ADHD

My psychiatrist strongly suggested that I take a "medication holiday", meaning not taking meds for up to a month during the summer holidays.

And god damn. I've already ruined my face with skin picking (Started eating compulsively due to lack of stimulation and DoPaMiNe), have gone back to an irregular sleep schedule due to being constantly tired (currently 6AM where I am), and have like 3 trash bags in my house cos I'm having trouble leaving my house.

We love to see that the meds are working! The medication holiday just makes me grateful for the impact of the meds on my everyday life.

Still not gonna take a whole month off though. My life would be in shambles by the end lmfao

1. Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)

Contribution to Attention (Normal):
The prefrontal cortex is essential for executive functions, including attentional control, working memory, and impulse inhibition. It helps maintain focus on relevant information while filtering out distractions. For example, when reading a book, the PFC helps you concentrate on the text, ignore background noise, and remember the storyline.

Difficulty with Tasks (Impaired PFC):
If the PFC is impaired, individuals may struggle to sustain attention. For instance, when studying, they might find it hard to stay focused on the material, constantly getting sidetracked by irrelevant thoughts or environmental cues. This can lead to difficulty completing tasks and poor academic or occupational performance.

2. Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

Contribution to Attention (Normal):
The ACC is responsible for detecting conflicts and errors, as well as monitoring task performance. It helps to regulate attention by signaling when adjustments are needed. For example, during a test, the ACC aids in detecting errors and prompts you to correct your answers.

Difficulty with Tasks (Impaired ACC):
If the ACC is not functioning optimally, individuals might have trouble detecting errors and adjusting their behavior. In a work setting, they may make careless mistakes and have difficulty staying on task due to the lack of awareness of errors.

3. Parietal Cortex:

Contribution to Attention (Normal)
The parietal cortex directs attention to specific objects or locations in space. It helps with spatial awareness and shifting attention between different stimuli. For instance, while driving, the parietal cortex enables you to focus on the road, check mirrors, and react to changing traffic conditions.

Difficulty with Tasks (Impaired Parietal Cortex):
If the parietal cortex is impaired, individuals might struggle with spatial awareness and attention shifting. They could become easily disoriented, have difficulty following instructions, and find it challenging to organize their work or daily activities.

4. Basal Ganglia, especially the Striatum:

Contribution to Attention (Normal):
The basal ganglia, including the striatum, play a role in the selection and initiation of motor and cognitive behaviors. It helps in maintaining attention to relevant tasks and filtering out competing responses. For example, during a conversation, the basal ganglia enable you to pay attention to the speaker's words without being distracted by other conversations in the background.

Difficulty with Tasks (Impaired Basal Ganglia):
If the basal ganglia are not functioning properly, individuals might struggle with impulse control and have difficulty filtering out distractions. They may interrupt others frequently, have trouble waiting for their turn, and find it challenging to concentrate on one task for an extended period.

5. Cerebellum:

Contribution to Attention (Normal):
The cerebellum assists in coordinating motor movements and also plays a role in attention and cognitive processes. It helps maintain focus and regulate attentional resources. For instance, when playing a musical instrument, the cerebellum supports attention to timing, rhythm, and coordination.

Difficulty with Tasks (Impaired Cerebellum):
If the cerebellum is impaired, individuals may experience difficulties in motor coordination and maintaining attention. They might struggle with fine motor tasks, have problems following complex instructions, and exhibit attention lapses during activities requiring sustained focus.

6. Frontal Cortex

Contribution to Attention (Normal):
The frontal cortex, particularly the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), is involved in impulse control and inhibitory processes. It helps regulate attention by suppressing irrelevant or distracting information. For example, when resisting the temptation to check your phone while working, the frontal cortex aids in maintaining attention to the task at hand.

Difficulty with Tasks (Impaired Frontal Cortex):
If the frontal cortex is largely inactive or impaired, individuals may have difficulty controlling impulsive behaviors. They might act without thinking about the consequences, have difficulty following rules, and find it challenging to stay focused on tasks with delayed rewards.

Share your experiences or questions related to ADHD and its neurobiological aspects~-----

Link: https://surveyheart.com/form/64c38041c616f064562bbd21

Data analyst here.

Poll to explore potential correlations between ADHD and the cognitive functions in MBTI types (will be considering additional theories such as Jungian typology & Socionics)

Aim: To potentially gain insights about how the cognitive functions can influence the individual's performance in educational settings

Only 4 questions asked:

• Your gender identity
• Mbti type
• Adhd presentation
• Platform where u found the poll

Ok, got 14 responses from lemmy ❤️ As expected, you guys are so supportive 🥺❤️

Will be doing statistical analysis soon... might have to make another poll/survey before that~

My psych is letting me try ADHD meds without getting neuropsych testing after all, which is great because that shit's expensive. Wish me luck getting it filled with the shortage and everything. I really hope it helps! I'm tired of being overwhelmed all the time and unable to focus on what I want to focus on.

Update: Day one on Adderall 10mg - It's a little too early to tell, but it might feel a little bit easier to focus on stuff. I don't feel "wired" or anything, and I'm still getting hungry as usual. My heart might be beating a little faster, which I was told to expect.

Then you try to charade what they look like, then your coworker starts going down a list of other coworkers names and you’re like “Honey, I don’t know anyone’s name, not even yours. Except of Charley from accounting, he as the same name as my nephew, he also kinda looks like him, but as a grown ass man. Then you wonder what would happen if they met, would they become friends? They don’t have much else in commun though… anyways, I don’t know who I spoke to, sorry.

Edit: I didn’t proof read my post until it was posted.

• Did it work for you?
• If so, how long did it take to work?
• What did it feel like?
• Did you have any side effects?

There's a lot of to-do list apps, reminders, calendars etc out there advertised towards us to help us do things like break down large tasks into meaningful chunks and focus on what we need to do each day, but I want to hear from the community what do you guys think is the best so let's start a thread

I posted an affiliate linked event.

I apologize. Didn't RTFD. Which I should have. But not surprised since I do in fact have ADHD and am impulsive.

I agree this was a bad call, I should not have posted this on my admin account. I didn't know I had GOD powers. Eeek.

I thought it was more informative than spam.

Again, I am really sorry.

I will get better at RTFD'ing.

https://lemmy.world/post/2074677

One of the admins for Lemmy.world posted a business advert here and the way Lemmy works I don't have the power as mod to remove admin posts. I have created a ticket on Lemmy support to try and have it removed.

My apologies, I hope it gets sorted out soon.

Once again I messed the pill count and didn’t renew my prescription in time sol I’ll be riding this coming week dry… thanks stupid US medical system.

UPDATE: I had to pay out of pocket. $120 because my doc didn’t fill some random paper so I could get the meds, but insurance won’t cover it. It takes 6 months to get an appointment with my doc. I saw him last week and he said he would send a refill, he did t. My pharmacy the requested after I called to check. No go. I called the nurse and asked — automated voicemail. I’m done. I’m done I’m done.

If you have to go somewhere, and need to have something with you,

don't put it by the door.

put it in the car instead.

I have walked past my take-with-you pile so many times. I've even stepped over it. Obviously this is if you are driving to your destination and the item isn't perishable.

When you arrive at your destination, it is so much better to say, "Be right back, I left it in the car." vs. "Ugh, I forgot it at home."

*Grammar edit: This tip would work well for a book, not "...isn't perishable, like a book".

God I wanna make so much art (drawing/painting/wood carving/crochet/build things/etc), make comics, learn languages, learn how to deep clean and power wash, garden, make clothes, make fursuits, travel, hike, forage, make youtube videos, go urban exploring, go ghost hunting, animate, preserve animal skeletons and insects, etc etc.

But I'm so perpetually exhausted that even just planning out an idea takes a lot out of me, and it feels so unfair.

Thankfully medication has helped out a looot (I mean the difference between taking genuinely months to do anything vs being able to do so within a week or even a day if lucky is quite an improvement) but it's not gonna make me superhuman any time soon ^^;

I live a relatively active life but I struggle with eating too much. I feel like there is no diminishing returns when I eat something. Each chip tastes just as good as the last one. So I will be craving food but know it’s not healthy for me to eat more. I’m trying to find ways to ignore that feeling or dismiss it.

Are there any tips or methods you use to help with that? Impulse control is the hardest thing to work on sometimes.

@[email protected] @[email protected]

You know that #ADHD thing where you've put off a task for a geological age because it looked so damn intimidating?

And then you've decided you're going to do PART of it and you actually do it...

And you're accomplishing shit, you're in The Zone, no lie, but you also realize why you put it off for so long.

Been on Vyvanse 40mg for a few months now and am loving life. I’m more productive, happier, can focus better, eating less, etc.

I can’t help but feel like ADHD meds are like a deal with the devil. I can either have my days drag on, especially the boring parts, and feel every second pass. Or… I can take meds and have the boring parts go by quickly, feel productive, but also have the enjoyable moments that I want to savor, whisked away into the past, leaving me wondering "where the hell did my day go?"


Does anyone else feel like this?

How do I trick my brain into completing a project? I'm making an app that shows which voice actor plays a character in the movie and what other movies they act in. It's useful for me personally but I feel like I'm making something that's been done numerous times over and I lost the momentum because I'm on vacation with my family now. I ran into some problems with the project too and getting help takes a ton of time so it's disrupting the rythm too. I really have to put at least 2-3 projects like this for a portfolio;_;

.. and then put them down somewhere and lost them immediately 🤦

I’ve realized that I kind of rely on my periods of hyperfocus to complete things (when I’m able to direct it toward the right task). If I go onto medication, will I still be able to hyperfocus? As destructive as hyperfocus can be when it’s pointed at the wrong thing, it’s like a superpower when it’s pointed at the right thing. Sometimes I appreciate the periodic flurry of activity and inspiration.

Greetings, fellow ADHDers!

These last three years have been a shit show, that led to the simple conclusion: Medication sucks (for me).

I've been through at least 8 Non-Stims and 3 Stims. The only Medications that worked for me was Adderall (but the anxiety it induced was unbearable) and Straterra (but I'm of the lucky few who have Urinary side effects). My Psychiatrist tried to balance it out with Zoloft and other similar medications but the side effects whacked me out so hard, it resulted in a Misdiagnosis of Bipolar Type 2. (Two weeks after i stopped taking all meds, all side effects subsided and my emotional state stabilized.)

Now, Im terrified of Medication. A lower dose of Adderall would conceivably help, but I dont like the health risk its impact on my cardiovascular system could have, and I have a genetic history of heart disease.

In conclusion: Medication isn't for me, and I need some tips of managing symptoms and depression related to ADHD symptoms. Life is HARD.

Thank you