#but the adhd demands Stimulation

[yardsards]

earlier today in class the dude in front of me had his laptop open on split screen mode, one screen playing videos (with headphones) and the other side playing browser games. and he wouldn't stay on the same video or game for more than a couple minutes. and would periodically pull out his phone to check instagram.

and i have no clue if this person has adhd or not but nonetheless it is one of the biggest adhd moods i have ever encountered

[clxckwork-sun-n-moon]

sometimes a person can be writing but also drawing personal project stuff but also be watching a horror playthrough but also writing RP content with a friend

[floatinginthee]

wonder if any studies were done about having adhd and being punk/listening to punk music

[naamahdarling]

The pharmacy got some of my ADHD meds in!

After weeks!

I took ONE full dose and 20 minutes later was uncontrollably yawning and had to take a nap.

Stimulant meds are the first line, most effective treatment for ADHD, being remarkably effective in 70-75% of people with ADHD.

People with ADHD do not get high from their stimulant meds.

Becoming relaxed after taking them for the first time or after a long time off them is a sign that they are working and is an indicator that we DO have ADHD, though most doctors don't seem to know that this happens. We relax because we are closer to a normal state than we were, initially our bodies literally respond with relief.

Again. That is not what you would call even remotely a "high". Unless you are one of those awful people who believe naps are a crime.

They make our brain chemistry more normal, not less.

For those they help, we genuinely need them. Yes, both children and adults. It's fine to take them. It should not be a controversy (nor should ADHD itself be as controversial as it sadly is).

Medicating us does not lead to abuse. We are not addicts in waiting. Treating us as such is repugnant. (And treating addicts like shit is repugnant as well. People who abuse ADHD meds deserve compassion. From the ADHD community as well. They are not why we can't get meds. It's the FDA limiting how much can be oroduced and not keeping up with increased demand due to new diagnoses during COVID. It isn't other humans.)

Forcing us off medication with no support does, however, cause serious problems and can lead some people to seek them through illegal avenues, which is dangerous. Also understandable. The medical profession blames us and does not take responsibility for their part in this situation, even though they should.

We have every right to use whatever means works best for us free of censure, disapproval, and overzealous gatekeeping. If that's stimulant meds, so be it.

More respect for us please.

Especially now as we are facing rolling shortages of meds for the next few weeks or months. Your ADHD friends are struggling. Be patient.

[lumsel]

I don't strictly "like" taking ADHD meds, the comedown is awful and they play havoc on my appetite. But I kinda need them. I write software for a living. Software requires a great deal of focus that I simply cannot muster up off my meds. If I didn't have my meds, I would lose my job.

Part of this can be blamed on the cruelties of our modern capitalistic system. If the world understood my condition better, maybe I would not need to take stimulants to survive. I read an article once that really went all in on the idea that ADHD's negative perception is a symptom of perception, not an objective truth. Maybe people with ADHD are just as capable, but they do things in a different way to neurotypicals. Maybe all we need is better support, and social solutions, and more understanding of the different way that ADHDers think.

Which is all very compelling. Except.

I often find myself procrastinating activities that I want to do. My apartment has been accumulating dust because I keep forgetting to vacuum. One time I let the dishes in my sink stack too high and it was months before I could get myself to clean the mould off them. The demands of capitalism mean I need to software to pay rent, but sometimes I just want to do software, and no amount of narrative reframing or social support will clear the noise in my head long enough to let me focus on the code.

The notion that ADHD isn't a deficiency, just a different way of thinking, is something I find condescending. The implication here is I shouldn't have to write software, I should be given a different job, and I shouldn't have to maintain my own apartment, I should have the support of my community coming into my room and cleaning my things. But what if I want to do those things? What if I like software, or the privacy of an atomised existence? Maybe society has no right to decide what the correct way to live my life is, but surely I do!

The reason it sucks that it's hard for me to keep my dishes clean is not because the world says so, it is because I say so. It is because sometimes I want to be able to remember to do things and it sucks that I cannot live my life in the way that I want.

[idkimnotreal]

novartis has halted the production of ritalin LA in brazil. i’m not fine.

[insightfulllama]

Me: I am finally done with work, I go to bed now!

ADHD: No. :)

[camilledlc]

I think Wade Wilson is way more intelligent than people give him credit for. Or, another character essay no one asked for :

This will be based both on comics and movies. Also, spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine.

I think it's often said that Wade doesn't know how to read situations, as he often acts inappropriately during them. He doesn't seem to sense the mood of the person he's talking to, angering them more often than not, and he doesn't really care about watching his mouth around children, etc. There are tons of examples of Wade being 'stupid', and 'immature', blah blah blah. But I don't think that's quite true.

Wade has also numerous moments where he perfectly reads a situation. He is extremely aware of how others may perceive his scars, he figured Negasonic Teenage Warhead pretty easily during the first movie (when talking about sarcastic comments or whatever, if I remember correctly). He knows how people act and think, and he definitely knows how to assess a situation. When he got Johnny Storm killed, he knew what he was doing. He was into a dangerous situations, just having been kidnapped and he couldn't fight, not even knowing how strong and what powers Cassandra Nova had. But by turning her against Johnny, not only was he able to assess her, but also prove that he wasn't here to cause her trouble. It was a cruel and ruthless action, but it was smart nonetheless.

Besides, people often forgets very important facts about his skills. Wade is an extremely good fighter, and that's partially due to the fact that he's a master at almost every martial arts. He knows a bunch of them, and he is capable of practicing them with impeccable form. He's also a master at espionage, infiltrations, cover missions, etc. He knows how to handle a lot of different weapons, and he is canonically one of the best fighters in the entire Marvel Universe. All of those skills require a certain level of intelligence. Fighting demands to remember the different styles and techniques, as well as enough practice to switch between them easily. Espionage, infiltration, and cover missions demand someone who is capable of discretion and and ability to judge a situation, notice details that no one else would and invent on the spot creative ways to do things. All in all, he has to be extremely smart to be able to do all of that. That's also without counting the fact that he knows how to speak fluently five different languages.

With all of these proofs, it's impossible to say that Wade is dumb. But why does he acts like it?

There is no official answer as to why Wade is this way. The most you can get is that he is extremely mentally unstable. This is the result of both a bad childhood and very traumatizing experiences as a superhero. It is said he was already mentally unstable during his childhood, so I'm inclined to believe that it also has something to do with his brain in general.

What I personally believe is that Wade is someone who gets bored extremely easily. He has ADHD (not really official in the movies, but canon in the comics), and he always seems to jump from one topic to the other. His mind is often considered a mess, and he himself sometimes has trouble keeping up with it. I think that someone like him has to be stimulated at all times, because boredom is definitely the worst thing that could happen to him. Even in the last movie, he seemed to hate his job because of how boring it was, not hesitating to go back into action and becoming more and more himself again as he just do exciting things. He has always been like this, even before he got his regenerating factor. When he did his job, he wasn't always careful and often loud-mouthed. It didn't interest him to just kill people, he wanted a fight. He wanted a back and forth, a sort of game. He needs to feel in danger, needs the thrill of it.

But then he gets his mutation. Suddenly, he can't die, he can't be seriously hurt, nothing has any real consequences. And so the games became boring. What is the point of putting himself in dangerous situations if he's never really in danger? How boring it is to do a job where you're perfectly safe? The only kind of thrill he can find anymore is by having the back and forth verbally. That's when it has consequences, and people actually able to surprise him, to beat him even. Attacking by talking his is one way to not feel bored. He surprises, he shocks, he annoys, but it's always different. Even during the last movie, when he was with Logan, he clearly said they didn't need to fight, yet he couldn't stop edging him verbally, always finding ways to push his buttons.

Wade is a very bored person, with a great understanding of where the limits are. And because he's so good at finding the limits, he's even better at crossing them willingly, sometimes at the expanse of the people he loves, because he can't be bored.

(I also like the interpretation of him just needing to be at the centre of attention, but I think it's a bit more classical and has already been done and re-done. So, this one is a bit trickier and way funnier for me.)

[foone]

The fun thing about autism + ADHD is that when you're overstimulated, you can help it by reducing distractions and such.

But your ADHD then gets bored and demands more stimulation! Stimulation that WILL HURT YOU!

[peaches2217]

Mario has ADHD. He was the kid in school who always got into trouble because he’d shoot spit wads and fly paper planes during class. Homework couldn’t keep his attention at all, no matter how simple; a five-question paper could take him three or four hours to finish because he just couldn’t focus. He’d do stupid shit just for fun, or just to make others laugh, without considering the consequences — “Wanna bet I can jump out of the swing when it’s way high up and stick a superhero landing?” (He could not.)

Kids, as a general rule, tend to be reckless and restless and all that jazz; unlike Luigi, who was singled out for being so quiet and easily scared, Mario was considered “the normal brother,” because at that age he wasn’t outwardly much different than anyone else. A bit of a problem child, if anything, but easy to brush off with a misguided but well-meaning “Boys will be boys.”

Now, on top of his neurological condition, Mario has a physical condition too: hypochondroplasia. To the unaware, it’s a growth disorder, a form of dwarfism that shortens the arms and legs, affects the joints and posturing of the spine, makes the hands and feet broad but the toes and fingers short, etc. Symptoms typically begin showing during early childhood and become more pronounced as the person grows.

The older he got, and the more obvious his symptoms grew, the more heavily bullied Mario was. Normally, when he stepped in to stop the other kids from picking on Luigi, they would back off. By the second grade, they stopped backing off and merely redirected their focus onto Mario. It wasn’t just comments about his physical attributes, either: now that he’d been marked an “other” for his different appearance, everything else about him came under fire. His flightiness, his hyperactivity, everything that had once been accepted by his peers as “normal” was now worthy of mockery, all because he no longer looked just like everyone else.

He took it in stride, all things considered — if a kid was too busy making fun of him to make fun of Luigi, he considered that a win! But he was still just a kid. He wanted what any kid wants: acceptance, respect, friendship. The bullying got under his skin, and as his brother’s self-appointed protector, he didn’t even have the luxury of expressing his hurt, because he had to be strong and fearless or else what good was he? What’s a kid to do?

Overcompensate, of course. If he was going to be cast out anyway, then he’d go the extra mile and become faster and stronger and more powerful than anyone else, and then no one would mess with him or his bro again! So around the age of eight or nine, he dove head-first into the world of physical activity and undertook any and every sport he was given the chance to try.

It’s among the best decisions he’s ever made in his life. Even before his muscles and heart rate and stamina began reaping the benefits of all that activity, he could feel change.

The high-demand-high-adrenaline bursts helped him burn off excess energy, and suddenly he was sleeping better than he’d ever slept in his young life. He had goals to focus on with each sport he tried, but with that focus came tactile stimulation: the wind in his hair, the pounding of his feet against the ground, the rubbery textures of basketballs and baseball bat grips. As he grew stronger and faster and more powerful, he started receiving the admiration of his peers once more… but by the time that happened, he no longer cared what his peers thought of him. Sports and PE helped ground him, gave him a sense of self and purpose unlike any he’d experienced before.

Sure he wasn’t great in school, and sure his recklessness could get the best of him, but he could master any sport he set out to try, and he could intimidate bullies with increasing ease and better protect himself and his brother, and that was worth more to him than any superficial approval. That’s something he’s carried into adulthood, and something he’s eternally grateful for.

[livixbobbiex]

Why do more people have ADHD now?

(It's not just TikTok's fault)

ADHD prevalence is estimated at 5-7%. That seems low, but consider the global population.

A huge aspect of ADHD is dopamine deficiency. Nowadays we have these convenient little mobile phone devices that constantly supply dopamine on demand. I'd argue that probably leads to ADHDers being online more creating an over-representation.

There's a lot of evidence that ADHD occurs genetically. As the overall population explodes, so will the amount of ADHDers.

We're living in a world with increasing stimulation and distraction, attention being demanded by more and more things. There are way more chances for executive dysfunction to occur. Exercise is specifically helpful for burning off energy, and manual labour is becoming less common, with many careers forcing someone to sit still all day.

Women in particular have traditionally been socially engineered from birth to be more subdued. As this happens less and less, ADHD is way more obvious. There's also more understanding of inattentive type which women and afab tend to fall into.

More scientific study.

We have the language for ADHD now. It is astonishing that people don't realise how recent this actually is. I'm talking outside of the US, most countries didn't start seriously discussing it until the 90s.

More representation of ADHD, good or bad, has created more overall awareness. Now parents are more likely to take a kid to the doctor rather than writing it off as "misbehaviour". The Internet has also provided access to self education for those who weren't so lucky. In the UK especially we're seeing long lines of celebrities who are getting diagnosed age 40+.

Don't get me wrong, I do think there are some people who are following a 'trend' and it is dangerous to completely rely on self diagnosis (if you have an option to see a doctor). There's a tricky line between identity and disability, though my personal belief is that the concepts can coexist.

That being said, we need to not create an ADHD culture war. There are reasonable explanations as to why we're seeing a greater amount of ADHDers (especially in online spaces).

[transmutationisms]

thoughts on adhd diagonsis and the rising numbers of it? heard a couple different theories, including a school therapist saying that he thinks children are just getting misdiagnosed because they’re cutting recess times, but interested in your thoughts! lol

yea i talked about this a bit here but i would add for clarity:

this kind of narrative of 'rising rates of' [any dsm diagnosis, in this case adhd] is kind of misleading on the surface because these numbers, and cultural and medical attitudes toward these labels, vary widely. matthew smith gives a very abridged introduction to varying attitudes toward adhd globally, and points out that countries that have 'embraced' the adhd diagnosis and its corresponding drug treatments tend to be countries where pharma companies have pushed to expand their market for these drugs, and have been able to succeed in partnering up with local and regional medical guilds and practitioners' professional interests. which is to say that any 'rise' in 'adhd' should be interpreted with an eye to material factors, meaning, specifically, profit-seeking and broader patterns of imperialism and global market expansion.

none of this is to say that the impairments people experience in adhd are any less real, debilitating, or distressing. however, when we ask about those impairments becoming more widespread or severe, often the conversation becomes rapidly re-routed to cover only a narrative of individual cognitive or neurological 'failures' constituting a distinct 'disorder'. elided from this framing is the idea that an impairment of this sort arises not just from the individual's brain-mind-body, but from the extent to which that person is being accommodated by their social context, specifically demands for productivity, sustained attention, &c in the home / school / workplace.

the core research methodologies & data interpretation in the psy-sciences embed social valences into neuro-psychological investigations, heightening the perceived contrast between, eg, 'normal' and 'adhd' brains / neurotypes / &c. susan hawthorne points out that this is a powerful feedback loop: social values are embedded in the scientific investigations, the results of which are then of further social interest, and together social and scientific values tend to converge, mutually reinforce one another, and strengthen the ideas and data interpretations supporting the concept of a discrete, pharmacologically actionable, transhistorical and cross-societal brain disorder.

i truly cannot overstate the extent to which it matters that when ritalin arrived on the us market in 1955, psychiatric diagnosis of and pharmacological prescription for children's behaviours were in a very different state to how they are today. it is quite common (in psychiatry but also in other branches of medicine!) that diagnostic definitions and categories change, or even come into existence altogether, at the behest of pharmaceutical companies who need a diagnostic label in order to ensure insurance coverage for patients interested in taking their patented drugs. this combined with marketing direct to patients, and paid promotion to physicians, is a critical piece of the history of the adhd diagnosis.

because i always feel the need to make this crystal-clear: i do not oppose or object to people seeking or using stimulant medications lol. i <3 stimulants. that's not what this is about. i want you and me both to be able to use white-market amphetamines whenever we damn well please and you don't need to justify that on any moral or medical grounds. xx

[trashpandafeminism]

As someone with ADHD and chronic fatigue, I know what it's like to feel like two opposing forces are fighting for control. On one hand, ADHD craves constant movement and stimulation, making it hard to sit still for long periods of time. On the other hand, fatigue demands rest and stillness, leaving you feeling drained and exhausted. It's a constant battle between restlessness and exhaustion, and finding a balance can be a struggle.

Some days, my ADHD takes over and I can't sit still for more than a few minutes. Other days, my fatigue is so overwhelming that even getting out of bed feels like a struggle. It can be frustrating and demotivating, especially when you're trying to get work done or accomplish your goals.

If you're feeling this way, know that you're not alone. It's okay to take breaks when you need to, and it's okay to move your body when you can. Sometimes, going for a walk or doing some light exercise can help alleviate both restlessness and fatigue. And when all else fails, it's important to be gentle with yourself and remember that you're doing the best you can.

Remember, you don't have to choose between restlessness and exhaustion. With time, patience, and self-care, you can find a balance that works for you.

[anarchywoofwoof]

tomorrow will mark week number 3 without my vyvanse. needless to say, it has not been the easiest 3 weeks of my life.

that being said, this is probably a fitting time to remind everyone that there are quantifiable reasons for the ongoing stimulant shortage, which is projected now to last through 2024 despite federal attempts to remedy the problem.

first, while yes, there has been increased access to medications via telehealth, keep in mind that people with long COVID are using ADHD drugs to treat their symptoms. this is a proven medical approach that has not been accounted for in the ongoing production of ADHD medications.

about 41.4 million Adderall prescriptions were dispensed in the United States in 2021, up more than 10% from 2020, and it's anticipated that number will rise again.

but that is a problem, because US health officials are purposefully hampering production, not having considered the differences in treating an illness such as ADHD vs. disorders that may require opioids:

what’s different about ADHD is that the first-line treatment is a stimulant drug with the potential for misuse or addiction — and so it’s a matter not just for pharmaceutical companies but for law enforcement. The Drug Enforcement Agency has hedged on the side of keeping production of these drugs down to limit the potential for abuse. The fear is that Adderall would follow the same path as opioid painkillers: careless overprescribing would lead to an epidemic of drug addiction — this time, to stimulants.

...

Manufacturers are not mandated to report the reasons for a drug shortage and any public information they do provide can be vague. That has proven true with the Adderall shortage too. However, experts say that the role of the federal government in regulating one of Adderall’s active ingredients makes this shortage distinct. One of the active ingredients in Adderall is amphetamine, and therefore the drug is regulated as a controlled substance under federal law.

...

The DEA also sets annual production quotas for Adderall, as with other controlled substances that have recognized medical uses, based on estimates of legitimate medical and scientific needs, as well as the potential for diversion and abuse. However, those quotas are not well understood; while the agency announced in 2019 that it was allowing for more production of Adderall, given the apparent growing need in the patient population, we still don’t know exactly how much production has been authorized or the limits set for individual companies. “The DEA gives the companies a set amount of raw material ‘quota’ to manufacture these products, but we don’t know which company gets how much,” said Erin Fox, a pharmacist at the University of Utah and leading expert on US drug shortages. “Some companies say they’re short, but DEA says that they haven’t used it all, so lots of finger-pointing.” Indeed, the companies that produce Adderall and its generic version have cited both a shortage of the active ingredients and an increase in demand to explain their ongoing shortages. But another factor, new limits on the dispensing of the drug at US pharmacies, is making the situation worse. In 2022, drug distributors reached a settlement with most states over their role in the proliferation of prescription opioids that helped create an addiction and overdose epidemic. Bloomberg reported this week [in April 2023] that, as part of that settlement, secret limits were placed on the dispensation of controlled substances last July [2022]. That has in turn prevented pharmacists from filling the prescription of every patient who comes to their pharmacy with an Adderall order. According to Bloomberg, in essence, manufacturers are supposed to limit a pharmacy’s supply of drugs covered by the Controlled Substances Act, which includes opioids as well as stimulants. Pharmacists can only fill a certain number of prescriptions over a set period. But there has been widespread confusion over these rules because the pharmacists themselves don’t know what the limits are or when they are approaching them. Sometimes, they won’t know their access to Adderall has been cut off until trying to fill a prescription.

in other words, the ass-backwards failure that is America's "War On Drugs" continues to rage on, this time at a pharmacy near you.

rather than approaching a complex situation that requires a delicate understanding of the plight of the common person suffering with mental health issues or other disorders that affect their daily life, the US Government has chose a brute force, one-size-fits all approach. because when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

as i highlighted above, this problem will continue throughout 2024. in other words, no end in sight.

one side note, as someone who has the (misfortune) of working in the industry: the technology sector is going to feel this at some point, if not already, given their heavy reliance on Adderall to get anything done. the Class War eventually comes for us all, in one way, shape or form. tech bros are going to realize that they aren't as immune as they maybe once thought.

[edgyexplorerofmanythings]

If you’re going through autistic+ADHD (auDHD) burnout, you may experience:

*anxiety

*depression

*extreme lethargy

*inability to ask for help

**memory issues

**loss of words or selective mutism

**reduced executive functioning (e.g., staying organized, making decisions)

**trouble bouncing back from daily tasks

*suicidal thoughts

+

**Feelings of fatigue and constant exhaustion.

*Low self-confidence coupled with high self-criticism.

*Lack of motivation and drive to complete tasks.

*Anger and resentment toward responsibilities, obligations, and other people.

What do we need to exit the burnout realm:

Stimming and sensory stimulation/deprivation

Food, water, medications

Physical safety (e.g., a home, your bedroom, a place to stay that is away from harm)

Social support (e.g., can someone help you with chores? managing your schedule? explaining neurotypical norms going on around you? doing tasks that require engaging with others like making phone calls?)

Time for special interests

Time for sleep, recovery, and rest

If someone you know is experiencing auDHD burnout, be gentle with them, they're already barely holding it together with straws and Scotch tape.

Don't add to the burnout, requiring us to submit more energy spoons than necessary, and understand that the size of your energy spoons are different from those of neurodivergent people. We have less spoons to dole out, and they're tea spoons compared to your serving spoons.

Let us rest. Send us home early from work or class, let us do our work in the safety of our home environment during burnout phases. Everyday interactions that are energizing for neurotypical people are extremely energy draining for those with auDHD, especially during a burnout phase.

Help them if you are willing and able. Those of us with auDHD most of the time don't know or understand what exactly our needs are. Having a support system around that can see what is needed and offer assistance could mean the difference in those of us with auDHD between crashing or being able to recharge.

Be kind. This isn't the time to bully or make fun of the person with auDHD. There is no need to be a jerk in the first place, but we live in the real world, with real, neurotypical people who do not understand how our brains work so differently as to cause situations like burnout that affect others around the person with audhd. Just be kind, those experiencing burnout are already fragile emotionally and probably spiritually. Being a part of our support system as opposed to someone who is making it more difficult to survive this experience could mean the difference between recovery or crashing.

For those with auDHD, find support groups online. There are so many other adults experiencing auDHD and burnout in today's demanding neurotypical world. You're not alone in this.

[obsidianflow]

Tips for drawing with adhd that have helped me!

Lemme also preface this with one thing: Focus on stimulation. If you get bored easily while drawing, more stimulation. If you get tired/overwhelmed while drawing, less stimulation.

Loud music is the most important thing. Get headphones on and full blast that shit. Don’t make it too loud that it’s uncomfortable, just under that. Make it so all the noise is drowned out by the music

Have something to play with! Use your spare hand to play with something, something small enough you can hold it easily in your palm and also press buttons while holding it.

Call with friends! Being able to send out those thoughts as they ever constantly run through is helpful, makes it so I don’t have to stop drawing to be able to tell friends stuff that happens in my head.

Picture in picture mode something that doesn’t need to be watched to be able to absorb some of it. Whatever you want, just make sure it’s long and doesn’t demand a lot of attention. Yes this can include subway surfers gameplay.

Have fun with it! Draw in a way that’s entertaining to you and doesn’t take a whole lot of brainpower.

Will probably add on later but here’s just a few