ADHD isn't a real disease

  • 🏰 The Fediverse is up. If you know, you know.
  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
Chiliarch said:
In my opinion ADHD does not exist, just as the vast majority of mental disorders (excluding stuff like low functioning autism and schizos who hear voices)

People spend a lot of time on social media and then one day they decide to try to read a book and find it is boring: of course it is. Books aren't meant to be entertaining, not in the same way as social media are. There are some books that pander to that audience and frankly they are trash. A book isn't fun when you read it, a book is fun when you are *not* reading it but you still think about it. You will not get entretained the same way you will with a TV. People find this out quickly and then call themselves ADHD cause they cannot put it effort even to have fun.

Then there is a lot of people who say they are ADHD because they cannot focus on work/school but that is because they have an incorrect mindset. People go in thinking "I just gotta do X and then I can take a break". Of course if you just do it for the reward then you will only focus on that. Rather, they should think "I will keep doing this until I am finished or I am completely exhausted, and then I will do X". If they have such a mindset they cannot cut corners and will last longer.

Thirdly, people are content to blame others for their problems. People with ADHD often complain that they would be great(better) students/workers if they did not have ADHD, but honestly who cares. Just by complaining you justify yourself that you are inferior and it is okay because you have a condition you can do nothing about. You should ALWAYS err on the side of blaming yourself rather than your environment. People with ADHD should think "I will overtake others despite having ADHD". If they keep trying they may even find out they were just using excuses before.

I say this as someone who got diagnosed with ADHD as a child and now can focus 8+ hours on studying without any medication: it is genuinely made up.
Click to expand...
Lol "I don't have it so no one does!"
Hey champ, not everyone is like you. I, for one, find books intensely fun. I like TV fine but it's hardly innately more entertaining than anything else. That's naught to do with ADHD, just a little reminder that your experience is not everyone's, in general.

And as to ADHD, yes, if you just needed an attitude adjustment, then apparently you just had an attitude issue and needed to stop being a bitch and just buckle down for once.

That is not how it works for someone with moderate-to-severe ADHD. The consequences can be life- and path-altering, in every facet of life, usually negatively. When your attitude is great and your capacity top-tier but you cannot perform - forget to your potential; not even to an average functional level - it's different. And it can be significantly derailing, even devastating, both in the outer world and the inner.

It's undoubtedly over-diagnosed, and undoubtedly distractibility in general is exacerbated by modern life and pastimes, but I regret to inform you that the mere fact that you were one who should never have been put into the diagnosed pool has
no bearing on whether it is an actual issue for many. That not logically sensical, to say nothing of medically.
 
Friend of Dorothy Parker said:
Lol "I don't have it so no one does!"
Hey champ, not everyone is like you. I, for one, find books intensely fun. I like TV fine but it's hardly innately more entertaining than anything else. That's naught to do with ADHD, just a little reminder that your experience is not everyone's, in general.

And as to ADHD, yes, if you just needed an attitude adjustment, then apparently you just had an attitude issue and needed to stop being a bitch and just buckle down for once.

That is not how it works for someone with moderate-to-severe ADHD. The consequences can be life- and path-altering, in every facet of life, usually negatively. When your attitude is great and your capacity top-tier but you cannot perform - forget to your potential; not even to an average functional level - it's different. And it can be significantly derailing, even devastating, both in the outer world and the inner.

It's undoubtedly over-diagnosed, and undoubtedly distractibility in general is exacerbated by modern life and pastimes, but I regret to inform you that the mere fact that you were one who should never have been put into the diagnosed pool has
no bearing on whether it is an actual issue for many. That not logically sensical, to say nothing of medically.
Click to expand...
All I hear are complaints. No one is perfect, stop making excuses on why you are not as good as you could be. You completely missed the point of my post.
And yes, some books are "fun", but it is usually just trash written to read like TV shows
 
Chiliarch said:
All I hear are complaints. No one is perfect, stop making excuses on why you are not as good as you could be. You completely missed the point of my post.
And yes, some books are "fun", but it is usually just trash written to read like TV shows
Click to expand...
Look, I'm not diagnosed with any kind of ADHD or anything but I'll tell you right now that I've never heard anyone tell me a book was supposed to be boring. That's more mindless of a thought to spread than any amount of celebrity tabloids since a tabloid serves a genuine purpose to entertain while your idea of what a good book means is utter torture and masochism.
 
Shadfan666xxx000 said:
Look, I'm not diagnosed with any kind of ADHD or anything but I'll tell you right now that I've never heard anyone tell me a book was supposed to be boring. That's more mindless of a thought to spread than any amount of celebrity tabloids since a tabloid serves a genuine purpose to entertain while your idea of what a good book means is utter torture and masochism.
Click to expand...
If you want a valueless, boring read, try [any book on programming].
 
Shadfan666xxx000 said:
Look, I'm not diagnosed with any kind of ADHD or anything but I'll tell you right now that I've never heard anyone tell me a book was supposed to be boring. That's more mindless of a thought to spread than any amount of celebrity tabloids since a tabloid serves a genuine purpose to entertain while your idea of what a good book means is utter torture and masochism.
Click to expand...
Have you read any classical literature? Most of them are incredibly boring to read, but they are very entertaining cause it really gets stuck in your mind and you keep thinking about it a long time even after you finish the book. I cannot say I at all enjoyed reading Dostoyevsky or Hugo it feels more like torture but it just gets stuck with you for so long and your imagination working on you thinking about some alternate what if scenario is what makes it fun. If you are entertained while reading a book, then the book is usually written just to be a fun woozy ride thats easy to grasp and is basically an anime/hollywood movie in text. Admittedly there are books that manage to be both deep and entertaining, but honestly, there are very few of them.
 
Chiliarch said:
All I hear are complaints. No one is perfect, stop making excuses on why you are not as good as you could be. You completely missed the point of my post.
And yes, some books are "fun", but it is usually just trash written to read like TV shows
Click to expand...
I wasn't complaining, nor did I suggest I have ADHD.

I don't think I missed any point you tried to make, but I do think this conversation isn't fair to you, so I'll just leave it with: I'm glad you have found your way to a good productive place. Being able to do so without fucked up chemistry in the areas that go directly to traditional success is quite a different thing than doing so with it. But learning how to sit still and pay attention is a net good for anyone, so congrats.

That said, your last sentence makes me weep for whatever society raised you. I wish you much growth and perspective as you move into your young adult years.
 
A place to vent, how lovely.

I believe ADHD is a real disorder and people genuinely struggle. But overall it's just overdiagnosed.

I have several people in my department (roughly 30 people, most in their 20s) who either have been diagnosed or are awaiting diagnosis. The problem I see is that they make a lifestyle out of it and use it as excuses left right and centre. Can't be on time? ADHD. Forgot my stuff? ADHD. No sense of responsibility.

Pretty much all of them have only been diagnosed recently and not as children, and between their attitude and the fact that you can find so much online these days it's easy to be diagnosed (waiting lists are long from what I've seen...I wonder why...). Once it's your turn they know what to say. For what? To be on fucking meds for the rest of your life? No thanks, that will kick in soon enough with old age.

If only it stopped here. I had to be nice to one of them until they got their meds sorted? Did it help? Of course not, zero change in behaviour, no responsibility. Everything's the ADHD, it's never them.

On top of that, one of them said the other day that many people in our type of business are neurodivergent. I didn't say anything, but jeez don't pull me into your shit world. I'm not perfect, but this is my fault and not something I will blame on whatever disorder is trendy at the moment.

Rant over, carry on.
 
I don't know if its real or not, I was diagnosed with it in Highschool and took meds for it. Hated them, even though they helped me focus (because meth).
I don't know if I have it legit or not, but stimulants have always hit different for me. The first (and last) time I did real meth it felt exactly like my Ritalin and I hated it. Never could quite get addicted to cigarettes either, despite trying almost my best to do so.
My sleep cycle is all over the place, and it has nothing to do with my caffeine intake, or lack thereof. I can chug a monster and go to sleep at will.
Maybe stimies would help, but I hate how anything stronger than caffeine makes me feel, so I do without and mostly manage.
I have over 1k hours in Car Mechanic Sim, so I KNOW I've got SOMETHING wrong with my brain. Probably.
 
Ain't real. As with all mental disorders, the label of ADHD removes personal agency, your characteristics or symptoms go from being personal failures to being attributed to this pathology. Human behaviour is passed from the moral realm to the medicinal. Read The Myth of Mental Illness by Thomas S. Szasz.
 
Rome's rightful successor said:
ADHD is caused by our hyper distractive society.
Click to expand...
I lived on an island that didn't get any of the modern day distractions that people have today, yet, I was diagnosed with ADHD both as a child and an adult. Yes, it is even more difficult to stay focused today, however, I had years growing up to learn coping mechanisms.

Avoiding social media (I didn't have a smart phone until College), was outside more than I was inside, and as far as studies and schooling, I hate to admit it, but in order to keep my attention I would need to break it down into a game. Buy a pack of Skittles and for every question I get right I get a piece of candy or if I get high marks on a test I get to go hang out with friends. It is something that hasn't left. On the note of tests, the worst form of test for me are multiple choice questions. The hyperactivity portion of the disorder always made me second, third, and fourth guess myself. I performed much better in written tests than scantron and often had to ask teachers for alternatives in HS. However, I excelled in other skills such as carpentry (cabinetry) and stagecraft, even got a special extra piece of paper for my carpentry when I graduated despite being in the like the fourth percentile overall.

It is also why after work or social interactions at say a busy bar or club I'm exhausted. You struggle to focus on your friends, but every little peripheral movement or noise draws my attention to it. It is like a bump stock just bouncing back and forth for hours. It is also why many people in my friends group figured I was introverted or cold when in actuality I was trying to catch up with the rest of the group. I also keep a mini notebook and pen on me, constantly, as the forgetfulness is very real. I think the worst is when I set down, say my keys, right out in the open and somehow forget where I placed them almost like they have just gone invisible.

I was on medication briefly, at the time it was ritalin and some experimental version, I didn't want an amphetamine and neither did my mother. Hated the medication I was placed on and just had to develop coping mechanisms with the assistance of a psychiatrist. I think for legit cases of ADHD, mental therapy (like rehab for your brain) is the best way to do it; unless ya wanna be helping pharma make more money. Everyone wants that magic pill that solves all their problems.


Do I think it is a disorder? Yes, do I think it is over diagnosed? Absolutely. Aderal is a common prescription drug to be sold at 5 a bar on college campuses and you bet your ass I'd wager kids are clamoring to be diagnosed with ADHD just for the "magical" focus pill.
 
Last edited:
Whether it's real or not, the 54mg of methylphenidate I gobbled daily as a child was insane.
I used that energy to read a lot of books, but I still ignored my homework. Where there is a retard, there is a way.
 
It is a real thing but is way overdiagnosed for sure. The symptoms are very similar to the ones that result from poor lifestyle choices and I feel like that trips a lot of people up. I've known people who eat like shit without supplementing important nutrients, sleep so little it's a miracle they're able to function at all, have lived in a constant state of being stoned for years, spend every waking moment on TikTok etc. who would probably be able to function fine if they took better care of themselves but still claim that their sole problem is ADHD.

I've also noticed a phenomenon similar to ROGD surrounding conditions like ADHD, autism and DID mainly in teenage girls and young women who spend too much time online within the past 2 years or so. That combined with companies that allow you to get prescriptions through brief telehealth appointments without investigating other possible causes of symptoms has unfortunately caused the condition to become kind of a meme. I can't even blame people who think it's fake at this point.
 
It's absolutely overdiagnosed. It's a trendy thing to have because it's been almost babified on social media, just like autism or tourettes- ADHD is no longer a frustrating condition, it's a cute little quirk that just makes you a bit messy, but it'll all be fine if you wear your headphones and play with a fidget toy. I know a girl who's been diagnosed (privately) with a whole host of things- autism, bpd, adhd, eating disorders- she just has a poor lifestyle. I don't think adderall is going to do her any favours.

I think people like to use it as an excuse for why they're unreliable or lazy, but tbh if you've had adhd your entire life you should know how to work around it and you should know how to perform basic tasks like going to work or cleaning your apartment.
 
In the 90s it seemed every kid that stepped into a psychs office got out with ADHD diagnosed. The kid likes to play footbal and pokemon instead of doing his math homework? no way, HAS to be a disorder.

I feel there's an element of "shut up and stop being creative" "get in the wagie cagie" with ADHD diagnostics, the fixation on it obviously has to do with the times and needs of the competitive corporate world but behind all that its a real thing, its not just something to make kids into drones, some people are wired differently and need help to function better.

Most people abusing adderal don't have ADHD, people are using it as an enhancer or recreationally and just making excuses on why its OK to do just a bit of meth on the side.
 
My “additude adjustment” was stimulants. Honestly made the biggest difference in my scattered brain. I never got the feeling of a meth-induced euphoria. It just helped me set better routines, focus on the important things I need to do, all stuff related to executive functioning.

That’s usually the biggest tell if you have adhd or not. If you feel mostly normal after taking it, it’s adhd. If you go hyper speed super sperg after taking it, you probably don’t have adhd.

You’re always going to get people who have been misdiagnosed, but it’s out there.
 
I was diagnosed with shit like anxiety, depression, epilepsy and ADHD. my entire life my parents have shoved a fist full of pills down my throat. my entire life I have been depressed, alone and strung out on this ADHD amphetamine bullshit. All it did is teach me to hate myself and that I was incomplete person without this coattail of drugs. about a year or two ago I literally stopped taking my meds. all of them. And I started fucking thinking.

you know how you remember back in your elementary school days....you would go from 2 to 3rd year or whatever, and then you were like "yeah...im a big kid now...so much smarter than the previous year. those are little kids" now as an adult you realize it was just a difference of a year. I've often used this thought process to know when to shut the fuck up about things. like "how long ago do I remember past Cornbogfitz being stupid?"

continually, month after month I could look at myself and literally feel cognitive growth. what can I say? I broke free. My life has been nothing but on an upward trajectory ever since I stopped doing what my boomer parents tell me.

I remember back in the 90s when ADHD was new there was this "alternative cure" called "not feeding your child fucking sugar" I am convinced this is the real cure to ADHD
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom