Greatest sorrow - ADHD

[Elysian]

The greatest sorrow is when you have ADHD - your thoughts are all over the place and you can't acquire knowledge. And what is more important than knowledge? Knowledge is god, if I may exaggerate a little.

[manic expression]

ADHD doesn't mean you can't learn, it just means you learn differently. Oftentimes it means you're taking in more information than most...learning through conversation (as opposed to books) is a lot easier for some because it's more interactive and dynamic.

[pax et aequalitas]

ADHD doesn't mean you can't learn, it just means you learn differently. Oftentimes it means you're taking in more information than most...learning through conversation (as opposed to books) is a lot easier for some because it's more interactive and dynamic.

I dunno about that, though it indeed doesn't mean you can't learn at all. I have ADHD and well, without wanting to brag much, I am fairly intelligent. Still I have a lot of difficulty with school, because I my concentration is so terrible.

On the other hand things I find interesting myself and which I look up in my free time I can absorb easily and sometimes this does affect my results at school, I know a lot about history because I find it interesting and so I am often reading ahead in the schoolbook because it interests me. And thanks to my imagination I am able to just read as a story which I see inside my head.

Lists of German words on the other hand... well. Let's put it this way, at the time I am typing this I should be learning them... but I was just going to check the computer in front of me for one sec... damnit...

[Luís Henrique]

Rytalin.

Luís Henrique

[Elysian]

Rytalin.

Luís Henrique

Really? Or is this sarcasm?

[pax et aequalitas]

Well I use something similar to ritalin, namely Concerta. It is basically ritalin which works for 12 hours, unlike the normal ritalin where you need to take it several times on a day. I couldn't live without it honestly, it allows me to function properly. Especially the hyperactivity is recuded to normal levels. My concentration though is, while better than without, still pretty terrible.

And in the evening the effects wear off which sucks if I still have to learn for school then or something. It just doesn't work. Tried it yesterday. My mind couldn't concentrate on what I had to learn for a single minute. Then I was thinking about music, gaming, love, parties and how about I should really get back to learning.

[robear]

While I'm sure it is difficult having ADHD, never underestimate the power of human will. I believe that if you try your best, you will be able to find an effective way to learn that works for you.

[9]

While I'm sure it is difficult having ADHD, never underestimate the power of human will. I believe that if you try your best, you will be able to find an effective way to learn that works for you.

Learn? Maybe. Do well in school? Not so much.

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

Marijuana.

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

Alcohol.

[dodger]

While I'm sure it is difficult having ADHD, never underestimate the power of human will. I believe that if you try your best, you will be able to find an effective way to learn that works for you.

robear has made a strong point. Set strong boundaries. Realistic targets. A good doctor or clinic is key. As is expertise of teachers in dealing with you. My nephew younger than you no longer takes meds. By his own efforts and support by state and family a way was found to overcome. Net info from support groups worldwide might help with insights. It will be down to you. Please don't be tempted to join pals taking illicit drugs, that can have negative consequences in your situation. I wish you well, after seeing with my own eyes the improvement in my nephew and the impact of that on all our lives I am optimistic for you.

[9]

IDK, it seems to me that if its something you can manage to just OVERCOME with HUMAN WILL, then it probably wasn't much of a problem to begin with....

[MustCrushCapitalism]

IDK, it seems to me that if its something you can manage to just OVERCOME with HUMAN WILL, then it probably wasn't much of a problem to begin with....

What the fuck are you smoking?

[dodger]

IDK, it seems to me that if its something you can manage to just OVERCOME with HUMAN WILL, then it probably wasn't much of a problem to begin with....

Yes that is true.nine. A condition which varies so much from person to person requires intelligent handling. We walk on 2 legs...that is to say ...whatever works for you take it and use it. I have seen people prosper and founder, knowledge and expertise in dealing with the problem combine with strong will or with a child boundaries set give better outcomes. Blighted lives to the person and family is the only prospect of not applying human will. As with most of life's dramas and problems, once solved they cease to vex and pass with time into insignificance.

[Luís Henrique]

Marijuana.

Well, it makes you forget that you have ADHD, but it certainly won't improve your concentration.


Alcohol.

As above, with hangovers.

If you want something that actually helps with concentration while still physically destroying you, that would be... tobbaco[/anticlimax].

Luís Henrique

[Luís Henrique]

Really? Or is this sarcasm?

Have you tried it?

Luís Henrique

[Luís Henrique]

Well I use something similar to ritalin, namely Concerta. It is basically ritalin which works for 12 hours, unlike the normal ritalin where you need to take it several times on a day. I couldn't live without it honestly, it allows me to function properly. Especially the hyperactivity is recuded to normal levels. My concentration though is, while better than without, still pretty terrible.

And in the evening the effects wear off which sucks if I still have to learn for school then or something. It just doesn't work. Tried it yesterday. My mind couldn't concentrate on what I had to learn for a single minute. Then I was thinking about music, gaming, love, parties and how about I should really get back to learning.

In that case, wouldn't common ritalin be better?

Luís Henrique

[Luís Henrique]

Rytalin.

That's ritalin for MIMites, I guess.

Luís Henrique

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

What the fuck are you smoking?

Probably exactly what i was recommending^...

[Guy Incognito]

I have ADHD. Going through school back in the 90's was not easy, and even now my attention span and ability to focus are terrible. I have learned over the years to manage it, and actually learning is not an issue in the least, but overall it definitely takes a great deal of will to overcome. Boredom is a serious part of it, I require stimulation at nearly all times, or I wander off (mentally or physically). Being at work, I need every new project, every new system and every possible access to learn/work with/mess with, so that I can stay focused. I complete tasks in frenzied bursts of activity, instead of methodically.

As for Ritalin, it was the absolute worst thing I'd ever experienced. My children will never go through that. It turned me into a zombie. Little desire to do much of anything but stare at whoever was speaking. Didn't eat, didn't play. It deadened my personality. I started hiding it under the tongue and spitting it out. Eventually my mother figured out what it was doing to me, and we stopped it.

ADHD sucks, and you notice it more when your hormones die down to a dull roar. Adult ADHD is something you can feel yourself struggle with. It really does take strong will to make it managable.

[Grenzer]

The greatest sorrow is when you have ADHD - your thoughts are all over the place and you can't acquire knowledge. And what is more important than knowledge? Knowledge is god, if I may exaggerate a little.

Seems like you're just whining here.

I have ADD, and I do ok. I used to take aderall, or ritalin; forget which, but I ceased taking it a few years ago. Had some nasty side effects like complete loss of appetite, paranoia, and a few other things. I guess you could say I have a hard time focusing on certain things; but I can obsessively focus on politics, history, and philosophy. I have used this to advantage by pursuing a career path which involves these things. As Robbo said, it's easy to underestimate the power of will.

[pax et aequalitas]

In that case, wouldn't common ritalin be better?

Luís Henrique

Oh hell no. I used to have common ritalin and it was horrible. I had to take at several times a day. When I took it in, at first it worked very well, however when 1 or 2 hours away from the next time I have to take it starts to wear off and I become all hyperactive and can't concentrate at all. And that process repeated itself a few times a day. I know only have bit of trouble in the evening, but during the day it is just constantly stable.


I have ADHD. Going through school back in the 90's was not easy, and even now my attention span and ability to focus are terrible. I have learned over the years to manage it, and actually learning is not an issue in the least, but overall it definitely takes a great deal of will to overcome. Boredom is a serious part of it, I require stimulation at nearly all times, or I wander off (mentally or physically). Being at work, I need every new project, every new system and every possible access to learn/work with/mess with, so that I can stay focused. I complete tasks in frenzied bursts of activity, instead of methodically.

As for Ritalin, it was the absolute worst thing I'd ever experienced. My children will never go through that. It turned me into a zombie. Little desire to do much of anything but stare at whoever was speaking. Didn't eat, didn't play. It deadened my personality. I started hiding it under the tongue and spitting it out. Eventually my mother figured out what it was doing to me, and we stopped it.

ADHD sucks, and you notice it more when your hormones die down to a dull roar. Adult ADHD is something you can feel yourself struggle with. It really does take strong will to make it managable.

Well with the concerta I take, it doesn't change my personality at all. At least when comparing myself during the day and in the evening when the effects have worn off. I am just more hyperactive and keep on talking and can't focus on something for more than 20 seconds, but at both times I'm the same crazy fool :p and I definetly ain't a zombie. I'm still pretty active, just not as extremely hyperactive as without.

I remember when I was a bit younger for some reason I hadn't taken my concerta on one day. Sure my parents were somewhat annoyed by me, but the worst was for myself. I couldn't focus on anything for the entire day and I my mind was pure chaos.


Seems like you're just whining here.

I have ADD, and I do ok. I used to take aderall, or ritalin; forget which, but I ceased taking it a few years ago. Had some nasty side effects like complete loss of appetite, paranoia, and a few other things. I guess you could say I have a hard time focusing on certain things; but I can obsessively focus on politics, history, and philosophy. I have used this to advantage by pursuing a career path which involves these things. As Robbo said, it's easy to underestimate the power of will.

Loss of appetite is an annoying sideaffect yes. I am very thin, though I don't get the feeling I eat very little, I do seem to eat less than others of my age and I am way thinner. Another side-effect is sleeplessness, but I fortunately got melatonin for that.

[ParaRevolutionary]

Having been on both Ritalin an Adderal i can tell you neither are worth it. I am now 25 and would i say i have a firm grasp on my ADD/ADHD, albeit might be due to what i think is depression or borderline personality disorder, ive never been diagnosed for either. All of that aside i dont recommend any prescription drugs.

[Mindtoaster]

Learn? Maybe. Do well in school? Not so much.

Dead on

I don't even thing ADHD is even a legitimate medical condition. Its just a way some people think, but that our education system isn't equipped to handle.

My grades improved drastically from high school as I entered university and started learning more about things that I'm interested in. And now that I'm older and taking one on one guided research seminars I've found that I learn REALLY well through conversation, because of the interaction involved

While I'm taking it less and less for class, I still have to take medication to make it through long papers. And the side effects are fucking awful. I'm pretty sure adderall and focalin were exacerbating my depression when I had it back in high school

I'm also worried the shits bad for my heart

[Mindtoaster]

The greatest sorrow is when you have ADHD - your thoughts are all over the place and you can't acquire knowledge.

See this is part of why I think ADHD is bullshit. I'm diagnosed with it but my thoughts are nothing like this

I get like tunnel vision where, for example, I concentrate so much on one thing I find interesting that I can't keep up with a lecture. I basically live inside my own head. Like I'm the kind of person that will pass a friend in the street without even noticing them, because I'm so absorbed in my own thoughts. I'm not scatter brained or anything like you described

[Ele'ill]

See this is part of why I think ADHD is bullshit. I'm diagnosed with it but my thoughts are nothing like this

I get like tunnel vision where, for example, I concentrate so much on one thing I find interesting that I can't keep up with a lecture. I basically live inside my own head. Like I'm the kind of person that will pass a friend in the street without even noticing them, because I'm so absorbed in my own thoughts. I'm not scatter brained or anything like you described

I know people who can't stop moving onto the next task without finishing the first. They can't sit still. I know people who are really introverted and quiet but their thoughts are racing. There are all different types of 'distraction disorders' but I'd just say it's not a disorder it's just how a particular brain works (not saying it isn't a huge obstacle day to day or anything, it is very frustrating) I am one who gets inside my head and starts sketching or writing instead of whatever task I'm 'supposed' to be focusing on (mainly regarding lectures, work etc..)

[Mindtoaster]

I know people who can't stop moving onto the next task without finishing the first. They can't sit still. I know people who are really introverted and quiet but their thoughts are racing. There are all different types of 'distraction disorders' but I'd just say it's not a disorder it's just how a particular brain works (not saying it isn't a huge obstacle day to day or anything, it is very frustrating) I am one who gets inside my head and starts sketching or writing instead of whatever task I'm 'supposed' to be focusing on (mainly regarding lectures, work etc..)

Yeah exactly, thats what I was trying to say in my first post. It shouldn't be treated as a condition or disorder, its just a type of learning/thinking that our current education systems aren't designed to accomodate

[black magick hustla]

i was diagnosed with add but my mom is kinda of a hippie sometimes and didn't want to pump me with pills. idk, i am a grad student in physics. i am not the best student ever, and i am a mess and disorganized, and i dont keep a notebook with notes, and idk when was the last time i paid attention in a lecture, but here i am.

[MotherCossack]

yeah it must be grim ....
on the other hand.... at least you know why you are what you are.
imagine... all the failing... all the being inadequate......all the disappointing people.....all the fear of being expected to acheive... all the repeated awfulness.....
all that.... with no answers....no explanation as to why you have failed as a human being...
at an age when your contemporaries are at varying degrees of somewhere.... while you languish at rock f**king bottom... wondering why and what.....
the only conclusion that anyone can see is..... you are shit.period.

[Elysian]

I know people who can't stop moving onto the next task without finishing the first. They can't sit still. I know people who are really introverted and quiet but their thoughts are racing. There are all different types of 'distraction disorders' but I'd just say it's not a disorder it's just how a particular brain works (not saying it isn't a huge obstacle day to day or anything, it is very frustrating) I am one who gets inside my head and starts sketching or writing instead of whatever task I'm 'supposed' to be focusing on (mainly regarding lectures, work etc..)

Exactly. I am introverted but my thoughts are always racing from one thing to another, so much so that I can't really absorb anything, even directions when I am driving. This leads to embarrassment.

[Elysian]

i was diagnosed with add but my mom is kinda of a hippie sometimes and didn't want to pump me with pills. idk, i am a grad student in physics. i am not the best student ever, and i am a mess and disorganized, and i dont keep a notebook with notes, and idk when was the last time i paid attention in a lecture, but here i am.

I can't understand physics stuff, or any science stuff for that matter. It is usually baffling, it's like learning a new language.

[The Jay]

IDK, it seems to me that if its something you can manage to just OVERCOME with HUMAN WILL, then it probably wasn't much of a problem to begin with....

It sounds like you'd give the same advice to someone with depression. I don't want to get into that but when it comes to psychological conditions, it's not an issue of 'pulling yourself up by your bootstraps'. Some things require the help of medicine or therapy and cannot be fixed by will alone.

[OnlyCommunistYouKnow]

ADHD? Try living with autism, depression, social phobia, mild bipolar, and several mood disorders. Then you can whine about it being hard to focus.

[Elysian]

ADHD? Try living with autism, depression, social phobia, mild bipolar, and several mood disorders. Then you can whine about it being hard to focus.

I have OCD, aspger's and related social awkwardness, terrible mood swings. But it is ADHD that I hate, so I mentioned it specifically.

[The Jay]

ADHD? Try living with autism, depression, social phobia, mild bipolar, and several mood disorders. Then you can whine about it being hard to focus.

You can try to not minimize other's experiences, it's extremely rude.

[o well this is ok I guess]

Whoa guys what's all this talk about Ritalin that's casual-tier meds

Adderall will focus the fuck out of you.

[9]

ADHD? Try living with autism, depression, social phobia, mild bipolar, and several mood disorders.

Somebody give this guy an award :rolleyes:

[9]

Anyway, I might be biased, but in my experience, people with ADD are generally more charismatic/fun to be around and more interesting in general. I think if our society didn't expect people to do tedious boring shit all day every day from childhood on, ADD would probably be seen as like a creative advantage or something rather than a disorder.

[Vyacheslav Brolotov]

ADHD is something very hard to live through, but there is always that light at the end of the tunnel. I myself have ADD (I am lazy, so no hyperactivity), and I spent most of my time in elementary school getting in trouble, getting bad grades, and basically just having a terrible time because of my inattention and impulsivity. Yet, the summer I left elementary school, I also lost my vision due to surgical malpractice (see my post on the thread about why people became atheists). I thought that my life was over. The doctors already knew that I was never going to see again beyond the limits of 20/60 without glasses and 20/40 with glasses. Unfortunately, they were right. Yet, my life was not destroyed. During the time period in which I required many surgeries and treatments to fix some of the worst damage to my corneas, I stayed in my parents' dark room all day for about 2 months. During that time, I noticed that I have been viewing life all wrong so far. I used to look at myself as a natural failure, someone who had dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon, but knew he was really not going to amount to anything. In my mind, I was the victim of life. That was incorrect thinking, and during those two months I was confined to my parents' room at the age of eleven, I learned about who the true Lewis was: someone who was not going to give up no matter what. I stopped looking at life in an abstract manner and became a materialist. Soon, I no longer was impulsive or overtly inattentive. I matured quite a lot, but unfortunately my early maturity was casued by a traumatic experience that I will never forget. Even though I lost my vision forever, I defeated ADD and the problems it caused with my self-perception. Some times, you just need to learn that you cannot always look down on yourself. You have to see yourself not as someone who is handicappped, but as someone who just has to try harder than everyone else. There is nothing wrong with having to try harder. Eventually, I started getting Honor Roll, then straight-A's, until finally, just this month, I got Freshman of the Semester from the School Board. When things get hard, just remember that you can always do it. Also, do not be afraid to ask for help from any one that gives you work to do. As much extra help as you need is an easy way to defeat most ADD/ADHD problems, at least it is for me and most of my friends with ADD/ADHD. Whatever you do, just never allow yourself to have a defeatist attitude. That will just hurt you more and prevent you from getting better.

[Luís Henrique]

You can try to not minimize other's experiences, it's extremely rude.

Except it isn't. Specially when others speak of their experience as "the greatest sorrow". Say what you want, schyzophrenia is a much worse disease than ADHD. And I say that as someone who is afflicted by the latter and not by the former.

Luís Henrique

[9]

lol Luis Henrique has ADD. I would not have guessed that at all.

[The Jay]

Except it isn't. Specially when others speak of their experience as "the greatest sorrow". Say what you want, schyzophrenia is a much worse disease than ADHD. And I say that as someone who is afflicted by the latter and not by the former.

Luís Henrique

For all you know, he may have the worst case of ADD in the history of humanity. Discounting someone's personal experiences is impossible to do factually and besides, you're basically calling someone a whiner due to something they have no control over. It's not fair to the person confiding in you and pointing out that 'it could be worse' never helps. If what you're saying is that you have an argument from authority due to your condition, that is a fallacy.

[gorillafuck]

I have ADD.

there is no way it could be worse than schizophrenia.

[The Jay]

I have ADD.

there is no way it could be worse than schizophrenia.

What's your point that I didn't address in my previous post exactly?

[gorillafuck]

I dunno, I was reaffirming what luis henrique said. it is unlikely he has the worst case of ADD in history.

[Mindtoaster]

ADHD is something very hard to live through, but there is always that light at the end of the tunnel. I myself have ADD (I am lazy, so no hyperactivity),

I was originally diagnosed as ADD too, but its apparently all ADHD now cause its caused by "brain hyperactivity"

So basically our brains are just way faster then normal people's

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001110841/smug_biden_answer_10_xlarge.jpeg?iact=hc&vpx=248&vpy=133&dur=508&hovh=247&hovw=204&tx=120&ty=129&sig=102604650987113684915&ei=HKveTqKkPMzisQLLpZDWBg&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=134&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0