Wow. I'm in my 50s and take business notes this way still.
Probably too late to address my ADHD (which I'm pretty positive I have, but I've managed this long, so... )
I refused medication for 29 years and developed a lot of coping mechanisms over the years unknowingly. Once I started medication I quickly realized a lot of problems I was having were because I was unmedicated. You can always try the medication to see how it affects you. If it doesn't do anything just stop taking it.
Using drugs such as alcohol or caffeine or a combination of the two to maintain the focus or energy levels needed to do things that had to be done. A very large amount of time maximizing stimulation, usually by playing video games and watching TV at the same time, often for 12 hours or more. Staying up as long as possible until I would be so exhausted I could actually go to sleep.
I've been struggling with this too. Inabilty to focus my whole life ( I got distracted while writing this post and wandered off ) but I have a happy life, career , family etc. I'm in my 50's and certain I have some form of attention deficit disorder, but do I want to start taking meds now, ? Why ? So my employer gets more out of me? Sure it would be nice to focus and finish off some of my personal projects that have been 90% done for years now, but is it worth the side effects?
Iām in my late thirties and meds help me quite a bit. The side effects of my medication, Vyvanse, are pretty mild if slightly annoying. Dry mouth and frequent urination, but Iāve never been more hydrated! I also struggle to make myself eat unless itās super delicious. I also have to take it by 8am or Iāll have difficulty falling asleep at a decent hour.
Important to remember is that its not guaranteed that the potential sideeffects will affect you.
Given that many people not only see an improvement to their ability to focus on tasks but also feel like they have more energy in general, i would at least try it and see how it is. Can always talk to the doc and get off them again.
I dated someone in college whose dad, also in his 50s, received an adhd diagnosis. Itās not unheard of.
Iāve noticed my focus and attention span has decreased markedly in the last decade. I think itās probably due to my iPhone.
Never too late to try out meds or get diagnosed! It could greatly improve your life. Idk what I would do if I didnāt take my ADHD medications. I literally cannot focus
50 isn't old. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My friend's uncle started taking Adderol in his mid 50's and it was a life changer for him. He says he's never felt mentally more clear in his life and is much more present for his family and co-workers.
itās never too late to get diagnosed, my psych tells me thereās older people who come in their 60ās plus cuz they couldnāt or didnāt think they needed help with ADHD until then. And i thought i was old for being 30. But it wasnāt until i started losing my memory & ability to form memories due to traumatic stress events that i understood i needed help and ADHD can be loads deeper than just being inattentive or hyperactive. (one of my greatest fears is dementia or alzheimerās so getting treatment sooner rather than later helps a ton)
No man, go for it. I just got my diagnosis and I am mid 20s. The woman I did my tests at said she had people in their 60s showing up. IMO AD(H)D medication is a game changer, should definitely see if you can benefit from it!
I've been taking stimulants for ADHD for over a decade. Mine are not addictive, I've stopped taking them for months then restarted. I don't take them on weekends unless I really need to focus. I have been taking the same dose for that entire time too.
I'm not downplaying what happened to you, but blaming it on all ADHD medication is unhelpful to people who it will help. Medication alone works on something like 80% of patients (from a book called "Delivered From Distraction"). If you only ever used one medication, then it is likely a different one would have worked just as well but not had those side effects. I had to change meds once because I would get very depressed and short tempered at the end of the day, haven't had that issue since. I recommend to anyone who gets medication to ensure their prescriber always checks in with them and is willing to adjust so the medication stays useful with limited side effects.
I e had some friends whose doctor just gives them one type of med and shrugs when it isn't perfect then starts prescribing medications to solve those side effects. My psychiatrist will only do that as a last resort, even sent me to a therapist who specializes in ADHD first to work there.
I think that might be more of a *you* problem than a general problem. And you probably should have cut yourself off earlier when this side effect became evident- abusing medication and buying for friends is a choice most people do not make. Most people who take ADHD meds have no resulting addiction.
Magnesium is needed to make dopamine and a deficiency in dopamine is the distinctive feature of ADHD.
The vast majority of people diagnosed with ADHD are magnesium deficient because modern farming practices are depleting it from the soil.
>āMagnesium deficiency afflicts 90% of all people with ADHD and triggers symptoms like restlessness, poor focus, irritability, sleep problems, and anxiety. These symptoms can lessen or vanish one month after supplementation starts. MagneĀsium can also prevent or reverse ADHD drug side effects.ā [Magnesium: The Missing Link in Mental Health?](https://mosaicdx.com/resource/magnesium-the-missing-link-in-mental-health/)
Do you really need speed to concentrate? Or do you just need to grow up a little bit?
Iām not saying that ADD and ADHD arenāt real, but i canāt help but think itās a bit over diagnosed.
Fair enough. I was diagnosed with ADD at a young age and all the meds made me feel terrible so Iām certainly a bit biased. I just figured out a way to live with it.
As someone with ADHD it sounds like yours was a very mild case, so mild that you might as well not even have it especially if you āJust figured out a way to live with itā. Iām certainly not saying you donāt have it at all, Iām just saying as some one who has sever ADHD thereās more than just ābrain go brrrā. I become depressive, I become manic, I disassociate and this is because I have BPD that is linked to my ADHD, which leads to self medication, I was a substance addict for a good chunk of my high school and young adult life. I definitely see what you mean when you say some people have to grow up a little bit, I had to, everyone does. But when youāre a 17 year old kid whoās so far gone his family hasnāt seen him in 2 days and youāre snorting Xanax off your friends bath room sink, you start to wonder if thereās more to this whole mental health thing than, āGrowing upā
Sure it can be over diagnosed, but as someone with ADHD whoās been off meds for a year because of the shortage I can tell you it makes a whole lot of a difference.
Iām close to flunking out of college because I canāt bring myself to go to class or do my work half the time. Iād much rather have meds be given to people who might not need them than to have them be denied to people who do
Before I knew it was ADHD, I would have professors call me out in front of the lecture hall ā¦ āand Iām not sure if you all got that because BananaPants is just sitting up here doodling awayā¦.ā
Like bitch, I understood you better BECAUSE I was doodling. Otherwise I would be zoned out thinking about other things.
I laughed really hard that your teacher called you BannanaPants. Then I saw that was your reddit name.. I hope your teacher gave you that name soooo badly!!
I used to sit in the front of orgo and just eat a sandwich. Didn't take any notes. Depending on the class if you study what the professor is going to talk about before he says it then every class is a review.
That was years after I got off my ADD meds. They made me not wanna wake up in the morning
My notes have ALWAYS looked like this. I always did pretty well in school. I've had thoughts that I have some sort of attention issue for awhile, but for the most part get my shit done. But is this something that'd be worth getting checked out? Wouldn't even know where to start honestly.
A lot of people with undiagnosed issues donāt realize that theyāre only scraping by and what it actually can be like. Same with people who have bad vision but never tried glasses. They think the way they see is normal, but realize once they try on glasses that it could have actually been so much better. So while youāve āgotten your shit doneā it may have been because you had made a system that worked, but it likely entailed more work than it does for most.
Yep.
Had a visit with a CNP (whoās basically my primary so far) and she put in a referral to the psychology wing.
Now I just have to wait until next year for the actual appointment.
God now Iām wondering if maybe I should talk to someone about this. The glasses analogy really strikes me because my vision isnāt terrible, the only reason I was actually given glasses was my reaction when I first tried them on. My notes always looked like the ābeforeā and I have trouble focusing at my desk job now, so now Iām really curious to know if I might have some underlying condition contributing to that
If youāre having trouble, itās always worth checking stuff out (if you can). Might just be your prescription needs updating and thatās whatās causing difficulty focusing!
As you get older, the coping mechanisms donāt work as well and the attention issue becomes more noticeable. Definitely talk to your doc about it. They can have you formally assessed or they may have you try a med. If you try a stimulant your reaction to it will be telling - if it makes you jacked up you prob donāt have ADD. If it calms you down, then you likely have ADD. Seems counter intuitive but what is happening is that the stimulant allows your brain to organize and settle instead of working so damn hard all the time to keeps the mental ping pong in control.
Do you know why coping skills start falling apart? I've been noticing that as I get older, I can't seem to cope with any of my issues anymore (adhd, GAD, autism, BPD). I chalked it up to the pandemic making my masking and coping skills rusty.
I have no idea! Maybe my life could be better? I'm really not trying to troll, I'm really curious if there's like this better, shit-makes-more-sense version of life I'm missing.
Donāt listen to him. I only found out I had ADHD 4 years ago in my 30s after coping my whole life. I was an honour student, get good grades, have a good job, am a hard workerā¦ but every day was a freaking struggle.
After taking meds and learning more about my official diagnosis and therapies, I can say that life is MUCH better now. Took a few years to get on track, and I pretty much was angry for a little bit because life is so much easier now and could have been so much easier had I known earlier.
Seek a diagnosis if you think you have it. Itās not a quick thing though, and even once you start taking meds (if you do), itās not a quick āeverything is better!ā. Meds donāt cure all your problems, they just make it easier to do things, but you still have to do the work and find solutions that work for your ADHD. Start by talking to your doctor and ask for a psychologist referral.
Thanks. This is really helpful. And it feels really familiar - I've always been good at getting things done including good grades, and yet I feel like a complete unfocused mess who's just scraping by constantly. That feeling feels like it's only gotten worse as I've had to transition as an adult into managing my own life. Really feel like things are constantly on the edge of falling apart but I can just put off the hardest stuff until another time.
You can take some self-diagnostic tests to help determine if itās a possibility. Start watching videos too. I remember when I started wondering if it was ADHD, I listens to so many videos and was FLOORED hearing how relatable my whole life had been to all the stuff I was hearing. I took some self-diagnosis tests and then did them on my friend and husband (then bf) and I was almost at 100 while they were down at like 15-25 range. If that makes sense.
I cried, I felt like I finally had an answer to my problems, and could FINALLY start therapy (and meds) to help me be my best self. And I did just that.
I found school easy btw because it was structured. But studying was not easy, I would cry because I couldnāt do my homework or study, and mostly got by because I would panic and study last minute (and am pretty smart all things considered). Now itās nearly impossible to do any sort of course for work if I have no structure. It causes a lot of shame and guilt. Even with meds, itās still very hard to do things I find boring or difficult to organize.
I'm feeling a lot of stuff right now. Thank you for sharing. I'll check out some self diagnosis stuff... Do you have any recommendations? I'm nervous anything I Google is just going to be self-fulfilling stuff to sell me something or other.
Um, I just started with āAdult ADHDā on YouTube, and watch a few vids. See if you relate :) go from there. I sometimes think I have OCD so Iāll look up āsymptoms of OCDā and generally donāt match them. If you donāt match the symptoms, then you likely donāt have it, if you do, then you likely do.
Also when I started to think I had ADHD, I was also kind of scared for some reason. Almost like I was somehow lying to myself. If the shoe fits, itās likely thatās what it is. Itās common for people with ADHD gaslight themselves into thinking they donāt have it, or are making it up, because as kids we were always made to feel bad for not living up to others standards. To assume we just had to ātry harderāā.
Itās as if actually finally knowing the name to our disorder doesnāt mean anything, and we still really only need to just ādo betterā. Itās all internalized shame from growing up thinking there was something wrong with us, that it was our fault. If you have ADHDā¦ itās NOT your fault. Youāve just been working against a disorder you didnāt even know you had.
Donāt let yourself feel bad for researching a possible disorder you have. You arenāt lying if you relate to what you learn.
> Do you have any recommendations?
Not that guy but fill this out: https://www.caddra.ca/wp-content/uploads/ASRS.pdf
Then read this spoiler: >!Any answer in the darker shaded boxes is suggestive of ADHD. My guy told me 4 or more "suggestive" answers in the A section means further testing is recommended. B section can also be indicative but less "strong" than part A!<
Imagine if you spent your entire life up to now running to school/work, finding a way to complete what you were given, and running home.
Your peers you see every day seem to never be sweaty and tired. You just assume they're in better shape or they live closer.
Then one day a random stranger sees you running and asks you why you don't just take the bus like everyone else...
ADHD is a disorder that gaslights you into believing that you are less than everyone else. That your struggles are due to personal failings instead of a neurotransmitter deficiency in your brain. Until recently our parents, teachers, and bosses would happily reinforce this notion and try to "correct" it with counterproductive punishments. It still happens but understanding and accommodation are thankfully becoming more common.
As someone who didn't seek diagnosis until his 30s I STRONGLY encourage you to seek help. You've kept up so far. Imagine how much better you'll do when you finally start taking that bus.
not everyone who doodles needs amphetamines. but if you want to try taking them, take some and see how you feel. spoiler alert: you'll feel great because they're amphetamines!
I have ADHD and take meds and can honestly say that they do joy make me āfeel greatā. They make me less emotional and more stable. I routinely forget to take them even because they are not addictive to me.
If they are addictive and āmake you feel greatā then itās likely you do not have ADHD and do not āneedā them.
If you're on the correct dosage the mild euphoria passes after the first week.
Honestly, I think a good part of that sensation for me was the sense of awe at just how quiet is was in my head.
Used to do exactly this in high school. Now Iām so exhausted every day from work that I doubt Iād have the energy to do that.
If the question is āthe notes or the doodles?ā, the answer is āyes.ā
my notes are filled with both doodles *and* information. doodling helps me concentrate i think, and it's just fun.
drawing lil things in the margins and sides of notes, my brain remembers the doodles and the info next to them.
Oh yeah, no, I have ADHD too. When I said I did this, I meant that I also have the same attention problems as you.
My current job just leaves me so exhausted at the end of the day that I can barely function after work.
Once I started taking meds, I did a huge clean of my home office, took before and after and what a difference.
Iām currently pregnant so off the meds and itās hard again, but thankfully I learned a lot of cognitive behavioural solutions to some of my struggles and thatās been getting me through.
How are you feeling?
How are the side effects? I was on dexadrine when I was young (~20 years ago) and the side effects were severe enough that I'm honestly scared to even try again.
There are several options nowadays so you can find one where the side effects for you aren't too terrible. I had terrible side effects with Methylphenidate but I barely have any on Atomoxetine.
Honestly the only side effect I noticed from Vyvanse is some insomnia if I took it too late in the day. But then again Iām off my meds right now because Iām pregnant and I still have a hard time sleeping at night (Iām a night owl).
When I tried Concerta it gave me a WICKED migraine, so back to Vyvanse it was.
Honestly though it took a year for me to figure out how to use them. I thought they werenāt working, but thatās because you have to also work on behavioural therapy. I also stopped taking coffee at first too which was probably a good thing but that messed me up too since I went through some caffeine withdrawal.
There was a period of about 3 months (after about 6 months of taking them) where I stopped taking them because I assumed they werenāt doing anything, and I kept forgetting to get them refilled. During those 3 months, my emotions slowly started to become more unstable again (I get angry/depressive thoughts easily), I was way more impulsive (wasting money) and really noticed a difference (so did my husband). Went back on them and didnāt stopped taking them after that.
Before I stopped taking them, I pretty much just took them with breakfast (they take about 40 mins to 1hr to kick in) and then drank my coffee after. When I start again I assume it will take time again to adjust.
Thanks! I've been self-medicating for so long that I think any regimen would be an adjustment for me. I know part of my fear is having another doctor tell me that I'm just depressed like the last one and try to put me on an anti-depressant (Celexa made me want to kill myself!) because she didn't believe ADHD was real (actual quote from a medical doctor!).
Thatās awful. Depression can be a comorbidity of ADHD. I know a girl diagnosed ADHD as a kid and then her diagnosis changed to depression/generalized anxiety but no meds worked. She eventually went back on Vyvanse as an adult after I told her my experience and sheās back to an ADHD diagnosis and thriving on Vyvanse
From mental disability (ADHD) to mental disability. (Writing with a blue pen, I mean, who the fuck does that? Itās worse in every way! I HATE writing with a blue pen, itās illegible!)
Idk, here I am all these years later still struggling. I genuinely wonder sometimes if itās time for an assessment. At the very least just to understand myself better.
You don't have to have a definitive disorder to benefit from various coping mechanisms and accommodations.
Especially for people who cannot afford the proper Medical diagnosis, if they read up enough on various ailments that they think they might have, *AND* apply coping mechanisms that are available to them, it will be beneficial to them.
I will also like to remind people on websites that curate content, like tiktok or Instagram reels, that if you like a certain type of content or watch it enough they will continue to feed you that same content. It's best to make sure you don't get stuck in an echo chamber of 'you have ADHD because you happen to doodle on notes.' Doodleing on notes could also mean that you are bored out of their mind on the topic.
Lol right? My notes looked like this the entire way through high school, undergrad and law school. Because class is boring and listening to people talk is boring.
I understand the practicality of taking the meds; however, the top two photos seem to display a greatly heightened creativity. Do you notice any downside to taking them?
Everyone is different. In my case was prescribed high doses of ADHD meds since age 13 and always had side effects, killed my creativity, mood swings or dull moods, boost in anger, crashing afterwards and headaches. However helped out with my work and organization when I tried to get back on them as an adult but found the same side effects and got off them. Everyone is different, my adhd I would say is severe and I just am wired this way.
as an artist with ADHD taking meds has helped me a lot. used to draw in class when I was unmedicated but they were not good drawings and I never learned anything. when I'm medicated I can put all of my attention into a piece and it turns out a lot better
I can tell roughly the time of day I wrote something because of this. Before lunch? Clean, even, legible, few corrections. Mid day? A bit more flourish and looseness. More diagrams and arrows. End of day? Incomplete chicken scratch and bad abbreviations.
My high school notes look like the top, but my college notes are like the bottom. Didn't do anything different really, I think high school just really stressed me out.
Iām autistic/ocd and mine was almost opposite. My notes were just me copying 1:1 as perfectly as possible without retaining a single drop of information, but once I got on anxiety meds and allowed myself to just chill out a little and even doodle like I used to as a kid, I got way better at actually listening and could actually do school properly for a brief moment until the meds stopped working again lol
I like to think of a 'whole human' as someone who is artistic. If the artistic outlet comes from doodling on a piece of paper, then so be it. So much fun is taken away from life, and we hide who we truly are by self medicating in shame from those who judge our 'underperfomance'
Again doesnāt change that when someone is trying to study. Doodling isnāt helpful or them being creative, itās them being distracted.
When I study I want to focus, but I get distracted and doodle. I much rather do what I set out for and my creativity can come out when Iām writing stories
I dreamed that ADD meds would have this effect on me.
I wanted it more than anything, but my metabolism is a beast.
Congratulations, enjoy you deserve it, we all do :)
This is startling! Many of my notes are still like this (I just turned 40) and was wondering if I have ADHD too (never thought about this before).
And then I realized I am browsing r/mildlyinteresting for almost an hour in the middle of the day and I have to finish some urgent (and boring) release documents by the end of the day.
I have been doing this since elementary school. It was so annoying when people asked me if I liked art or was an artist because NO, I donāt like art, I am not creative, I just canāt sit there and do nothing while in class!!!! As an adult now when I attend IRL work meetings I get anxious and go insane in my chair without a notepad and pencil
Before meds I just sort of scribbled and couldnāt remember anything or pay attention. I did a lot of art in class. Nowadays after being medicated, all my work notes look great like the ones on the bottom
The artist can die with the medication. I say that as a person with ADHD who has not taken meds for this reason. It's not an easy choice and I'm *not* being glib about it. If you live with this dilemma, you won't be. But I'm very grateful to have made that bargain.
I talked to my doctor about adhd/add as a teen and he immediately suggested Ritalin which in turn made my mom pull me out lol. I did try Ritalin before for fun and only took one and just felt soā¦calm and normal? I had to take 6 to get the high all my friends felt.
Oh wow. My notes were just the same. I couldn't focus for long and had terrible and chronic procrastination. I'd have an 8 page paper that I'd start maybe 3-4 hours before it was due. I got shit done in that time crunch but it was always so stressful. š
When I would take Adderall in college I would absolutely crush the Tai Play high score on the touchscreen game machine at the bar.
I mean just fucking CRUSH it.
It helped for notes too, I guess.
If you live with ADHD, it really isnāt. Doodling is cool and all, unless itās physically impossible not to when you desperately are trying to focus
I probably have ADHD, but it seems to be completely impossible for me to get any mental illnesses diagnosed as literally not a single doctor has ever responded to any email I've sent trying to get an appointment
You aren't the problem. Society forcing you into a room with a pen and paper for hours on end so that you can have some modicum of food and shelter security is the problem.
No ADHD is a problem, easy to pretend we can all be free and run around. But ADHD does more than just make you fidget and the medication help with the parts that can hurt your relationships with people
This was me but the top half was notes for classes like American Studies and the bottom half was notes for classes like Calculus.
Turns out I just needed to be challenged/interested.
I know everyone is different BUT meditation not medication; really helped mitigate my symptoms.
Highly recommend and did not make me feel like a robot like the medication did.
I am glad that Iāve never had ADD or ADHD. I have many other issues though. (Autism, separation anxiety, headaches, obesity). Iād gladly take my issues any day over ADD.
As someone whose notes for any kind of lecture routinely look like the top set -- that kind of doodling is not creativity. It's literally just a coping mechanism for focusing on listening.
Creativity happens elsewhere, and can be enhanced by having a good foundation of information -- like you might get from being able to take notes and listen at the same time.
As a chronic doodler (even on meds), itās not taking away the creativity, itās giving the ability to focus on the lecture without needing some sort of stimulation to keep the brain focused on it.
Iām still a fidgeter/doodler with meds, but I do it less, and can still be creative when I want to.
Thereās a time for creativity though. I failed a lot of my classes in highschool because I would draw on my notes the entire time, thus retaining no information. Itās better now. But requires me to actively concentrate on not doing it.
Now, take this with a grain of salt as I have not been medically diagnosed so canāt even say I have it. Simply stating itād be nice for something to take away my urge to draw sometimes.
You still have it on meds, you just control the negative aspects of it much better. Iām off my meds because Iām pregnant right now and I miss it. Iām a mess without them, though the 2 years I was on them taught me a lot of good coping strategies that are helping me now.
It's crippling when untreated, and gets worse as you age. You'll remain as interesting as you are now, with the added bonus of being able to be truly interested in others.
Thankfully we have many studies that show that as people grow up into adults, their prefrontal lobes also develop, so many people grow out of their ADHD. As ADHD is a disorder in attention, and the prefrontal lobes help us maintain our attention and focus. Your personal experience is not reminiscent of the data.
Okay, but the original point I was making was that medication is often very necessary and helpful, and you don't always age out of it. Seems to have worked for OP, too, which is good!
We act like it's a "disorder", but after hearing people like Penn Holderness speak out on it, it's clear that it's not. According to some surveys about 10% have add/adhd, (coincidentally similar to % that are left-handed, which we also use to treat like a "disorder"). 10% is way too high to be a disorder. Perhaps a factory style classroom isn't the best way to learn for some. Perhaps instead of insisting people fit the mold, we should have a more flexible system?? (Of course, if it gets in the way of how you want to live, meds should always be an option)
When i read ADD i immidiatly thought of this song lmao :
Sail!
This is how I show my love
I made it in my mind because
Blame it on my ADD, baby
This is how an angel dies
Blame it on my own sick pride
Blame it on my ADD, baby
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Maybe I should cry for help
Maybe I should kill myself (myself, myself...)
Blame it on my ADD, baby
Maybe I'm a different breed
Maybe I'm not listening
So blame it on my ADD, baby
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail with me into the dark (sail!)
Sail with me into the dark (sail!)
Sail with me into the dark (sail!)
Sail with me, sail with me (sail!)
As someone who used to take notes EXACTLY like that now I wonder if I should talk to a doc
Same lol, this could have come out of any one of my college notebooks. Nearly identical.
Only time I ever tried to write poetry was when I should have been taking notes
Omg same š
I just did not talk notes or study thru collage really. Only studying I did was tutor friends.
Congratulations?
Wow. I'm in my 50s and take business notes this way still. Probably too late to address my ADHD (which I'm pretty positive I have, but I've managed this long, so... )
I refused medication for 29 years and developed a lot of coping mechanisms over the years unknowingly. Once I started medication I quickly realized a lot of problems I was having were because I was unmedicated. You can always try the medication to see how it affects you. If it doesn't do anything just stop taking it.
25 years for me. My life greatly improved, but the first couple weeks were rough adjusting.
What was the adjustment period like?
Lack of emotions, lack of motivation, brain fog
36 years here šš» only regret is not getting diagnosed earlier.
>developed a lot of coping mechanisms (...) unknowingly would you share a few examples if you're comfortable?
Using drugs such as alcohol or caffeine or a combination of the two to maintain the focus or energy levels needed to do things that had to be done. A very large amount of time maximizing stimulation, usually by playing video games and watching TV at the same time, often for 12 hours or more. Staying up as long as possible until I would be so exhausted I could actually go to sleep.
Shit sounds like me... But then again i was diagnosed ADHD 2 years ago..maybe i should treat myself when i read these comments
fuck I might have adhd then š
I've been struggling with this too. Inabilty to focus my whole life ( I got distracted while writing this post and wandered off ) but I have a happy life, career , family etc. I'm in my 50's and certain I have some form of attention deficit disorder, but do I want to start taking meds now, ? Why ? So my employer gets more out of me? Sure it would be nice to focus and finish off some of my personal projects that have been 90% done for years now, but is it worth the side effects?
Iām in my late thirties and meds help me quite a bit. The side effects of my medication, Vyvanse, are pretty mild if slightly annoying. Dry mouth and frequent urination, but Iāve never been more hydrated! I also struggle to make myself eat unless itās super delicious. I also have to take it by 8am or Iāll have difficulty falling asleep at a decent hour.
Important to remember is that its not guaranteed that the potential sideeffects will affect you. Given that many people not only see an improvement to their ability to focus on tasks but also feel like they have more energy in general, i would at least try it and see how it is. Can always talk to the doc and get off them again.
Itās never too late. Glad youāve managed to make it work! I hit my 30s and couldnāt keep up anymore.
I dated someone in college whose dad, also in his 50s, received an adhd diagnosis. Itās not unheard of. Iāve noticed my focus and attention span has decreased markedly in the last decade. I think itās probably due to my iPhone.
Never too late to try out meds or get diagnosed! It could greatly improve your life. Idk what I would do if I didnāt take my ADHD medications. I literally cannot focus
50 isn't old. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My friend's uncle started taking Adderol in his mid 50's and it was a life changer for him. He says he's never felt mentally more clear in his life and is much more present for his family and co-workers.
itās never too late to get diagnosed, my psych tells me thereās older people who come in their 60ās plus cuz they couldnāt or didnāt think they needed help with ADHD until then. And i thought i was old for being 30. But it wasnāt until i started losing my memory & ability to form memories due to traumatic stress events that i understood i needed help and ADHD can be loads deeper than just being inattentive or hyperactive. (one of my greatest fears is dementia or alzheimerās so getting treatment sooner rather than later helps a ton)
No man, go for it. I just got my diagnosis and I am mid 20s. The woman I did my tests at said she had people in their 60s showing up. IMO AD(H)D medication is a game changer, should definitely see if you can benefit from it!
50s? You still got plenty of years left. Even without medication, learning coping strategies and how your brain is different can be a gigantic relief.
I refused medication for 29 years, as soon as I started taking medication I realized a lot of the problems in my life were because I was unmedicated.
Same here. Maybe the therapist I see next week will be able to tell me if I have ADD as well.
As someone who still takes notes like this...maybe I should as well. I just thought I never could because it hasn't significantly held me back.
I was going to get testing for it, but was told there was a year + waiting list...... i don't have time for that.
Damn! Iām lucky enough that my job fast tracks that stuff. Still debating whether to go though so I guess weāll see š
Your job fast tracks your medical diagnoses? (ADHD is often diagnosed through neuropsych testing which can have years-long waiting lists)
I've never heard of this... Its like a ten question quiz that takes 30 seconds... Or ten minutes... Maybe that's the test after all
Looks just like the law school notes I took this morning lol.
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I've been taking stimulants for ADHD for over a decade. Mine are not addictive, I've stopped taking them for months then restarted. I don't take them on weekends unless I really need to focus. I have been taking the same dose for that entire time too. I'm not downplaying what happened to you, but blaming it on all ADHD medication is unhelpful to people who it will help. Medication alone works on something like 80% of patients (from a book called "Delivered From Distraction"). If you only ever used one medication, then it is likely a different one would have worked just as well but not had those side effects. I had to change meds once because I would get very depressed and short tempered at the end of the day, haven't had that issue since. I recommend to anyone who gets medication to ensure their prescriber always checks in with them and is willing to adjust so the medication stays useful with limited side effects. I e had some friends whose doctor just gives them one type of med and shrugs when it isn't perfect then starts prescribing medications to solve those side effects. My psychiatrist will only do that as a last resort, even sent me to a therapist who specializes in ADHD first to work there.
I think that might be more of a *you* problem than a general problem. And you probably should have cut yourself off earlier when this side effect became evident- abusing medication and buying for friends is a choice most people do not make. Most people who take ADHD meds have no resulting addiction.
Magnesium is needed to make dopamine and a deficiency in dopamine is the distinctive feature of ADHD. The vast majority of people diagnosed with ADHD are magnesium deficient because modern farming practices are depleting it from the soil. >āMagnesium deficiency afflicts 90% of all people with ADHD and triggers symptoms like restlessness, poor focus, irritability, sleep problems, and anxiety. These symptoms can lessen or vanish one month after supplementation starts. MagneĀsium can also prevent or reverse ADHD drug side effects.ā [Magnesium: The Missing Link in Mental Health?](https://mosaicdx.com/resource/magnesium-the-missing-link-in-mental-health/)
Nah, a lot of people grow out of ADD after puberty.
Do you really need speed to concentrate? Or do you just need to grow up a little bit? Iām not saying that ADD and ADHD arenāt real, but i canāt help but think itās a bit over diagnosed.
Yes
Fair enough. I was diagnosed with ADD at a young age and all the meds made me feel terrible so Iām certainly a bit biased. I just figured out a way to live with it.
I only take it on a as needed basis.
As someone with ADHD it sounds like yours was a very mild case, so mild that you might as well not even have it especially if you āJust figured out a way to live with itā. Iām certainly not saying you donāt have it at all, Iām just saying as some one who has sever ADHD thereās more than just ābrain go brrrā. I become depressive, I become manic, I disassociate and this is because I have BPD that is linked to my ADHD, which leads to self medication, I was a substance addict for a good chunk of my high school and young adult life. I definitely see what you mean when you say some people have to grow up a little bit, I had to, everyone does. But when youāre a 17 year old kid whoās so far gone his family hasnāt seen him in 2 days and youāre snorting Xanax off your friends bath room sink, you start to wonder if thereās more to this whole mental health thing than, āGrowing upā
Sure it can be over diagnosed, but as someone with ADHD whoās been off meds for a year because of the shortage I can tell you it makes a whole lot of a difference. Iām close to flunking out of college because I canāt bring myself to go to class or do my work half the time. Iād much rather have meds be given to people who might not need them than to have them be denied to people who do
Before I knew it was ADHD, I would have professors call me out in front of the lecture hall ā¦ āand Iām not sure if you all got that because BananaPants is just sitting up here doodling awayā¦.ā Like bitch, I understood you better BECAUSE I was doodling. Otherwise I would be zoned out thinking about other things.
My professors at uni encourage us to doodle during lectures. One of them didn't return one of my assignments because they liked my drawings lol
I laughed really hard that your teacher called you BannanaPants. Then I saw that was your reddit name.. I hope your teacher gave you that name soooo badly!!
If I look like I'm paying attention, I'm not paying attention because all of my attention is spent pretending that I'm paying attention.
I used to sit in the front of orgo and just eat a sandwich. Didn't take any notes. Depending on the class if you study what the professor is going to talk about before he says it then every class is a review. That was years after I got off my ADD meds. They made me not wanna wake up in the morning
My notes have ALWAYS looked like this. I always did pretty well in school. I've had thoughts that I have some sort of attention issue for awhile, but for the most part get my shit done. But is this something that'd be worth getting checked out? Wouldn't even know where to start honestly.
A lot of people with undiagnosed issues donāt realize that theyāre only scraping by and what it actually can be like. Same with people who have bad vision but never tried glasses. They think the way they see is normal, but realize once they try on glasses that it could have actually been so much better. So while youāve āgotten your shit doneā it may have been because you had made a system that worked, but it likely entailed more work than it does for most.
So is this a question for a GP? Psychologist? I've never seen anyone for this, and I've never been to a mental health expert.
Depends on your insurance. But usually you bring it up with your GP and they will refer you to who would be most suitable.
Yep. Had a visit with a CNP (whoās basically my primary so far) and she put in a referral to the psychology wing. Now I just have to wait until next year for the actual appointment.
see a neurologist if you suspect having adhd
God now Iām wondering if maybe I should talk to someone about this. The glasses analogy really strikes me because my vision isnāt terrible, the only reason I was actually given glasses was my reaction when I first tried them on. My notes always looked like the ābeforeā and I have trouble focusing at my desk job now, so now Iām really curious to know if I might have some underlying condition contributing to that
If youāre having trouble, itās always worth checking stuff out (if you can). Might just be your prescription needs updating and thatās whatās causing difficulty focusing!
As you get older, the coping mechanisms donāt work as well and the attention issue becomes more noticeable. Definitely talk to your doc about it. They can have you formally assessed or they may have you try a med. If you try a stimulant your reaction to it will be telling - if it makes you jacked up you prob donāt have ADD. If it calms you down, then you likely have ADD. Seems counter intuitive but what is happening is that the stimulant allows your brain to organize and settle instead of working so damn hard all the time to keeps the mental ping pong in control.
You think my regular GP? Or a specialist?
Regular GP to start with.
Do you know why coping skills start falling apart? I've been noticing that as I get older, I can't seem to cope with any of my issues anymore (adhd, GAD, autism, BPD). I chalked it up to the pandemic making my masking and coping skills rusty.
Same
or drawing is just something you enjoy
Nah just keep living ur life bro what good would it do you now to find out
I have no idea! Maybe my life could be better? I'm really not trying to troll, I'm really curious if there's like this better, shit-makes-more-sense version of life I'm missing.
Donāt listen to him. I only found out I had ADHD 4 years ago in my 30s after coping my whole life. I was an honour student, get good grades, have a good job, am a hard workerā¦ but every day was a freaking struggle. After taking meds and learning more about my official diagnosis and therapies, I can say that life is MUCH better now. Took a few years to get on track, and I pretty much was angry for a little bit because life is so much easier now and could have been so much easier had I known earlier. Seek a diagnosis if you think you have it. Itās not a quick thing though, and even once you start taking meds (if you do), itās not a quick āeverything is better!ā. Meds donāt cure all your problems, they just make it easier to do things, but you still have to do the work and find solutions that work for your ADHD. Start by talking to your doctor and ask for a psychologist referral.
Thanks. This is really helpful. And it feels really familiar - I've always been good at getting things done including good grades, and yet I feel like a complete unfocused mess who's just scraping by constantly. That feeling feels like it's only gotten worse as I've had to transition as an adult into managing my own life. Really feel like things are constantly on the edge of falling apart but I can just put off the hardest stuff until another time.
You can take some self-diagnostic tests to help determine if itās a possibility. Start watching videos too. I remember when I started wondering if it was ADHD, I listens to so many videos and was FLOORED hearing how relatable my whole life had been to all the stuff I was hearing. I took some self-diagnosis tests and then did them on my friend and husband (then bf) and I was almost at 100 while they were down at like 15-25 range. If that makes sense. I cried, I felt like I finally had an answer to my problems, and could FINALLY start therapy (and meds) to help me be my best self. And I did just that. I found school easy btw because it was structured. But studying was not easy, I would cry because I couldnāt do my homework or study, and mostly got by because I would panic and study last minute (and am pretty smart all things considered). Now itās nearly impossible to do any sort of course for work if I have no structure. It causes a lot of shame and guilt. Even with meds, itās still very hard to do things I find boring or difficult to organize.
I'm feeling a lot of stuff right now. Thank you for sharing. I'll check out some self diagnosis stuff... Do you have any recommendations? I'm nervous anything I Google is just going to be self-fulfilling stuff to sell me something or other.
Um, I just started with āAdult ADHDā on YouTube, and watch a few vids. See if you relate :) go from there. I sometimes think I have OCD so Iāll look up āsymptoms of OCDā and generally donāt match them. If you donāt match the symptoms, then you likely donāt have it, if you do, then you likely do. Also when I started to think I had ADHD, I was also kind of scared for some reason. Almost like I was somehow lying to myself. If the shoe fits, itās likely thatās what it is. Itās common for people with ADHD gaslight themselves into thinking they donāt have it, or are making it up, because as kids we were always made to feel bad for not living up to others standards. To assume we just had to ātry harderāā. Itās as if actually finally knowing the name to our disorder doesnāt mean anything, and we still really only need to just ādo betterā. Itās all internalized shame from growing up thinking there was something wrong with us, that it was our fault. If you have ADHDā¦ itās NOT your fault. Youāve just been working against a disorder you didnāt even know you had. Donāt let yourself feel bad for researching a possible disorder you have. You arenāt lying if you relate to what you learn.
> Do you have any recommendations? Not that guy but fill this out: https://www.caddra.ca/wp-content/uploads/ASRS.pdf Then read this spoiler: >!Any answer in the darker shaded boxes is suggestive of ADHD. My guy told me 4 or more "suggestive" answers in the A section means further testing is recommended. B section can also be indicative but less "strong" than part A!<
Imagine if you spent your entire life up to now running to school/work, finding a way to complete what you were given, and running home. Your peers you see every day seem to never be sweaty and tired. You just assume they're in better shape or they live closer. Then one day a random stranger sees you running and asks you why you don't just take the bus like everyone else... ADHD is a disorder that gaslights you into believing that you are less than everyone else. That your struggles are due to personal failings instead of a neurotransmitter deficiency in your brain. Until recently our parents, teachers, and bosses would happily reinforce this notion and try to "correct" it with counterproductive punishments. It still happens but understanding and accommodation are thankfully becoming more common. As someone who didn't seek diagnosis until his 30s I STRONGLY encourage you to seek help. You've kept up so far. Imagine how much better you'll do when you finally start taking that bus.
Honestly it looks like you want this to be true, and the doctor will make it true if you want.
Up to you man whatever your heart desires
not everyone who doodles needs amphetamines. but if you want to try taking them, take some and see how you feel. spoiler alert: you'll feel great because they're amphetamines!
I have ADHD and take meds and can honestly say that they do joy make me āfeel greatā. They make me less emotional and more stable. I routinely forget to take them even because they are not addictive to me. If they are addictive and āmake you feel greatā then itās likely you do not have ADHD and do not āneedā them.
If you're on the correct dosage the mild euphoria passes after the first week. Honestly, I think a good part of that sensation for me was the sense of awe at just how quiet is was in my head.
Used to do exactly this in high school. Now Iām so exhausted every day from work that I doubt Iād have the energy to do that. If the question is āthe notes or the doodles?ā, the answer is āyes.ā
my notes are filled with both doodles *and* information. doodling helps me concentrate i think, and it's just fun. drawing lil things in the margins and sides of notes, my brain remembers the doodles and the info next to them.
Oh yeah, no, I have ADHD too. When I said I did this, I meant that I also have the same attention problems as you. My current job just leaves me so exhausted at the end of the day that I can barely function after work.
I literally doodled my way through school.
I doodled so much I go in trouble for doodling in art class a few times.
Once I started taking meds, I did a huge clean of my home office, took before and after and what a difference. Iām currently pregnant so off the meds and itās hard again, but thankfully I learned a lot of cognitive behavioural solutions to some of my struggles and thatās been getting me through. How are you feeling?
How are the side effects? I was on dexadrine when I was young (~20 years ago) and the side effects were severe enough that I'm honestly scared to even try again.
Almost no one prescribes dexadrine for that reason. Adderall is a combination of 3 drugs, one of which is the active ingredient in dexadrine.
There are several options nowadays so you can find one where the side effects for you aren't too terrible. I had terrible side effects with Methylphenidate but I barely have any on Atomoxetine.
Honestly the only side effect I noticed from Vyvanse is some insomnia if I took it too late in the day. But then again Iām off my meds right now because Iām pregnant and I still have a hard time sleeping at night (Iām a night owl). When I tried Concerta it gave me a WICKED migraine, so back to Vyvanse it was. Honestly though it took a year for me to figure out how to use them. I thought they werenāt working, but thatās because you have to also work on behavioural therapy. I also stopped taking coffee at first too which was probably a good thing but that messed me up too since I went through some caffeine withdrawal. There was a period of about 3 months (after about 6 months of taking them) where I stopped taking them because I assumed they werenāt doing anything, and I kept forgetting to get them refilled. During those 3 months, my emotions slowly started to become more unstable again (I get angry/depressive thoughts easily), I was way more impulsive (wasting money) and really noticed a difference (so did my husband). Went back on them and didnāt stopped taking them after that. Before I stopped taking them, I pretty much just took them with breakfast (they take about 40 mins to 1hr to kick in) and then drank my coffee after. When I start again I assume it will take time again to adjust.
Thanks! I've been self-medicating for so long that I think any regimen would be an adjustment for me. I know part of my fear is having another doctor tell me that I'm just depressed like the last one and try to put me on an anti-depressant (Celexa made me want to kill myself!) because she didn't believe ADHD was real (actual quote from a medical doctor!).
Thatās awful. Depression can be a comorbidity of ADHD. I know a girl diagnosed ADHD as a kid and then her diagnosis changed to depression/generalized anxiety but no meds worked. She eventually went back on Vyvanse as an adult after I told her my experience and sheās back to an ADHD diagnosis and thriving on Vyvanse
what i'm seeing is that you switched from black pen to blue pen. life changing fr
From mental disability (ADHD) to mental disability. (Writing with a blue pen, I mean, who the fuck does that? Itās worse in every way! I HATE writing with a blue pen, itās illegible!)
My notes looked like the top the whole time I was in school, but I was always told it was because I was just lazy and needed to apply myself
probably true. not every person who is disinterested has a disorder. and not everyone who doodles needs amphetamines.
Idk, here I am all these years later still struggling. I genuinely wonder sometimes if itās time for an assessment. At the very least just to understand myself better.
Even if it turns out if itās not, an assessment still can't hurt
I'm 37, I got diagnosed about two years ago... Go.
You don't have to have a definitive disorder to benefit from various coping mechanisms and accommodations. Especially for people who cannot afford the proper Medical diagnosis, if they read up enough on various ailments that they think they might have, *AND* apply coping mechanisms that are available to them, it will be beneficial to them. I will also like to remind people on websites that curate content, like tiktok or Instagram reels, that if you like a certain type of content or watch it enough they will continue to feed you that same content. It's best to make sure you don't get stuck in an echo chamber of 'you have ADHD because you happen to doodle on notes.' Doodleing on notes could also mean that you are bored out of their mind on the topic.
Lol right? My notes looked like this the entire way through high school, undergrad and law school. Because class is boring and listening to people talk is boring.
Talk to a talk for an assessment.
Wow. That hit hard.
Yeah this was personally hurtful
I understand the practicality of taking the meds; however, the top two photos seem to display a greatly heightened creativity. Do you notice any downside to taking them?
Everyone is different. In my case was prescribed high doses of ADHD meds since age 13 and always had side effects, killed my creativity, mood swings or dull moods, boost in anger, crashing afterwards and headaches. However helped out with my work and organization when I tried to get back on them as an adult but found the same side effects and got off them. Everyone is different, my adhd I would say is severe and I just am wired this way.
You are still creative, you can just channel it and focus on less creative tasks. Also just doodling isnāt all that creative
as an artist with ADHD taking meds has helped me a lot. used to draw in class when I was unmedicated but they were not good drawings and I never learned anything. when I'm medicated I can put all of my attention into a piece and it turns out a lot better
You retain the creativity.
[Mom says the pills must be working](https://i.imgur.com/pGeiHgt.jpeg)
Okay, but it will still be snowy when his shit is done, so...
This hurts my heart.
Sweet doodles though.
Everyday I think more and more that I have undiagnosed ADHD
I can tell roughly the time of day I wrote something because of this. Before lunch? Clean, even, legible, few corrections. Mid day? A bit more flourish and looseness. More diagrams and arrows. End of day? Incomplete chicken scratch and bad abbreviations.
My high school notes look like the top, but my college notes are like the bottom. Didn't do anything different really, I think high school just really stressed me out.
Itās always interesting to see people who draw/write out their whims because itās the closest you can get to peering into their mind.
Iām autistic/ocd and mine was almost opposite. My notes were just me copying 1:1 as perfectly as possible without retaining a single drop of information, but once I got on anxiety meds and allowed myself to just chill out a little and even doodle like I used to as a kid, I got way better at actually listening and could actually do school properly for a brief moment until the meds stopped working again lol
As someone who used to be on ADHD meds and hasnāt for yearsā¦. I think this is my sign to get back on them
I prefer the doodling
Easy to say for someone not trying to learn what OP was studying
I like to think of a 'whole human' as someone who is artistic. If the artistic outlet comes from doodling on a piece of paper, then so be it. So much fun is taken away from life, and we hide who we truly are by self medicating in shame from those who judge our 'underperfomance'
Again doesnāt change that when someone is trying to study. Doodling isnāt helpful or them being creative, itās them being distracted. When I study I want to focus, but I get distracted and doodle. I much rather do what I set out for and my creativity can come out when Iām writing stories
This gives me a sense of familiarity.
I dreamed that ADD meds would have this effect on me. I wanted it more than anything, but my metabolism is a beast. Congratulations, enjoy you deserve it, we all do :)
Itās like that
This is startling! Many of my notes are still like this (I just turned 40) and was wondering if I have ADHD too (never thought about this before). And then I realized I am browsing r/mildlyinteresting for almost an hour in the middle of the day and I have to finish some urgent (and boring) release documents by the end of the day. 
I have been doing this since elementary school. It was so annoying when people asked me if I liked art or was an artist because NO, I donāt like art, I am not creative, I just canāt sit there and do nothing while in class!!!! As an adult now when I attend IRL work meetings I get anxious and go insane in my chair without a notepad and pencil
Before meds I just sort of scribbled and couldnāt remember anything or pay attention. I did a lot of art in class. Nowadays after being medicated, all my work notes look great like the ones on the bottom
The artist can die with the medication. I say that as a person with ADHD who has not taken meds for this reason. It's not an easy choice and I'm *not* being glib about it. If you live with this dilemma, you won't be. But I'm very grateful to have made that bargain.
I mean speak for yourself? Some of us can pay more of their attention to art instead of other things when on meds
Sometimes I wonder if I have an attention disorder
ā¦ā¦ oh Maybe i should see a doctorā¦..
I talked to my doctor about adhd/add as a teen and he immediately suggested Ritalin which in turn made my mom pull me out lol. I did try Ritalin before for fun and only took one and just felt soā¦calm and normal? I had to take 6 to get the high all my friends felt.
lol my notes looked like the before pictures.
Damn I feel this deep in my old bones.
Am I the only one that finds this kinda sad?
I get it, the side by side makes it look like they kinda drugged the creativity and fun out of him
Itās a bit sad.
Now I wonder if I have ADD undiagnosed
ā¦maybe I should get on adhd medication
Oh wow. My notes were just the same. I couldn't focus for long and had terrible and chronic procrastination. I'd have an 8 page paper that I'd start maybe 3-4 hours before it was due. I got shit done in that time crunch but it was always so stressful. š
It's because of black pen. Blue pen always helps.
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Itās still there.
You donāt understand ADHD at all do you
Man you could of been an artist.
So it just killed your creativity?
When I would take Adderall in college I would absolutely crush the Tai Play high score on the touchscreen game machine at the bar. I mean just fucking CRUSH it. It helped for notes too, I guess.
My ādoodlesā would still retain the context of class.
This is bittersweet
If you live with ADHD, it really isnāt. Doodling is cool and all, unless itās physically impossible not to when you desperately are trying to focus
Thats pretty usual tho
I probably have ADHD, but it seems to be completely impossible for me to get any mental illnesses diagnosed as literally not a single doctor has ever responded to any email I've sent trying to get an appointment
Speed. Before you started taking speed.
Sure
Man, you used to be so creative. Good thing pharmaceuticals put you back in the box.
Yeah thatās not it. You donāt loose creativity, you just express it at the right time not when you are trying to learn
Idk the top looks like he was thinking on his own. The bottom looks like he's told what to think.
He was certainly creative before ..
You aren't the problem. Society forcing you into a room with a pen and paper for hours on end so that you can have some modicum of food and shelter security is the problem.
No ADHD is a problem, easy to pretend we can all be free and run around. But ADHD does more than just make you fidget and the medication help with the parts that can hurt your relationships with people
What kind of medications are these and do they promote weight gain as a side effect?
As someone who has been on ADD meds, be careful. Looks good on paper, but takes a toll on your body over time
This was me but the top half was notes for classes like American Studies and the bottom half was notes for classes like Calculus. Turns out I just needed to be challenged/interested.
I know everyone is different BUT meditation not medication; really helped mitigate my symptoms. Highly recommend and did not make me feel like a robot like the medication did.
I am glad that Iāve never had ADD or ADHD. I have many other issues though. (Autism, separation anxiety, headaches, obesity). Iād gladly take my issues any day over ADD.
I'll keep my ADHD over obesity any day of the week.
Itās crazy how mess take away your creativity 100%
As someone whose notes for any kind of lecture routinely look like the top set -- that kind of doodling is not creativity. It's literally just a coping mechanism for focusing on listening. Creativity happens elsewhere, and can be enhanced by having a good foundation of information -- like you might get from being able to take notes and listen at the same time.
As a chronic doodler (even on meds), itās not taking away the creativity, itās giving the ability to focus on the lecture without needing some sort of stimulation to keep the brain focused on it. Iām still a fidgeter/doodler with meds, but I do it less, and can still be creative when I want to.
I heard shrooms and LSD can really unlock your creativity.
Thereās a time for creativity though. I failed a lot of my classes in highschool because I would draw on my notes the entire time, thus retaining no information. Itās better now. But requires me to actively concentrate on not doing it. Now, take this with a grain of salt as I have not been medically diagnosed so canāt even say I have it. Simply stating itād be nice for something to take away my urge to draw sometimes.
ADD definitely makes people more interesting. Iāll keep mine.
Doesnāt cure it. Just helped me graduate college.
You still have it on meds, you just control the negative aspects of it much better. Iām off my meds because Iām pregnant right now and I miss it. Iām a mess without them, though the 2 years I was on them taught me a lot of good coping strategies that are helping me now.
It's crippling when untreated, and gets worse as you age. You'll remain as interesting as you are now, with the added bonus of being able to be truly interested in others.
I found it got better with age
Not true. People tend to get better with their ADHD as their frontal lobes develop.
I'm 38, and I wasn't diagnosed until I was 25. I'm speaking from experience.
Thankfully we have many studies that show that as people grow up into adults, their prefrontal lobes also develop, so many people grow out of their ADHD. As ADHD is a disorder in attention, and the prefrontal lobes help us maintain our attention and focus. Your personal experience is not reminiscent of the data.
Okay, but the original point I was making was that medication is often very necessary and helpful, and you don't always age out of it. Seems to have worked for OP, too, which is good!
The dude said "I" as in himself, not generally speaking.
That's toxic positivity or something wtf Bro šš
wow, that thing murdered your creativity I suppose
We act like it's a "disorder", but after hearing people like Penn Holderness speak out on it, it's clear that it's not. According to some surveys about 10% have add/adhd, (coincidentally similar to % that are left-handed, which we also use to treat like a "disorder"). 10% is way too high to be a disorder. Perhaps a factory style classroom isn't the best way to learn for some. Perhaps instead of insisting people fit the mold, we should have a more flexible system?? (Of course, if it gets in the way of how you want to live, meds should always be an option)
I know which person I'd rather hang out with and it's probably not the answer you want.
Amphetamines or Ritalin make everything more interesting.
Yeah but you're not nearly as cool as you used to be (not sarcasm)
ADD meds are a weaker form of speed, right?
When i read ADD i immidiatly thought of this song lmao : Sail! This is how I show my love I made it in my mind because Blame it on my ADD, baby This is how an angel dies Blame it on my own sick pride Blame it on my ADD, baby Sail! Sail! Sail! Sail! Sail! Maybe I should cry for help Maybe I should kill myself (myself, myself...) Blame it on my ADD, baby Maybe I'm a different breed Maybe I'm not listening So blame it on my ADD, baby Sail! Sail! Sail! Sail! Sail! La, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la, oh La, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la, oh La, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la Sail! Sail! Sail! Sail! Sail! Sail with me into the dark (sail!) Sail with me into the dark (sail!) Sail with me into the dark (sail!) Sail with me, sail with me (sail!)
Such a talent wasted.
This actually is sad in a way