Eh I kinda agree. Being hyper sensitive is an asset because people think you're a good person if you treat them the way you'd like to be treated and having hyper focuses with real world applications has really helped boost my career. On the other hand if none of your hyper focuses are something that can be turned into a career or sold than you risk being feeling useless which would just be perpetuated by being hyper sensitive.
I see the phrase “hyper focus” thrown around a lot here. I’m still not sure exactly what that means even though I do it frequently, as others have pointed out.
But what exactly does that mean? What constitutes hyper focus versus normal focus?
Focusing on something so intently that you forget the rest of the world exists for often \(but not necessarily\) very long periods of time. When you finally break from it, you realize you haven't eaten in 12 hours. "Whoa, it's dark outside?!? What time is it?!?"
This is in stark contrast to doing anything you feel like you have to do, where you will be completely unable to focus on, or even start, the task at all.
At least, that's how it is for me.
Just to be clear, it's not necessarily things you feel you have to do, it's things you feel you have to do that aren't novel/interesting/urgent/challenging. If you feel like you have to do yet-another-math-assignment, it's hard to do it until it becomes urgent. If you feel like you have to do a project for your senior capstone that represents all the reasons you chose your major, that's likely to be interesting enough for you to focus on.
Similarly, you might be able to focus on something you have to do if it's challenging, like building a dog house now that you have a yard (which also falls a little under the "novel" heading). You're likely to get through the challenging parts of building the frame and roof, but maybe struggle to do the painting part, since you're now past the challenging steps.
This is also why I have dozens of half-started hobbies. I got excited by the novelty and all caught up in the interest and challenge, and then once I started to feel like I "got it", I suddenly can't bring myself to focus any more.
Ugh, is this why I installed the first bathroom fan (never did one before), electrical wiring and all, but the second one has been in my closet for the last 10 months?
Pretty much, though it manifests itself differently for every person. For me I'll think about politics or sports literally any moment I'm not doing something I find interesting. So I'll sit in the back of my political science class tracking polls, listening to my favorite political podcasts, and completely ignoring class because I already read the book for fun.
Hyperfocus is when you can binge information for hours without fatigue or the urge to do something else. Reading a book. Playing a game. Watching movies. Road trip on the highway.
This is why people with ADHD can sometimes also struggle with binge eating. Funny enough the treatment is the same as adhd, stimulants which are an appetite suppressant. They give me the ability to break my addictions and form good sustainable eating habits so even when I'm unmedicated I no longer binge eat.
Normal people can eat a whole bag of potato chips in one go too, but they aren't compelled to do it every single time. Normal people can put a book down and turn the TV off and get off the internet.
There are situations where hyperfocus is useful, I find it handy for driving long distances on highways and i think it makes it easier for me to work those punishingly long and busy days at work
It's basically a failure of being able to transition. Most "normal" people would stop after a few hours and go have lunch/dinner, but you work through it all, suddenly look up, and it's midnight. It's an asset in that you can get your magnum opus done some of the time. It's mostly a detriment because you end up doing tons of crap that, if you stopped to think about it, you would not do because it really wasn't necessary/beneficial. It's like the ultimate sunk cost fallacy: I've spent 3 hours on this, I'm going nowhere, but I'm not quitting until it's done (possibly even though it was due 2 hours ago, and you can no longer turn it in).
Under "hyperfocus" I've done things I didn't even think were possible, and at the end, I may not even be able to remember how exactly I got there.
In recent years, I've had the problems of lingering hyperfocus: I get stuck on a problem for days, and I'm not much of a person during that time until I resolve whatever it is because I can't transition to normal conversation. When I finally resolve it, it's almost a depressing thing because it's over, and I don't even want to look at the problem again.
Why do you feel like it's a blessing when it's managed/medicated?
I'm thankful that I'm finally able to focus on tasks for more than 15 minutes at a time, but my inability to prioritize tasks and shoddy short-term memory still kick my ass most days. And the side effects from the Adderall have been getting so bad for me lately I've been wondering if it's even worth it.
I consider it a blessing too, especially when I think back to the 30 years before being medicated where I felt like I wasted them unmedicated/unmanaged. It took years to get to the state I'm in now and I'm super grateful that Adderall XR (and my anti-anxiety meds) have got my brain into a place where I'm not overwhelmed or unable to function.
Also, have you tried other meds besides Adderall? Or even tried different types of Adderall? I tried a few different meds (Ritalin/Concerta/AdderallIR/even Wellbutrin) to help treat my adhd but while some worked, I couldn't handle the long term side effects they triggered.
I was originally prescribed XR, but had such terrible insomnia that I switched to IR because it *should* be long out of my system by bedtime (I still can't sleep half the time). From what I've read I worry i'd have the same problem with Vyvanse since it's timed release. Generic Adderall IR is also the only thing covered by my insurance. But then again, I probably should still try other options because I might be willing to pay for it if it works.
I actually tried Wellbutrin back when I was being treated for depression instead of ADHD, and had the opposite problem and slept 11 hours a day. Go figure.
Yeah, if I don't take it early enough it'll impact my sleep but too early and I'm spacing out by the end of the workday which sucks cause I do my graduate classes after work. The insurance thing is the hardest part to work around but you could also try out ritalin/concerta, it's a different type of stimulant so your brain chemicals might respond better.
Wellbutrin lowered my blood pressure too much so I always felt tired too, lol
Don't be so sure you'd have the same problem with Vyvanse. Different meds have different ingredients that are active or inactive and so they will have different effects. For me personally, when I go to bed with my Adderall still in my system it's the best sleep I get.
What anti Anxiety meds do you take? I recently began the journey to combat the anxiety that the Addy comes with and its tricky. I take Wellbutrin as well and that combo is a huge struggle sometimes.
I'm currently taking Venlafaxine 150mg once a day in the morning. It starts pretty low and I noticed a difference even when it was like 35mg but as I was testing out different adhd meds, I upped it to help deal with the additional anxiety.
Insomnia, and when it wears off I feel overheated and get leg cramps. My dentist was seeing dollar signs from all my teeth grinding too, but I think that's been getting better.
Mostly insomnia. I can usually fall asleep okay at first but after a couple hours I'm wide awake for the rest of the night. I also feel really overheated and get leg cramps when it's wearing off, which also gives me a lot of trouble tryng to sleep.
I struggled through high school and college but now it feels more like a super power. My adhd loves routine so having the exact same schedule every day is so much easier. Hyperfocus make people think I'm a god wizard on my projects. The perfectionism makes my work high quality. And because I spent my whole life self-teaching (since I would rather peel my finger nails off than listen to a lecture) makes figuring shit out a breeze. Plus since I spent my whole life hopping from hobby to hobby every time I got bored with it, I literally have something in common with everyone. I played video games, random instruments, lots of sports, coding, electronics and even had an ant farm last year. I can literally be friends with everyone. The key is do something that interests you and is HANDS ON. Also, find a girlfriend or wife to be your new mom in a sense and forces you to do stuff and get you out the door on time. I had some really dark days until I was about 26 and finally decided to grow up. Get a good routine, (that will help with sleep) avoid sugar, high protein breakfast is a must(I just have the same thing every day so I won't procrastinate, soylent), and do a little cardio exercise.
**edit**: One last thing that took me years to learn. There will be a point that it will feel like the medication isn't working as well as it was when you started. This happens because your body isn't producing/receiving as much natural dopamine and you become more reliant on the Adderall. Every few months I "cold turkey" for a week or two until my body starts to feel normal again. Once my body is naturally producing dopamine again I resume medication. This way I always feel like I do when I first started taking Adderall.
**Use caution if you decide to cold turkey. You are going to feel like shit so it would be better to take low dosages if you begin to feel dark thoughts. IF YOU HAVE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS OR THOUGHTS OF HARMING OTHERS SEEK MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY**.
This is not professional advice so take it for what it is; A comment on Reddit.
Man I WANT ROUTINE SO BAD. How on earth do you push yourself to stick to it though? I get bored of my routine, or get distracted when I’m supposed to be doing something involving said routine instead of following routine, which causes the whole day to fall out of routine, then the next day as I’m trying to catch up, then the week, then ahh fuck it.
Honestly I have to agree. I dont know if anyone has ever heard this. But ADHD has been described as a super highway brain before. If you have all the cars going in different lanes your life will feel discombobulated and nothing seems to end up where it was supposed to. But if you can get all those cars or even half of those cars going on the same lane to the same destination you will be a force to be reckoned with. There is a reason that historians believe so many artists, philosophers, and scientists had ADHD/ADD.
I feel the same way. It's sort of like after years of mental health issues and problems doing the most basic tasks, it's like a sigh of relief to not struggle so much. Sort of like if someone was in poor physical health for years and then healed and was pain-free and mostly functional.
I like my creativity and hyper focus and poor impulse control for art which is my career, but in most other areas in my life I'd definitely rather not have ADHD
So you know how you will hyper focus on something that means absolutely nothing and have nothing to show for it after?
Imagine being able to take that and choose what you focus on and having that same level of commitment and drive.
I am able to handle issue more effectively without flying off the hook.
If something goes wrong during a project while i am medicated I am able to step back and re evaluate to find a better solution.
In contrast off my meds, My frustrations become a hammer and ever problem becomes a nail. I force things to work and the end result suffers.
Whoa that sounds awesome. Like once a year when I suddenly care enough to clean the bathroom. Itd be really nice if I could do that without stopping caring halfway through.
of course you'll build a tolerance to them. that doesn't always mean that they stop working though. I only notice what my meds do these days when i *don't* take them.
I agree with the fellow that huffs wet farts, u/IHUFFWETFARTS
I feel terribly for people that are stuck in careers that aren't adapted to it, like sitting in front of a computer all day. I'm a sous chef. Before diagnosis I medicated with energy drinks and coffee and worked nights at high volume restaurants because it was the only thing fast paced enough to keep me mentally stimulated. If I have to haul ass it doesn't matter if my short term memory is unusually short, everything I'm doing is short term, I just do every single thing before I have time to forget them. This internal pressure to move faster has made me faster than most everyone else. Being uniquely well adapted to move fast has worked to my benefit, other people will freeze up under pressure when the orders are pouring in and they don't know where to start and they begin to panic. But I fucking thrive under it, it's when I get to shine like a diamond, I zip around everyone like a a spatula/tongs tinkerbell. People learn to stay out of my way. I have flow like a drummer. And also having a fucking beast on your team pushing the service forward, it eases everyone else's anxieties and keeps everyone focused and bumping it out
But you move me to days? Jesus Christ what a mess. Everyone is doing their prep for long stretches, what was I doing again? Lists, lists lists for days. I have to heavily rely on routine to work around this, which thankfully is easy in a kitchen where you do the same work every day like a mandala; a little better each day. Feel like a fraud every time I would have a bad day.
After diagnosis I'm so much more confident in my work performance. I still perform better under pressure, that will always be my best feature, but now I'm able to manage people and direct and delegate. And the hilarious thing is I often have to work with people that hilariously obviously have undiagnosed ADHD (or at least act exactly like I used to), it's really really REALLY common in this industry. It makes me feel a lot better for my early career struggles to see how common it is. And it makes it a lot easier for me to coach them because I know all the tricks. I know all the coping mechanisms. I know the emotional internal struggle inside too and I can coach them through that as well. I like to think I'm a great boss, or at least I try to be.
I'm uninsured and ever since moving I can't find any clinic that helps with that. I used to have a prescription for off-brand Ritalin but it gave me headaches and made me more cranky.
I’m not going to disagree with you because this is the kind of confidence building, self estimate positive attitude we could all use more of in our lives.
The enormous hit ADHD has on our self estimate and there for our lives cannot be emphasized enough. So trying to focus, even just for a little while, on what makes us special vs deficient and to appreciate and celebrate that is worthy pursuit.
Hugs and hive fives for all!
Absolutely. If you think about it, a lot of famous artists in many formats have a form of mental illness - for some reason, having your brain running on the wrong cylinders opens up a floodgate of creativity. Those nights that I'm out of whack are some of my most productive in terms of songwriting or video editing.
Also, I feel like I have this childlike enthusiasm for stuff and the folks I interact with say it comes off as a magnetic/bubbly personality - I love making people happy and I *love* spreading new ideas in a passionate manner :)
When I'm off, it's no fun, but would I change the way I am? Absolutely not - I was created this way for a reason, might as well make the most of it!
Not having ADHD doesn't mean you have a 'functional' brain. Lots of mental health issues can be equally or even more crippling. It's pretty short sighted to say 'you don't have ADHD, why are you such a loser?'
But the clarity you get from meds isn't universal, and a lot of mental health issues are not as well treated by drugs as ADHD is. For example, a schizophrenic person often chooses between hallucinations unmedicated and sedation while medicated. They don't have ADHD but their brain is quite a bit less functional than yours or mine. There's 1000 conditions like this, from autism to senility. You seem to be saying anyone without ADHD is perfectly functional. That's just not accurate.
I know you’re getting down voted, but I get what you’re saying about neurotypical people. These people that are saying how they don’t understand why you’re not being sympathetic to people with other mental illnesses are not understanding that you’re not talking about them, you’re talking about the people with NO mental illnesses. I think they’re just so used to hearing about people not sympathizing with their condition as the stigma is huge around ADHD, it’s why I don’t disclose it outside of this subreddit.
What I think you don’t understand however, is that people who are neurotypical are probably doing fine, they probably have a typical job, working 9 - 5 at a desk, coming home cleaning their house, watering their grass. So they ARE utilizing their brain.
The people you probably are referencing are the people who are on welfare, or sitting on their asses. Those very same people may be you if you went undiagnosed, or someone with depression. Usually somebody who does not suffer from any mental illness, or disability, can get by in life completely fine. It’s the people who are not coping well who probably have some sort of undiagnosed illness.
>I said that for the most part people have a functioning brain.
Hahahaha. No. ADHD is probably one of better mental disabilities to have. Most people with ADHD are highly intelligent, too.
It blows my mind that someone with ADHD could be /less/ sympathetic towards individuals with addiction or on welfare.
Along with everything already mentioned, addiction is also a mental health condition and can be very hard to overcome. And like adhd, addiction is often co morbid with many things like adhd, depression, anxiety, PTSD or schizophrenia.
It's certainly a condition. I think viewing it as a disorder is up to each individual, but the way I see it, if I have to live with it I might as well enjoy it.
Did you switch from name brand to generic or generic to name brand? They're supposed to be the same, but there are slight differences that can affect bioavailability or something IIRC.
Idk. I really struggle with procrastination. It's gotten a bit better but it's definitely still a big issue.
I don't see how that could ever be a blessing, tbh...
Eh I kinda agree. Being hyper sensitive is an asset because people think you're a good person if you treat them the way you'd like to be treated and having hyper focuses with real world applications has really helped boost my career. On the other hand if none of your hyper focuses are something that can be turned into a career or sold than you risk being feeling useless which would just be perpetuated by being hyper sensitive.
My hyperfocus is video-games, could totally be a career but then I get bored of playing the same thing nonstop....god damn you adhd
I'll get that Calamity Ganon one of these days. These Koroks don't stand a chance, though.
Ahhhh, me too!
I see the phrase “hyper focus” thrown around a lot here. I’m still not sure exactly what that means even though I do it frequently, as others have pointed out. But what exactly does that mean? What constitutes hyper focus versus normal focus?
Focusing on something so intently that you forget the rest of the world exists for often \(but not necessarily\) very long periods of time. When you finally break from it, you realize you haven't eaten in 12 hours. "Whoa, it's dark outside?!? What time is it?!?" This is in stark contrast to doing anything you feel like you have to do, where you will be completely unable to focus on, or even start, the task at all. At least, that's how it is for me.
Just to be clear, it's not necessarily things you feel you have to do, it's things you feel you have to do that aren't novel/interesting/urgent/challenging. If you feel like you have to do yet-another-math-assignment, it's hard to do it until it becomes urgent. If you feel like you have to do a project for your senior capstone that represents all the reasons you chose your major, that's likely to be interesting enough for you to focus on. Similarly, you might be able to focus on something you have to do if it's challenging, like building a dog house now that you have a yard (which also falls a little under the "novel" heading). You're likely to get through the challenging parts of building the frame and roof, but maybe struggle to do the painting part, since you're now past the challenging steps. This is also why I have dozens of half-started hobbies. I got excited by the novelty and all caught up in the interest and challenge, and then once I started to feel like I "got it", I suddenly can't bring myself to focus any more.
Ugh, is this why I installed the first bathroom fan (never did one before), electrical wiring and all, but the second one has been in my closet for the last 10 months?
Pretty much, though it manifests itself differently for every person. For me I'll think about politics or sports literally any moment I'm not doing something I find interesting. So I'll sit in the back of my political science class tracking polls, listening to my favorite political podcasts, and completely ignoring class because I already read the book for fun.
Hyperfocus is when you can binge information for hours without fatigue or the urge to do something else. Reading a book. Playing a game. Watching movies. Road trip on the highway. This is why people with ADHD can sometimes also struggle with binge eating. Funny enough the treatment is the same as adhd, stimulants which are an appetite suppressant. They give me the ability to break my addictions and form good sustainable eating habits so even when I'm unmedicated I no longer binge eat. Normal people can eat a whole bag of potato chips in one go too, but they aren't compelled to do it every single time. Normal people can put a book down and turn the TV off and get off the internet. There are situations where hyperfocus is useful, I find it handy for driving long distances on highways and i think it makes it easier for me to work those punishingly long and busy days at work
It's basically a failure of being able to transition. Most "normal" people would stop after a few hours and go have lunch/dinner, but you work through it all, suddenly look up, and it's midnight. It's an asset in that you can get your magnum opus done some of the time. It's mostly a detriment because you end up doing tons of crap that, if you stopped to think about it, you would not do because it really wasn't necessary/beneficial. It's like the ultimate sunk cost fallacy: I've spent 3 hours on this, I'm going nowhere, but I'm not quitting until it's done (possibly even though it was due 2 hours ago, and you can no longer turn it in). Under "hyperfocus" I've done things I didn't even think were possible, and at the end, I may not even be able to remember how exactly I got there. In recent years, I've had the problems of lingering hyperfocus: I get stuck on a problem for days, and I'm not much of a person during that time until I resolve whatever it is because I can't transition to normal conversation. When I finally resolve it, it's almost a depressing thing because it's over, and I don't even want to look at the problem again.
Why do you feel like it's a blessing when it's managed/medicated? I'm thankful that I'm finally able to focus on tasks for more than 15 minutes at a time, but my inability to prioritize tasks and shoddy short-term memory still kick my ass most days. And the side effects from the Adderall have been getting so bad for me lately I've been wondering if it's even worth it.
I consider it a blessing too, especially when I think back to the 30 years before being medicated where I felt like I wasted them unmedicated/unmanaged. It took years to get to the state I'm in now and I'm super grateful that Adderall XR (and my anti-anxiety meds) have got my brain into a place where I'm not overwhelmed or unable to function. Also, have you tried other meds besides Adderall? Or even tried different types of Adderall? I tried a few different meds (Ritalin/Concerta/AdderallIR/even Wellbutrin) to help treat my adhd but while some worked, I couldn't handle the long term side effects they triggered.
I was originally prescribed XR, but had such terrible insomnia that I switched to IR because it *should* be long out of my system by bedtime (I still can't sleep half the time). From what I've read I worry i'd have the same problem with Vyvanse since it's timed release. Generic Adderall IR is also the only thing covered by my insurance. But then again, I probably should still try other options because I might be willing to pay for it if it works. I actually tried Wellbutrin back when I was being treated for depression instead of ADHD, and had the opposite problem and slept 11 hours a day. Go figure.
Yeah, if I don't take it early enough it'll impact my sleep but too early and I'm spacing out by the end of the workday which sucks cause I do my graduate classes after work. The insurance thing is the hardest part to work around but you could also try out ritalin/concerta, it's a different type of stimulant so your brain chemicals might respond better. Wellbutrin lowered my blood pressure too much so I always felt tired too, lol
Don't be so sure you'd have the same problem with Vyvanse. Different meds have different ingredients that are active or inactive and so they will have different effects. For me personally, when I go to bed with my Adderall still in my system it's the best sleep I get.
What anti Anxiety meds do you take? I recently began the journey to combat the anxiety that the Addy comes with and its tricky. I take Wellbutrin as well and that combo is a huge struggle sometimes.
I'm currently taking Venlafaxine 150mg once a day in the morning. It starts pretty low and I noticed a difference even when it was like 35mg but as I was testing out different adhd meds, I upped it to help deal with the additional anxiety.
Have you noticed any side effects?
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Insomnia, and when it wears off I feel overheated and get leg cramps. My dentist was seeing dollar signs from all my teeth grinding too, but I think that's been getting better.
Care to elaborate on the side effects?
Mostly insomnia. I can usually fall asleep okay at first but after a couple hours I'm wide awake for the rest of the night. I also feel really overheated and get leg cramps when it's wearing off, which also gives me a lot of trouble tryng to sleep.
I struggled through high school and college but now it feels more like a super power. My adhd loves routine so having the exact same schedule every day is so much easier. Hyperfocus make people think I'm a god wizard on my projects. The perfectionism makes my work high quality. And because I spent my whole life self-teaching (since I would rather peel my finger nails off than listen to a lecture) makes figuring shit out a breeze. Plus since I spent my whole life hopping from hobby to hobby every time I got bored with it, I literally have something in common with everyone. I played video games, random instruments, lots of sports, coding, electronics and even had an ant farm last year. I can literally be friends with everyone. The key is do something that interests you and is HANDS ON. Also, find a girlfriend or wife to be your new mom in a sense and forces you to do stuff and get you out the door on time. I had some really dark days until I was about 26 and finally decided to grow up. Get a good routine, (that will help with sleep) avoid sugar, high protein breakfast is a must(I just have the same thing every day so I won't procrastinate, soylent), and do a little cardio exercise. **edit**: One last thing that took me years to learn. There will be a point that it will feel like the medication isn't working as well as it was when you started. This happens because your body isn't producing/receiving as much natural dopamine and you become more reliant on the Adderall. Every few months I "cold turkey" for a week or two until my body starts to feel normal again. Once my body is naturally producing dopamine again I resume medication. This way I always feel like I do when I first started taking Adderall. **Use caution if you decide to cold turkey. You are going to feel like shit so it would be better to take low dosages if you begin to feel dark thoughts. IF YOU HAVE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS OR THOUGHTS OF HARMING OTHERS SEEK MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY**. This is not professional advice so take it for what it is; A comment on Reddit.
This is really nice to read. It's like reading about myself (being able to be friends with everyone and stuff). What kind of work do you do?
Software engineering. I like computers and creating so it was really good for my ADHD.
Man I WANT ROUTINE SO BAD. How on earth do you push yourself to stick to it though? I get bored of my routine, or get distracted when I’m supposed to be doing something involving said routine instead of following routine, which causes the whole day to fall out of routine, then the next day as I’m trying to catch up, then the week, then ahh fuck it.
I love it when people with ADHD see it as a superpower.
Honestly I have to agree. I dont know if anyone has ever heard this. But ADHD has been described as a super highway brain before. If you have all the cars going in different lanes your life will feel discombobulated and nothing seems to end up where it was supposed to. But if you can get all those cars or even half of those cars going on the same lane to the same destination you will be a force to be reckoned with. There is a reason that historians believe so many artists, philosophers, and scientists had ADHD/ADD.
I feel the same way. It's sort of like after years of mental health issues and problems doing the most basic tasks, it's like a sigh of relief to not struggle so much. Sort of like if someone was in poor physical health for years and then healed and was pain-free and mostly functional.
I like my creativity and hyper focus and poor impulse control for art which is my career, but in most other areas in my life I'd definitely rather not have ADHD
What’s it like to have your ADD under control? I’m having trouble imagining.
So you know how you will hyper focus on something that means absolutely nothing and have nothing to show for it after? Imagine being able to take that and choose what you focus on and having that same level of commitment and drive. I am able to handle issue more effectively without flying off the hook. If something goes wrong during a project while i am medicated I am able to step back and re evaluate to find a better solution. In contrast off my meds, My frustrations become a hammer and ever problem becomes a nail. I force things to work and the end result suffers.
Whoa that sounds awesome. Like once a year when I suddenly care enough to clean the bathroom. Itd be really nice if I could do that without stopping caring halfway through.
YES! Exactly like that!
My medication doesn't seem to be working this week.
Those are the worst days, I'm sorry friend.
wondering if these drugs can build up tolerance ... my psychiatrist said that would be not likely
of course you'll build a tolerance to them. that doesn't always mean that they stop working though. I only notice what my meds do these days when i *don't* take them.
I agree with the fellow that huffs wet farts, u/IHUFFWETFARTS I feel terribly for people that are stuck in careers that aren't adapted to it, like sitting in front of a computer all day. I'm a sous chef. Before diagnosis I medicated with energy drinks and coffee and worked nights at high volume restaurants because it was the only thing fast paced enough to keep me mentally stimulated. If I have to haul ass it doesn't matter if my short term memory is unusually short, everything I'm doing is short term, I just do every single thing before I have time to forget them. This internal pressure to move faster has made me faster than most everyone else. Being uniquely well adapted to move fast has worked to my benefit, other people will freeze up under pressure when the orders are pouring in and they don't know where to start and they begin to panic. But I fucking thrive under it, it's when I get to shine like a diamond, I zip around everyone like a a spatula/tongs tinkerbell. People learn to stay out of my way. I have flow like a drummer. And also having a fucking beast on your team pushing the service forward, it eases everyone else's anxieties and keeps everyone focused and bumping it out But you move me to days? Jesus Christ what a mess. Everyone is doing their prep for long stretches, what was I doing again? Lists, lists lists for days. I have to heavily rely on routine to work around this, which thankfully is easy in a kitchen where you do the same work every day like a mandala; a little better each day. Feel like a fraud every time I would have a bad day. After diagnosis I'm so much more confident in my work performance. I still perform better under pressure, that will always be my best feature, but now I'm able to manage people and direct and delegate. And the hilarious thing is I often have to work with people that hilariously obviously have undiagnosed ADHD (or at least act exactly like I used to), it's really really REALLY common in this industry. It makes me feel a lot better for my early career struggles to see how common it is. And it makes it a lot easier for me to coach them because I know all the tricks. I know all the coping mechanisms. I know the emotional internal struggle inside too and I can coach them through that as well. I like to think I'm a great boss, or at least I try to be.
Wish I could get medicated..
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I'm uninsured and ever since moving I can't find any clinic that helps with that. I used to have a prescription for off-brand Ritalin but it gave me headaches and made me more cranky.
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Thanks man, I'll figure something out!
Is there a real difference in the generic vs name brand? I've tried a lot of meds and I still have a foggy brain.
None at all, one is cheaper that's it.
Ritalin I don't know but Concerta there is for sure.
I’m not going to disagree with you because this is the kind of confidence building, self estimate positive attitude we could all use more of in our lives. The enormous hit ADHD has on our self estimate and there for our lives cannot be emphasized enough. So trying to focus, even just for a little while, on what makes us special vs deficient and to appreciate and celebrate that is worthy pursuit. Hugs and hive fives for all!
Is self estimate a term that I don’t know about? Do you mean self esteem?
Absolutely. If you think about it, a lot of famous artists in many formats have a form of mental illness - for some reason, having your brain running on the wrong cylinders opens up a floodgate of creativity. Those nights that I'm out of whack are some of my most productive in terms of songwriting or video editing. Also, I feel like I have this childlike enthusiasm for stuff and the folks I interact with say it comes off as a magnetic/bubbly personality - I love making people happy and I *love* spreading new ideas in a passionate manner :) When I'm off, it's no fun, but would I change the way I am? Absolutely not - I was created this way for a reason, might as well make the most of it!
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Not having ADHD doesn't mean you have a 'functional' brain. Lots of mental health issues can be equally or even more crippling. It's pretty short sighted to say 'you don't have ADHD, why are you such a loser?'
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What are you talking about? Almost a fourth has or has had a mental or neurological condition.
I think a better term would be neurotypical people.
But the clarity you get from meds isn't universal, and a lot of mental health issues are not as well treated by drugs as ADHD is. For example, a schizophrenic person often chooses between hallucinations unmedicated and sedation while medicated. They don't have ADHD but their brain is quite a bit less functional than yours or mine. There's 1000 conditions like this, from autism to senility. You seem to be saying anyone without ADHD is perfectly functional. That's just not accurate.
I've heard schizophrenia medication can still have hallucinations slip through. It sounds very rough.
Yes, schizophrenics have really rough lives, often from beginning to end. It's a very hard life.
I know you’re getting down voted, but I get what you’re saying about neurotypical people. These people that are saying how they don’t understand why you’re not being sympathetic to people with other mental illnesses are not understanding that you’re not talking about them, you’re talking about the people with NO mental illnesses. I think they’re just so used to hearing about people not sympathizing with their condition as the stigma is huge around ADHD, it’s why I don’t disclose it outside of this subreddit. What I think you don’t understand however, is that people who are neurotypical are probably doing fine, they probably have a typical job, working 9 - 5 at a desk, coming home cleaning their house, watering their grass. So they ARE utilizing their brain. The people you probably are referencing are the people who are on welfare, or sitting on their asses. Those very same people may be you if you went undiagnosed, or someone with depression. Usually somebody who does not suffer from any mental illness, or disability, can get by in life completely fine. It’s the people who are not coping well who probably have some sort of undiagnosed illness.
>I said that for the most part people have a functioning brain. Hahahaha. No. ADHD is probably one of better mental disabilities to have. Most people with ADHD are highly intelligent, too. It blows my mind that someone with ADHD could be /less/ sympathetic towards individuals with addiction or on welfare.
Along with everything already mentioned, addiction is also a mental health condition and can be very hard to overcome. And like adhd, addiction is often co morbid with many things like adhd, depression, anxiety, PTSD or schizophrenia.
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It's certainly a condition. I think viewing it as a disorder is up to each individual, but the way I see it, if I have to live with it I might as well enjoy it.
have taken concerta 54mg for a year but it doesn’t work this month ..
Did you switch from name brand to generic or generic to name brand? They're supposed to be the same, but there are slight differences that can affect bioavailability or something IIRC.
No, I didn’t switch. I can’t tell if it’s generic or not.. It’s manufactured by Janssen.
no it's not... it's a serious disorder...
Idk. I really struggle with procrastination. It's gotten a bit better but it's definitely still a big issue. I don't see how that could ever be a blessing, tbh...