It's the condition that causes it. One of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD is anxiety over not being able to get things done. Your comment sounds dismissive of the real adverse impact of ADHD on one's inherent executive function; rather it's just someone being too "in their head" after they're giving a diagnosis.

> it becomes a medical condition you've been stuck with

90-ish% of people with ADHD respond well to stimulants, and have complete remission of symptoms. And for those who don't respond well to stimulants, we have bupropion, etc.

It's the one class of mental disorders where medication is very effective. For almost all with ADHD, it's not something you're "stuck" with.

"One of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD is anxiety over not being able to get things done."

No, it is not.

https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/adhd_to...

If you have to keep taking amphetamines you are stuck with it. It is clear that something dopamergenic is going on with these kids, but no one is trying to find out why they do not have enough dopamine. You know we have biological pathways that produce dopamine which are controlled by things in our environment.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/he-biosynthetic-pathway-...

Yeah, I said it, you can control ADHD by changing the environment. Zinc, B6, air pollution, protein intake, etc...

Yet all we get is a pill? And you are all happy with that?

I'm happy with the fact that medication has helped me immensely. That doesn't mean we should stop looking at better ways to address the issue, but until we find something better, i'll keep taking my meds.

The condition. It's abso-fucking-lutely the condition.

Executive Dysfunction means you're screaming in your head to stand up and get work done, but your brain just keeps browsing hacker news. And not just monthly or weekly, but hourly. Sometimes even every few minutes.

Diagnosed or undiagnosed.

I wonder if it's a "horoscope reading" kind of feeling, but I just identify so much with these descriptions of ADHD.

Well, 5% of the population in general is the expected ratio of people with ADHD, but only 2% of the adult population is diagnosed with it, and it doesn't magically go away when you become an adult.

So, there's definitely a chance. Two thoughts:

- Everyone will occasionally exhibit some ADHD symptoms, the question is how often. Monthly? Probably not a problem. Hourly, or every few minutes? Probably is a problem.

- See a professional. Self diagnosis can't get you the help you need.

Yeah, mine have persisted all day along for as long as I can remember... I guess I'm not the stereotypical hyperactive, but when it comes to the attention span it does fit me a glove.

I should probably get it checked. Thing is I'm afraid of "faking it", if it makes any sense?

I'd personally recommend to go get checked. The evaluation I went through was like 6 hours long (I know, getting checked for ADHD and they want 6 hours of testing?! Seriously.) But it is to rule out other issues, other conditions and to ensure that the results are correct. In fact, they even adjust for "faking it" in the tests (not that someone couldn't do it, but they are looking for common patterns that would indicate someone try to sway the tests).

I'm definitely not, as you put it, the stereotypical "hyperactive", but on learning more, I realized how many little tics I have that I do but in very masked ways so as to not draw attention. But that aside, there is 3 different diagnosis for ADHD - primary hyperactive, primary-inattentive or combination (both to some level). Despite what I said about tics, my diagnosis was for the inattentive side of things. "Head in the clouds", "daydreamer", etc.

It's all relatively new for me, it wasn't something I really seriously considered until a year or two ago (and I'm in my 40s now), despite having a brother who was medicated fairly young and a father who displays many of the same traits (never diagnosed though). It's definitely helped me to know this, puts some puzzle pieces in place, so to speak, and gives me a path forward toward managing something I didn't really realize I needed to manage, but was having a significant impact on my life regardless.

Nice to know they were that comprehensive. I'm definitely considering checking down here in my area one with good reputation.

BTW, when you talk about tics, do you mean physical tics, like fidgeting, walking around, moving your feet, etc? Because it's quite often noticed by others that I'm doing too much of that

Yup - while I don't present as Hyperactive, it turns out that those little tics are a symptom and I never really realized it until it was pointed out. And now I can't really stop noticing it when I'm doing different ones. But also, some of that may be not just awareness, but a level of acceptance that allows me to stop masking them (i.e. noticing I'm doing it and stopping to please others or hide it, probably goes back to school when told to stop fidgeting).

If you identify with these descriptions strongly, it's a pretty conclusive indicator that you have some degree of executive dysfunction. Whether you specifically have ADHD is up to a doctor to determine, but this type of executive dysfunction tends to be a hallmark of the disorder.

What are some other disorders that manifest as executive dysfunction? I've seen it mentioned about depression, but I'm curious if there are others.

As a 28 year old who was just diagnosed, I can tell you from lived experience that it's the condition, and by extension, the expectations that people have of you that you aren't capable of meeting.

When I was a kid, I constantly described myself as "lazy" and "tired". Now I understand I was really experiencing "executive disfunction" and "understimulation".

Adding those words to my vocabulary didn't cure my ADHD, but it did relieve some internalized shame and anxiety that were caused by living undiagnosed (and therefore untreated).

It's the condition. You can try place your hand on a glowing hot stove. Couldn't? Imagine that with every task, however willing or not you are. Some have it better, some worse. Just one side of the disorder already being a big hindrance.

Fantastic analogy, because that hesitation is something everybody can relate to.

All that's missing is how there's no consequence underlying that hesitation; how you can't justify why you can't do the task.

This hasn't been the case for anyone I know who has been diagnosed. For all of us it was immensely empowering:

"Oh all that stuff I've been struggling with wasn't actually my fault? With this magic pill I can get stuff done too and not feel like an imposter all the time? Heck yea!"

I can imagine what you saying applying to some childhood diagnoses. I cannot speak to anyone I know who was diagnosed in childhood thinking that way though.

A lot of people who get diagnosed are diagnosed without anything near a full understanding of what it is, especially when diagnosed at a young age, so I don't buy this hypothesis.

As I kid I didn't have any inkling of what aspects of my personality and/or abilities were related to ADHD, and most people I've met who were diagnosed young have been in the same bucket.

If anything being diagnosed should help stave off depression since ADHD tends to mimic a mentality most people just refer to as "lazy". You don't have "executive function disorder", you just fixate on things you like and ignore stuff you don't. You don't have ADHD, you're just messy and disorganized.

Futility comes with a lack of understanding when it comes to this disease.

It can be because the person will try to do things repeatedly, fail/be unsuccessful (due to executive dysfunction) and just feel shitty about their life overall.

And by doing things it can even be "basic" stuff like laundry etc.

Anecdata: I never considered the case that I have adhd until I chatted with a friend who was diagnosed with it and our experiences and patterns of behaviour were alike.

I'd go as far as to argue that a diagnosis opens the door to solutions even non medical ones.

A diagnosis had completely the opposite effect for me. I stopped blaming my own failings and could compartmentalize those aspects of my life that were holding me back as something external that wasn't my "fault". The result was a big reduction in guilt and a big increase in happiness and productivity.

Annecdotally? The condition. It was actually the opposite of what you described. Getting diagnosed in early adulthood was actually a huge weight off my shoulders, because I suddenly understood why I was struggling and had a path forward for seeking treatment. Prior to that, I was just drowning and overwhelmed, and I didn't know why. It felt like nothing I did helped and I wasn't making any progress towards my goals. I felt like I was barely a functional adult. It felt terrible.

When I got diagnosed with ADHD I felt empowered. It let me think, no, I'm not uniquely broken, there's a ton of successful people who have similar brain chemistry to me.

I think you're getting downvoted because it sounds like you're encouraging people not to get professional help.

I've had these thoughts as a teenager but got diagnosed at 32.

> it becomes a medical condition you've been stuck with.

It can feel like this. However, for me, it was much more of a "finally, an explanation!". It showed me my limits are a bit lower than I hoped for, but it gave me immense clarity about those limits. Plus finding your limits, realising there are things you'll never achieve... I think that's anyone's fate sooner or later. It's okay.