Re:Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?
by lostmyoldone on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @06:52AM
(#27527025)
My story is the same, blown off by doctors for years because, I don't know, but not being "too successful" was definitely part of it.
Lead to a burnout-like state that started developing while basically being a stay-at-home dad for a year or so. It got worse, and now there are several years of my daughter growing up that I don't remember almost anything from.
Re:Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?
by bloqs on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @04:35AM
(#27526247)
ADHD is not a disability. It's an evolutionary set of traits. It is covered under the Big Five.
Re:Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?
by dotjalla on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @04:53AM
(#27526364)
I would argue that ADHD presents as a disability in a post-industrial society. ADHD Institute suggests that the diagnosis is commonly associated with substance abuse, major depression and a wide range of other conditions, in higher frequency than baseline populations[0]
[0]: https://adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/comorbidities/
Re:Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?
by lostmyoldone on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @06:44AM
(#27526977)
In Sweden at least it is classified as a disability, because whether or not it's a evolutionary adaptation, people that present typical ADHD traits are functionally disabled in modern society. Society should change to accommodate these traits, but we can't expect people with those traits to live in misery until then.
Re:Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?
by mnowicki on Wednesday June 16, 2021 @03:54PM
(#27532751)
Yeah not to sound like a "deep" 15 year old but I think being able to function in our modern society is much more unnatural than the behaviors associated with ADHD. But since is the society we're in, having it really is a disability.
TL;DR: "we live in a society"
I was blown off by doctors for years when I was seeking a diagnostics because I was a successful person, but make no mistake: I was suffering. I am a textbook case. The stigma around this disorder is pervasive and it’s extremely easy to reinforce that stigma.
Stimulant medication doesn’t give me superpowers, it improves symptoms. I still have all the problems that come with ADHD, just... less.
Google is failing me, but a study a few years ago indicated that stimulants do not have a meaningful impact on the output of those who do not have ADHD. People often think they do because of the euphoria effect, but the euphoria is actually a transient side effect.
Stimulants should be paired with therapy, to better understand the nature of the disorder and developer additional coping tool.
(I’ve been on stimulant medication to treat ADHD for about half a decade. I was diagnosed well into adulthood.)