaction to drugs that treat a chemical deficiency you don't have, of course you react differently!
When I take amphetamines as prescribed and coordinated with my doctor, I don’t feel more productive or focused. I feel like the entire act of living isn’t a completely impossible catastrophe. I feel like I can speak to humans without collapsing into a trembling ball of anxious angry sadness. I feel like I can get to the store and back without a complete meltdown. I feel almost normal. Without it I’m lucky if I can get through the day without hoping I wouldn’t. Now do you get it?
The difference is if those issues are actually becoming a problem that affects your day-to-day life vs just a mild annoyance. When you can’t get your task at work done because you just really don’t care about it for example. Or when you again throw out your entire salary into this weeks dumb hobby that you are fully convinced isn’t just a phase.
It’s also worth noting that adhd is a spectrum and not a binary condition. Some people have more problems in some things while some other people struggle with something else, or have it very mild.
When I take meds I actually don’t feel any different. It’s just easier to stick to things and in more mentally balanced.
Funny story - I actually found out that I had adhd because I commented on a HN post about my productivity issues and someone suggested that those don’t sound normal. Even just officially knowing what’s wrong helped a lot with managing (even without meds) because I understand where these impulses are coming from for example
Now take “occasional ADHD symptoms” and ramp them up to the same degree. Get an idea of how this could be debilitating now?
Why do you feel your opinion is more valid just because you can’t see their pain?
I have hard time to see your broken leg as walking preventing condition. I have hit my leg badly yesterday, but I can easily walk now, it surely must be the same.
I'm still having a hard time seeing this as a debilitating condition, I can relate to all the things you said and undoubtably taking drugs like modafinil or ritalin turn me super productive and focused, but I don't want to be medicating day in day out, tolerance grows too fast.
End of the day responsibilities forced me to stick with things after I lose interest, sure I may be 20% as productive as I would be if I was super interested and I spend 80% of the time distracted because I'm bored, but 100% is usually 5x of what people consider the norm anyway.