or ADH-Wheee! if you really want to put a positive spin on it.
I like “Executive Function Disorder” as it actually describes the underlying issue and not just the symptoms that other people can see.
The problem is that there are many other mental disorders that have a profound effect on executive function as well
I was watching a video from dr berkely and he said its the only disorder that hits all factors of executive function.
Then he said adhd people can’t do digitspan backwards so e went to try it and I was like 😦
Just tried it and can’t even get it right forward. Shit.
What’s a digitspan?
A test for working memory.
I don’t have ADHD and my upper limit for digits seems to be around 6.
It took a few tries, but if I memorize the numbers in chunks of 3, then 3, then 2 then it’s a lot easier.
I believe 6 or 7 is the average across the whole population
I would be surprised if he said that, because that’s blatantly incorrect:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00328/full (Table 2, for example).
Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder all produce or are associated with executive function impairments that are more severe than ADHD, and across various forms of EF. ADHD is the only one of those with its specific pattern of attentional and reward-related abnormalities, but broad EF deficits are common across forms of psychopathology.
This is true, and suggests maybe a broader recategorisation is in order.
I’ve heard one expert suggest that while many disorders feature executive dysfunction, ADHD is executive dysfunction.
We’ve known that this isn’t true since 2005:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000632230500171X
In addition, plenty of other disorders show worse executive function than ADHD:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00328/full
If executive dysfunction is your primary issue, that is not indicative of ADHD. ADHD is driven by reward processing dysfunction and slower information processing:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1087054714558872
This is what I would vote for if there was a vote on it.
It’s a disorder in our society, because it require you to do task you’ve been ask to do, but if you would just live your life I don’t think you would call it a disorder, more like a different way of processing tasks
(edit) I’m not saying that changing your environment would resolve the problem, since I’m under medication I can clearly do more things on my free/personal time than before. Hmmm yeah, I kinda lost the track of my thoughts now, can discard as it’s an edit. stop.
if you would just live your life I don’t think you would call it a disorder, more like a different way of processing tasks
The more I learn about ADHD, the less I see it as a disorder. I see it more as a personality trait. Unfortunately most of our society is based on people not having that personality trait, making it harder to fit in.
On the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to find a lifestyle that fits your personality type, that personality type is actually very helpful, the opposite of a disorder.
As someone with ADHD I’d describe the experience more like profound boredem with everything in life. You seek obsession because you can’t generate excitement for normal activities on your own
There are very few videos games I can play because of this. I love gaming, but finding one that I like is extremely challenging.
Same, dude. Recently it’s been Skyrim for me. Started it up on a whim for the umpteenth time and have sunk 80ish hours into a save file again and have rented a PS VR to try Skyrim VR. Aside from Overwatch, that’s the only game I currently see myself playing regularly lol
Omg same re: skyrim
starfield you may also enjoy alr have 40 hours into the game
If I’m playing with my friends the excitement of making jokes and having fun is enough for me. But if I’m alone no game brings me joy if it’s not my current hyper fixation.
Or ones that I like too much, see my 15 year addiction to WoW. So many little dopamines to find!
Feel this pretty hard. I tend to like the ones with a really good tactile feedback. Anything with tight melee combat gets a gold star from me. (Fury is probably one of my favorite games of all time)
But once you find one that hits that hyperfixation itch, ohhhh maaaaaan.
For me it’s gotta be the right level of challenge. I want to like the loop in Souls games but can’t get past the frustration. Hollow Knight, however, was just right and I loved it.
Other things that work for me is the Factorio style- especially Satisfactory because when you fuck up you don’t need to tear it all down and rebuild.
I just saw someone on Reddit who claimed this profound boredom with everything was why they didn’t have ADHD. Apparently the list of symptoms they were reading did not accurately describe the depths of ADHD boredom, and they thought their boredom was a worse breed that indicated some far worse mental problem.
Had to tell 'em.
I have no hobbies I enjoy longer than about a month except gaming, and even then I still get like a month mileage out of each game. I can’t hold a job because every time I start a new one it’s like a ticking timebomb in my brain until I can’t handle it anymore. Even if the job is easy and the people are nice. Something about the repetitive schedule and saying/hearing/doing the same thing every day brings me to a near panic attack level of restlessness and anxiety.
Oh my god this is so accurate. I’m barely on the spectrum, and I can only imagine what it must feel like to have full ADHD.
I’m probably undiagnosed inattentive. I’m also not one to make a statement like that lightly. I’m notorious among my social circle for diving down rabbitholes and sending them endless mental lint articles. I wish I could turn it off sometimes.
Turning it off is why I cling to weed since I first tried it. It dulls the noise and allows for a single line of thought to come through unobstructed, in my case.
Honestly, my thoughts bounce around like an angry bee in a coffee can. It sucks.
Thank you for that metaphor. I love it.
This is the same for me. Comes with downsides too, but I’ve found weed incredibly valuable for… not really controlling or prompting hyperfocus states, but definitely a strong catalyst.
Still don’t really feel in control over which single line of interest gets the focus, but at least it’s not everything.
It’s kinda crazy sometimes, how I notice I’ve been thinking the same thought for minutes. I don’t think I have ADHD, but probably ADD, my mind is just all over the place through the day, but after a bowl it all just calms down. Kinda like a group of people organizing into a queue.
add has been reclassified as ADHD
same it seems like about the only thing that has actually helped I’ve tried a couple meds and they either make me feel like shit or don’t do anything except for when the weed brings you down a rabbit hole and your ADHD goes with it then your fucked but other then that it’s great
I even told my doctor it’s been one of the main reasons I continue to smoke other than how it also makes my body feel pretty good (like walking on clouds; no aches or pains or at least dulled aches and pains). He still gave me some anxiety meds, but they are only for when I’m actively having an anxiety attack. I have never taken one, though. I’ve never been unable to have access to weed since getting that prescription, which prevents me having anxiety attacks to begin with. The only time I’ve had an anxiety attack while on weed, I had gotten some gnarly ass sativa, got hella baked on it, and then unexpectedly had to go to the welfare office and talk to government people which made me paranoid AF and have an attack right outside before going in. 🤣
Whenever I read a description from someone with ADHD I can almost always 100% relate to that experience, but whenever I read something from “professional” source I start thinking I might not have it and just killed my attention span with social media consumption…
Buddy if you are waiting for a Sign, this is it. It’ll never get more concrete than this message I’m typing for you right now. Having a lot of doubts is common. It wasn’t truly real for me until I started medication.
My broad advice is to find a good psychiatrist (and don’t be afraid to switch if you aren’t happy) and dig as deep as possible for evidence both for and against. Go in with confidence that you have ADHD symptoms, but keep an open mind since there are alternative explanations. A diagnosis of “no you don’t have ADHD it’s actually ____” is also important information to know, and you will regret letting it drag out if you do have ADHD.
Unrelated anecdote:
I was driving one time, and got lost in my city. I drove a church. Their billboard read:
Lost? Come in and ask for directions! As in the spiritual kind.
Anyway, I decided to drive on, and get progressively more lost. I decide to turn around. I make my way back to the church, and on the reverse side of the billboard:
Need a sign from god? This could be it!
So I stopped and asked for directions…
The show I’m a Virgo has a character who’s superpower is basically adhd. She moves extremely fast and is constantly bored. I identify deeply with Flora, especially at work. I struggle with boredom and unstructured time, so I do like twice as much work as most of my coworkers. I’m routinely sales lead without really trying. I thrive on the busy days that most people find overwhelming.
This might sound silly but I’m trying to attract someone who told me in the past they have ADHD. Should I be doing anything differently?
Leave out a few pieces of cheese, and sit very quietly. If the cheese doesn’t work, try cookies, they tend to attract most things
Lol, but to answer the question seriously you might need to be slightly more direct than with someone who can focus through a whole conversation. It really depends on the person and the severity of their symptoms, but in general just trust your instincts. People w/ ADHD aren’t known for hiding how they feel haha
you might need to be slightly more direct than with someone who can focus through a whole conversation
ah yeah, this is what I was wondering about! I had heard that before and thought maybe I was being too subtle this whole time.
People w/ ADHD aren’t known for hiding how they feel
They often compliment my hair and what I’m wearing but won’t go further than that. One time I complimented their hair and they blushed HARD. Like put their head down and looked a little embarrassed. Like maybe they only want to compliment me and not the other way around?
Some things that might explain the intense blushing:
a) anxiety is comorbid with ADHD. What this means is that if they do have ADHD/ADD then is it highly likely they also have some sort of generalized anxiety.
b) if this person is amab then any sort of compliment is going to send them over the moon. amab individuals rarely get the same romantic attention that afab’s do. So it’s entirely possible they simply didn’t know how to respond to that situation (I still remember the first time a person complimented me)
All of this is to say it sounds like you have a good handle on the situation but you might want to consider slowly ramping up the obviousness of your intents and watch how they respond. Obviously do whatever you are comfortable with, but it is probably a good idea to try and take the lead in this situation (but again, trust your instincts)
I think they are amab but they ride the androgyny line pretty hard so I can’t really tell.
I started wearing a trans flag necklace and noticed they started really warming up to me once they saw it. Last time I was around them they made it a point to stand very close to me to tell me something so you’re right - I think I just need to ramp up my interest in them so they notice more.
I do hope they like cheese as much as I do.
Take a genuine interest in their obsessions. Not a performative “I want you to see I like this for you” but a real “I’ve been going out and doing this on my own for the past few weeks/months and I want to talk about it”
You do actually have to do it, they’ll spot your bullshit before you speak it.
It’s so crazy you brought this up. I’ve been accused of faking interest in the past when I wasn’t and was actually doing the thing on my own.
My last ex did this a lot actually. Great example - he started watching Columbo so I took an interest and also started watching it. Then he like got upset? Told me not to be interested in it at one point?
I had another guy do this too but with hip hop and he waited until we were like two years into the relationship to accuse me of not really being into old school hip hop? Like why. I was literally living with the guy and he would come in the room where I would be listening to stuff on my own. Hell I still listen to Three 6 Mafia and Digital Underground. I even knew about Digital Underground before I ever met him. Like it was such an outlandish claim that I was faking an interest.
I never once faked anything but I’ve gone out with numerous guys who pull this shit for some reason. The only thing that makes sense is they were trying to fuck with my head on purpose.
Now I focus on myself more cause it seems pointless to be interested in things other people are.
Sorry, that’s a shared experience with others as well, minus the obsession
I think attention modulation disorder… I have the longest AND the shortest attention span ever. I might not finish typing this but also I’ll research black holes unblinkingly for 16 hours.
And then forget all of it when you go to talk to someone about it.
I hate my brain.
The biggest impact from my adhd is actually a shorter than average short term memory span. Mine was found to be about 8.5 second, with the average humans being 18.
My long term memory is fine, probably better than most but it’s getting stuff in there that’s the issue.
Edit: short not shirt
I remember things from my early early childhood. My older sister doesn’t remember shit from back then. She has no idea what our forst apartment looked like and when we moved and all that. I remember everything.
But when i put my screwdriver somewhere, 4 seconds later, the screwdriver might as well not exist anymore.I seriously remember breastfeeding. I remember sleeping in a crib beside my brother. I can close my eyes and tour every place I spent time as a child.
And like your sister, my brother remembers none of it. I’ll bring up something that meant a lot to me and he always replies the same, “I don’t remember that time.”
Like this one weekend. We rented Turner and Hooch, We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story, and Fern Gully. We intended to stay up and watch them so we pulled out the bed from the couch and instead talked until we fell asleep. We got up early and watched all three. My brother was nuts about the character Batty and wanted everything Robin Williams was in after that. He went around all day saying “are you sure? Are you positive? Only fools are positive.” I seen the cartoons only once and I still remember character names and plot lines.
I tear up thinking about that morning. Him, “I wish I could remember it.” And that’s his answer for all of it.
Now ask me what I did two days ago. My answer will be the same as his for what we were doing then. I legit can’t remember past yesterday.
Hey you have the same thing as Marilu Henner!
I hate it when I forget about my shirt
Nothing like having to constantly remind yourself about things so you don’t forget, even little things like transcribing a measurement or something, or sit immobilized over a pending event because you don’t want to do anything that might distract you from engaging in said thing. Having to re-read things several times to keep it in short term memory and then having to check that yes, indeed, you did it right, and then check a couple more times to remember that yes, you did check it, and it’s still right.
Fffuuuhhh…. hate that.
I’m in the same boat. What generally works for me is writing it down and learning from physical books. For whatever reason those two things combined help get things past the poor short term and into the long term storage
Yeah writing down is a big help, I think it’s too do with multiple things. You have to focus more on what you’re actually writing. As well as you have chance for multiple memories, the thinking itself, think of writing it, actually writing it, the muscle memory of writing it, and then reading it again afterwards.
Yea exactly. And part of it too is if you’re taking notes and get kinda distracted in the middle the “lost thought” is right there on the page so picking back up is easier
Nah should be Dopamine attention variability executive disorder(I’m misremembering it I’m sure somehow). Otherwise known as DAVE
Cue the “God >!FUCKING!< DAMMIT DAVE” Audio lol
Dave’s not here man
Sorry should’ve posted what it was referencing
I miss that ref, could somebody elaborate?
It was a meme on tt trying to rename it and people used a audio from something else that said that. It’s been so long I forgot about it until seeing this. I’ll have to search it up
Found it, this is it
Or DDD, dopamin deficiency disorder
Yeah, I’ll call it whatever Dr. Russell Barkley says to call it.
Jesus, take the wheel!
…no, not like that!
Everyone else is boring af - syndrome
Aka if you didn’t want me to fidgety in this box, don’t put me in a box, dipshit
Hello fellow cubicle mouse
Given they are both mediated by dopamine signaling this actually makes sense?
What about just ‘Wheeeeeee!’?
La
deleted by creator
Dude, lighten up. People with ADHD regularly make/laugh at these jokes. If you don’t believe me, check out *any ADHD memes community.
source: I have ADHD and an not about to curse at and insult someone for a silly joke
Edit: fixed a word
deleted by creator
As somebody who has been medicated for ADHD his whole life, this dude has no right to be getting offended for all of us. Most of us aren’t uptight assholes, and we appreciate a good ADHD joke more than anyone else.
deleted by creator
I don’t even think it should be labeled as a disorder. Or at least people should be more aware of what a disorder means. It doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with the person. The behavior just happens to not be suitable for the particular environment they are in and causes difficulties. If you change environments to one that allows that behavior to no longer be a problem then they no longer have a disorder.
You clearly don’t understand ADHD.
This is how a mental disorder is medically defined. What are you suggesting?
That you don’t understand ADHD.
You don’t understand. It’s only a mental disorder because we have built environments for people that are not suitable for everybody. It’s possible that there may not exist an environment that makes any mental disorder not be a problem, but ADD and ADHD in my opinion is not one of them. Many countries don’t recognize these as a mental disorders because they haven’t built a society that causes problems for people with ADD or ADHD.
As someone with ADD I find it a bit ridiculous that because I can’t pay absolute attention on something I’m uninterested in while stuck in a room unable to leave that I have a mental disorder. The problem doesn’t lie with me, but with the environment I am in. But alas, that is just how a mental order is defined.
So much to unpick here, and so little inclination to bother. Like many with ADHD, I’m sick of dealing with the constant disinformation and toxic positivity that surrounds this condition - and which you’re contributing to.
If you think ADHD is about attention, then you really still don’t get it. Go and watch Dr Russell Barkley’s videos on YouTube. There’s a seminar about 2.5 hours long that is well worth the time.
I might need some more education apparently, so the seminar you’re talking about is this one ?
I’m curious what you would change about (Western?) society to make ADHD manageable like it apparently already is in “many countries,” in concrete well defined terms. Not sure how society could negate the emotional regulation issues that frequently come with ADHD. I would also emphasize there’s a distinction between “a society where people with ADHD can function” and “a society perfectly suited for people with ADHD.”
I’m sensing that ADHD is a label thrust upon you, and if you feel you function fine without any sort of treatment it’s probably not accurate. It’s also now occurring to me how hilariously easy it would be to troll any sort of mental health issue. Depression isn’t a disorder it’s just SADNESS coming from MODERN SOCIETY and we just need to uncheck the CAUSE DEPRESSION box in society’s configuration.
Cool. Cool cool cool.
As someone with ADHD, I cannot regulate my attention to things I do care about or things I don’t care about. I struggle daily with doing basic tasks. I can’t maintain hobbies and have difficulty with maintaining a relationship. Finances and budgets are impacted by difficulty with regulating impulses. My working memory causes me to forget things and people quite frequently. Tasks which are not emergencies take a monumental amount of effort to begin. This impacts my work and my income.
Because you might have a specific type of ADD and are relatively well functioning doesn’t mean that others don’t struggle with it’s symptoms regularly.
100%
It more sounds that the poster has either extremely mild ADHD or a self-diagnosis, but I’m also guessing and have no medical training.
I experience exactly the same as you. Maintaining anything, be it a habit, relationship, hobby, promise or pretty much anything else is frustratingly hard.
My lack of impulse control has gotten me in some major trouble and decisions I made there were absolutely impacted by my adhd and lack of dopamine.
If it affects day to day life and as such is absolutely a disorder. For the longest time I maintained that it didn’t affect me, but the more and more I understand about how we function differently to NTs the more I realize that I have so many coping mechanisms that I manage through the day I don’t even think about them anymore.
They’re as simple as setting 2 alarms in the morning because I need the inertia of being grumpy about waking up the second time to get out of bed, or having microwaveable meals in the freezer at all times, but I’d fall apart without them.
They’re saying society is set up and engrained in a way where the best solutions for you and I are only as good as torturing ourselves with alarms and keeping a steady supply of frozen convenience fees.
They’re saying it’s only a “disorder” in a negative sense because society has failed to understand that the way things “work” and the traditional ways heavily favor the A-type extroverted morning people (sociopaths) who cannot comprehend how their routines might not be universal. Everyone is forced to live with it regardless because banking hours and business meetings exist for them.
You’re complaining about the very thing he’s saying is forcing you to be “disordered”
Environmental factors can certainly exacerbate mental disorders like ADHD, but they are not the sole cause. Just because there are countries that don’t recognize mental disorders as well as others just means they are not up to snuff.
What you described in your second paragraph is just being bored. Not being able to focus on uninteresting topics in a poor environment is standard for most people.
I’m going to support what the person you responded to said, you don’t know what ADHD is.
Environmental factors? Cause? You have completely misunderstood. This is just a discussion of semantics.
I find it a bit ridiculous that because I can’t pay absolute attention on something I’m uninterested in while stuck in a room unable to leave that I have a mental disorder.
If that’s all you think ADD and ADHD are, then I’m with the other guy…you don’t understand ADHD.
Sounds like you stopped learning about this in the 90s. It’s not even “labelled” as ADD anymore because it doesn’t truly grasp the scope of the disorder.
You’re a primitive human in the wild. You’re hunting, tracking the prey for a long time. You get distracted and start doing something else. You die. Perhaps even your entire family may starve. This is why it’s a disorder across very different environments. It can affect the person’s ability to cope across extremely different environments.
Likewise, if you have impulse control problems with your ADHD, you might not be able to prevent yourself from making a noise or movement at the wrong time, scaring off the prey or getting the attention of a predator (like a lion). Well, there goes your survival once again.
Nope, it’s definitely in my head.
My thoughts are definitely disordered.
Here’s an expert talking about outcomes https://youtube.com/watch?v=26V6LCbKXJU&si=Mu1mO845lvJYCgH8
Tldw: worse outcomes in education, relationships, careers, automobile safety, finance. So all you have to do is not be in school, drive, be in a relationship (romantic or not), have a career, have credit, etc. Your suggestion that it’s just the environment and all we have to do is change how finance, the job market, education, and human relationships work and get fully self driving cars right now is not only woefully uninformed but also such a massive undertaking to the point of being a joke.
I suggested no such thing. You are coming to wild conclusions on your own. Please read it again more carefully. I have in no way suggested that it is possible to change the environment.
If you change environments to one that allows that behavior to no longer be a problem then they no longer have a disorder.
This you?
It most certainly is a disorder. Makes everything in my life more challenging.
You have misunderstood what has been said. It’s more challenging because society has built an environment that is not suitable for you and many others. This is just a matter of semantics and how to attribute fault with definitions. It’s not your fault who you are is not suitable for the way things are. It’s the way things are that are not suitable for you.
We aren’t neurotypical, that’s really all there is to it. Doesn’t really have anything to do with how society is structured.
That might the gist of it, but it definitely has everything to do with how the environment is structured. There might be no other feasible way to structure the environment though.
By the same logic paraplegics aren’t disabled because they just aren’t in an environment suitable for physically disabled people.
Not really, though. Rigid structure helps with ADHD, but only when someone else is enforcing the structure. Prepubescent kids with ADHD aren’t typically capable of maintaining their own structure. They aren’t neurotypical, it’s more than distraction and energy, they have a functioning issue. They can’t tune out all the stimulus that normal brains do, and because of it they miss a lot of social cues that help with development.
My son has ADHD and no amount of reorienting our family environment would help him - he could (and has) literally be in a bare concrete room with nothing but his thoughts and get distracted and slam his hands together making exploding/punching sounds for hours, where a typical kid would get bored in seconds.
I feel like rigid structure is when my ADHD gets worse…
While societal changes can help, there is plenty that environment can’t fix.
A set of conditions becomes a disorder when they have a significant negative impact on a person. It’s the difference between "oh I’m so OCD giggle"and “if I don’t flip the light switch exactly four times, someone will die”. Even under perfect conditions, there are still negative impacts.
Declassifying it only hurts patients as then insurance and society at large world be given no reason to cut a little slack (for lack of a faster description).
you’re like almost getting at the social model of disability, but framing it in a way that invalidates people’s lived experiences of having a brain that works fundamentally differently from the norm.
I’m not doing any such thing. Everyone has just had some weird misunderstanding. The topic of the thread is about putting a positive spin on the term and I am agreeing to that as it is something I personally deal with. I find that the term “disorder” has an unfair negative connotation and could possibly be called something else. Preferably with a more positive connotation that doesn’t imply there is something wrong being born this way. If that isn’t possible then people should at least understand the medical definition of what a disorder is to help remove the negative connotation.
The response has been disturbing to say the least. Considering how ridiculous some people have been I have to assume negative intent of trolling and ableism.
“Disorder” can be seen negatively. That is fair. However, if you use a milder term than “disorder”, then it is even harder for people to take ADHD seriously as a real thing. This is already a challenge, and using a less serious word would make it worse.
Try to keep in mind how many redditors are now on lemmy.
They get emotional and want to fight over semantics and anecdotes constantly especially when they realize they’ve assumed intent incorrectly. They only know how to double down. It’s not their fault.
They’re only hearing “your problem isn’t real” because they’re not listening.
