r/videos May 30 '17

This guy's presentation on ADHD is excellent

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JowPOqRmxNs
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u/[deleted] May 30 '17 edited Sep 24 '19

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] May 30 '17

I always said focusing (for me) was like trying to hold tightly onto a wet bar of soap, I'd have it for a moment then it would shoot out of my hand and I'd have to chase it down, and by the time I got it back I was already behind, then I'd just lose it again

My parents never remotely understood that concept, so it took my 7.5 years to graduate college

Also I'd often lose focus without even realizing, like in class I'd be listening then suddenly catch myself staring into space and singing an old sitcom theme in my head and I'd think "wait then the hell did that happen? it's been 10 minutes? fuuuuck!"

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u/confusing_times_ta May 30 '17

This sounds so fucking familiar it's like I wrote it myself. I'll just drift off and not even realize I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. FUCKKK

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u/[deleted] May 30 '17

And no amount of willpower or good intentions can change anything (in my experience)

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u/[deleted] May 30 '17

And when you do try to focus, you end up focusing on how hard it is to focus instead of focusing on the teacher (my middle school experience) and realize "shit, I stopped paying attention again." And on and on.

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u/[deleted] May 30 '17

Exactly! It's an absolute nightmare

No mom and dad, I wasn't lazy all those years, I was fucking trying

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u/burnt_pizza May 31 '17

fuuck I've been thinking about this every day for years, how the hell do i fix this.

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u/nihilisticpunchline May 31 '17

My husband was 31 before he finally got treatment for his ADHD and it changed his life. He was diagnosed when he was younger but his parent didn't believe in it so they didn't allow him to get treatment. For most of our marriage, he didn't go to the doctor since he didn't have insurance so he just lived with it. As soon as he got insurance, he went to the doctor and I forced him to ask about treatment options. It took about 3 different formulas for him to find what works but I'm so happy we found it. It makes me hurt to think about him previously suffering through it and mostly silently.

Go to the doctor. Talk to someone. Ask about treatment options. I'm sure it will be worth it.

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u/CatSnakeChaos Jun 01 '17

Damn this is exactly what happens to me in lots of ways. Like I go downstairs to get a new trashbag and often times when I get back upstairs I don't even have the trashbag. Or just now when I'm re-listening an interview I did for school and suddenly I notice a sound going on in the background and I think "huh what's that?" only to realise/remember that I was trying to re-listen an interview and completely lost focus.

Have you been diagnosed with ADD?

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '17

That's exactly it

Yes, ADHD, the doctor was stunned at how bad it was, like her jaw practically hit the floor after I answered a few questions

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u/CatSnakeChaos Jun 01 '17

Ohh I see, thanks for responding. A few weeks ago a teacher of mine even asked me if I've got ADHD but it's never really been tested I think. I have a few friends with ADHD and the video the OP linked really fit well with those friends in the sense that they're really bad at planning things.

This video kind of made me believe there's no way I have that though since I think I'm fairly good at planning and thinking ahead. I do always move in one way or another and my concentration has been really bad since elementary school so there's that... And then when I read the comment by "Eizooz" that describes exactly how it feels for me. Weird stuff.

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '17

There's different versions of ADD / ADHD and it can present a bit differently to people

This video didn't perfectly describe me either, so that doesn't mean you shouldn't get it checked out. Getting medicated was the best choice I ever made (helped me stay focused enough to eat well and exercise and I lost near 100lbs last year—so it can have unforeseeable affects too) but the meds don't make it better for everyone. Worth a try though

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u/CatSnakeChaos Jun 01 '17

Cool man thanks for the advice!

I'm actually a bit unsure about even getting it checked out though because I think I know a fair bit about the medication that's available for ADHD/ADD. I've also read a lot of horror stories about medication like Adderall and other stimulants. I've never tried Adderall itself but I have tried speed which is nearly identical to it and I absolutely hated not being able to eat what I wanted (my weight is on the lower side, I've recently started exercising to put on some weight). Hard choice I think.

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '17

It all depends on the dosage—I'm on basically the smallest daily dose, but I've heard awful stories from friends. Though you may be right, it might not be for you. But there's other meds too. I think Vivanse (sp?) is supposedly pretty good; it's like Adderall without the stimulant (I think).

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u/CatSnakeChaos Jun 01 '17

Oh that sounds a lot better! Wikipedia actually says some positive things about the use of stimulants on people who have ADHD so I might make an appointment sometime and discuss with a doctor wether they think I even have ADHD and if medication would be benefitial to me. Thanks. :)

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '17

Cool, go for it! Yeah I'm a huge proponent of the stims, they finally got me off my lazy ass lol

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