#dopamine deficiency symptoms
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Dopamine Deficiency Symptoms, Causes, & Treatment at Livlong
Discover details on dopamine deficiency symptoms, treatment, & causes for problems with depression, motivation, etc. Learn more about the low dopamine symptoms & more at Livlong.
https://livlong.com/blogs/health-and-wellness/dopamine-deficiency-symptoms-causes-and-treatment
#dopamine deficiency#dopamine deficiency symptoms#dopamine imbalance#dopamine deficiency treatment#dopamine deficiency test#dopamine imbalance symptoms
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Feeling unmotivated and forgetful?
Low dopamine levels could be behind the struggle. Learn more about the signs of dopamine deficiency.
#dopamine#symptoms of dopamine deficiency#anf academy#anf therapy#depression#Weight Gain#Oversleeping#Restless Leg Syndrome#Tremor#holistic#inflammation#holistic wellness#holistic health
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his, this is a fun little informational post! if you are writing a character that is a) ADHD(-coded) and b) clumsy, consider looking into
dyspraxia
also known as developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia is a motor control and spatial awareness disorder that is HIGHLY comorbid with adhd. it can manifest as early as one year old, delaying a lot of the expected milestones in babies. beyond physical effects, dyspraxic people often struggle with ordering tasks in their brain, memory, and speech (but that one can be a combination of the ordering things AND the motor control). for the FIFTY PERCENT of dyspraxic people with adhd, these symptoms often are tied to the dopamine deficiency- i personally am clumsier when im sad or overwhelmed or understimulated (tonight i spilled flan juice in my crocs and then when i was walking home it was wet and sticky and awful and logically i knew if i walked faster i could get home and solve it but i physically couldn't move faster because the distress was aggravating my dyspraxia and so i had to focus very hard on Walking and not Falling) here are some things my dyspraxia makes me struggle with that I would love to see in characters like this!
handwriting! i basically can't do it at all, but for other it could be messy or a task they have to focus on
biking! balance is no bueno.
driving a car! a lot of dyspraxics don't have the spatial awareness to know where the car is
in the same vein: shopping carts.
holding things! i forget I'm holding them and then i let go unconsciously
knowing how big things are. I used to think cop shows were lying about people knowing how tall criminals were. now I have nightmares about witnessing a crime and being like "uhh. talller than me?" i also frequently pick a container that's way too big or way too small for the stuff I'm storing.
lefts and right! i still gotta do the finger L's.
another common things with dyspraxia is fatigue. we are putting more physical effort into the same tasks than non-dyspraxics. it's tiring, y'all.
if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! other dyspraxics, feel free to add on things that would make you feel Seen.
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i'm on my aspd izaya bullshit again but like. thru this lens, isnt his arc a perfect encapsulation on how aspd negatively affects the person that has it? even to this day, many professionals do not believe that pwASPD suffer from aspd. like at all. to the point where aspd was specifically listed as an outlier to the "patient distress is what defines a disorder" rule in an abnormal psych textbook
(see why i don't respect the field?)
but... he does suffer! a lot! like- remember his speech to mikado at the end of the first arc? how you need to keep evolving, keep changing in order to escape the mundane? how you have to keep going and going and going, wether it be aiming high or low?
yeah. normal people don't need to do this, izaya. you are a broken person.
but why SHOULD he be content with the mundane? the things people usually have that make them content with daily life- friends, family, a purpose, a distinct lack of extreme chronic boredom that drives you to do completely insane shit- izaya doesn't HAVE any of that!
"wait, chronic boredom?" i hear yall thinking. maybe. "isnt that an adhd thing?"
more than one disorder can have the same symptom. theres like a billion that have "want to die" as a symptom. but i dont really blame you for not knowing, its not talked about much
studies have shown that aspd and adhd are both problems with the dopamine receptors in the brain. more specifically, adhd is a chronic deficiency of dopamine, whereas with aspd, when you DO get dopamine, your brain gives you quardruple the normal amount.
studies have ALSO shown there to be a sort of... adhd to aspd pipeline. the story goes like this: you have a kid with adhd. maybe they're born like that, maybe the symptoms developed from trauma (which can happen? apparently??) anyway. kid gets abused. kid develops conduct disorder as a result of that abuse, as a natural extension of the existing adhd symptoms. they're MORE impulsive, which leads to them hurting others- and if it sets off the dopamine receptors, an abused kid starving for happiness and power is gonna chase it, no matter what. theyre like, six, they dont know anything about like. morality. all they know is, theyre sad and this makes them happy. anyway kid never gets treated, abuse continues to exasperate the symptoms, and now you have an adult with aspd, AND the original adhd diagnosis! and ptsd, which is HIGHLY comorbid with aspd! and probably another personality disorder, because you're actually statistically more likely to have two of them!
anyway! that's ONE of the ways aspd can develop from trauma, which it is Known To Do.
does any of that sound pleasant to go through? at all?
let me ask you a question:
imagine you aren't getting dopamine. maybe it's your adhd. maybe you're depressed. either way, you try to get it any way you can. wether it's throwing yourself into a hobby or a job, so the sense of satisfaction gives you dopamine, or something like drugs or gambling.
now, imagine that "rush" you felt. was Four Times Stronger.
wouldnt that compel you to do increasingly dangerous and risky shit, just to feel okay? imagine if you had no friends. imagine if this was your only way to be happy. wouldnt you, eventually, stop caring about others and only care about yourself? after all, other people have thinga like friends and a family that you don't have. they have a fallback. you only have this.
and you might say, "i'd never do that!" but every addict says that, and most eventually cross that line out of sheer desperation. and this? effectively makes you into a dopamine addict. which is dangerous! you can't just STOP... gettng dopamine....! it's necessary! but you have no help so you keep doing what youre doing. (and how could you get help? its baked into the system that people like you don't suffer. why try if youll just get burned?
anyway, back to izaya.
he's lonely. he has one friend and he sucks. he feels compelled to do these things even though he KNOWS it'll hurt him.
i stole this screenshot from some1 who insulted my friend once for something stupid <3 die
but it illustrates my point very well! does it look like he has much control over things?? he sure like to ACT like he does, but at the end of the day, he doesn't, really. he ends up spiraling more and more, doing increasingly risky and rash things, just to get his end goal... which is to die and ascend to the afterlife. a lofty goal.
aiming high, isn't he? a final, spectacular evolution.
or, it should have been.
but it wasn't.
izaya's impulses and deep desire to continue becoming more and more drastic, coupled with his lack of personal ties to anyone that could keep him from doing so....
it didn't make him ascend. it left him in a wheelchair, with chronic pain that will last his whole life.
THAT is where mental illness takes you. it doesn't make you a hollywood psychopath, reveling in the destruction you chose, of your own free will, wholly and truly, to cause. it makes you want More. no matter what, you need More. you see people content with lives worse than yours, everyone bound together with some sort of invisible thread, some sort of tie that keeps them together. a thread that missed you. your brain refuses to see people as people, thus you remain lonely forever, unsatiafied wirh company other than the superficial, because it's fun. that's all you're allowed to care about. an endless cycle of bigger and bigger actions, impulses slowly getting worse--
--and the worst part is, it tricks you into believing you ever had a choice. it tricks everyone into believing you had a choice. your suffering is worse than disregarded, to all the people you look at from your apartment, all the people you wish you could have been like.
it's nonexistant.
#durarara#izaya orihara#orihara izaya#🔥🔥 BE FUCKING NORMAL ABOUT ASPD ON THIS POST OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL BECOME THE JOKER ON YOUR ASS 🔥🔥#waposts#we r back with classic waposting complete w too many parentheses and paragraph breaks#peace and love on planet tumblr
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This post was inspired by a close friend I lost this week, who struggled with depression.
Depression is complex and influenced by many factors. Choosing the right foods is one way to help influence your brain’s chemistry. Research shows that these vitamins and minerals play a critical role in brain health and emotional well-being, and are often deficiencies associated with depression:
1. Vitamin D
Known as the “sunshine vitamin,” low levels of vitamin D are linked to mood disorders, including depression. Many people, especially those in colder climates or who spend little time outdoors, are deficient in this vital nutrient.
2. B Vitamins (Especially B6, B9, B12)
• B6 supports neurotransmitter production like serotonin and dopamine.
• B9 (Folate) is critical for mood regulation and often low in individuals with depression.
• B12 deficiency can cause fatigue, brain fog, and depressive symptoms, particularly in vegetarians or older adults.
3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These healthy fats are essential for brain function and reducing inflammation. Low omega-3 levels are linked to depression, particularly in individuals who consume little fatty fish or plant-based omega-3 sources like flaxseeds or walnuts.
4. Magnesium
This calming mineral supports the nervous system and helps manage stress. Magnesium deficiency is surprisingly common and can contribute to anxiety, irritability, and depression.
5. Iron
Low iron levels, especially in women, can lead to fatigue, low energy, and mood disturbances. Iron is crucial for oxygen transport in the blood and proper brain function.
Addressing potential deficiencies is a great first step. Depression can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to face it alone. Supporting yourself in this way, and reaching out for help is a powerful step toward healing. Support and hope are within your reach. 🤍
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Hi sex witch, I (cis man, late 20s) have a bit of an issue regarding medication and my sex life... I'm hoping you can be a bit of a sounding board for me?
I recently started taking an SNRI to help with anxiety and sleep. It seems to be working (not perfectly, but there's definitely a pretty big improvement).
Currently I'm single and all my sex is solo, but I've noticed that since I started the meds my libido has significantly reduced. It's also more difficult to reach orgasm, and the orgasms feel... different? (Not sure how I feel about that bit...)
My main problem is trying to work out whether I want to raise this with my doctor when I go for my next check-up. I'm not in the market for sex with anyone else right now, so the only person it is affecting is me. The positives in terms of my anxiety are great, and the negatives are more "differences" than actual "negatives".
What do you think? Should I push to try a different medication before I get settled on this one? Or should I spend more time working out whether I'm comfortable with the lower sex-drive? I think both are reasonable, and I would appreciate your opinion - thanks!
hi anon,
PREFACE: I'M NOT ANY KIND OF DOCTOR AND THIS ISN'T MEDICAL ADVICE.
I just want to start by commending you for noting the difference between "different" and "negative." people are often taught to think of any change in their sexual function as automatically bad, when in fact it's often nothing more than a very natural fluctuation within their body.
in your case, that fluctuation is very common; many people report experiencing a decrease in libido after beginning anti-depressants. hormones drive much of our sexuality, and anti-depressants wreak havoc on our the delicate chemical balance in our brain - for the better, of course, because they ideally help bridge the gap for chemical deficiencies in our brains that make us feel Not So Good, but as a side effect functions like the libido can be thrown into a spiral.
it's worth noting that the change often isn't permanent; eventually, your body may very well acclimate to the new hormonal arrangement and gets back to business as usual. I can personally attest that my first year on anti-depressants saw my libido pretty much go dormant, but it eventually came back with a vengeance.
I'm not in any way, shape, or form an expert on how the brain works and how medication works in the long term, but as someone who spends a lot of time talking to people about sex and has been on anti-depressants for years, I have to wonder if part of the sex drive's return has to do with the effectiveness of the medication over time. many people have a hard time fully accessing their sexuality when they're suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression, because being horny - let alone actually having sex - requires an amount of mental space and energy that just isn't there when you're struggling to even perform the basic tasks that let you get through the day. again, speaking from personal experience, I know that before I was medicated, WAAAAAAY too much of my energy was getting burned up by my anxiety and the accompanying physical symptoms; there's not much left over for libido when all of you're exhausting yourself shaking and otherwise being a nervous wreck. turns out being horny is WAY EASIER when you aren't constantly on edge!
I will also point out that sometimes the reason people who aren't doing so great in regards to their mental health masturbate so much is for those sweet little dopamine hits that they're not getting anywhere else, which I don't say to stigmatize jerking off while mentally ill (god knows I can't judge for that) but to point out that after a few months with more managed anxiety, you may not even be as interested in solo sex as you previously were. or you will be, but it will look different thanks to the other positive effects your medication has had. sexuality is a slippery creature, and it's impossible to predict exactly how it will shift throughout our lives.
my point being, if you haven't noticed any other adverse side effects of this medication and you think it's going to help more than hinder you, I would recommend continuing with it for the time. you'll keep reaping the positive benefits in the meantime, and you'll have some time to reflect on those changes as they continue to happen and figure out how this new shape your sexuality has taken can still fit into the overall mosaic of your life. if you ultimately decide that you don't like what's changed, that's fine! but I would broadly advise waiting it out through the most dramatic shifts that will happen early on to get a fuller picture.
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Why are people so reluctant to call ADHD a disability? Like. Yeah its symptoms aren't as "intense" as other disabilities, physical or mental, but it's still a disability by definition.
Actually, now that I think about it, I think it's because a lot of the symptoms are seen less as symptoms and more as reflections of a person's character. Someone's executive dysfunction is making it difficult to complete a task? They're lazy. Rejection-sensitive dysphoria makes perceived slights against a person feel more intense? They're overly emotional. Too many things going on in their mind to remember to take care of themselves or their surroundings? Unhygienic and disorganized. And god forbid they develop an addiction because of their dopamine deficiency or they'll become a social outcast.
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how do i talk to my parents about taking my adhd more seriously? i feel like they dont really understand how much i really effects my life and my mom has said my "adhd isnt really a disability" and its very stressful sometimes
Hi @pyrophilexd
I’m so sorry your parents aren’t that educated about ADHD. But not to worry, I found sources you can show them and how it affects your daily life. There will be long excerpts, so I apologize if this is really long.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic, debilitating disorder which may impact upon many aspects of an individual’s life, including academic difficulties,1 social skills problems,2 and strained parent-child relationships.3 Whereas it was previously thought that children eventually outgrow ADHD, recent studies suggest that 30–60% of affected individuals continue to show significant symptoms of the disorder into adulthood.4 Children with the disorder are at greater risk for longer term negative outcomes, such as lower educational and employment attainment.5 A vital consideration in the effective treatment of ADHD is how the disorder affects the daily lives of children, young people, and their families. Indeed, it is not sufficient to merely consider ADHD symptoms during school hours—a thorough examination of the disorder should take into account the functioning and wellbeing of the entire family.
As children with ADHD get older, the way the disorder impacts upon them and their families changes (fig 1⇓). The core difficulties in executive function seen in ADHD7 result in a different picture in later life, depending upon the demands made on the individual by their environment. This varies with family and school resources, as well as with age, cognitive ability, and insight of the child or young person. An environment that is sensitive to the needs of an individual with ADHD and aware of the implications of the disorder is vital. Optimal medical and behavioural management is aimed at supporting the individual with ADHD and allowing them to achieve their full potential while minimising adverse effects on themselves and society as a whole.
How Does ADHD Affect Overall Health?
ADHD & Sleep:
Why So Many Night Owls Have ADHD
Delayed sleep phase syndrome, defined by irregular sleep-wake patterns and thought of as a circadian rhythm disorder, is common in ADHD. The ADHD brain takes longer — about an hour longer on average (remember, that’s just an average) — to fall asleep than does the non-ADHD brain. That’s why it’s not uncommon for us to stay up late at night, and regret it in the morning.
Poor-Quality Sleep Worsens ADHD Symptoms
Suffering a sleep deficit with ADHD is like waking up to ADHD times two — or five. Lack of sleep slows a person’s response time, processing speed, and decision-making. We’re not as alert or as focused when we’re tired. We become crabby and inflexible. We imitate three of the Seven Dwarfs: Dopey, Sleepy, and Grumpy. Lack of sleep is a self-fulfilling prophecy; it only continues to throw our circadian rhythm off kilter and cause more dysregulated sleep.
ADHD & Nutrition and Eating Habits
Why ADHD Brains Chase Dopamine
The dopamine-deficient ADHD brain seeks this chemical in many places, from tobacco to junk food. Caffeine also boosts dopamine levels in the brain. And it’s always tempting to reach for simple carbs, since they rapidly break down into sugar and stimulate dopamine release.
ADHD Symptoms Influence Eating Behaviors
Symptoms like impulsivity and inattention easily invite dysregulated eating, which may lead to unintended weight gain. In fact, studies link ADHD to excess weight and obesity5 — which is linked to other conditions ranging from fatty liver, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome. Relatedly, research also links ADHD to Type 2 diabetes.
Are Other Health Conditions Linked to ADHD?
From autoimmune diseases and skin conditions to hypermobility and pulmonary disease, a string of other health conditions have been linked to ADHD. Take a moment to think about how ADHD impacts your diet, health, and overall wellness.
How Does ADHD Affect Education and Careers?
Adverse School Experiences with ADHD Are Common
Our experiences in school often foreshadow our careers and other aspects of our lives. Did ADHD prevent you from graduating high school or from enrolling in or finishing college, as it did for so many of us? Or did ADHD help you excel in school? Did you have to navigate school with a learning difference like dyslexia or dysgraphia, as 45% of children with ADHD do?
What Is ADHD?
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It’s caused by brain differences that affect attention and behavior in set ways. For example, people with ADHD are more easily distracted than people who don’t have it. ADHD can make it harder to focus, listen well, wait, or take your time.
Having ADHD affects a person at school, at home, and with friends.
The signs of ADHD start early in childhood. But some people don’t find out they have it until they are older. It all depends on when ADHD keeps them from doing well, and when they see a doctor about it.
No matter when a person finds out they have ADHD, the right treatment can help them do better in all parts of their life. Having great support from parents, teachers, and friends helps too.
What Are the Signs of ADHD?
People with ADHD might:
have trouble listening and paying attention
need lots of reminders to do things
get distracted easily
seem absent-minded
be disorganized and lose things
not sit still, wait their turn, or be patient
rush through homework or other tasks or make careless mistakes
interrupt a lot, and talk or call out answers in class
do things they shouldn't, even though they know better
get upset easily
feel restless, fidgety, frustrated, and bored
Teachers will notice signs like these in the classroom. And parents will notice signs like these at home. You may notice signs like these in yourself. If you do, talk to a parent or teacher about it.
Share this information and articles to your uneducated parents. They need to understand and know how this disorder affects daily life. And it’s also genetic. So if you have ADHD, I’m sure your parents might too.
I hope this can help you and your parents. Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️
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QUESTION
Do any of you lovely people have experience doing or studying dopamine detoxing?
Quick recap of a dopamine detox (my undergrad degree and specialty are neuroscience so buckle up):
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that your brain releases in the hypothalamus and prefrontal cortex as a reward/satisfaction and plays a part in motivation. Historically, it was things like eating, sex, listening to music, etc., and it also plays a huge role in addiction and dependency.
With the advent of technology and social media, it’s SO easy to get that ping of dopamine with things like TikTok, scrolling Instagram, or video games. We regress to primitive behaviors and avoid delayed gratification (classic psych experiment: you can have 1 marshmallow now or wait 10 minutes and you’ll get 3).
The problem with that is that the receptors for dopamine get saturated and then the neurochemical signal can’t propagate where it needs to go. A dopamine detox basically resets your body’s sensitivity to endogenous dopamine. Common symptoms of dopamine deficiency (or saturation) are lacking motivation, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, anxiety or moodiness, decreased pleasure from activities, and depression. Dopamine detoxing is a relatively new concept and–as with all things –is different for everyone.
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Cocaine Addiction Side Effects: Understanding the Dangers
Cocaine addiction is a highly dangerous and potentially life-threatening condition that not only impacts the user’s health but also affects their relationships, career, and overall well-being. Cocaine, a powerful stimulant, is known for its short-term euphoric effects. However, long-term use can cause a range of severe physical, mental, and emotional side effects. Understanding the risks associated with cocaine use can help individuals recognize the signs of addiction and seek timely treatment.
Physical Side Effects of Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine has a profound effect on the body’s central nervous system, and prolonged use can lead to a wide range of serious physical health problems, including:
Cardiovascular Issues: Cocaine constricts blood vessels and raises heart rate and blood pressure, significantly increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). Long-term users often suffer from chronic heart conditions, which can be fatal without intervention.
Respiratory Problems: Snorting cocaine can damage the nasal passages, leading to chronic nosebleeds and loss of the sense of smell. Smoking cocaine, in forms like crack, can cause severe lung damage, chronic cough, and respiratory infections.
Weight Loss and Malnutrition: Cocaine acts as an appetite suppressant, leading to unhealthy weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. This can weaken the immune system and make the body more vulnerable to infections and diseases.
Neurological Effects: Cocaine use can result in severe neurological complications, including seizures, headaches, and strokes. The drug’s impact on the brain’s dopamine system can cause irreversible damage over time, leading to a decline in cognitive functioning.
Gastrointestinal Complications: Cocaine can reduce blood flow to the intestines, causing ulcers and tears in the gastrointestinal tract. These complications can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as bowel gangrene.
Mental and Emotional Side Effects
The psychological impact of cocaine addiction is just as devastating as the physical side effects. Chronic cocaine use can lead to:
Paranoia and Hallucinations: Many long-term cocaine users experience intense paranoia and even auditory or visual hallucinations. These episodes can result in dangerous or violent behaviors and increased risk of injury to oneself or others.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks: Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system, which can lead to chronic anxiety, panic attacks, and feelings of restlessness. These symptoms can persist even after the drug has worn off.
Depression: While cocaine initially creates feelings of intense euphoria, the aftermath is often marked by severe depression, especially during withdrawal. The brain’s dopamine levels are depleted after prolonged use, leading to a diminished ability to feel pleasure, also known as "anhedonia."
Addiction and Cravings: Cocaine’s addictive properties can lead to compulsive drug-seeking behaviors. Users often develop tolerance, requiring higher doses to achieve the same high, which increases the risk of overdose.
Cognitive Decline: Prolonged cocaine use can impair memory, decision-making, and overall cognitive functioning. This decline can affect work performance, relationships, and the ability to carry out everyday tasks.
Behavioral and Social Consequences
Cocaine addiction can take a significant toll on a person’s social and emotional well-being, leading to:
Relationship Strain: Cocaine addiction often leads to conflict with loved ones, as users may lie, steal, or become isolated in their pursuit of the drug. Trust is frequently broken, and relationships can suffer irreparable harm.
Legal and Financial Troubles: Due to the high cost of maintaining a cocaine habit, many users face financial difficulties, often resorting to illegal activities to fund their addiction. This can result in legal consequences such as arrests and imprisonment.
Work and Career Impact: Cocaine addiction can cause individuals to neglect their professional responsibilities, leading to poor job performance, absenteeism, and eventual job loss. The inability to maintain employment can exacerbate financial and personal issues.
The Importance of Seeking Treatment for Cocaine Addiction
If you or a loved one is struggling with cocaine addiction, it’s crucial to seek professional help as soon as possible. The risks of continued use, including overdose and long-term health problems, make early intervention essential.
At Greater Boston Addiction Centers, we offer a range of evidence-based treatment options to help individuals overcome cocaine addiction treatment and begin the journey toward lasting recovery. Our programs include:
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): A structured treatment option providing intensive therapy while allowing individuals to return home in the evenings. Partial Hospitalization Program offers medical supervision, individual counseling, and group therapy sessions, making it a comprehensive treatment approach for severe addiction cases.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): For those who need flexible care while maintaining daily responsibilities, our Intensive Outpatient Program offers a robust treatment plan with therapy sessions multiple times a week. This program is ideal for individuals transitioning from inpatient care or those who cannot commit to residential treatment.
Outpatient Program: For individuals in the later stages of recovery, outpatient care allows continued access to therapy and support while reintegrating into daily life. Outpatient Treatment program focuses on relapse prevention and long-term recovery strategies.
Conclusion
Cocaine addiction is a serious condition that affects all aspects of life—physical, mental, emotional, and social. The side effects of prolonged use can be devastating, but recovery is possible with the right support and treatment. At Greater Boston Addiction Centers, we are committed to helping individuals reclaim their lives from the grip of addiction through compassionate and effective care.
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Thoughts on Gendered Assessment of ADHD
I read a post this morning on the subject of medical conditions presenting differently in men and women. The main focus was on the presentation of heart attack and stroke, which do have documented, yet often overlooked differences between how they can manifest. That's important to understand and the post made its point well.
One thing that struck me as less than accurate was specifically the inclusion of ADHD as a condition that presents differently in women. It is a fact that ADHD is under-diagnosed in women. I'm not disputing that. What I think needs untangling is why it is under-diagnosed.
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I want to acknowledge and apologize for my use of largely binary gender terminology. I don't like it but so much of the reading on the subject is based around cis/het people that is hard to escape. I'm sorry I don't have the proper shorthand to easily adjust my language here. All presentations and gender identities are valid, and all deserve the best possible care regardless of the terms we were assigned at birth.
I'm also not a doctor but most of us aren't and we still deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
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ADHD has historically been under-diagnosed for a few reasons. ADHD is often erroneously thought of by laypeople as a behavioral disorder. Possibly one of the reasons its name reflects the way it is perceived rather than how it affects the patent. The popular image of ADHD is a male who is hyperactive, impulsive, twitchy, generally unfocused, and prone to risky behavior.
In many cultures these physical behaviors can be written off as boys being boys, up until they become disruptive or excessive or reach an age where these behaviors are considered more problematic. The bar for what is physically noticeable is higher for boys, and can lead to delayed diagnosis.
ADHD also has cognitive and emotional components that are not so easily observed. This physical vs. mental manifestation is the most commonly cited way that ADHD presents differently in women. I do not believe that is fully accurate, but I'm biased, as I'll elaborate on later.
Women do present these symptoms at comparable rates to men but they tend to go unnoticed for longer because girls are often socialized to be quiet, reserved, and deferential from a younger age than boys. Girls are discouraged from rowdy physicality because it's traditionally considered a masculine trait. Many cultures are simply more permissive of these behaviors in boys. Socialization obscures and encourages masking of physical symptoms in girls, and incidentally masks those symptoms in boys.
The invisible symptoms of ADHD are impaired executive function, struggles with working memory/multitasking, and emotional disregulation. These are too frequently considered side-effects of being a woman in many cultures. Being emotionally labile (changeable or easily affected) and distractable or flighty is "normal" in girls so it is less likely to be observed. The cultural conception of these as feminine traits also leads to them being actively discouraged and masked in boys. It doesn't help that disregulation often manifests as frustration or aggression which, again, is "normal" for boys and men well into adulthood. 😑 Socialization obscures and encourages masking of emotional symptoms in boys, and incidentally masks those symptoms in girls.
Some researchers believe that the deficiency of dopamine and delayed development of cognitive function contributes to overstimulation which can manifest as physical hyperactivity, mental/emotional hyperactivity or both. That internal hyperactivity compounds with the traditionally "inattentive" traits like impaired working memory and exec function. This is why we now have "combined-type" ADHD instead of it being a binary hyperactive or inattentive type. There is also research that considers ADHD to be part of a larger neurodivergent matrix that includes autistic traits but that's bigger thing than I wanted to get into here. What I am saying is that human brains are not that functionally different between men and women and most of the basis for believing they are radically different comes from the age of bloody eugenics.
So while the full range of ADHD symptoms present in both men and women, women are still proportionately considered less reliable in self-reporting of symptoms, and those symptoms are more likely to go unnoticed by others as they are actively suppressed from a younger age.
While men and women can have differing ADHD presentations, a clinician needs to be evaluating the symptoms and their impact on the individual patient without limiting their prognosis by assuming an inherent sex-specific presentation. It should not be appropriate for a doctor to definitively say, "You can't have ADHD because you don't have the symptoms as they present in men."
I feel very strongly about this because it's what happened to me. Those words are permanently etched in my brain because that is the phrase that delayed my own diagnosis and treatment for three years. In those three years I was prescribed over 8 different meds for depression and anxiety that did not treat my depression or anxiety AND gave me a whole parade of debilitating side effects. For three years my mental and emotional state spiraled out of control because I didn't have "Boy's ADHD."
I've struggled with the cognitive and emotional effects of ADHD my entire life. I wasn't particularly hyperactive in the traditional sense but I was anxious as fuck forever. I was considered inappropriately sensitive and emotional. I've never been a big risk taker but I do talk a lot and tend to mirror people around me. In short I didn't have the men's ADHD red flags but I have all of them from the women's list. A competent clinician in this era should be able to make that connection. I'm endlessly thankful that I found a doctor who did.
I always wonder if there's something to the fact that two cis male doctors wrote off ADHD completely but my first female psychiatrist was willing to order neuro-psych testing by the end of our first visit. It was clear to her while the previous doctors weren't willing to consider ADHD until they could "get the depression and anxiety out of the way." I get wanting to clear the imminent threat, then seeing if the mental symptoms improved but they were dismissive of my earliest ADHD concerns and bolstered their assertions by citing my lack of typical male symptoms without even telling me what the atypical symptoms were. I should've asked but alas, I was pretty fucked up at the time. 🤷♀️
I generally try not to put so much of myself on the internet but I sincerely believe examples like mine are critical for a better understanding of what our needs are as neurodivergent humans, and for demanding better systems of care and support.
ADHD is a glaring example of the failures that result from narrow and inflexible standards based on archaic notions of how people work. In the beginning, ADHD didn't exist and was treated by hitting children until they behaved properly. Then it exists but it's a behavioral problem with kids and they should be segregated from the normal kids. OK, it's a thing but it only really happens to boys. It happens to boys and girls but not in the same way. Turns out anyone can have ADHD and the symptoms aren't set in stone but we're still going to make getting a diagnosis as difficult as possible and restrict access to most of the drugs that treat it on the assumption that most people just want to abuse stimulants. Progress!
Basing women's care on centuries-old assumptions about women by men is inappropriate and harmful. Basing a black patient's care on historic racial stereotypes is inappropriate and harmful. Basing the care of LGBTQ+ patients on a system that historically pathologized their existence is inappropriate and harmful. Dismissing a mental health patient's concerns and reported history solely because they do not fit a typical gendered presentation is inappropriate and harmful.
This is why the conversation of equality vs. equity must be a priority. Diagnosing every neurodivergent patient by one standard is not reliable because of the complex array of presentations and effects. There are diagnostic screening tests but they are essentially "if you tic 6+ symptoms from section A you may be hyperactive. If you check 6+ symptoms from section B you may be inattentive. If you have at least 6 from each you may be a combo deal." Conditions like these require an individualized approach or countless people will continue to be misdiagnosed or slip through the cracks. We require more doctors, more effort, and better education. There is no streamlining or automation that will make this more effective. The potential for harm here is immense and made even more difficult to address by the persistent belief that real ADHD is rare.
Ignorance and inertia are liabilities in healthcare. Without continually updating the best practices and procedures we'd be stuck with bloodletting, miasmas, and choleric humors. We'd still be operating on babies without anesthesia. That's not a widely seen practice now because doctors did finally agree they should stop in the late 1980s. In the US. Doctors around the world still regularly under-medicate black patients based on beliefs that their pain tolerance is higher than white people. That myth is so pervasive that it's often used to justify excessive force by police officers against black suspects. Trans youth can be denied life-saving support if they can't meet the standards of people who do not believe they exist. The neglect and abuse these myths enable are horrific.
Inhumane treatment should never be excused because a patient didn't tic all the correct boxes.
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And the lights are not fluorescent, and there are no words on the page. - Form Essay
Author's Preface and Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
Description: My final portfolio for one of the creative writing courses I took based around exploring the creative nonfiction essay in its many literary forms, with any and all identifying names or signifiers censored out.
To do list!!! Ignore how silly, irresponsible even, you feel about including this part. Adding “To do list”, complete with a grammatically incorrect number of exclamation points with little hearts in place of the dots. Reserving its top billing, the extra big lined space at the top of a little baby sticky note where it’s just gonna take up pretty pink space, space you could be saving for one of the myriad of things you need to get accomplished tonight. Like the douchey lead actor taking their sweet time down the red carpet, the entirety of the camera crew already getting rushed into their seats offscreen.
Suppose, if you can, that it's “whatever”. Rationalize that it probably gives the note a sense of urgency or something (you need that, god, you need that tonight) and that it's already too late to start worrying about losing yourself in all this attention to detail, about what fulfilled word count or pieces of unfolded laundry you’re already sacrificing with this adamant sticking to form.
This is a to-do list, after all. Who even needs these, really?
(Dear lord, this is a very elaborate burst of anger for the first line of a makeshift to-do list. Are you sure you even have the strength to do this? don’t answer that, do NOT answer that, if you try to answer that, it’ll automatically become a “no” by default, do NOT answer that
[✓] Take your meds. Do not convince yourself that you will not need them. You will.
[✓] Regret writing this list in pen.
[ ] Finish reflection. Put this at the top of the list because it's the one you expect to complete first. Not because you have confidence in your ability to do so, but because it’s due tonight and you’ll need to peer pressure yourself enough that the shame and academic anxiety override your executive dysfunction.
[✓] Do creative writing assignment. Make this second on the list because you actually do think you can finish this one on time (you probably can’t) and that it’ll be the easiest to breeze through (it absolutely will not), letting you ride off the high of a job well done and attack the rest of this list feeling like your workload is significantly lower than before. Conveniently forget that late-stage ADHD comes with time blindness and a dopamine deficiency that makes you literally incapable of feeling any sense of accomplishment after finishing a task (Acknowledge that it also comes with a side of autism, on the house. ONLY acknowledge it, though. Do not delve into why you are frantically scratching out this list at 5:00 in the afternoon, all because you’re convinced that establishing some sort of routine is more important than actually tackling what feels like near-death deadlines. Do not start pacing around your room while unconsciously gesturing along with the extensive imaginary conversation between you and your roommate that starts with you making a comment and his response that essentially boils to “Think that might just be the ‘tism, bud :P ”, ending in an elaborate discussion of your symptoms and concerns, as if Luc didn’t almost laugh when you suggested he consider majoring in psychology.
Do not open this goddamn can of worms, because you WILL spill it like a can of beans, and everything will get everywhere, and you already have to clean all the gunk off the floor, and you don’t even know how the heck you’re gonna manage that, and this whole debacle can wait until the morning, really, it can-
[ ] Open it anyway, because you are a coward, and natural selection will gather you first.
[✓] Submit everything at 11:59 and give yourself whiplash getting out of bed, dizzy from the nightmarish chemical cocktail that is Adderall and not enough water. Be dramatic about stumbling to your feet and leaning against the bedpost, because self-pity is an evolutionary survival tactic to comfort ourselves once our parents stop doing it for us. Pace around the room once the hot flash fades.
[ ] Clean dorm.
[✓] Elaborate on the last checkbox because something ungodly thing possessed you to think that “Clean house” was specific enough for your brain to understand on five hours of sleep and prescription speed.
[✓] Do laundry. Tell yourself you will do it as soon as possible, to leave yourself as much time as possible to make all the different trips to the laundry room. Leave it until it's dark out, the image of you getting jumped and stabbed to death poking at your brain like a wet toothpick you keep absentmindedly fiddling with.
The fear will make you walk faster.
[✓] Take out the trash. Leave this for nightfall, because your father’s monthly warnings and the lyrics of the song you performed for your ISP, of femicide and government priorities and how no one goes looking for little brown girls who go missing in the dead of night, and, heck, even the memory of being trapped outside your dorm with the raccoons somehow can’t override the anxiety.
[ ] Wash the dishes. Leave this for last, despite the smell hitting you as hard as the common area hits you each time you turn your key and yank.
[✓] Decline your roommate’s offer to hang out tonight, despite all the time you’ve been wasting and will continue to waste for the rest of the night. Claim you’re too tired in the morning.
[✓] Wipe down all the counters. Waste time every five, ten minutes. Sit with the tension between how mortifying it would be for one of your roommates to walk in on you wasting all this time vs. your insistence that keeping up with mindless chores is SO much easier, really, it's just the schoolwork that takes you forever.
Cut through said tension with a switchblade, if you have to.
[✓] Spend ten minutes trying to figure out how to attack the floor situation.
[ ] Attack the floor situation. Drive yourself crazy with the shoe scuffs you waited too long to deal with.
[✓] Pick up any extra trash. Muse about the time your mother and grandmother caught you in between a month-long academic and the mourning of your childhood dependence, and proceeded to scold you for the rest of the night. Muse about hiding the absence of bra straps and fighting for the hair stylist’s attention and “I don’t want you to get mad when I say this, but sometimes, there are things that we don’t like, but we have to to do them anyway, so…[insert the most horrific, victim blaming, powerless thinking you’ve ever heard in your life]”. Muse about the meaning of the word “presentable”, the antonym of skin and sentence structure and wandering, glassy eyes that give you away every time.
[✓] Play the sound of mother’s fretting over the state of your roommate's bed sheets over the sound of your explaining, of what depression does to the art of your cleaning skills, somewhere in your head, old syllabus crinkling between your fingernails. Wonder if his tarot prediction of a depressive state will come true, if your mother will complain about your room then. If it’s different when it’s you.
[ ] Finish resenting her by the time she arrives to come get you in the morning.
[ ] Pack your stuff for tomorrow. Forget one thing you actually need and one thing you don’t, but your mom wants you to bring anyway.
[ ] Do the billions of things you’re supposed to do sometime during the semester (preferably a month ago), but will probably end up stuck with during finals week.
[✓] Set an alarm. Wake up before it goes off.
#creative nonfiction#essay#metaphor#to do list#mommy issues#femicide#autism#roomates#chores#adulting#life skills#dorm room#dorm life#dorms#college dorms#college#meloncholy#angst#angsty#creative writing#nonfiction#personal essay#assignments#school#experimental#existential dread#spiraling#mental crisis#emotional crisis#existentialism
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mental illness (general form) musings below the cut
i think in general that there are a lot of things that people don't want to acknowledge as actual ways a brain can be wired. e.g. people generally do not want to believe that someone can have no control of their actions
i think that this impulse is also present in psychologists/psychiatrists, and goes into how the DSMs are written. to be specific, diagnostic criteria.
diagnostic criteria for mental illnesses are often written extremely broadly, because they want to cover as wide of a category of behavior as possible. however, these broad diagnostic criteria often don't carve reality at the joints.
a tame example is ADHD; there is no practical reason that the inattentive and hyperactive forms should be considered the "same disorder". they do not have similar symptoms. oh, they both can be treated with stimulants and thus both likely come from dopamine deficiency? great! let's group every mental condition influenced by GABA under the same umbrella now.
a much less tame example is antisocial personality disorder.
the criteria as articulated in the DSM-V basically make it, when diagnosed "sort of a jackass who does some crimes disorder". however, the way people think of it socially (and the way even psychologists characterize it) is very different.
i personally believe that there is an abnormal brain psychology that exists that does fit the role of how people normally think of ASPD. that is to say: -little regard for consequences of actions on the self (probably from hyperbolic time discounting, lack of a future world model) -lack of impact of other people's emotions on one's emotional state (i state it like this instead of the vague term "empathy" because there's a whole mess of empathy arguments out there) -low tolerance for being around other people (if being around others doesn't positively affect one's emotional state there is less incentive to do so) -chronic understimulation (probably lack of future world model again)
these things lead to (to variable degrees) -lowered impulse control -lack of care for impact of actions on others -risk-taking behaviors -desire to inflict harm on others
these traits existing does not require the existence of all other traits on this list (i.e. you can have high impulse control wrt your actions on others but low impulse control wrt risks you take on yourself, for example) but i think that they are a closely linked cluster of traits leading from deficits in one's world-model
however i think that the overlap of people with these particular traits (even those who have all of them; the classic "sociopath") with people who have the diagnosis of ASPD is actually quite low, as the diagnostic criteria of ASPD are such that people get diagnosed with it for being a problem to others in some way (whether that's being an asshole or Crimes For Real) rather than actually fitting the above constellation of traits.
a summary of my thoughts on psychiatric diagnosis is: the DSM-V is Plato's cave, the diagnosed mentally ill are holding the shadow puppets, but that doesn't mean that (outside the cave) there aren't things that represent what the diagnoses are desperately trying to gesture at (and failing).
i hate the social sciences. dreadful.
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@little-cowby hey! :3 so, i havent personally done my own research on this myself, BUT its something my therapist told me and i see no reason to distrust him (and no hes not just Some Neurotypical who doesnt understand adhd, he Has It and so do i)
so, adhd is absolutely caused by genetics and stuff like that, BUT APPARENTLY newer studies have found that early childhood trauma can cause adhd symptoms to appear when there previously were none. and these studies are new enough that i doooooont think theyre sure if the trauma just causes inhereted adhd to present itself stronger or if it really just. makes the symltoms appear. or at least, I'M not sure about it
imo, it kind of makes sense tho? adhd is a deficiency with dopamine and if you zap some poor kid's brain to shit SUPER early, that thang is not gonna work right. like i said, i havent personally done research on this so i cant rly give an in depth answer, all ive got is My Therapist Told Me so i highly encourage u to do ur own research on it!
(update as i was writing the tags i decided to do a quick google search and from what i quickly saw, yea it seems to check out!)
#so tldnr ya i said that but i dont have much info on the specifics of it#i didnt find an EXACT study and my ass is too busy to go searching for it rn (PREPTOBER. KILL ME)#but yea i hope that answers ur question#and thanks 4 liking my post!#waposts
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Notes from Seminar 1/4: Sleep
ADHD ain't just hyperactivity.
"Skills not pills," they say, since part of ADHD treatment is to provide people with coping mechanisms that will let them work around the difficulties of their neurotype. Part of "skills" is awareness of how your brain works and how that affects your life.
How ADHD affects sleep:
You might forget to go to bed, go to bed later, or experience insomnia
a burst of energy as night falls, or Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder. These symptoms may arise from smaller pineal glands, irregularities in clock genes, and later melatonin release. Things that may help are Bright Light Therapy as you wake up, or melatonin to help you fall asleep, or timers and alarms to remind you to go to bed.
preferring the nighttime hours as a time to "hyperfocus" on stuff
a "disrupted" sleep-wake schedule that doesn't fit the typical 9-5 job
Restless Leg Syndrome or other limb movement disorders occur in 50% of people with ADHD. May be caused by iron or dopamine deficiencies; treated with iron supplements or dopaminergics.
Trouble waking up or shaking off drowsiness; excessive sleepiness.
To help combat sleep disorders, the presentation recommended:
cut out sugar, caffeine, and alcohol within a few hours of bedtime
avoid screen time for an hour before bed (ask me about my canned rant on this)
avoid stimulating activities and projects that require focus in the evening
make the bed a stress-free zone "reserved for sleep and sex"
get exercise and sunlight during the day
develop a bedtime routine that you enjoy and look forwards to
keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet
blanket outside noise using a noise machine or a nature-sounds recording, or calming music
keep a consistent sleep schedule, making sure to get enough sleep for your age group
use a weighted blanket
meditation
basically anything that counts as "soothing", including essential oil diffusers (doubt.jpg)
To help get out of bed in the morning:
bright lights, including Bright Light Therapy, east-facing bedrooms, timers that turn on bright lamps, or alarm clocks that turn on a light gradually.
you may benefit for a specific form of CBT: CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I)
talk to your doc about sleep meds or adjusting your sleep schedule to optimize it for sleep.
(These notes may come with a certain amount of sarcasm or scepticism; the presenter was new to the course and to the course materials, and was reading from the slides a lot. The slides contained a lot of pop-science infographics, and there were some missed connections in the presentation.)
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I feel like this whole "dopamine addiction" bullshit is gonna be our generation's "carbs are bad for you".
Our bodies need dopamine to function. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that manages motivation, mood, and (ironically) attention. Without dopamine, we'd probably all be sleep-deprived, anxious, and depressed zombies, not to mention all the physical symptoms that may arise from a dopamine deficiency.
The thing is, dopamine addictions aren't even a thing. Yes, dopamine gets released when you smoke or drink, which is how addictions happen, but dopamine isn't the cause of it. The drug/alcohol is still the root cause of your addiction, not the dopamine. That would be like blaming your fork for giving you food poisoning instead of your food.
i love when people say “dopamine addiction” to refer to anything that makes you feel good ever
#I can talk forever about how mental health influencers are using buzzwords to direct people away from the root cause of their problems#and how social media and poor attention span has become a scapegoat for almost every mental health problem that's on the rise
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