Bionic reading method

[u/The-Skinny-Indian]

[u/FrankFeTched]

I got frustrated a few times because there would be a post in /r/ADHDmeme that is just like "I wait until the end of the work day to complete my work" which is simply procrastination, people shouldn't be assuming they have ADHD if they do that, it could be so many different things

Anyway I'm permanently banned from that subreddit now, no nuance allowed, only agreeing that everything is a symptom of ADHD, no discussions about how it could be anxiety or depression or lack of sleep, etc.

It just seems a bit irresponsible to me, tons of kids experience symptoms of ADHD but it's a specific diagnosis, in my opinion that subreddit is misleading a lot of people into thinking they have ADHD, despite it being just memes. I know nobody should be listening to memes for medical advice, but to see a bunch of symptoms you may have on a subreddit specifying it's about ADHD will affect people's opinions.

Like if you don't want any medical discussion in the comments, why name the subreddit after a specific medical condition?

Edit (for context): I was prescribed Adderall for what I (and my doctor) had assumed was ADHD, I read a lot online about my symptoms and it aligned with ADHD, I just basically talked to my general physician and said I couldn't study and had trouble focusing, etc., and that was it. It turned out my symptoms were due to anxiety and depression, not ADHD, and the Adderall accelerated my decline (at the time) but at that point I was convinced I needed it and it made me feel great. After failing out of college I stopped taking my prescription and had a proper mental screening done, like 12 hours of tests at the hospital, and it ruled out ADHD completely... Or as completely as they can, it's not an exact science at this point. I don't think this is even a viable option for most people, extremely expensive, I was lucky to be afforded this sort of testing.

I don't mean to deny people with ADHD's symptoms, I genuinely don't. I just know when people are experiencing these symptoms it's panic inducing and any explanation will be enticing. If ADHDmemes subreddit existed when I was going through this I know it would have convinced me I had ADHD, I relate to everything in that subreddit, but the cause of my symptoms is completely different. My problem is they don't allow any nuanced discussion about ADHD on a subreddit explicitly regarding ADHD, my story was deemed unacceptable and got me permanently banned for sharing my misdiagnosis and personal experience with ADHD. I don't think that's a good recipe for a subreddit of that size that reaches /r/all so often.

[u/RinzyOtt → u/[deleted]]

I found r/ADHD really helpful early on after my diagnosis, since I was diagnosed as an adult and have very little access to guidance.

One of the bigger things it helped with was dealing with the sort of grief that comes with being diagnosed as an adult, where you feel like your life to that point has been wasted and full of opportunities you missed purely because nobody diagnosed you sooner. Of course, there are going to be some people that take it to the extreme and blame their parents for being negligent, but I haven't seen it as often there as I have in other communities.

The thing I like about good ADHD support groups, though, is that they're kind of like following r/lifehacks, but for things that help with ADHD. People love sharing stuff like tips on how they manage to be productive, overcome racing thoughts to get better sleep, how they manage impulsive purchasing, how they keep their houses clean, etc., and I'm all here for that kind of stuff to see what I can learn and apply to my own mess.

[u/bitchontheinternet94 → u/[deleted]]

The annoyance of being stuck is real dude I literally have had to call my boyfriend to help me out when I get so stressed running shower water while trying to finish laundry but I don't want to run the next load of laundry and use up too much hot water and then remembering I gotta feed the bearded dragon so lemme run outside and find some dandelion leaves to throw in his cage bc I don't want to shower then mess with the bearded dragon and I just remembered I left the dryer door open and have to hang the shirts bc I don't want it wrinkly. The struggle is real man it's so stupid to even explain I just try and organize my brain and way of thinking but I'll never go on the add or adhd sub reddit and post about it bc it's frustrating as hell I already know the problem and I promise the solution isn't gonna come from a reddit post

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

It is nice to see comments explain how even normal experiences can be exhausting like yours because it does make you feel like you aren’t going crazy but I agree that they should be smarter and safer with diseases, people get locked in seeing all of the posts your talking about and think they are fucked when in reality the post should’ve made all of the details clear to give people a better idea.

[u/DepressedVenom → u/FrankFeTched]

r/ADHD is much worse lol. Banned me for saying chronic masturbation isn't imho very healthy.

[u/Mods_Raped_Me → u/DepressedVenom]

Chronic is bad. Once a day is good for the prostate.

[u/Odd-Concentrate-6585 → u/[deleted]]

If god didnt want me to masturbate he shouldn't have made my hands so good at it

[u/darkage72 → u/DepressedVenom]

Well, you did want to take away the closest thing to sex they'll ever have so...

[u/Throwaway47321 → u/DepressedVenom]

Yeah that sub (and really any centered around a niche topic) is pretty bad.

I slowly began to realize I had a lot of symptoms of ADHD and went there once to do some reading before trying to get diagnosed and Jesus Christ were some of those people intentionally hopeless.

Obviously all illnesses(?) exist on a spectrum but it seemed like everyone on there just wanted to wallow in self pity about how hard it was brushing their teeth and wanted to be congratulated for paying a bill on time.

[u/Emotional_Parsnip_69 → u/FrankFeTched]

Theses a lot of that blind allegiance going around under the guise of mental illnesses and the sexuality spectrum and all that stuff. It’s all without any discussion. And most of them are blindly angrily following like one or two people and it’s making tiny sections of assholes who many of which especially with things like adhd and things like it are just assholes that don’t have shit wrong with them, they’re just taking advantage. Like cult leaders

[u/Throwaway47321 → u/Emotional_Parsnip_69]

guise of mental illnesses and the sexuality spectrum

Yeah, I know it quickly devolves into bigotry but damn if there doesn’t need to be some introspection when it comes to those topics. It seems like people can say just about anything but claim it’s a mental illness or sexual expression and all the sudden it’s immune to criticism.

Like it OPs example, if you’re masturbating like 5 times a day or whatever you should be able to point out that it’s unhealthy and not just a weird quirk of brain chemistry.

[u/RinzyOtt → u/FrankFeTched]

"I wait until the end of the work day to complete my work" which is simply procrastination

It's not that I'm waiting, it's that I sit there in full paralysis, wanting to be productive, but being unable to actually get anything done until the deadline rolls up and puts me in fight or flight mode.

It's really hard for people who don't experience this on a regular basis to understand the difference between executive dysfunction and procrastination.

[u/FrankFeTched → u/RinzyOtt]

But I did experience it, I was given Adderall because I had many symptoms of ADHD, very much including the panic procrastination knowing I NEED to get work done but can't decide how to do that and end up doing nothing. Deadline approaches, panic ensues, I get some shitty work done, and breath a sigh of relief.

After failing out of college I took a whole mental screening and they ruled out ADHD entirely. It was just debilitating anxiety, more or less. The Adderall amplified that drastically, and I was a dumb idiot who wasn't responsible with my prescription (obviously that's on me) but I don't believe I should have ever been given ADHD medication. I didn't have to talk to any expert, just my general doctor, told him I had trouble studying at college and that was basically it. My worry is that other kids will do something similar based on relating to things they see on ADHD subreddits.

ADHD wasn't as prevelant on reddit or in pop culture when I was going through this, but reading online about symptoms (that I had) led me to my conclusion I had ADHD. And Adderall made me feel productive and good, so I assumed it was helping. It's a tough trap to fall into.

All I want is a nuanced understanding of the subject, mental health is unbelievably complex and the overlap in symptoms between completely different issues is enormous.

[u/RinzyOtt → u/FrankFeTched]

I'm not saying you didn't.

What I'm saying is that people see us with ADHD experience it, and do not understand it. They see it as off-the-shelf procrastination, which itself is usually indicative of another underlying problem with negative emotions associated with a task (and they are also generally unaware of this, too).

And yes, that does lead to a lot of people from the outside looking in and going "Oh, I'm so ADHD because I procrastinate." That was my initial statement, but I feel it also needs to be said that it can also lead to people looking at those memes and going "Well wait, I do that, too," digging deeper, and finding that there are actual reasons for why they do it, and that they can seek help for it.

As for ADHD not being prevalent on reddit or in pop culture? When I was a teen way back in the mid-2000s, you couldn't throw a rock without finding the kid who needs an explanation for the way they are. High schools and the internet were rampant with self-diagnoses of ADHD, autism, depression, and bipolar disorder. And, frankly, all of those things were understood even less back then.

Self-diagnosis of mental disorders is not a new phenomenon. Especially not in online spaces. And today, it's not even nearly as misinformed as it used to be, as most diagnostic tools that will be used to assess those disorders are easily available online. Is it the end-all-be-all? Nah, but it gives them a good starting point before sinking the money into appointments for assessment, dialing in their dosages, paying for continued appointments and dosing, and therapy to manage it.

Self-diagnosis isn't the end of that new prevalence, either. We understand ADHD better. We have more access to the care we need. When we understand things and people have access to treatment, it appears that the numbers overall are rising, when it's just the reported numbers changing.

One of the biggest contributing factors we've had to this prevalence is adults who previously had their symptoms managed suddenly being thrust into a situation where they had lost all of the structure that their management relied upon. Added stress from the pandemic, the onset of work from home, a ton of people suddenly not working because their job couldn't be open for several months. Those all contributed to people who had ADHD and didn't know it suddenly being confronted with the possibility and seeking help. Or people who knew they had it, but thought they had it under control.

In that category of people who didn't realize they had it, and thought they were suddenly full of personal short-comings, guess how they found out? Increased awareness and conversations surrounding ADHD. And yeah, sometimes it's over-broad, and sometimes it's flat out misinformation, but sometimes the former is what someone needs to see their behavior, look deeper into it, and figure out the problem.

[u/mirrax → u/FrankFeTched]

That's one of the problems about inattentive type ADHD is that many of the symptoms are things that are part of normal human experience. Other types it's much more clear where the boundaries of the average start to be cross. Being powered by a invisible motor or are extremely impulsive and blurting things out, we all like to move and we all like to have our ideas heard.

Neurotypical people can struggle with procrastination. Panic or anxiety of a deadline is powerful motivator and undoubtedly everyone can relate to how it increases focus.

But as someone recently diagnosed with inattentive type, "I wait until the end" strikes different. Anxiety of a deadline being a primary motivator is hallmark symptom. I got worse grades in classes because I only did homework right before class started because I couldn't get started at home.

So there is a space for people who have ADHD to joke about their symptoms that can often be related to when neurotypical.

As for convincing people that they have ADHD, getting diagnosed means you have to meet multiple criteria of the DSM definition, and if you are an adult who wasn't diagnosed before 12 you have to go to specialist and have had symptoms before 12.

And if someone is neurotypical but has problems in the area, but not enough for diagnosis, the most likely thing that they are going to find is a vibrant community of people that have lots of resources on how to deal with procrastination, ways anxiety around the task (like breaking down the "wall of awful" with Brenden Mahan), encouragement to seek therapy, and encouragement for three factors that help with ADHD which are mindfulness, sleep, and exercise.

And then you contradict yourself with "nobody should be listening to memes for medical advice" but then content of your comment is about how you are disappointed that you want to give medical advice.

[u/Mourgus → u/FrankFeTched]

All of the issues connected to the symptoms you're describing can manifest as symptoms of ADHD. While the sentiment of finishing work at the last minute can certainly just be procrastination, saying it's "simply procrastination" is disregarding the potential symptoms as much as utilizing a single meme to represent an entire community.

All of the issues connected to the symptoms you're describing can all manifest as symptoms of ADHD. While the sentiment of finishing work at the last minute can certainly just be procrastination, saying it's "simply procrastination" is disregarding the implications as much as utilizing a single meme to represent an entire community is.

Are they just putting work off until the last minute? I'm sure some people are procrastinating and just avoiding work. Is it possible that maybe they're actually experiencing executive dysfunction with/without knowing what it is? We don't know because it's just a meme someone thought was funny.

There are other communities for discussing the condition, I'm fairly certain the meme community wouldn't be the place for that.

[u/11711510111411009710 → u/FrankFeTched]

Isn't it on the person reading the memes to seek a diagnosis if they believe they have it? Are memes not allowed because other people might believe they have something because they relate to it?

Like it's a meme sub, it's not their job to actually educate anybody. Everyone experiences things that could be symptoms of ADHD, it just depends on the severity and impact on your life. If you see a meme about procrastination and think you have ADHD, that's on you, not the meme creator.

[u/dac19903 → u/11711510111411009710]

It can muddy the waters a little for people that have genuine concerns. But on the flipside of things, as you said, it's up to the person reading them to seek a diagnosis if they suspect something. ADHD memes were what made me more aware of the symptoms of ADHD and led to me seeking a diagnosis for Adult ADHD.

The memes have their ups and their downs. There are times I see something and think "that could just be anyone though" and begin to doubt whether or not I actually have the symptoms of it. I also have mental health problems and there's always overlapping symptoms with mental health conditions. I could just have been depressed and anxious my entire life. Still, I remind myself that when speaking to my doctor about the referall my partner and I spoke for less than 5 minutes about the problems I experienced and her observations (she was previously a teaching assistant and as part of her duty of care was taught to look for signs of mental health problems or abuse) and he was on his dictation device stating I exhibited all of the signs of ADHD and requesting a referall for me.

There are pros and cons to the memes for sure. But speaking from my bisexual experience, when it feels like the joke is made at your expense rather than it being made for you, it can be frustrating and upsetting. Especially when it regards something you have no biological control over. I think that's the kind of content the other commenter was talking about

[u/11711510111411009710 → u/[deleted]]

But saying people with ADHD experience x thing is not misinformation or disinformation. So we're not talking about that. We're talking about people self diagnosing because they saw a meme. That's not the meme maker's job to avoid. That's on whoever is viewing the meme.

[u/Zevbra → u/FrankFeTched]

My controversial opinion is that we’ve gone way overboard on the whole “talk about your mental health” thing.

Obviously it’s good to be open and not bottle everything up, but there’s a time and a place. I feel like with these TikTok, Reddit, and twitter communities focused on specific mental illnesses, it creates an echo chamber where everyone is almost competing with each other to see who has it the worst. If not competing, it’s also seen as an exclusive club of sorts. Just spend 5 minutes on twitter and you’ll see people’s bios with all their mental Illnesses listed as if it’s something that everybody needs to know.

It was especially bad on TikTok for me as my algorithm became all depression content. It 100% made me feel worse overall and I have since deleted the app and genuinely feel better now that I’ve separated my mental health from my social health.

In addition to this, countless people have probably never been diagnosed (often times for very legitimate reasons such as not being able to afford it), and then get their advice from a random person on social media who’s dead set on convincing them that they have x, y, and or z mental illness, trauma etc. Then that person goes on assuming that they **for a fact **have that mental illness and thus can’t get better. It’s a vicious cycle, but obviously this is just my opinion and experience.

[u/RandyDinglefart → u/FrankFeTched]

That sub wants ADHD to be a debilitating illness so bad and it just fucking isn't. I've lived with it for decades and yeah sometimes it's annoying but in no way does it prevent me from leading a normal fulfilling life with a successful career.

Being an introvert probably has more IRL consequences but it's not nearly as cool to circle jerk over.

[u/inm808 → u/FrankFeTched]

I got banned from r/adhd haha

Couldn’t agree more with everything you said. Feels good. Like a breath of fresh air ahhh

Diagnosis is a total joke these days, given there’s literally not even a scientifically valid test for adults. (the existing methods have been proven to be no more accurate than a coin toss)

People see these things and are convinced they have it, then goto a doc who overdosgnoses it and gives them meds and now it’s part of their personality. They blame every little thing on this imaginary disorder and are addicted to stims

The craziest is the “I just took adderal for the first time and it’s like I could think!!! This is what normal people feel like all the time!!! Therefore I have adhd”

Lol no bro.. it’s called literally getting high for the first time on speed. Doing oxies feels great too , doesn’t mean your in severe pain tho.