I find the "Attention deficit" part of it to be pretty apt for myself. Although it's more of an attention regulation deficit to be more specific. There's probably worse names out there.

[–] stray@pawb.social 54 points 3 days ago (3 children)

That name is a big part what's kept me from getting help, because until very recently I drastically misunderstood what ADHD was. "I can't have this thing. I'm so good at paying attention that I don't eat or pee all day."

[–] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 43 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Growing up, I was the gifted kid and my brother was the hyper socialite.

Because he was hyper and I was mild-mannered (until I hit my teens and became an outcast, so I embraced punk culture) my parents only ever got my brother tested for ADHD. Nope, he was just a hyper little twerp with too much energy.

Meanwhile, I had absolutely zero ability to stick to a schedule that relied on my commitment to it, couldn't maintain any semblance of organization, was always forgetting small things, procrastinating until the last minute on every assignment without ever studying (yet somehow was still making A's, American education is a joke), would hyper focus for hours on single topics. Nah, to my parents I was a good student who was just "lazy" and "not applying myself".

Didn't get diagnosed AuADHD until last year. I'm in my 30s.

[–] 7U5K3N@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 3 days ago (1 children)

45 here. JUST started on meds.

I have a toddler and his lunacy just shine a flashlight on my inability to complete tasks in a timely manner.

Not to mention once I was changing his diaper, the phone alarm was going off and Mrs Rachel was blaring on the TV... I got irrational angry. Not at any one thing... Just mad.

That's what made me go and seek help.

[–] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That irrational anger from being overwhelmed has ruined my life. Was barely able to hold a job cause of it. Outbursts in relationships that were interpreted wrong and snowballed. Still an issue cause I am currently not medicated and have a hard time getting healthcare (God bless the USA) but I have better coping methods. Still rough though.

[–] Evilschnuff@feddit.org 5 points 3 days ago

I get that as well, especially when I made a plan in my head and something else comes up and I have to replan, which I know will make it more complicated. I guess I’m angry since I know I will forget the original thing in the process.

[–] Mk23simp@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 3 days ago

I think it has less to do with the actual name ADHD as it does with the stereotypes that laypeople think of and with the actual diagnostic criteria. Regardless of the name, how it is viewed is much more of an outside perspective rather than a description of what it's actually like. Autism has a similar issue as well.

Plus, at the time I was growing up the DSM-IV said that you can't have both ADHD and Autism which is probably part of why I was diagnosed with neither.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

i'm hyperfocusing. that's totally not attention deficit.

[–] AnarchoSnowPlow@midwest.social 11 points 3 days ago

It seems to me at least that it comes through in general executive (dys-)function.

I often can't pay attention to what I want to, even if it is incredibly important, and I care a ton about it. Decision making is awful, except under very specific circumstances: everything on fire at work and you need a solution yesterday? Done. I've got the solution and handed out roles, fires out. I need to eat something and there's a fridge full of food? I will stand there with the door open till it spoils.

I have a very important thing at work that needs to be done and should only take an hour or two? This documentation I've been thinking about writing for three years that noone else asked for has finally found its time in the sun!

Gotta make a phone call for literally anything? Huh, my battery's completely drained because I watched 736 YouTube shorts in a row that I couldn't enjoy because of the pit in my stomach about a friendly 30 second call to the pharmacy.