Attention Deficit (and Hyperactivity?) Disorder.

General Academics Science, Technology and Medicine
1

So, as I’ve just said in another discussion HERE, and alluded to some time ago…

I was recently diagnosed by a psychiatrist as having (primarily inattentive) ADD.

I realise that this is a big thing to say in a group of skeptics. As I seem to have gotten a SHITLOAD of skepticism about this from all corners. Most of the variety:

Well THAT is obvious bullshit, these days every second kid supposedly has ADD when they're actually just smart/different/active/normal/irritates the teacher/individualistic/....

Here’s the thing. And here I’m being 100% honest with you guys, I walked into that office knowing that most of my life I’ve been a massive under-achiever. I am smart, yes, I have a good job, yes, I graduated varsity, yes. But I can tell you now, almost half ashamed, almost guilty of having it too easy in life, that I could only do anything I’ve ever done because I was inherently smart. I never deserved any of it if due to “effort”. I could not, never, ever, sit down and WORK something until it was complete. Impossible. Cannot be done. And then…

... and then they give people ritalin and make them blunt/stupider/sedate/a better slave/without joy/without feeling.....
.

Well, now, with my experiences the last few months, I disagree, whereas before I may have agreed. See, these opinions, they delayed me seeking treatment. They delayed me admitting that this could be my problem. They made me think that admitting I had a problem would be admitting that I simply was being a bad person, and ADD was a cop-out, etc…

So I went on a slowly-ramping-up schedule of (what is essentially a differently named) ritalin. I was plently skeptical, and read a lot about it before even making my first visit, I didn’t say a peep to most anyone, not even this forum, where I’m somewhat anonymous anyway…

Initially, on the lower dose, I found no effects. I had side effects, but no real progress was being made on the concentration front. I returned to my doc quite despondent, he explained that we hadn’t yet hit the correct dose. We tried again at a higher dose. Initially, not much change. But then I started having “revelatory” days… I can suddenly work ALL DAY.

That sentence seems trivial and stupid, maybe, to you. But to me, that is a life changer. I feel alive, I feel energetic, I feel optimistic about work, and life. And that is a game changer for me. I do NOT feel sedate, boring, slavish, without joy, bereft of my “being”, now a different person. In fact I feel the exact person as before. But more “in focus”, more aware of what is going on, what my goals are, and how I’m reaching them. I feel, totally, new, yet the same.

So there’s my anecdote. I struggled for a long time to focus on work, and it held me back. Ritalin (in the form I’m taking it), cured me. When I forget to take it, I slide down straight into the abyss again. When I’m on it, I’m happier because I finally feel like a productive part of the human race.

This doesn’t mean I think children the world over are not getting too much ritalin to settle them down. In fact, one of the reasons I’m comfortable with this is because problems with ritalin are mainly found in children, not adults. The developed world probably needs to re-considder the criteria for ADHD. I don’t know. But I’m making this topic so that you, my fellow skeptics, can say your say on the matter. I will be going for my first repeat of the “effective dose” in a couple of days, and I welcome your input. (Yes if you read the above it is clear I’m VERY favourable towards the medication right now)

2

Congratulations, now stop wasting time on this forum and get cracking on some real work.

3

Hey Boogie, glad its working out for you, dude. Just don’t go changing too much, we kinda love you the way you are :-*.

Mintaka
PS - the kiss is platonic. You know, like the ones Jesus used to get…

4

And this is what pisses me off with the hype around ADD/HD and Ritalin, it WORKS. I put my youngest on Ritalin when he was six, diagnosed ADD, and he was doing really badly at school, he was described as the typical dreamer and although not disruptive, simply not “there”.

From one day to the next, the difference was astounding. He suddenly could “DO” the things the other kids could, and his personality went from a severe introvert to a more normal state of interaction with the other kids. He himself admits that with it he can actually FOCUS on the task at hand. He’s an average B grade achiever now, whereas they wanted to move him to a remedial school back then.

Ritalin didnt have much negative side efffects on him, he went off his food but I ensured he had himself a huge breakfast in the mornings to compensate for not eating during the day, which sidestepped the issue a bit. I did get a lot of resistance from friends and family because of it and the ex and I had a hollering session about it as the “studies” predicted the child would become a drug addict in future. My opinion though, is that I would have had a far more unhappy and unsettled child on my hands if I didnt help him.

He’s in control of his own meds now (he’s 14), and he takes it as he feels the need for it (exam time etc). His own opinion about it is that it helped him figure out how to concentrate, and over the years, he every once in a while requested to stop it to attempt to cope without, the first two attempts were dismal failures with his school marks taking a complete dive, but in his final term last year, he stopped it entirely again and he managed to keep his marks steady, which is why he is now allowed to manage his meds for himself.

IMO, its often misdiagnosed, especially with the hyperactivity coming into play, hyperactivity can easily be misdiagnosed in a simply bloody undisciplined child, and no amount of drugging will fix that problem.

As for your first quote, yes in my (limited) experience, these kids/people are different, and generally score off the page on the general knowledge, mathematical and practical assessments, whilst being way under par on their reading and writing skills (the shut up, sit still and listen part of school). And whoever thinks that these drugs blunts a persons thinking has obviously not seen the effects first hand, my morose child whould take his tablet in the morning and within a half hour become a bubbly chatty child that could hold a conversation without drifting off onto other subjects whilst in the middle of a discussion.

Both my sons were in the remedial class at school from Grade’s 1 - 3, and whilst my eldest never did take medication (in retrospect it probably would have been a good idea, but I was more stupid back then), I never regretted that descision either, the small classes was a blessing and the educator brilliant, which helped.

Boogie, good for you, ignore the so-called stigma attached to it, personally I believe Ritalin/concerta and its ilk has done far more good than bad in the majority of correctly diagnosed people out there. I have only praise for it myself.

5

Whoa now! Baby steps…

KINDA?! :stuck_out_tongue:

So far I’ve had nausea (now gone), lightheadedness (now gone), slighly hiper (now gone), quickened heartbeat (now gone), worse insomnia (now gone, and actually seems to have improved my existing insomnia), and dry mouth (persists).

As for your first quote, yes in my (limited) experience, these kids/people are different, and generally score off the page on the general knowledge, mathematical and practical assessments, whilst being way under par on their reading and writing skills (the shut up, sit still and listen part of school). And whoever thinks that these drugs blunts a persons thinking has obviously not seen the effects first hand, my morose child whould take his tablet in the morning and within a half hour become a bubbly chatty child that could hold a conversation without drifting off onto other subjects whilst in the middle of a discussion.

Can’t say this has significantly improved my social skills, but I can definitely sit and listen to people a lot easier.

Boogie, good for you, ignore the so-called stigma attached to it, personally I believe Ritalin/concerta and its ilk has done far more good than bad in the majority of correctly diagnosed people out there. I have only praise for it myself.

Thanks. :slight_smile: