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[ISTP] ISTP or ADD?

sLiPpY

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uh, noticed a topic developing in another thread and well here we go.

I had a school teacher that worked part-time on my team, tell me she thought that I had ADD...

Just because I could focus on something so intently, I wouldn't hear a word that she said. Which led to my reading about ADD of the Inattentive type?

This was about seven years ago, and I read all kinds of crap.

Sometimes I'd think how could I be ADD when my ISTP best friend is exactly like me?

So what!?! I used to not be able to find my keys, or he'd walk out of a store and leave his wallet behind. Right now I always know where my keys are. They're in a basket I place next to the door, which is exactly where I drop and retrieve them from each and every day.

So guess I'm asking? Is it really ADD or is it simply ISTP?

Or is it diet? The modern lifestyle vs. just be?

****Disclaimer

I would encourage anyone thinking about stopping ADD/ADHD medication to consult with their clinician to establish an appropriate schedule. Under no circumstances stop taking any psychoactive medication without consultation.
 
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StephMC

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I think a good portion of it is just being ISTP. Even if I am diagnosed as A.D.D.

But I'll tell ya, Adderall is a God send for work/school/obligations in general. I want to blow my brains out on days I forget to take it. I get like a solid 20 minutes of work in out of an 8 hour day. And that's only a slight exaggeration. I'm pretty sure that's happened before. Whereas if I take my normal dose, I'm a good 80-90% efficient.

Needless to say, my attention span (at least when it comes to things that don't interest me) is the size of a gnat's. Throw a kitten in front of me in mid-conversation, and there's no way I'll even remember you're still there.
 

sLiPpY

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When I was younger "juggling" was really difficult, like work school or a few beers.

As I've gotten older, I don't have any real concerns.
 

mcmartinez84

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I've had the exact same thoughts before. I think some of it is ADD. I've taken adderall a couple of times and....omg, it does wonders for my concentration! The only problems were 1) I lost track of time...totally worked 'til like 7pm one night when I'm normally itching to leave by lunch, lol 2) I wasn't hungry AT ALL 3) I couldn't sleep much.

I suppose losing track of time isn't terrible as long as I set reminders for EVERYTHING in my phone. Not eating or sleeping are bad, m'kay? I don't like eating when I'm hungry most of the time 'cause it's a chore. It's terrible for me if I'm just not hungry. I'd never eat. I was most likely on a dose that was too high for me.

My attention span is pretty crap for the most part. I have to be really into something and motivated to pay attention. I usually time out at 45 minutes. Doesn't matter what it is. Movies, class, work...

I really thought about asking for a prescription for it from a doc, but then I felt silly and my aunt (who's a kidney doc and VERY conservative about people taking any kind of drugs) said not to do it. So I never went. I still think about it sometimes tho.
 

StephMC

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^ Not to be a bad influence or anything (Read: I -am- a bad influence)... but you'll write the best program EVER if you get back on it! :D
 

Bamboo

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Adderall (I call it Amp-a-fet) makes me feel like my heart is going to blow out of my jugular.

I have a bottle of the stuff left over from a (years) old prescription, don't touch it though. I don't recall it actually helping me concentrate. I remember a variety of unusual side effects and trouble sleeping. EDIT: and yeah, I remember not eating for...2 days. It was bad... According to the doctors, if you don't actually have ADD, than stimulants make you feel racy (expected), where as if you do have it, stimulants actually calm you down.

So, based on this experience, I don't actually have ADD, but I had/have the outward appearance of someone who does have ADD, hence the prescription. Of course, they write prescriptions for this stuff like it's M&M's.
 

Snuggletron

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istps I know tend to not have a good sense of time it would seem. I can relate but I think ADD/ADHD is way over-diagnosed. I've written several cited papers on it so there.

in mbti terms ADD is deeply associated with Ne, but I guess ironically it could also involve over-focus/analyzing on something (Ti?). I have no idea what the medication is like when you do supposedly have ADD. I've taken my ENFP friend's horse-dosed Concerta (fancy name for legal time-released speed) a few times. I felt like Da Vinci or Alexander the Great or something, but it did not help with my focusing at all, or underarm dryness. Felt good for an hour and then really unnatural and anxiety-ridden. Took his little brother's dose, which didn't do anything.

There are too many factors, like your individual learning and thought processes and other things like stress and sleep deprivation/malnutrition. I still think there are way too many people, kids especially, who get diagnosed and prescribed this stuff and it can sometimes fuck them up later after they take it for a long time.
 

mcmartinez84

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Adderall (I call it Amp-a-fet) makes me feel like my heart is going to blow out of my jugular.

I have a bottle of the stuff left over from a (years) old prescription, don't touch it though. I don't recall it actually helping me concentrate. I remember a variety of unusual side effects and trouble sleeping. EDIT: and yeah, I remember not eating for...2 days. It was bad... According to the doctors, if you don't actually have ADD, than stimulants make you feel racy (expected), where as if you do have it, stimulants actually calm you down.

So, based on this experience, I don't actually have ADD, but I had/have the outward appearance of someone who does have ADD, hence the prescription. Of course, they write prescriptions for this stuff like it's M&M's.

And that's why I don't want to just ask for it. I know they'll pretty much give it to me whether I really legitimately need it or not.
 

sLiPpY

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I thought about Adderall too at a time when I was in a high stress job that just wasn't a good fit.

I did read a lot on the topic and took more so of a holistic approach. Stopped eating processed foods, excepting as a treat once in a blue moon. Like breakfast is a bowl of organic oatmeal, an orange, a glass of milk or some plain organic yogurt. Which are funny terms to me...

Lunch is maybe a whole wheat pita with some salsa and chicken, a simple salad with a vinegarette dressing. Basically, completely eliminated sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup from my diet. Ability to focus increased exponentially.

I never got myself tested for hypoglycemia, but I'd read several case studies where simply changing one's diet helped people who's blood sugar fluctuates in such a way not to be confused with diabetes.

So maybe for me either I aged out of that growth cycle and life stage? Or a change in diet really helped? I've been eating like this for about five years now, but it doesn't stop me from having some cake or ice cream every now and then.

Thanks to all for posting on the topic, I'd wondered about it... Then saw a couple of post and thought heck yes! I've got to ask so the SP's can huddle. :)
 

sLiPpY

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And that's why I don't want to just ask for it. I know they'll pretty much give it to me whether I really legitimately need it or not.

Yes, what Bamboo and Adoamros said is how I thought about it too...

Psychoactive drugs are frickn' scary. They help some, and prompt a few to kill themselves or others.
 

jixmixfix

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I think I have some Add but I don't take anything...I find it hard to concentrate when someone is explaining pointless crap to me... my Ti would just be wondering about other stuff.
 

Kingfisher

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it seems like a lot of SPs have difficulty with attention and focusing.

i have a short attention span. i tend to get bored quickly.
but for physical tasks i can fall into a rhythm, and keep going at it all day. for example, i used to operate a tower crane, which is a very repetitive job - sitting in a tiny booth and operating the same controls all day long. you can't even take breaks, because it is such an annoyance and time-waste to have climb down and up. but i had no problems with working that job because i more or less checked out mentally - my body took over and went through the motions without having to really focus.

when i took adderall and speed in college for studying they did not do wonders for me. they improved my focus a lot, but i ended up always latching on to the first idea and obsessing over it, running it into the ground. i couldn't get off of that first idea, i just kept beating it to death until i didn't even know what i was thinking about anymore.
when i have gone back and read those essays i wrote on speed it is like a slow descent into madness.
 

Heinel

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I wonder sometimes, actually, that this ADD thing is more of a hoax. I don't really think it's a "sickness" or anything like that. It's just that different people have different interests, and if they're doing something that's not interesting to them then it's hard to focus. For me I generally have very low tolerance for reading large blocks of text. It's like two sentences and I'm out. But if it's something I'm interested in I can read it from start to finish without problem. I can even write critiques right after, too.
 

McRumi

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I wonder sometimes, actually, that this ADD thing is more of a hoax. I don't really think it's a "sickness" or anything like that. It's just that different people have different interests, and if they're doing something that's not interesting to them then it's hard to focus. For me I generally have very low tolerance for reading large blocks of text. It's like two sentences and I'm out. But if it's something I'm interested in I can read it from start to finish without problem. I can even write critiques right after, too.

It' s no hoax, my friend. I was diagnosed in my early 30s and have been taking Ritalin 4x a day ever since...it has changed my life. I would not have experienced success in the many careers I have chosen since then, wouldn't have a home, wouldn't have anything without it. I call it my chemical Easter.

The problem is misdiagnosis, esp with kids.

My life would have been even more different if I had been diagnosed as a kid, but I'm thankful for a correct diagnosis at any age...just glad i survived til the diagnosis in my 30s.
 

sLiPpY

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I think I have some Add but I don't take anything...I find it hard to concentrate when someone is explaining pointless crap to me... my Ti would just be wondering about other stuff.

That's just being a guy. Women call it selective hearing. :happy:
 

sLiPpY

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It' s no hoax, my friend. I was diagnosed in my early 30s and have been taking Ritalin 4x a day ever since...it has changed my life. I would not have experienced success in the many careers I have chosen since then, wouldn't have a home, wouldn't have anything without it. I call it my chemical Easter.

The problem is misdiagnosis, esp with kids.

My life would have been even more different if I had been diagnosed as a kid, but I'm thankful for a correct diagnosis at any age...just glad i survived til the diagnosis in my 30s.

One of my cousins benefited greatly as you're describing, and very pleased for him and others who do benefit from the auspices of research and science.

But equally horrified it seems today they're passing them out like M&M's, to mirror a catchy phrase imparted by a previous poster.
 

McRumi

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One of my cousins benefited greatly as you're describing, and very pleased for him and others who do benefit from the auspices of research and science.

But equally horrified it seems today they're passing them out like M&M's, to mirror a catchy phrase imparted by a previous poster.

Agreed.

East test: give a kid a snort of cocaine and if he/she gets all hyper, it's not ADD. I admit the cocaine part is problematic.
 

Bamboo

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And that's why I don't want to just ask for it. I know they'll pretty much give it to me whether I really legitimately need it or not.

"Hey doc, I'm having a lot of trouble focusing on my work. I'm really worried it's going to start piling up if I don't get through it soon. What can I do?"

It might help to blush and look downward at this point for dramatic effect.
 

Bamboo

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Agreed.

East test: give a kid a snort of cocaine and if he/she gets all hyper, it's not ADD. I admit the cocaine part is problematic.

Yeah, I mentioned how stimulants have backward effects with people with ADD earlier, but I can't find anything about it on the internet. The psychiatrist who prescribed it described it in some detail though. You heard this somewhere too?

Cocaine, amphetamine, same difference.
 

NewEra

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Just because I could focus on something so intently, I wouldn't hear a word that she said. Which led to my reading about ADD of the Inattentive type?

Wait... if you can focus on something intently, isn't that basically the opposite of ADD? Or maybe I am misunderstanding ADD.
 
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