I’ve been lurking the site for quite some time now and decided to register just for this thread. (it’s been a while since i’ve written anything in english so don’t hesitate to correct me or ask for explanations on some weird sentences)
What i want to say is that i have “adhd” too, though i didn’t test it, but it’s just not a disease and you can’t “heal” it with meds, that’s just how you work.
What i mean is that meds will only stun you, you’ll just be a shadow of yourself and I don’t think that’s what you want.
To “suppress” that adhd to some extent you need to work on yourself. I know that sounds easy but it takes years.
On a side note, things like trouble sleeping, not being able to stay still (I do that leg shake a lot), being too emotional (be it music, films or a simple remark that you take too personnaly) and so on are normal things for me and for a lot of people I know. If you look at it with “normal” eyes yeah that’s fucked up but I’m not “normal”.
I might sound a bit weird saying that but trust me, I recently discovered that I’m hp (high potential, I think you call it “gifted” in english) and met other hp’s since then.
Thing is, they all have that, ALL OF THEM ! and that’s just normal for us because we don’t work like “normal” people.
The real struggle is to cope with that and live a normal life in harmony with others. Sure things won’t be easy but if you try to be normal when you’re not, believe me you’re in for some trouble.
My post might be a bit unclear at the moment (couldn’t find the right words and the right angle to speak about this) but i’ll gladly answer any questions.
I’ll look for books in english that could help you figure all this, i know a few but unfortunately they’re in french… I truly believe that looking for answers in that direction (“gifted”/high potential) might help you.
Seeing some posts here it seems that i am on the minority who actually thinks that medications work and is grateful for being diagnosed earlier in my life.
I agree that not every case is the same and what works with some people it doesn’t necesarily works with others, but going as far as saying that pills won’t work is being facetious imo.
me lol? God no. Weed be free, beer isnt that expensive. I spend most of my money on women (dates, going to meet em, bars, etc).
I stated earlier that a lot of kids get labelled ADHD mainly because of either shitty parents, their diet, puberty, etc. But Adult ADHD seems to be pretty obvious. Some of the shit I do has nothing to do with concentration or any of that nonsense.
Was told I had ADHD when I was younger, took pills for it. The pills made me feel like shit, parents thought it was a bad idea but hope for the best. Did poor in middle school, not to tell in High School but I was one of the like 20% that actually graduated. Doing perfectly fine in college, so I just think my school was shitty.
It can be hard to focus at times. It’s odd to be listening to someone, then 10 seconds later you completely forget what they just said. I don’t know why this happens since in certain things, I can have perfect memory of the entire thing.
I dunno, usually when I’m around people I just stay quiet and only speak when to ask a question (rare), or criticize something (often, which leads people to laugh).
All in all, not a big deal on my end. I don’t take pills for it.
I smoke from time to time though, but not ADHD, however…
Spoiler
I’m epileptic. If not for weed, I wouldn’t be able to make this post, play games, or watch movies.
When was the last time you went any significant amount of time being “not high”?
I knew people who would be high all day everyday and then they would just acclimatize to it. Personally, I think it throws off your brain chemistry. It might be worth trying to go a month or two without it.
Hecatom>>> While I agree that seems a bit presomptuous the echoes i got from others (kids ands adults) is that rilatin for example works but they can certainly live without it and do just fine at focusing on whatever (so no downsides like sleepiness). I’m sure you have no difficulty concentrating on something that interests you and spend hours on it without even realizing it, let me know about that.
I dug a bit and found a few things (since i found all those on the website of the association that introduced me to it I tend to give it credit but yeah at least i’m sure you guys will find it interesting)
I dont get high all day. I only smoke after work, or at the end of the day, for the most part. I occasionally will wake and bake if I have to clean up or have a long chunk of my day off doing nothing but staying in.
Absofuckinglutely no way am I going a month or two without weed. May as well ask me to not drink for a few months too. Or no fucking.
I got my meds. Gonna eat something then try them out
My heart goes out to you guys. I’ve done some work with kids diagnosed with ADHD and yes, some of them are little hellions. But a lot of them try really hard. They want to do better in school and in their personal interactions and it really frustrates them that they can’t focus like others can.
Yes, ADHD is heavily over diagnosed and medicated, but that’s mainly from corrupt doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Research does indicate that it’s a chemical imbalance, so take your meds. Behaviorally some people can mitigate their dependence on the meds by being mindful of situations that may difficult for them and staying away from them.
The DSM-5 made a lot of big changes to the diagnosis of ADHD, with the huge one being adult diagnosis. In the DSM-4, diagnosis had to occur during childhood because it was assumed it would be caught in the classroom environment. The DSM-5 also tried to narrow down the diagnostic criteria specifically because it was being over diagnosed.
@Soviet
Sorry to hear you struggle with OCD too. I can only imagine how scrambled you feel at times. Just remember that most OCD behavior is linked to anxiety and stress. The pattern that you see in most people is that some action brings them some element of comfort (like washing your hands, taking a shower, cleaning or organizing, turning on a light, counting, etc). And then when they feel stressed they turn to this activity as a means to cope, and eventually this coping becomes compulsive as the person doesn’t know any other way to deal with their emotions.
So one of the best treatments of OCD is to find alternative coping methods or overall stress reduction. Recognizing your behavior as irrational is important, but recognizing that it’s a means for you to cope can help put things in perspective. For some people, alternative coping can only go so far. You might need to actively find ways of reducing stress in your life. This might mean rearranging your life in terms of who you’re around, where you live, your job, etc. But obviously this would be a last resort.
Just try to stay away from unhealthy coping techniques like drugs and alcohol, as this is a pitfall that many people with OCD (and ADHD for that matter) fall into.
yeah, I do feel pretty fucking scrambled at times. It’s a pain in the ass to just sit there for long periods of time doing nothing, because I can’t figure out what I need to do. All the while, never motionless
Scheduling has been pretty successful with children and adults with ADHD. Basically you make a steady schedule and stay to it. Kids know what’s coming up so they can mentally prepare for it. Adults can create a schedule when they’re feeling focused (research shows adults who make schedules follow it more when they’re involved in making it, so getting someone to help is fine but you should be involved).
So the schedule becomes like your anchor when you feel yourself getting lost. At first it might be harder for you to use the schedule, but with some practice most improve. Getting accomplished what you set out to accomplish is a great incentive. Just have something that’s easily accessible and can be carried on your person.
On the upside, often those with ADD and ADHD makes good drivers and machine gunners as they constantly visually scan their environment.
Keep in mind ADD and ADHD are 2 separate disorders. ADD and ADHD are not just chemical imbalances, but sometimes completely different brain chemistry.
It too bad ADD and ADHD is so overly diagnosed as a scapegoat reason instead of finding the actual cause to the child’s issues. Some of the past methods of testing for ADD and ADHD have been horrible.
Like “we are going to put you on meds anyways (without full diagnosis) and see what changes so we can make our diagnosis”. I am so glad that went out of practice. Alot of ADD and ADHD diagnosis in children are from lazy, lazy medical, psychological and social work. Yes in some states a social worker or the school system can diagnose someone with ADD or ADHD, someone with no Medical/Psychological training.
Some children group homes will be the one to “diagnose” children with what ever disorder for own purely bureaucratic reasons and to the disservice of the child.
I was lucky to be diagnosed by my pediatrician who has some 30 years of experience in the field when I was 9, before it became a fad to diagnose very brat with ADD/ADHD.
that’s not really the issue. I’ll know what my schedule is. I know what I have to do. I just don’t do it. I sit there and kinda think about what I have to do and what needs to be done, then 30 mins have passed and I’m still there. The restlessness is my main concern though.
