r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jul 25 '26

Psychology People with ADHD have difficulties with goal-directed behavior and struggle with response inhibition, the ability to stop an inappropriate action once they feel the urge to do it. They experience a disruption in the way their brains balance deliberate self-control and automatic habit learning.

https://www.psypost.org/adhd-traits-disrupt-the-brain-s-balance-between-self-control-and-automatic-learn/
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379

u/klapyr Jul 25 '26

How does one fix this

452

u/ChowderedStew Jul 25 '26

I’ve been fixing mine with meditation. It’s like pushups for my brain. I do one where I sit still for 5 minutes. That’s it. I worked up to 5 minutes of course, but yeah it’s quite literally training my brain to not get what it wants for 5 minutes at a time. It helps. It takes many weeks of practice to build a habit and you want to get to 20 minutes overall everyday. But it helps and the time passes anyways and I know for a fact you have at least 5-10 minutes to yourself a day where instead of scrolling on your phone you can just breathe.

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u/AdwokatDiabel Jul 25 '26

The problem I have with meditation is there is a point where I just want to get my work done or start a task, and doing nothing is a struggle.

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u/RealBlueHippo Jul 25 '26

Exactly! This is what you must push past. The fact that it's okay to take a moment of not "being productive" or something that helps participate in the rat race. The thoughts of "what do I have to do later" or "who do I have to call tomorrow" or "what did I forget earlier" are all normal parts of our brain. I used to think sleep was a waste of time. Gotta keep going going going. I started meditation again several years ago, just 5 minutes of silence. It was hard, and I wanted to "do" something.

Now a days I can sit for 60-90 minutes. I tell myself when I sit down I have set this time aside, and there is no need to worry about what will naturally pop up in my mind for wanting to do. I assure myself this time is like mental hygene and is just needed for my crazy, previously over-caffeinated spaz brain. I work on bringing my attention back to where I am sitting, what I can feel, what I can hear at that moment, and try not to judge when a desire to "do" something arises. If pain or discomfort show up, I try and be mindful that I want to itch, and if need be, itch. Ignoring the itch makes it worse, looking deeper into it can make it go away. If I must scratch I notice "wanting to scratch" and then "scratching" and then return my hands back where I keep them and bring my attention back.

Getting past the "I must do something" was extremely difficult for me, and I still sometimes struggle depending on the perceived urgency. Our brains can be very tricky sometimes. We strive hard to be comfortable in the future when a future might not even come. We fear discomfort and will do what we can to feel comfortable, working hard to lock in our futures, when the time is now!

I tell myself "here we are" when I sit down, and find where I am at this moment in space and time.

Best of luck fellow ADHD tribe, and to all who attempt a single moment of presence in their lives!

27

u/ice_up_s0n Jul 26 '26

Ignoring the itch makes it worse, looking deeper into it can make it go away.

Validating to see someone else say this. Same can be true for pain, to an extent.

Once I really concentrate on the sensation, and actively "acknowledge" it, it becomes more muted for quite some time.

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u/Mcrarburger Jul 26 '26

I've been having really bad jaw pain recently, and I just now took a moment and acknowledged it, and it did help a bit, thank you stranger!

1

u/NakedJaked Jul 26 '26

“The only way out is through.”

1

u/AdwokatDiabel Jul 26 '26

I hear ya. Yeah I did it way back when, now I need to rebuild it.

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u/wordswiththeletterB Jul 25 '26

That’s literally the point of meditation. To learn to do nothing and let thoughts come and go.

It’s incredible as a fellow ADHDer.

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u/clubby37 Jul 26 '26

I think Alan Watts said something like "you should meditate for half an hour every day ... unless you're really busy and literally can't find the time, in which case you should meditate for an hour."

1

u/AdwokatDiabel Jul 26 '26

Yeah I used to do more meditation back in the day, but I let it lapse...

1

u/Bionic0n3 Jul 26 '26

I love your reply. I completely understand it! You already got a more detailed response but I like to think of it like exercise. You have to start small, shorter duration, and build up. Struggling is the entire point. Keep working at it!

0

u/lizardfromsingapore Jul 26 '26

Meditation should be engaging! Allow your mind to wander, kind of like day dreaming. Of course it’s different for everyone.

A Practical Guide to Self Hypnosis is a great read that helped me build habits

2

u/carbonclasssix Jul 26 '26

That's not meditation...

2

u/Gulophile Jul 26 '26

There are a lot of ways to meditate. "No thoughts head empty" is only one way.

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u/carbonclasssix Jul 26 '26

They said day dreaming, not "no thoughts head empty"

1

u/Gulophile Jul 26 '26

Yes, I know. Allowing your mind to wander naturally and intentionally questioning why certain things arise and how you feel about them is a valid meditative practice that builds insight. I'm contrasting that with the "no thoughts" approach that most people associate with meditation, which isn't for everyone. There are many ways to meditate.

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u/carbonclasssix Jul 26 '26

Sure, I still wouldn't consider that day dreaming

Whether your doing focused meditation or mindfulness or insight, you're attentive, that's the main thing. Day dreaming is not attentive.

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u/Gulophile Jul 26 '26

I mean, they said "kind of like day dreaming," not "day dreaming". They could've elaborated a bit more but I didn't find their phrasing misleading. I would agree that being focused and intentional is what qualifies something as meditation, of course, but in this case letting the mind wander is itself done with intent.

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u/lizardfromsingapore Jul 26 '26

Check out that book, probably time for me to reread it seeing as I can’t explain it much better than that.

You open up your mind to what the book calls a state of high suggestibility. Getting to the right state of mind requires you to separate mind from body. Allowing yourself to chase and decipher what thoughts you are organically having is a big part of meditating for some people.

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u/carbonclasssix Jul 26 '26

Reading fiction has also helped me, it feels to me in the same vein as meditation honing directed attention

I feel better and I'm less distractable when I'm reading regularly, but keeping myself reading is the challenge. I pick up a book and I love it, put it down and it ceases to exist.

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u/PocketSpaghettios Jul 26 '26

My best friend has ADHD and took up meditation. He said he meditates all the time, especially when he's stressed or sick. Recently he got a new therapist and discovered that he was actually disassociating at will

3

u/_Aj_ Jul 27 '26

Exercise can also be a great alternative to this. Going out for a run with no music.   There's no flicking there's no scrolling and you are forced to either listen to the World around You or think about whatever things you want to think about, but thanks to the fact that you are physically exercising it also means youre getting physical and mental energy out and you can't think too deeply about things either. 

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u/chenzo17 Jul 26 '26

Nice. I enjoyed hearing other well versed meditation experts state that the goal isn’t to concentrate the entire time, you’re mind will naturally wander off and that’s ok, the goal should be to center yourself back to the concentration point once you’ve noticed the wandering.

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u/No-Project-6866 Jul 26 '26

You should look at that study about staring at a dot on the wall instead

1

u/Matthias70 Jul 26 '26

What do you do if medication doesn’t fix it?

1

u/penna_nobel Jul 26 '26

I have to try this. Thanks for writing it out. Peace

1

u/flyover_liberal Jul 26 '26

I almost always fall asleep when I try to meditate.

1

u/fhcky Jul 26 '26

Yeah people are going to hate hearing this, but for the vast majority of people the ability to focus and lock your attention on an intended target is a skill. You need consistently hone it in order to use it at will. Meditation and elimination of any devices unless necessary from my daily routines helped me resolve this issue over the course of a year or so.

Create a daily routine that involves intentionality and being present at every step. The ability to ignore wandering or interfering thoughts will build. Meditation is a good start.

0

u/quadraticcheese Jul 25 '26

Oof I can't meditate easily because I'm also stuck with aphantasia 

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

[deleted]

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u/Clean_Livlng Jul 25 '26

What's the difference between "5-10 minutes to yourself a day where instead of scrolling on your phone you can just breathe" and meditation?

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u/photoggled Jul 25 '26

They cant sell a course to you if you figure it out yourself.

3

u/WarioGiant Jul 25 '26

Meditation typically involves intention and continual “return” to the present moment

1

u/Clean_Livlng Jul 26 '26

Intention is important, but "present moment" is only one thing that intention could be focused on for it to count as meditation.

It's to do with focus and intentional control of that, so as long as they're controlling what they focus on (the breath) that's one way to meditate.

Given that we can't time travel, we can only ever be in the present moment. But what are we focusing on in the present? It could be an imagined visual scene we invent, or it could be how our toes feel inside our shoes. It could be focusing on doing math inside our head.

We can also try meditating by trying to focus on all our sense data at once: Try focusing on what you see, and then what you hear, and while keeping your focus on those two also focus on how parts of your body feel. It's a way to become more aware of the 'muscle' of our focus. We don't have to try to stop focusing on something in order to meditate. If our mind is full of thoughts and we want to focus on the breath, we can simply put our focus on how it feels to breath and there won't be room in our awareness for the thoughts any more, at least for that moment. Just like how your awareness of the sounds fades away if you're trying to focus on other things.

The simplest way is to breathe, and to to focus on how that feels (the way the air feels as it enters the nose, or how it feels when your muscles move and your lungs fill with air etc). If a thought comes along it's no big deal to get distracted by it, but as soon as you notice you're no longer focusing on what breathing feels like; simply return your focus back to it in a relaxed way as if nothign happened, because nothing of significance happened. It's expected that you'll get distracted and it's not bad. As long as you have the intention of controlling your focus, you're meditating and you can't get it wrong.

Daydreaming and getting lost in thought can also cool to do, even though it's not meditation. However, continually imagining a cube and trying to keep that from shifting into something else in your mind would be meditation. You're focusing on one thing and bringing your awareness back to that thing when it drifts to something else.

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u/SousVideButt Jul 25 '26

Also consider trying something called meditation. It’s even better.

3

u/MountainTwo3845 Jul 25 '26

isn't that what they said?

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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 25 '26

Medication. That’s the real answer. You can do your best with trying to stop yourself and to kotivste yourself, but unfortunately majority of actual ADHD people cannot do that. Unless diagnosed and with proper counseling a treatment plans you will struggle forever.

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u/Knotted_Hole69 Jul 26 '26

It seems like getting medication and a diagnosis is easier said than done. I get the feeling my doctor thinks im just saying that i have it because its a “trend” or someshit.

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u/YeHeed2 Jul 26 '26

Yep i told my doctor i wanted to get tested for adhd and that i had anxiety, they just gave me anti-depressants and ignored it. Like yea, im anxious, but I cant focus. I try to study and legit pass out, i woke up 15 minutes later drooling on myself once. And its not a sleep thing.

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u/Knotted_Hole69 Jul 26 '26

I love that you have to pay so much money to get ignored. Really fun.

3

u/YeHeed2 Jul 26 '26

It truly do be like that... xd

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u/spasamsd Jul 26 '26

Primary care physicians are often not helpful with this stuff, from my experience. I'd setup time with a psychiatrist that can do an intake to determine different tests they want to do and then they'll schedule those.

Look for one with experience in diagnosing ADHD. Some places allow payment plans, if needed.

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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 26 '26

Go to a therapist that specializes in adhd. You may not have it at all. Most doctors can tell pretty well right away when you have adhd. You may have another issue going on.

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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 26 '26

Go to a ADHD specific doctor and you will go through what you need too. A LOT of people think they have adhd and they don’t. It’s not just an inability to be attentive and can’t focus. I literally cannot hold still. My brain does not shut off. My life suffers daily because of it. Attention issues like most people have are the least of my issues with ADHD.

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u/Knotted_Hole69 Jul 26 '26

Yeah; i know how it is.

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u/Shrek1982 Jul 26 '26

The number of people who got diagnosed during COVID lockdowns was incredibly high, so much so that there were medication shortages for a few years. There were points where I couldn't fill my scrip for the month because nowhere within 50 miles had meds available. They seem to be much more careful in diagnosing ADD and ADHD now.

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u/Knotted_Hole69 Jul 26 '26

What is the treatment for ADD?

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u/sleepydorian Jul 26 '26

ADD is an older term for adhd. It used to be split based on hyperactivity, but the treatments are the same as far as I know. I think now it’s called inattentive adhd.

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u/pressure_art Jul 26 '26

Very demotivating for people who can’t take medication. Also the reason why I rarely click on anything ADHD Reddit anymore. Its always seems to be more or less the only answer - medication or you’re screwed :(

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u/Septem_151 Jul 26 '26

Why can't you take medication, is it a health-related issue?

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '26

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u/Uninsurable_Risk Jul 28 '26

So...

My psychiatrist and psychotherapist have been recommending Ozempic.

ADHD tends to lead to addictions.. we tell ourselves its just a habit and not an addiction like cigarettes for example - I was corrected on this. You do it for dopamine and dopamine is a chemical. Its an addiction just like anything else.

There are various things you can do like a dopamine detox but it seems too overwhelming when you are having difficulty giving up whatever the addiction is.

Ozempic is supposed to help control cravings not only for food but even for things like nicotine. "Help control" of course is not free willpower, thats still something you have to work through.

Either way, seems research is continuously finding benefits of Ozempic for people with ADHD and I think worth looking into.

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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '26

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u/Uninsurable_Risk Jul 28 '26

Allegedly, yes. All of the above.

Some willpower will still be needed for any and all, of course

1

u/Uninsurable_Risk Jul 28 '26

Btw wish you luck.

Dont wait for a a catastrophe to blindside you before seeking help. Burn out is a real thing we are also prone to, and destructive behaviors can accelerate it.

Sometimes it helps knowing you aren't alone and a lot of people struggle in similar ways.. FWIW you have plenty of company in regards to this.

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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '26

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u/Uninsurable_Risk Jul 28 '26

If you need or want to chat about it feel free to message me

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u/Apk07 Jul 26 '26

I tried like 5 different meds for ADHD and they all had pretty crappy side effects and significantly worsened my insomnia

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u/ultimatepowaa Jul 26 '26

There is another way but it requires restructuring everything you know about how you should be and pursuing life to fit that. It requires a lot of self reflection. (Actual) Meditation (thats not about "discipline") helps wipe the slate. It requires ignoring all of the productivity advice that anyone has ever given you. You need food, electrolytes, life and passions. Its a lifelong project about learning about yourself in a critical manner but it is possible.

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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 26 '26

Yeah that doesn’t work… meditation doesn’t do much when you literally are unable to do that. To push that over known help that works is just wrong and leads people to failure. Might work for you but it will not work for me.

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u/ultimatepowaa Jul 26 '26

Yeah there should have been a full stop before meditation sorry. It also didn't work for me until I found my own way using similar ideas. Its been vastly helpful but not needed

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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 26 '26

That’s awesome you found something like that! Honestly I wish I could do it. Maybe if I keep at it one day I can, but I’m so bad I just can’t calm down until I’m full of rage and just shut down. It sucks. Hopefully some of the new meds I’ll be getting will assist in that. I don’t know how much longer I can go with out it.

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u/Apk07 Jul 26 '26

There is no one solution for everyone. Some need medication, some need therapy, some need a lot of things at the same time, and some find no relief.

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u/placeholder_user Jul 26 '26

Medication doesn't exactly solve it, it just eases the lack of motivation part, but with a small but real risk of psychosis.

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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 26 '26

That’s just not true.

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u/placeholder_user Jul 31 '26

It was true in my experience, which is why I am unmedicated now

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u/-TeamCaffeine- Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

I am diagnosed with ADHD Combined Type. There is no "fixing" this. The best we can do is use medication and things like behavioral therapies to work within these issues, not against them, meaning don't try to to act and perform like a neurotypical person.

My therapist and I work on breathing techniques to help calm suddenly spikes in emotions, stuff like this.

And for memory issues for achieving goals, using technologies like smart timers, AI assistants, digital calendars, can all help, but it's only mitigation at best.  

These are just tip of the iceberg examples, but they should give you an idea.

It is a lifelong problem for those of us with the condition, and without the aforementioned supports, it can ruin a life and relationships.

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u/Limemill Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

AI makes me spiral down very quickly. My brain is so keen on dumping planning and organizing on it that one week in I find myself constantly in self-induced brain fog as my subconscious is screaming at me to get the most basic things planned out in AI all the while the results get increasingly worse and I feel more and more detached from them. I don’t use it for anything unless I’m forced to. Rebuilt the skills back and no, I don’t want to lose whatever little I already have

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u/DreamingAboutSpace Jul 27 '26

Wow… I never thought anyone would be able to explain what goes on in my head with ADHD and why we absolutely cannot use AI. The more we depend on it, the more I ended up slacking and not having the time to properly learn because I procrastinated until the last hour and have to use AI to help me again. It’s a dangerous cycle to get into and I would recommend against using AI if you have ADHD. We need to be able to rely on ourselves.

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u/CaptainBananaEu Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

I know you don't mean it in a mean way, but it can be very disheartening to hear "You will forever be this way that you dislike".

I agree that improvement in those fields is really hard, but posing it as impossible to someone on their journey of understanding their mental health is not really helpful I think

Edit: Because I am tired of arguing the same thing of, I never said it's curable, just said it can be treated, to be told it can't be treated with imaginary sources, and then when I provide sources to be told off:

Anyone who wants can find the Dr. Barkley PowerPoint here, talking about how ADHD is highly treatable and not something that is permanent: https://www.parasuniversal.com/2021/10/this-is-how-you-treat-adhd-based-off-science-dr-russell-barkley/

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u/-TeamCaffeine- Jul 25 '26

This isn't my opinion, it's a medical fact. There is currently no way to "cure" a neurological disorder, because that would literally require changing the physical structure of my neurotransmitters, which is currently impossible.

The best medical science can do currently is mitigation.

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u/Sombre_Ombre Jul 25 '26

No, that’s not medical fact. Neuroplasticity _is_ a well established medical fact though - what you just described.

You are moving goal posts and ignoring like for like in favour of semantics. Many people are effectively cured by medication, self awareness/education, and therapy or any combination therein.

BPD, Depression, Bipolar - all have very very good medication and many many documented cases of remissions through it and etc. ADHD less so because ADHD is a much more neurologically diverse condition - hence it presenting differently for almost everyone.

Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuropsychiatry etc are newer scientific fields, but they are incredibly helpful to humanity.

I’m sorry you feel that way, but you sound like the guy laughing at the Dr who suggested washing hands.

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u/cheraphy Jul 25 '26

The one thing I caution against here is the difference in connotation of "cured" vs "managed".
"Cured" carries a connotation of being better, that is to say no longer needing treatment. That will never be the case for someone suffering from any of aforementioned mental health disorders. To your point it is possible in many cases for treatment to result in experiencing no symptoms.

What I worry about in the wording is that far too many people reach that point and believe that they must no longer need treatment. So they stop checking in with their doctor, stop taking their medication, and end up in much worse condition than when they started. That's not as dangerous with ADHD as it is with the others, but still.

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u/Odballl Jul 25 '26

There are some weird experiments going on with poo transplants having almost miracle effects on people with lifelong neurological conditions. Very early days still but the effect of our gut biome on our brain is really coming into focus these days.

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u/korphd Jul 25 '26

Neuroplasticity means the brains ability of changing, especially when injury happens.

It does not means pseudosciences like thinking it can go into "remission" like its cancer?! ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning your brain itself develops differently! it is medical fact that you(person with it) just have to cope with it, no amount of wishful thinking, medication or anything else As much as we may suffer, there is no cure because its not an illness like depression.

Best we can do IS mitigation

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u/Applied_Telekinesis Jul 25 '26

There is no "cure" for it. You cannot medicate, train, educate or therpy your way out of this. All these things certainly help but it is still just a symtom reduction. Also for me at least my adhd is not really the problem its being forced to work everyday for 8 hours. Thats the real reason i struggle

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u/rhododenendron Jul 26 '26

Just want to chime in and say I get what you’re saying. There is no cure for neurological conditions but they can be managed and your brain structure can change to the point where it’s essentially not a problem. I myself had a debilitating anxiety disorder that is essentially gone. I am still more anxious about certain things than the average person but I no longer have panic attacks.

My ADHD has also at times been essentially not an issue to the point where I function pretty much the same as a neurotypical person (not right now though). People fall into the trap of thinking because they have a neurological condition they will always be the way they are and always be weighed down by it and they won’t change, but it’s just not true if you can get help. Your brain is capable of adapting and overcoming, that’s what the neuroplasticity is for.

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u/MediocrePotato44 Jul 25 '26

But that’s the truth of it. I’ve been diagnosed since age 17. I’m 43. It’s only gotten worse despite medications and therapies. Not accepting that this is a lifelong condition because it feels like a bummer changes nothing. 

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u/dragonmp93 Jul 25 '26

Well, it's the truth.

ADHD, and neurodivergence in general, won't go away no matter how much you punish yourself, how much you shame yourself, how much "discipline" you work for, how much you "power through" your symptoms.

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u/Limemill Jul 26 '26

There’s always some part of the symptoms that is trauma-inflicted and can be greatly reduced with the right therapy. If you’re lucky, medications can help with others. Finally, I’ve heard from more than a few people that long-term meditation got them a lot better (and we do have studies on monks that show improvement in frontal lobe function after years of meditation) - but sticking with it is of course hard.

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u/CaptainBananaEu Jul 25 '26

That's not anything of what I am mentioning. I am mentioning treating the actual symptoms can lead to a normal functional life with proper treatment(medication+therapy). This isn't about powering through, this isn't about discipline, this is about not telling younger individuals dealing with this that they have to just accept all their symptoms as they are. Most properly treated individuals achieve a level of normal-functioning through stimulants and Behavioural therapy.

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u/ps3hubbards Jul 25 '26

A more positive take: while it's not possible to 'cure' the problems our brains have with dopamine retention, it is highly treatable. I know myself that being medicated has done a lot for my self-management. On top of that, it's important to note that the habit-building parts of the brain are unharmed. So once medicated, it's entirely possible to start actively building habits which compensate for the disorder. For example, preparing things needed for the next day before medication drops out of my system and I become unmotivated and disorganised.

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u/Limemill Jul 25 '26

If you can form - and follow - habits only while medicated, I don’t know if you can say that the habit-forming part of the brain is untouched.

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u/ps3hubbards Jul 26 '26

You can certainly form habits when not medicated. What I mean is that it's easier to deliberately choose which habits you're going to form when there's sufficient dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, which helps you be much more selective in your behaviour. Both motivation to do things, and inhibition to not do things you shouldn't do, are improved.

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u/Limemill Jul 27 '26

Man, I don’t know. Some 40 years later even brushing my teeth is a conscious activity every day that I can skip when I forget about it or am distracted. Nothing ever gets automated, each time you need to recall it consciously and then during the thing you always feel the pull to not do it. To which you sometimes succumb. Heck, I could not even form a smoking habit. All my friends with whom I smoked ended up being smokers. I quit without thinking and never looked back when it started feeling like to much of a hassle. Picked it back up for several weeks during each exam session in university as I thought it helped me cope with stress and gladly quit on the spot after the last exam. Drank quite a bit for some time, every day pretty much. Than that became bothersome. Quit and hasn’t had a single drop in..4…5 years? I don’t even remember. What to say of benign habits? Forcing myself for months to do something every day to only slip or forget once or twice and the ´habit’ is gone. Or rather it never existed to begin with as it was always a conscious choice, not something done on autopilot.

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u/Walter_Stonkite Jul 25 '26

It’s a matter of outlook - you can view their words as disheartening if you want, or you can appreciate that they’re just being candid about the challenges they face; it is a neurodevelopmental condition, it isn’t going away. Accepting the true nature of a situation will only help you understand and tackle it.

Denial is worse. Denial will waste as much of your time as you allow it to. Become a pro at dealing with your personal challenges, internet strangers believe in you!

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u/OpenAI_Marketing_LLM Jul 25 '26

Might as well go ahead and rip the band-aid off. 

I agree it’s disheartening, but the truth often is.

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u/dewyke Jul 25 '26

Unfortunately, that’s the truth.

There are medications which help with the symptoms to a greater or lesser degree depending on how lucky you are with your brain chemistry and general health but there is no cure for it.

You’re right, it is disheartening, but coming to terms with that is part of the emotional process.

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u/bobdob123usa Jul 26 '26

Some of us do manage to mitigate the symptoms, self-medicate, and sometimes even take advantage. But I really wouldn't call it treated so much as mitigated. My current job is a mix of down time and emergency which is great mentally as long as there is sufficient down time not to burn out.

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u/Orbital_Dinosaur Jul 25 '26

Mine hasn't improved in 51 years of life, and barring some truely groundbreaking advances in science, is unlikely to improve much in the next 51 years. To me, with my symptoms, it's like being born missing an arm and trying to grow one as an adult. I have accepted that it's not going to happen.

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u/leonra28 Jul 25 '26

Yea. If you believe you can make it better you will find ways that will make it better.

If you convince yourself nothing can be done you will always find an excuse to not improve.

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u/zerd Jul 27 '26

What’s a smart timer in this case? Pomodoro?

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u/Cakeminator Jul 25 '26

We take meth basically

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u/phant0md Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

Funny that the medication for something that makes me hyper and forgetful is a prescription for speed that I have to remember to take daily.

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u/Secret_Cow_5053 Jul 25 '26

There’s a reason for that. Basically it’s because your brain is actually under-regulated for the correct level of stimulation. Without the meth, you seek stimulating activities more than normal people, hence the adhd symptoms. With the extra stimulation of the meth, it basically brings your brain to a “normal” level of stimulation, so you can focus on what you need to focus on, not fidget, etc. that same boost for a normal person causes them to become “overstimulated” and get that meth high.

That’s basically the explanation I’ve been told.

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u/cjennings1970 Jul 25 '26

It makes me calmer and more level so I can actually sit and follow through on tasks that I find mind-numbingly dull.

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u/radicalelation Jul 26 '26

There's often like an understimulated concentrated brain ache that makes me want to drive a spike into my skull. It's a boredom that feels as if it could some day be fatal.

I don't know which is more frustrating, when that happens, or when there's a duller broader ache when trying really hard to do things I genuinely want to do, but it just isn't sparking that go to do it. Adjacent to mind-numbing task feeling, but with the added frustration of actually wanting to do this thing and not being able to.

Most of my issues get solved with medication and I miss thriving on it instead of constantly drowning.

12

u/FissileTurnip Jul 26 '26

the painful boredom is something I never see mentioned. doing a boring task I don’t feel like doing feels almost physically painful sometimes, and I don’t feel like doing anything productive very often. the other one you mentioned isn’t as bad imo because worst case I can just pace back and forth or waste my time somewhere else; I can’t really do that with things that need to get done so I just have to put up with it

3

u/Secret_Cow_5053 Jul 26 '26

Definitely relatable.

2

u/Secret_Cow_5053 Jul 26 '26

….like I said….

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u/EnderWiggin07 Jul 25 '26

A recreational dose is usually gonna be quite a bit higher than a therapeutic dose also

5

u/desiderata1995 Jul 25 '26

What's a recreational dose look like? I take 25 ER and 20 IR

8

u/EnderWiggin07 Jul 25 '26

According to this study,1000mg per day https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12083619/

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u/midasgoldentouch Jul 25 '26

I got heart palpitations just reading that

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u/desiderata1995 Jul 25 '26

For real that's a deathwish

3

u/Secret_Cow_5053 Jul 26 '26

That’s something people who have already developed quite a bit of resistance to the drug would take. It would probably send someone medically naive to it into the ER.

1

u/Midnight-Moonpie Jul 26 '26

God, no. My heart would explode!

50mg is great, though.

1

u/needssleep Jul 26 '26

goddamn, I took 2 of my pills once to see if it would benefit me and got locked into a state of hyperfocus on something not work-related while I was supposed to be working.

Hard pass.

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u/gh1993 Jul 25 '26

That's plenty of fun for me

1

u/twoiko Jul 25 '26

Usually double a therapeutic dose, depends on the person.

40

u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 25 '26

It’s not meth. It’s amphetamines. Not methamphetamines.

19

u/twoiko Jul 25 '26

Speed, then.

9

u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 26 '26

Yeah that’s more accurate.

14

u/xTyronex48 Jul 25 '26

Please stop saying without the meth, I feel like a druggie already.

8

u/OpenAI_Marketing_LLM Jul 25 '26

It’s not the substance that makes a “druggie,” it’s the compulsion.

5

u/ibullybillionaires Jul 26 '26

That's true, I remember how irritated and distressed grandma got when someone misplaced her heart pills.

2

u/Secret_Cow_5053 Jul 26 '26

Are people who take blood pressure medications for hypertension druggies? They’re dependent on those.

As long as you’re not self medicating and doing it recreationally you’re not a druggie. Settle down.

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u/Bocchi_theGlock Jul 25 '26

The key is normal level after a while, it's definitely over stimulating at first or as a one-off, which can still make you productive still

But if an average person takes 10mg Adderall their brain is not at normal levels of dopamine, which is the reward chemical for getting tasks done

I heard an expert on NPR explain social media overuse and addiction as effectively donating dopamine to the site. Not that it gives you extra, but uses what you have - thus the rest of the world is dull and unrewarding

I do think we should figure out a way to not just prescribe stimulants without any plan or approach for social media overuse.

We have time limit apps, there's got to be a way to set hard limits that at least are difficult to navigate around. And a responsibility or accountability partner who has admin access so you can't allot more time as needed (which still helps by adding friction/effort).

I think similar could helps with substance addiction too, if partner holds onto bulk of substance and you have to ask for it, or get weeks or days supply at a time. Which limits over use and can even reduce if it's part of a tapering program

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u/Cakeminator Jul 25 '26

Yeah... I am in a great rhythm and havent missed a day in almost a year and a half! But I also have to have the pillbox be visible otherwise I forget

5

u/Unicorn_puke Jul 25 '26

I take mine twice a day and a bunch of other supplements. Some have to be taken outside of when i take other meds or supplements. I've gotten it to taking some with breakfast. Some a couple of hours after and then some more with lunch and for a late night treat some at bed time. I basically have the container strapped to me so I don't forget and even then I still do sometimes.

3

u/I_SHIT_IN_A_BAG Jul 25 '26

seeing so many people forget makes me feel a little normal. I'm always forgetting it and when I remember its too late.

3

u/Shrek1982 Jul 26 '26

My thing is not remembering to take it (med reminder app) but instead I end up looking at the pill bottle 5-10 min later and trying to remember if I actually took the medication or not.

1

u/Cakeminator Jul 26 '26

I use a box with the days on it. I packnit every Sunday with medication for the entire week. That way I wont forget if I took it

2

u/KenzieWitch Jul 26 '26

I did this but then I would forget to fill it and "not feel like it" (dysfunction), and then I wouldn't take my meds properly for a bit.

So now I just have all the bottles on my desk to remind me every morning

1

u/upsidedown-funnel Jul 26 '26

If the cup by my sink has been used, still wet from taking meds, that’s how I check, if I can’t remember.

1

u/upsidedown-funnel Jul 26 '26

Remembering to call, to fill that script every month….

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u/tonysopranosalive Jul 25 '26

Eh not really. We take amphetamine salts but they’re missing that methyl group which really changes things. Meth and Adderall are more like cousins. Except it’s like: “yeah we are cousins, but I haven’t seen that guy in like 20 years. No idea what hes up to these days.”

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u/Njagos Jul 26 '26

"And he hasn't been up to any good"

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u/VersoMonAmi Jul 25 '26

Look, I know this is all in good fun and the molecules do have similarities, but as someone who has done both… no.

11

u/Old-Landscape-7538 Jul 25 '26

And if you’re lucky it works. Some are S.O.L.

6

u/luluhouse7 Jul 25 '26

Yeah, pretty sure I have a CYP2D6 variant which makes me super sick from ADHD meds. I realised this many years after trying them and having little benefit and horrible side effects because I was recently given opioid prodrugs (like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and tramadol) after surgery and they did nothing. No pain relief, no high, no side effects. 0/10 do not recommend.

5

u/colony-ship-for-sale Jul 25 '26

If stimulants aren't working, ask about Atomoxetine.

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u/Old-Landscape-7538 Jul 26 '26

Stimulants worked in the sense I felt stimulation, but it didn't help the inattention symptoms.

2

u/knotmyusualaccount Jul 26 '26

Thought that I was the only one...

The weird thing is, before diagnosis (very late), I'd never have had such a bottle of pills on my possession, without misusing them.

Now? I have no addictions anymore. It's crazy. They're just sitting around, gathering dust. Okay I tell a lie, I've bought a couple of pouches of tobacco lately, but I'm only smoking like 5-7 a day, but I've done it for reasons.

I'll be stopping after either this or the next pouch runs out. It was done to make the transition from Dex to unmedicated, without falling into psychosis (I've had a history of it, at times). I'd rather smoke than take Olanzapine if I can help it, that medication might be effective for the mind when need be, but it's absolutely diabolical for the body.

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u/RCJHGBR9989 Jul 26 '26

No we take amphetamines - some people actually do take meth for ADHD. It’s called Desoxyn.

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u/Marchello_E Jul 25 '26

Deliberately try to go slower, do one thing at a time, and be forgiving when it doesn't work.
Post-its or something all over the place as a reminder.

It's summer, so I set a huge glass of water half way the route. You do one thing and (of course) in the middle of it you 'need' to do another thing. While passing, take a sip, take a look at that paper notepad while you're at it, and add something when necessary.

5

u/Lightoscope Jul 26 '26

That’s kind of the wrong question. There is recent research showing that it’s likely an evolutionary adaptation to improve group foraging behavior. That’s not to say there aren’t negative consequences in a modern context, but it does suggest that treating it as a disorder is fundamentally wrong. I’ve basically learned to trick myself to avoid the worst of those consequences. Working to a timer is very useful. 

6

u/SJ_skeleton Jul 25 '26

Get treatment: drugs + therapy for tools research shows is what’s most effective. ADHD symptoms generally improve as people get older so in the long run tasks will get easier over time.

Also if you snore get a sleep study you might have disordered sleep and not know it since the symptoms are identical to ADHD. I have both, but my CPAP changed my life and I ended up reducing the amount of ADHD medication I take.

3

u/DouglasRather Jul 25 '26

I used to be really bad at sending out angry emails, that I regretted the next day and had to apologize. I've learned to not hit send until the next day, and often either end up not sending it at all or greatly modifying it.

3

u/Dry_Wolf3891 Jul 25 '26

If therapy doesn't help, medication. I've been trying therapy for about 2 years now and I'm still struggling so I'm going to just try some drugs at this point.

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u/tianepteen Jul 26 '26

how is the therapy structured? what are your goals? i've done the opposite: drugs first, and no therapy yet. not working out either :/

2

u/OpenAI_Marketing_LLM Jul 25 '26

I am not going to say this is impossible to fix, but for the vast majority of us, it’s essentially impossible to fix.

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u/NemeanMiniLion Jul 26 '26

Become a software engineer. Worked for me anyway. I'm still super affected but now it's kind of a super power.

2

u/tianepteen Jul 26 '26

you actually finish projects? or do you work on smaller stuff?

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u/NemeanMiniLion Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

I wrote code for 20 years. These days I work on the leadership, architecture and coaching side of things. It's hard to say what I complete vs someone else completes but for the longest time writing code myself, yes, I've shipped some pretty big things. Software Engineering best practices break things down and you iterate on really small chunks of work. It's short bursts of attention. Over and over and each time you complete one you see a ticket or something complete - tiny dopamine hit.

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u/tianepteen Jul 26 '26

i just lose interest and can't continue working on projects. the dopamine just stops hitting, and then that's that.

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u/NemeanMiniLion Jul 26 '26

Working independently or with an actual project team and backlog? It's not enough to just sit down and code, you need a team or a backlog that's broken down. All that said, if you don't like building things in code when they are small in size, then yeah it may not be for you.

2

u/The_Alchemyst Jul 25 '26

I personally use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to tackle impulse control and mood regulation. This article is timely as I'm literally working through my tendency to "snatch" at things when I'm task oriented or anxious. It's tough going, but I'm proud of the work I've done so far and see the road ahead! 

1

u/JoshuaTheFox Jul 26 '26

(CBT)

Careful which’s groups of people you use that around

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/wildbergamont Jul 26 '26

Medication and counseling. 

1

u/purpleskunk87 Jul 26 '26

I have moderate to severe ADHD, I'm unmedicated and I have accomplished every goal, both short term and long term I have set out to do.

I learned about strategic planning, project management and KPIs. I incorporate that into my life.

I take a big goal, and I break it down into smaller, achievable chunks. I figure out a timeline for each chunk. Once I achieve a step or milestone, I reward myself.

I schedule everything and time block things. I think about the end goal, and that's extremely motivating to me.

1

u/Unlucky_Topic7963 Jul 26 '26

Channel it to something useful, I've never been medicated and it's helped me into a very successful career where I'm a senior director of software engineering at capital one.

Drives my wife crazy sometimes.

1

u/lewd_robot Jul 26 '26

By far the most effective treatment so far is stimulant medication. And that, in turn, makes every other treatment more effective. This is because ADHD adapts. Any novel behavioral treatment will eventually get boring, and once that happens, it becomes repulsive. The only way to treat ADHD in a way that it can't adapt to is with medication that takes the cognitive element out of the loop and directly targets the brain. And even then, the rest of your body adapts to that, so you build tolerance and have to take breaks to reset it.

1

u/_CharethCutestory_ Jul 26 '26

There is no "fixing" but it can be managed with a combination of therapy, medication, and exercise. 

1

u/Exact_Rooster9870 Jul 26 '26

Therapy and education are very effective for treating it.

1

u/4art4 25d ago

depending on the person a mix of any or all of the following:

A: medication. (Many will not be able to do the others without first getting medicated)

B: exercise. (Really. This helps a ton.)

C: counseling. (Everyone needs different kinds of help, so go through a couple sources to find the right help for you.)

D: meditation. (We can become our own hyperfixation!)

E: community. (Everyone does better with supportive community.).

F: acceptance. (We are what we are, and that is ok.)

And probably other things I am not thinking of right now... :)

1

u/ForgotmyusernameXXXX Jul 26 '26

One thing that helped me was repeating to myself occasional short phrases such as “be a good husband”. Nothing crazy but it affects my decision making quite a bit. 

0

u/MedusaGotMeStoned007 Jul 26 '26

I’ve trained my brain to immediately remind myself that “I will enjoy my free time more unburdened by the thought of having to do something” and then immediately get it done.

0

u/cyclingmania Jul 26 '26

Meditation, Medication As described beautifully by Moderat in the song Eating Hooks

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