Dear god I'm reading the posts where people mention coffee and OH BOY I don't know anyone ADD/ADHD irl and I abuse caffeine like a madman and MAN, I thought it was just a me thing. A huge part of my blood is basically coffee now. I can even usually tell how bad the brain cuckoo is and how much is the dosage I should drink.
I don't endorse trashing your heart but if you're (general you here) taking it too, honestly? I understand that train of thought; something is better than nothing. There was a point I had this conscious moment of clarity where I made that choice to replace my blood content with coffee instead of playing the insane ball juggling game with the insatiable circus monkey in my brain that is ADHD.
But get medication people!! Get real medications. And have a good diet. Be as healthy as possible.
It's been proven that people with AD(H)D are prone to addiction or 'self medicating' (or there is at least a big correlation with ADHD and addiction). Before I got my ADHD medication I was addicted to Red Bull like a madman too. And coffee when I was over my 'daily dosis of RB' (my 'max' was three, sometimes four. Now add three iced coffees...) Having the inactive type of ADHD, it was the only thing that made me feel 'energized' for at least a few minutes. The impact of ADHD is very underestimated to be honest. Even so called 'professionals' don't know shit. It's as if most people view it as a 'trend', just a simple label. ADHD
just means that you've difficulties concentrating, right? It's not
that bad, right?
"
OH! You take your medication too when you're not working for school?? THEY ARE ONLY FOR SCHOOL AND STUDYING RIGHT?!!" - The times I've had to hear this one. Yes, no. I don't only take my meds for school. You would think that someone with ADHD is allowed to be a functional human being outside of school too, right? Apparently, we are not...
Reactions like this sometimes made me feel like a 'cheater'. As if I don't deserve my medication, as if I am just an addict now.
Ah, that beautiful moment
of violent killing urges when people say that it's basically just legal speed. That it's just legal drugs. (And 'drugs', in Dutch, medication isn't called 'drugs'. So by that; they mean the 'bad' form of drugs, the one associated with partying, happiness and crime lol. Their face when you tell them that
every goddamn medication is basically legalized drugs. Stupid.
They suddenly don't have much to say then anymore)
But yes, statements like that 'hurt' more than they might seem to. It's again another stereotype. ADHD probably caused my depression, the stupid moodswings, it influences my social life, it ruined many parts of my youth/high school because this other psychologist wouldn't listen. I think I've spend half of my life on autopilot I am surprised that I even got through high school -without all too many bad grades-.
(I literally couldn't remember shit. If someone asked me what we saw that day in history class; I wouldn't know.) So for someone to just paint it off as
'It only influences you at school,'... yeah, no. We don't do that. (Not that it hurt me that time, I was already expecting such a stupid statement.)
Fun fact: sometimes when I take my meds and drink coffee at the same time... I become incredibly tired. Not really the effect I was looking for lol.
About the image/with the description about how people with ADHD function. My psychologist explained it to me like this:
"Neurotypical people generally have a standard 'voice' when they are busy with a task. An internal voice that keeps them focused. That voice is just there, they don't have to do anything. It tells them what they have to do as in; keep writing, read this text,... People with ADHD don't have such internal voice. They have to keep everything up themselves, they continuously have to remind themselves that they are doing a certain task, that they have to pay attention,..."
This indeed, causes exhaustion too. It baffles me tho... How amazing must it be; to not get distracted all the time? To have your own task supporter lmao.
Another thing that I was thinking about... But I can't find the correct, English term. It has something to do with 'automation' of information. Correlated to your working memory.
Most people have to fill this in a few times and then they automatically remember that 1 = - , 2 = ... etc. Let me tell you; my brain doesn't do shit. The stress might have played a role too (someone watching me) but gosh... It explained a lot. Didn't necessarily make me feel better tho (rather stupid). But, I now understand why I always was this one kid in class, that never understood anything.
The irony in this is also; as soon as I don't understand something I start 'day dreaming'. I just switch off. But, this goes for 'understimulation' too. Usually, I tend to find general colleges boring. It's so slow, talk faster, give me more information, NOW!! But of course, they don't. The boredom, ugh... So luckily there's this savior again;
daydreaming!
This is also why I sometimes watch YT videos at 1.5xspeed. Faster please, nownownow. MOVE.