[cj]

> That's not how ADHD is defined, though.

How is it defined?

> that's not how ADHD meds work

Are you saying no one without ADHD takes prescribed medication?

When I was in college people with prescriptions would sell their pills for $5-10 each (10+ years ago in Boston). That’s $300 for a month supply purchased by fellow students who weren’t diagnosed, but used it to cram for exams and studying and concentrating during exams.

If what you say is true, then the free market (black market) for adderall wouldn’t be so lucrative.

Perhaps you haven’t been exposed to the plethora of Instagram ads convincing kids they have ADD based on a 5 question survey and prescribed without any other criteria besides “is trouble concentrating impacting your work or personal life?” - these days it’s literally that simple, quick telegealth appointment, say concentrating impacts your work life, and there you have it, you officially have ADD.

This thread is going on a ton of tangents. My original point was simply that diagnosis is subjective and relative to the people around you. Second point is the meds will help anyone who takes it with improving concentration and making it possible to increase productivity substantially not just for short bursts but for extended periods of time (months/years). I think both points still stand

(And none of what I’m saying invalidates the seriousness of the disorder for people who “really have it”. I fully believe there are people who find the condition truly debilitating. But there are also loads of people who are diagnosed through instagram or TikTok ads because “concentrating is hard” and “motivation is difficult” and other obvious statements that resonate with a majority of college kids, for example)

[sibeliuss]

Queue https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-13/teleheal...

Everywhere, all the time, at all age brackets. It's absolutely terrible, having suffered a terrible amphetamine addiction in my past.

Sufferers of real ADHD need to understand that when people critique the guidelines, they're critiquing the fact that this is possible, and its leading to serious problems getting on with life.

[dragonwriter]

> Are you saying no one without ADHD takes prescribed medication?

No, I'm saying that the cognitive effect on function of someone without ADHD taking ADHD medicine isn't the same directionally as that of someone with ADHD taking it, the way the upthread proposed analogy of "a drug that increases IQ score by 25%" but which is only prescribed to those with IQ in the lowest quintile framed the situation. Excess dopamine impairs function in a different way that dopamine deficit, it doesn't increase it beyond what is seen with normal dopamine.

> If what you say is true, then the free market (black market) for adderall wouldn’t be so lucrative.

It is true, but the black market for adderall isn't mostly taking it for the same effect as people with ADHD are (some are, because there are still biases and access issues which prevent or delay diagnoses for people with ADHD, as well as deliberate, government-created supply shortages in the legal market.) But largely are taking it for wakefulness (an effect of dopamine surplus), and because dopamine surplus is part of the brain's reward system such that things which have been experienced which produce it are actively sought out. Again, this is why therapeutic dosages for ADHD are titrated to avoid going overboard.

[cj]

You should add an email address to your HN profile since HN frowns on replies like (but I’ll post it anyway):

I fully agree with your comment, and good take!