Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

You sound like me a few years ago. I since found out I have ADD.

You might have it too. You might want to get checked.




Have the treatments worked for you? I've come super close to getting tested for ADD, each time resisting out of fear that it'll only be another temporary fix(in pills). May be I'm wrong reading stories like yours.


>Have the treatments worked for you?

Yes. Sometimes completely, usually partially.

>I've come super close to getting tested for ADD, each time resisting out of fear that it'll only be another temporary fix(in pills).

OK. I believe you should get tested anyway; testing does not mean you have to follow through with treatment. Benefits from knowing you have ADD include being able to read about it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Attention-Deficit-Disorder-Unfocused...

About the pills: it turns out ADD is a chemical problem. I have heard about it being treated with therapy (talking to people) but really, the real fix is pills. In my case at least, there is a hole in my brain shaped like amphetamines (Adderall, Ritalin) and if I take amphetamines I have nothing to envy people without ADD. When I first took them I felt something I had never felt before: an incredible sense of urgency and desire to work.

Is it a temporary fix? In some senses yes, in others, no. It can be temporary in that SSRI's induce tolerance, much like cigarettes or coffee. But this is hardly a Red Queen scenario. Most people with ADDs reach a dose they're comfortable with and can work with from here to forever, with some caveats your doctor can tell you about. I would not compare it to padding your schedule to deal with time overruns due to procrastination. This is a fundamental change in the way your brain works.

And if you don't like the idea of taking pills, consider this: there's really no other way out if you have ADD and are part of the 80% of ADD patients who respond positively to pills.

I highly recommend it.


This is very insightful. Thank you!


No matter what you choose to do, I hope you get better :)




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: