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March, 2025

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ADHD is a real disability. get over it.

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SirFryanator
Posts: 11149 - Karma: 1,416
I've seen at least 4 threads in the past month where people argue that ADHD doesn't exist and that the diagnosed are "unmotivated, lazy, and need to man the fuck up."

Well, maybe the uninformed should man up and get the facts straight. Want empirical proof? Here ya go:

Daniel Amen is a psychologist who has done numerous studies using a new kind of brain imaging technique called SPECT. Here's an article for you with conclusive images.

http://www.amenclinics.com/brain-science/spect-image-gallery/spect-atlas/images-of-attention-deficit-disorder-addadhd/#adhd

That only touches the surface of ADHD. A marked restriction in prefrontal cortex activity and the basal ganglia, the area that creates dopamine, is evident in the studies done with patients clearly diagnosed with this mental disability.

Stimulant medications close the deficit between ADHD and normal levels of the neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine (two chemicals that are very influential on concentration and memory). The real debate here is not whether ADHD is real or not, it is whether psychostimulant medications are the best method.

Personally, I feel that Vyvanse, the medication I take, has greatly benefited me. I don't feel the need to take it nor do I even really want to take it; I already have enough trouble gaining weight as it is. I've never known what true concentration felt like before this medication, however. My brain was always all over the place. The fact that I only tuned in every other minute or so in class didn't help, even when I understood everything incredibly quickly (which is how I maintained a 4.0 GPA and didn't feel the need to ask for help up until junior year of HS).

My memory has improved remarkably. I take natural supplements to give myself an extra boost so that I don't feel dependent on the medication. My work ethic has gone up soooo much it's not even funny. I was always the kid who could write a 5 page essay the night before the due date and get an A. Now that I'm basically taking my freshman college courses in my senior year of HS, I realize that there is NO way I can do that without integrating these habits into my daily life and working around my learning disability.

Here are some ways you people with ADHD can help yourselves out without using medication, or combining it with your medication to get even further ahead:

http://www.amenclinics.com/clinics/information/ways-we-can-help/adhd-add/

I've typed out quite a bit and I could go on and on and on. I did a LOT of research before I even touched the topic of medication and I have weighed the risks and benefits. I don't plan on maintaining the medication plan past my first year of college, I'd rather deal with the neurological deficiency myself. I just don't have the skills to stop taking it right now...especially with both Micro and Macro Economics AP tests tomorrow haha!

Hope you guys are more informed now and understand what ADHD really is.

Sparknotes: If you can't read all this like I most likely wouldn't be able to before learning how to deal with my ADHD...then just click on the links I posted and that explains a lot of it. But I think you'll enjoy what I wrote as well.
16 years ago
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SteezyOhio
Posts: 6044 - Karma: 60
i was diagnosed with ADHD earlier this year, and it is a real genetic disorder, not an excuse to be lazy. I am one of the most motivated out going people my parents and anybody who has meet me. yet in school i can barely pull of a c on test duh to not the AD but the HD

the common misconception is that the adhd suffers are crazy kids who jump around rooms and kick people and dont listen. im seductively cool, and what my prognosis was is i have to move, not in a hyper way, but i can sit in the same position for more then eh 2 minutes, and i have a limb that is always, always pulsating, as if it was twitching, after gettting on medication and getting my prespription right, i have been able to actually pull grades with the smae effort level, and it has also helped alot with my anxiety on tests. i get stressed out very easily and this med really helps me out cause without it ive pulled out some har before.

so fuck all you non-believers, and ADD kids (thats a real excuse for lazy ness, your could diagnose my dog with that)

^not to be harsh towards people who have the socalled "add" but adhd is different in all aspects, and i didnt go to some shit hole doctor for it, i went to the leading doctor in the county to make sure i wasnt cheating on this game of school and life

peace
16 years ago
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Alex_G
Posts: 11902 - Karma: 1,019
no, moral of the story: the doctor fucked up when they diagnosed your brother

western medicine keeps pushing the envelope and are always finding cures for diseases

lemme get this: so youre basically saying you would you trust a shaman over a doctor who has studied your exact disease rather than somebody whose thought of cures while hallucinating

way to put your health in secure hands
16 years ago
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BigRodRiley
Posts: 1265 - Karma: 36
mythreads
16 years ago
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debrickshaw
Posts: 1957 - Karma: 68
my teacher in 4th grade told my mom to get me tested, sure enough i tested positive for ADHD, i was medicated from 4th grade til last year, when i decided i didn't wanna take the meds anymore, they made me boring and skinny. I deal with my adhd by trying to make myself take constant notes in class, that way i have to pay attention (well i usually do, right now im a second semester senior...GAMEBOY FTW)
16 years ago
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grubix2
Posts: 2628 - Karma: 25
if i may interject...

Contemporary western medicine has actually made very few breakthroughs in "curing" anything.  A lot of western medicine goes as far as to treat and relieve symptoms, and not actually "cure" the underlying disease/cause.  And sometimes treatments can actually do more harm than good, or creatate a problem spiral, as with the case of antibiotic resistance.  And keep in mind for a lot of treatments, if you remove them... the symptoms return.

Now I'm simply playing devils advocate here, considering the fact that I'm actually in medical pursuing a medical profession.  Contemporary allopathic medicine has in fact improved our quality of life, and average life expectancy, but it can only go so far.  Look at all of the chronic conditions prevalent in the US... heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, cancer.  We are in effect giving these people a band-aid with things such as beta-blockers, synthesized insulin, and bypass surgeries.  When really alot of these conditions could be prevented by things like diet, exercise, not smoking/using various drugs.

You would be absolutely amazed how healthy everyone in the population would be if we all ate 2500 calories per day, watched our intake of simple sugars and fats, didn't smoke, got 7 hours of sleep every night, did moderate exercise 3 days a week, and saw our PCP/Dentist/Optometrist once per year.
16 years ago
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spotter487
Posts: 462 - Karma: 12
I had a final yesterday and am finishing up my last essay of the semester right now lol.
one final tmrw and one next week then im done
16 years ago
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skihood
Posts: 903 - Karma: 154
yeah my brother has really bad ADHD and OCD. He's annoying as fuck but he doesn't really know hes doing the things he does.

I feel really bad for him and i feel he is going to need help the rest of his life.

Its really fucked things up in our family
16 years ago
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Flowsion
Posts: 1461 - Karma: 11
I've been diagnosed with ADD for about 9 years now. With my fair share of taking medication as prescribed and also taking voluntary breaks (not what my parents or doctor wanted me to do), I can tell you I absolutely need m
16 years ago
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Flowsion
Posts: 1461 - Karma: 11
* I need my pills.

Sorry about that post break, I dropped a salt shaker on my enter key.
16 years ago
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
I see a guy who has been studying ancient Chinese medicine since he was 8 years old. He uses acupuncture amongst other crazy ass methods that work MUCH better than stuffing meds down my throat.

So yes, western medicine is fucked by comparison.
16 years ago
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lineskier10
Posts: 11339 - Karma: 796
LSD will solve all of your problems
16 years ago
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grubix2
Posts: 2628 - Karma: 25
...are you eating ancient chinese mushrooms or something?  Acupuncture is nothing more than a mere placebo.  Some studies have shown that the small generalized pain created from the needles all over the body MAY "distract" an individual from from the initial pain that is ailing them, or possibly stimulate production of a small amount of endorphins.  But even if this was the case, which any of the findings are extremely weak, it would still be a temporary fix for pain just like medications.  The points in which acupuncture needles are placed have no physiological/anatomical significance.

You know one guy that this type of medicine has "worked" for.  And aparently he's been studying it since he was 8 YEARS OLD... ...studying it... seriously...

But I have stacks of medical journals that say these methods are not effective in the vast majority of the population.  Next time your friend breaks his leg, he can go to the accupuncture guy.  Guarentee he'lll be wanting that Rx for Oxycodone, even if he won't break his pride and admit it.




16 years ago
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
its a real disease, but it is grossly, grossly over diagnosed, and there are frequently other solutions besides drugs.
16 years ago
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
it exists, funny we were talking about this yesterday. they just definately over diagnose. kind of like giving people anti depressants, a lot of these can be cured without drugs. the thing with doctors is that they have a tool box full of fake solutions. so while you're riding on your pills you're not solving the problem. my friend had add when he was a kid and now he's in the army. it's a long process and kids today are just a product of too much videogames and not enough parental love. true story
16 years ago
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dylansiggers
Posts: 1667 - Karma: 6,097
hahah
16 years ago
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TheQuailman
Posts: 7382 - Karma: 148

I'm sure theres a relatively small percentage of the population that actually seriously suffers from this disease.

But then I'm also sure that there are tons of normal people that have similar symptoms to those of ADHD.  I mean seriously, who can sit down and focus for extended periods of time on a test or essay.  Who can sit in class and focus 100% of the time on some boring teacher.  Humans are meant to be out and about and active.  How many kids go to school, square dance for 45 min in gym, come home and either sit in front of the tv and play video games or do their homework until its time for bed.  Add in a poor nutritional diet, and you have a bunch of kids that can't focus in class.

If every kid had ample time to play on the playground, socialize in a free setting with other children, and have a nutritional diet, the amount of bullshit 'adhd' cases would go down drastically.

Personally I think kids should not be medicated for ADD or ADHD until they are at least in high school.

And then there are the cases of people in high school and college that take that crap do be able to focus in class, write a paper, or take the SAT.  And thats a whole other problem.

16 years ago
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,892
when my calf twisted itself into a huge knot last year, acupuncture worked.
my physiotherapist put the needles in, and then he left them in for a about five minutes each session, and during those five minutes i could feel my muscle loosening up, and the jolts of it coming undone were so hard that it was difficult to keep my leg still (not keeping my leg still cause the needles to touch places they shouldn't have, and that really hurt).
as far as i'm concerned anybody who thinks acupuncture doesn't work is just afraid of having some big long needles stuck in their body. it works.
16 years ago
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
Obviously I'm not talking about serious things like broken bones. It would be stupid to get acupuncture for that. And what pain are you talking about? I can't even feel the needles, so your argument makes no sense.

If you have a bad head cold, he'll stick a bunch of needles in your face that punctures pressure points and then you go through 2 boxes of Kleenex on the spot, and after that, no more cold!

My friend's dad had a ski accident that fucked his leg and his leg would go numb whenever he sat down for the past 20 years. He went and saw this same guy and he found a pressure point on his leg, stuck a needle in it, then used a shot glass to suck this black bloody substance that came out. His leg is completely healed.

I'm so sick of people acting like Western Medicine is the end all to health problems. Obviously it has had more research because there is more money in it. In my experience, western medicine is fucking useless for minor illnesses and sickness.
16 years ago
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grubix2
Posts: 2628 - Karma: 25
The point of the matter is... acupuncture does not have any significant anatomical or physiological placement.  Studies have show that "sham-acupuncture" done by placing needlesin different locations from non-traditional "acupoints" has the same effect.  The relief you are getting from acupuncture is psychosomatic.  These are all well documented studies from credible journals about failure of acupuncture to out perform control groups in randomized double blind clinical trials.  And theres plenty more where these come from.  Its a placebo

Asthma
http://erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/4/846

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/38/9/864

Osteoarthritis Pain
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/293/8/375

Migraine Headaches
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1474442206703829

Tinnitus
http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/126/4/489
16 years ago
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
and western methods towards minor illnesses aren't? PK and Codene don't do shit, neither does cough syrup or nyquil. And the major advantage to chinese medicine is that many illnesses can be cured without taking any drugs or being cut open.

Call it what you want, but it has worked MUCH better at curing me than traditional methods have. Don't knock it until you try it.
16 years ago
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,892
wrod all drugs do is make me feel likeshit yknow at least with acupunctre and shti tyuo knwo th e doc is actually doing somethin to you r body rather than jus givin you a poill and saying dis should work

i mean not thta i dont believ in westrn medicine tobut you gotta know that peopel havnt been donig acpunctre and ohtr shit for so long woithout it actally doin anythin
16 years ago
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ElbridgeGerry
Posts: 5902 - Karma: -27
Aren't you Japanese?
16 years ago
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JsNeagle
Posts: 1406 - Karma: 1,580
You've got a fucked up view of how the world works.   Pills were never created to let pathetic kids in highschool get better grades. 
16 years ago
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860
Posts: 2930 - Karma: 166
not to hate on any ADD or ADHD kids, but all these stories sound exactly like mine, I almost failed out of school the past 2 years. Now I'm definitely not dumb, I just don't care enough to motivate myself to listen during class. But since I don't want to fail out of school I've actually started listening in class, now I have B's like normal. Theres a part of me that wants to say ADD is a bunch of bullshit, you don't need a pill to concentrate or "filter" your thoughts, you can overcome that on your own. But I do know a few kids who have ADHD and without their pills I can't be around them because they don't stop. I think a lot of kids convince themselves they just can't concentrate, its just too hard, but for a handful of people I've known, its something thats actually necessary and you don't need any "test" to tell they need some help
16 years ago
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Kirsakid
Posts: 1793 - Karma: 126
I have ADHD and it really does not help with school. Found a song about it though


15 years ago
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ElbridgeGerry
Posts: 5902 - Karma: -27
Being a giant flubbering vagina is a real disability, get over it.
15 years ago
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JStrathern
Posts: 8747 - Karma: 1,536
wait.. are you me?
15 years ago
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theabortionator
Posts: 52377 - Karma: 171,314
This thread blows, I have adhd but I'm not posting stupid threads on it. Stop crying take your fucking ritalin(or sell it) and get on with your life
15 years ago
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,474
I have ADHD I used to be on medication on middle school and last years of high school. The results I had on the medication (Adderal XR) were amazing, could achieve a 4.0 GPA without any difficulty at all. During high school I didn't need to study for tests or quizzes because I was able to retain the information so well from the in class lectures. However, the side effects were to great and I choose to stop taking it starting my junior year in high school. While it was more difficult to study and pay attention in class I was still able to maintain a 3.5 gpa+ my junior and senior year.

Now with my first year in college coming to an end and ending with a 3.8 GPA for the year still without using the medication I have come to the conclusion as long as your smart and actually want to do well in school you do not need any type of drug to help you achieve that. So it's not like it is a real necessity to be on medication in order to do well in school, just helps a lot.
15 years ago
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BrewskiJr
Posts: 5738 - Karma: 1,478
I'm sorry. For the people who really need the help of medicine and really do have ADHD, then i feel for you. But for those people who "sit and watch tv all day cause i have ADD/ADHD" then I have no sympathy for you. Adderral isn't a cure-all-drug. Its WAY over-prescribed in America to kids who don't need it.

Get a work ethic and stop being fucking lazy.

(not directed to severe ADHD patients)
15 years ago
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
I think I'm the most fucked up person ever. Okay so I was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade and have been taking various medications since. I'm never motivated to do my school work and such so sometimes I don't even bother to do it. I always tell myself that I'll just do it later, but never do. So I'll keep reminding myself of it, but keep putting it off, and then maybe do it. And when I'm at school I will realize that I need to finish something and will start working on it there, but then run out of time there and when I get home I don't even bother to work on it. And sometimes when I'm with my friends I feel like I just become bipolar. Like be all cool with them and then be all pissed off at them and shit like that. And then I'll think about some project for a class and be really motivated to finish it early, so I have no worries. But then I just put it off until that last minute and at that point I think 'Damn I told myself to start earlier, so I wasn't stressing'. Sometimes I get depressed or worry about life and other shit. And the past year I feel like I'm slowly becoming socially awkward and never really hanging out with my friends except on the weekends. Instead I just smoke bud by myself and draw shit and do random, pointless shit on the computer/internet. Don't get me wrong, this is really quite enjoyable, but yeah i think it's effecting me in negative ways. I just like to smoke bud and then hangout with myself doing things I enjoy. I always want to like try to sort out my life and shit. I'm probably not even making any sense. Like I said, I think I'm the most fucked up person ever.
15 years ago
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thegoat
Posts: 518 - Karma: 11
Dear Mat Fry,

Despite what Mr. "I went to school for 7 years" says, I still think your a little bitch.

love,

goat
15 years ago
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BrewskiJr
Posts: 5738 - Karma: 1,478
Honestly, this sounds more like a pot problem then ADHD. I know a lot of people who smoke constantly (4-6 times a day) and have this problem. My best friend started smokin a ton of pot and he started to do what you described. He would never come out with us anymore or wanna do anything. He would just rather sit in his room and smoke and play video games or watch TV. I'm a complete advocate for recreational marijuana use. But I've seen a lot of my close friends become real introverted and completely "concealed" to all of the smokers friends'.
15 years ago
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summersover
Posts: 5777 - Karma: 233
this does not sound anything like ADD
this sounds like the laziness that probably 90% of people in school face
hopefully youre just making it sound like not a big deal other wise it sounds like you really dont need pills you just need to have some self discipline

again the over diagnosis is ridiculous, kids are kids fuck they have tons of energy and would much rather be running around outside than staring at a blackboard so obviously they are gonna not want to pay attention sometimes
like anything some kids really need the drugs to focus and not disrupt everyone but cases like the what you described dubsman seem like overkill
15 years ago
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michelle
Posts: 6290 - Karma: 428
You sound like my brother. It's an ADHD issue, and probably some other things. At least you recognize it. Go see a doctor about it if you want it to change, seriously. Because my brother has been doing this for years and he's fucked now. Absolutely fucked.
15 years ago
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rickroller
Posts: 2468 - Karma: 483
its no joke shit messes wit my head
15 years ago
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gregorio
Posts: 2372 - Karma: 151
after 9 hours of testing i had better fucking have it to make all of that worthwhile. but in all seriousness i do think it exists but it is incredibly over diagnosed, some people say it is just a fancy name for being lazy but i think that only applies to people who use it as a crutch and never learn to cope with it themselves. I have struggled with it pretty much my whole life and i knew i had it and i had to convince my therapist to let me get tested (he thought i was bipolar). It is a serious problem that people can more often than not deal with themselves so they need assistance. once they let the assistance they receiving ease their workload to the extent that they are getting an advantage on other people then they are just getting lazy.
15 years ago
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Slinger1x1
Posts: 8853 - Karma: 67
well lets put it this way.

There has been days when i will forget to take my pill. in my favorite class, and my most important class (AP chem), i will start playing with shit. i found myself playing with a ruler one day and realized that i needed to stop because i wasnt paying attention at all, but then 3 minutes later i was back doing it.

when i take my pill, things dont distract me. my attention is completely focused on the work and notes. i have a 4.0 in that class that i would never have gotten if i wasnt medicated.

Same goes for English. i went from a 2.5 english student to a 3.5 english student. I focus on my essays and focus and contribute in class

hell, even in AP American History i have a 3.5, and had a 2.5 in my global studies class freshman year. I HATE history, but i have been able to focus and work harder and achieve good grades in an AP level class.

i mean, you can say what you said about anyone "oh, you just need to be more disciplined and less lazy"
but in the end, its not just that easy
15 years ago
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
I wouldn't say so, man. I think if I were to be categorized by one of the five types of ADHD I would be the "Ring of Fire".
http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com/add_types_main.htm
15 years ago
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BrewskiJr
Posts: 5738 - Karma: 1,478
I bet I would have a 3.7-3.9 if I took the pill too.
15 years ago
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wolvmatt
Posts: 361 - Karma: 10

I stopped reading when it said psychologist. 

15 years ago
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i.ski.troll.
Posts: 4692 - Karma: 248
im the same way, and here i am end of my senior year, trying to get all my shit done so i can walk. i honestly dont know if its gonna happen.
15 years ago
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General_Ripper
Posts: 3327 - Karma: 189

yea assholes its really hard to pay attention for me when im in my fluid mechanics class.......

15 years ago
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Willard
Posts: 5117 - Karma: 429
I have been diagnosed with it and my friends always give me shit for going completely off topic and random shit
15 years ago
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Travapple.
Posts: 6787 - Karma: 88
im starting to think that i very well may suffer from ADHD.

when i was younger, my 4th grade teacher suggested to my parents that i go see a doctor for ADHD. We went to the doctor and they gave me some meds, im not sure if i was ever actually diagnosed with anything however. anyways, i took the meds for a very short while and decided not to continue to use them because i didnt like the fact i had to be medicated and didnt like how it made me feel.

continuing throuh elementary, middle, high school, and a year of college, i have struggled continually with school. i always had the desire to do well, but i was always a C/D student as far as i can remember. i had also failed my first class ever during my first year of college.

i just couldnt concentrate to save my life. i could never meet any of my deadlines either. i know for a fact that it was the nuber one reason my grades suffered. often times i would say something like "im going to get this project done early" i would find myself halfway though getting sidetracked and finishing it half assed, if at all.

i have noticed ADHD like symptoms in other aspects such as work. for example, at my job, although i can usually stay on task better than at school. there is a number of duties that i can do at any given time. often i go to do one thing, i end up moving onto something else without completeing the previous task, and this has caused problems with my superiors.

it hasnt been until recently that i considered myself having ADHD, but the more i think about it the more i convince myself. i scheduled a doctor visit for the near future to discuss this possiblilty. what do you guys think?



15 years ago
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DJohnson
Posts: 444 - Karma: 11
hahaha
15 years ago
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infedel_one
Posts: 5140 - Karma: 444
derp.
15 years ago
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Elmo.
Posts: 4320 - Karma: 669
its not an excuse at all... my sis has it and has been on and off intense meds for years to help concentration... shit is deffinitly real
15 years ago
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meth_time
Posts: 2783 - Karma: 21
In the states the sometimes treat ADHD with methamphetamine.

I bullshit you not.

Go look it up.
15 years ago
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
it's definitely real, but too many people try to use it as an excuse for being bored in school and not paying attention. It's like OCD. Just because you like having things neat doesn't mean you have OCD. It means you like things neat.
15 years ago
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