Ask HN: Do you have any condition like ADHD, and if so how do you manage them?
As an engineer diagnosed with ADHD, I have my own ways of managing but I'm curious how others manage conditions affecting cognition and the executive functions of the brain in cognitive intensive fields.
17 comments
For me the first step to managing ADHD was to realize that the name "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" doesn't really tell me much that's useful. It doesn't have any useful attack points. Consider instead: "difficulty Organizing and Sustaining a Directed Effort". I work on each of these three issues separately.
Directed Effort: it is hard to take the time to explicitly declare exactly what I want to accomplish. I struggle not to just jump into an effort, but that is pathological.
Organize: having declared what I want to accomplish the next step for me is to explicitly organize exactly how I am going to go about pursuing that direction. Again my tendency is to just jump in and "do it". Again that is pathological.
Sustain: My commitment to any effort decays rapidly. I need to create an explicit schedule of sessions for reviewing my progress and refreshing my understanding and commitment.
The one key word that makes this work is "explicit". It's painful, but without making the effort to write it out in complete form, my projects wither away. This is not a magic solution, because even then it is a struggle to get to completion. I use an outliner for this.
I have struggled with ADHD for 75 years. That is my best understanding of the problem.
Directed Effort: it is hard to take the time to explicitly declare exactly what I want to accomplish. I struggle not to just jump into an effort, but that is pathological.
Organize: having declared what I want to accomplish the next step for me is to explicitly organize exactly how I am going to go about pursuing that direction. Again my tendency is to just jump in and "do it". Again that is pathological.
Sustain: My commitment to any effort decays rapidly. I need to create an explicit schedule of sessions for reviewing my progress and refreshing my understanding and commitment.
The one key word that makes this work is "explicit". It's painful, but without making the effort to write it out in complete form, my projects wither away. This is not a magic solution, because even then it is a struggle to get to completion. I use an outliner for this.
I have struggled with ADHD for 75 years. That is my best understanding of the problem.
Brilliant advice. Maintaining a schedule is a meta project itself though. I find that the energy there ebbs and flows as well. Some days I cannot create a schedule; much less follow it. Do you have a similar issue? If so, how do you deal with that?
You just reminded me that I have a fairly well-populated kanban board from one of my past (lost) efforts at getting organized.
I have no magic solution I'm afraid. The first thing I do every morning is load my outliner and review what I have listed that needs to be done (organized by day, week, month, half year, and year). From this I compile a list of what I would like to accomplish, but it's a very good day that I get more than a few things done. ADHD is a perpetual struggle. But, so is life. Good luck.
How do you approach the emotional difficulty for each of these - like resistance to shifting attention or starting a scheduled activity for example?
If I understand you, you are asking about procrastination. You hint at my own perspective about this. I think procrastination is not resistance to doing a task. It is resistance to starting a task (i.e. quitting what I'm doing). I find myself often anxious to accomplish a task (that is I am motivated) but I can't get started. In spite of what it seems, it is not a lack of motivation.
What often works for me is to concentrate on the very first part of the task. Usually this is something trivial like defining the variables for a program or scraping the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher as part of an effort to clean the kitchen. I find this relatively easy to do. I promise myself that if I just do this easy task, I can go back to what I was doing, but once I'm started it becomes easier to continue than it is to return to what I was doing.
What often works for me is to concentrate on the very first part of the task. Usually this is something trivial like defining the variables for a program or scraping the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher as part of an effort to clean the kitchen. I find this relatively easy to do. I promise myself that if I just do this easy task, I can go back to what I was doing, but once I'm started it becomes easier to continue than it is to return to what I was doing.
Honestly my biggest problem is that neurotypical people are generally caught off guard and dont understand my impulsiveness/risk taking/flippance with major life happenings. i.e. quitting my job on a whim. My risk taking behavior has turned out well for me, but makes me feel like a pariah among conservative/responsible friend groups. How to handle it? Find people that understand and are okay with people who act outside the bounds of "what is okay". Aside from that, I use gating behavior where I keep distractions far away, alcohol, parting, distractions, for periods of time (1 - 3 months), and then allow myself to be erratic and risk taking for a few weeks.
Yes, I do. I got diagnosed not long ago.
I was suspecting that I have it. There were obvious signs.
Severity and the type are different from person to person. If I understood my doc correctly, I have very severe ADHD.
Pre-diagnosis and pre-medication, I excessively drank coffee (up to 10 Monster Energy Zero a day; also: Red Bull Zero, Rockstar Zero etc.). It calmed me down, and I could sleep with it better. Prolonged fasting. Fasting prompts endorphins, endorphins promote dopamine. Dopamine is supposedly the thing you are lacking on. Also, I hate to plan ahead my food or prepare food, so this is a good way to reduce further stress. I also do it in an alternating manner. Meaning one day I eat my minimum calories (2000), the other day I just don't eat anything except calcium-rich water and salt (coffee too). I can do that without any issues, since I have enough body fat and I can live off of it for some time. May be not for you.
Comorbidities usually come along with ADHD as well, I had at least one.
So you are asking for advice. The problem is you don't know what type you have, if you even have it, or how severe it is. So don't think that you have to drink 10 Monster Energy Zero to fix you up. What works for me, may not work for you! (That's the issue here.)
I was not impressed by the meds, while they "tamed" me (less hyperactivity and impulsiveness), I still have inattention and forgetfulness.
The meds are not a magic bullet. I was naive thinking that way... They approximate (!) your brain chemistry to that of a neurotypical person. Don't expect to get a normal brain with it.
Severity and the type are different from person to person. If I understood my doc correctly, I have very severe ADHD.
Pre-diagnosis and pre-medication, I excessively drank coffee (up to 10 Monster Energy Zero a day; also: Red Bull Zero, Rockstar Zero etc.). It calmed me down, and I could sleep with it better. Prolonged fasting. Fasting prompts endorphins, endorphins promote dopamine. Dopamine is supposedly the thing you are lacking on. Also, I hate to plan ahead my food or prepare food, so this is a good way to reduce further stress. I also do it in an alternating manner. Meaning one day I eat my minimum calories (2000), the other day I just don't eat anything except calcium-rich water and salt (coffee too). I can do that without any issues, since I have enough body fat and I can live off of it for some time. May be not for you.
Comorbidities usually come along with ADHD as well, I had at least one.
So you are asking for advice. The problem is you don't know what type you have, if you even have it, or how severe it is. So don't think that you have to drink 10 Monster Energy Zero to fix you up. What works for me, may not work for you! (That's the issue here.)
I was not impressed by the meds, while they "tamed" me (less hyperactivity and impulsiveness), I still have inattention and forgetfulness.
The meds are not a magic bullet. I was naive thinking that way... They approximate (!) your brain chemistry to that of a neurotypical person. Don't expect to get a normal brain with it.
Citicoline can increase dopamine and is available as a suppliment.
Hey, giantg2, thanks for your hint!
Citicoline seems promising indeed:
https://examine.com/supplements/cdp-choline/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102305.h...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8709678/
I will try this out. I have severe side effects from my prescription meds. I hope that will help me to reduce the dosage or just avoid it altogether.
Could potentially be life-saving advice. I hate the prescription meds. I have to take high doses to notice something, and it destroys me. And all that so that I can get along with the neurotypical folk. It doesn't really help me with attention or forgetfulness, it just helps me to calm down.
Diversity they say, but there is no diversity for us. I hate this world.
Citicoline seems promising indeed:
https://examine.com/supplements/cdp-choline/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102305.h...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8709678/
I will try this out. I have severe side effects from my prescription meds. I hope that will help me to reduce the dosage or just avoid it altogether.
Could potentially be life-saving advice. I hate the prescription meds. I have to take high doses to notice something, and it destroys me. And all that so that I can get along with the neurotypical folk. It doesn't really help me with attention or forgetfulness, it just helps me to calm down.
Diversity they say, but there is no diversity for us. I hate this world.
[deleted]
For years I didn’t manage it (I’m 40 and have had my suspicions since I was 13), ADHD is to me a huge boon for programmers. I’d basically come into work late and outsource many of life’s responsibilities. And drink A LOT of coffee.
It’s was only when running my own company during the pandemic during a massive decline in revenue that it all became too much and I got a prescription as well as managing my sleep much better that I was able to cope.
I still sometimes forget to take the meds tho, and some days it’s good and some days it’s horrible. It’s mostly bad news that triggers it to the point of it getting out of control.
I’m still not entirely sure that I have ADHD but the non-amphetamine meds def help with whatever it is. The amphetamines messed with my sleep too much.
It’s was only when running my own company during the pandemic during a massive decline in revenue that it all became too much and I got a prescription as well as managing my sleep much better that I was able to cope.
I still sometimes forget to take the meds tho, and some days it’s good and some days it’s horrible. It’s mostly bad news that triggers it to the point of it getting out of control.
I’m still not entirely sure that I have ADHD but the non-amphetamine meds def help with whatever it is. The amphetamines messed with my sleep too much.
If you have issues with attention that started during adolescence or adulthood, that may be a marker for psychosis and not ADHD. ADHD only starts during childhood (although it might last into adulthood).
I have ADHD. Meditation helps, for me at least. I use the Headspace app for guided meditation.
Can you elaborate on this please?
IMHO it’s a useful tool to have in the toolbox. NB: It’s not a panacea that has revolutionized my whole life – but the thought patterns gained in meditation helps me to deal with stress and anxiety in better ways than I would come up with before starting meditation.
It’s probably good to do it several times a week but I’m lousy at keeping habits over time – however, just doing it once a month is better than never doing it.
If you’d like some pointers, feel free to check out my bookmarks over at Pinboard: https://pinboard.in/u:kr4d/t:meditation
It’s probably good to do it several times a week but I’m lousy at keeping habits over time – however, just doing it once a month is better than never doing it.
If you’d like some pointers, feel free to check out my bookmarks over at Pinboard: https://pinboard.in/u:kr4d/t:meditation