[sseal]

three things:

1. You do not enjoy your work, and thus have no motivation.

2. Maybe you should not do the work and suffer the consequences.

3. You have built a mental dependency that you must take amphetamines to "focus", and this hinders your real ability to focus.

All of those things ^^^ I have experienced at one point or another in my life. You can focus, you have to make yourself. There is no other way. You do not need medication... But maybe you do, I highly doubt it though.

[PhasmaFelis]

> Maybe you should not do the work and suffer the consequences.

I've done that. A lot. It sucks. That's why I take medication.

> You can focus, you have to make yourself. There is no other way. You do not need medication...

I don't understand why people can't quite believe that mental illness is real. You would never tell a diabetic or an asthmatic that they shouldn't have to take medicine every day. But if someone's clinically depressed, or has ADD, or any of a hundred other mental conditions, people just assume you're imagining things or being lazy.

[wvenable]

It is hereditary too. I've seen how in past generations, children with these kind of conditions were just labeled as trouble makers and got no help and eventually failed out the system.

Just simple understanding and acceptance that this is a condition, medication or not, makes a huge difference. And yet here we are still arguing it.

[joshuata]

I have struggled with ADHD for my entire life. I don't think you realize how it can affect you.

I started to take medication after nearly failing out of college. It was physically impossible for me to study for more than 40 minutes; I would fall asleep no matter where I was. It was not a matter of motivation or dedication. I was hitting a physical barrier that I could get around any other way.

I agree that there is over-diagnosis is a problem, but especially as a person who came around to medication as a last resort, it is very offensive to say that I don't need it. I avoided it for years, but within a few months I was able to use all of the strategies I had learned, coupled with the meds, to seriously turn my life around. I went from academic probation (GPA in the 2.2 range) to top of my classes with about 15 mg of adderall a day. I've tried placebos, I've tried therapy, but I would not be able to do the work I do today without drugs.

[angry-hacker]

Have you ever thought about your body and mind were not designed to do things that need constant focus?

[theaustinseven]

Look, I understand you may not understand what it is like having ADHD, but your post came off incredibly dismissive. Telling a person with ADHD to "just focus" can be like telling a person in a wheelchair to "go for a run": it is incredibly frustrating to hear and can be nearly impossible. This may be a hard concept for you to get your head around, but this is a real problem for some people and medication is a real(and often necessary) solution to a real problem.