[r_lee]

this is what naive adults think, don't you remember how it was when you were a kid?

I seriously, I feel like so many people just somehow magically forget their entire childhoods, maybe selectively?

I lack the ability to lie to myself like that unfortunately

[StefanBatory]

I have ADHD; I genuinely don't remember my childhood. If you told me my life started in secondary or high school, I would have believed you.

[mc3301]

I dunno if that is connected to ADHD, and I dunno if I have ADHD (though by reading the textbook* on it, it kinda seems I do)... but I genuinely don't remember my childhood either.

*Taking Charge of Adult ADHD

[r_lee]

I have severe ADHD, I remember enough to remember how it is. maybe it's because I'm in my 20s.. at least the feeling/vibe and knowing how "it's for your own good!!!!" type of stuff actually sounds like

but still, imo I haven't changed that much. less risk taking, more worries, more wisdom (somewhat)

maybe for some people they really are super different when they're younger but for me it's been kind of a linear path after a certain point

+ don't quote me on this but from what I know, ADHD affects mostly short term and working memory, but long term memory, especially significant events/etc. can be quite well retained, which matches my experience

[rmunn]

> ... by reading the textbook* on it [ADHD], it kinda seems I do ...

There's a reason why most of the books I've read on ADHD have mentioned "Don't self-diagnose; get an expert to diagnose you." Short version: many of the symptoms of ADHD such as distractability happen to everyone, or nearly everyone, to some extent. Everyone can be distracted by a random thought; most people shake it off and get their train of thought back on track. Some people are more distractable than others, but it's perfectly normal to be distracted now and then. Which is why most people reading an ADHD book will recognize some of their behaviors in that book.

My opinion? (And note that I'm not qualified to diagnose anyone, so this is strictly an opinion). If you read the ADHD book and go "Hmm, maybe that describes me, I'm not sure"... then chances are that you do not have ADHD. Because my own experience was reading an ADHD book and going, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. I know for a fact this author never interviewed me. So how come he's describing me perfectly?" Not in every single chapter — I don't have emotional-regulation problems to nearly the level that he described in some of the case studies, for example. But when I got to the bits about starting projects and not finishing them, or the parts about getting (seemingly-paradoxically) hyperfocused on some task and not noticing when other people are talking to you, I just shook my head and laughed, because he was describing me to a T.

Now, even if you don't have ADHD, that doesn't mean some of the organizational techniques mentioned there won't be helpful to you. Go ahead and apply them: many of them do help even the people who fit more into the "normal" part of the distractability spectrum. But certainly do NOT try any medication without having gotten a diagnosis first. Some ADHD medications can have side effects that should be watched for, and most of them are controlled substances in most countries I'm aware of (due to the possibility of addiction if you take way more than the amount normally prescribed, for example), meaning that in most countries, it's illegal to take them without a prescription.

But go ahead and apply some of the suggestions about ways to organize your life: they can be helpful even if you only have a normal level of distractability.

[mc3301]

Thanks for the wonderfully thought-out response. I definitely agree on the not-self-diagnose-yourself front. I'm somewhere in between your two possible reactions to such books, leaning closer to the "Whoa, whoa, whoa" one.

However, I live in Japan, where simply finding a doctor qualified and willing to diagnose someone over 20 years old is super rare. Short of expensive monthly trips to Tokyo or something just to be diagnosed, and then having a prescription that has to be received in person monthly. And the medication is highly controlled.

So I have just kinda accepted to keep applying these techniques (as well as being aware of my own created mechanisms), keep trying my best, and just live a happy life. It's been working so far!

[fouc]

it's like a variation of the principle of "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it"

a solipsistic viewpoint I suppose.

[tayo42]

I have no idea what your trying to say or what point you're trying to make.

[r_lee]

ask an LLM or something, they seem to get the point just fine