Originally Posted by Mars
A common myth in popular culture is that AD/HD people can't stay focused on things. They can, if it is stimulating enough. For example, many AD/HD people can play video games for hours on end. But see what happens when they have to do something tedious or rote, like writing an essay or listening to a boring lecture. A person with AD/HD might do very well at a bike messenger job (like Treespeed mentioned) because there is lots of variety and stimulation. Put them in a cubilcle doing accounts receivable and they will have a lot of trouble.
Hear, hear. I can attest to this. I've been there and done every one of those things except the messaging. I am clinically diagnosed with AD/HD (I don't remember the DSM code at the moment. It's the combined-symptom type, however. So much for my nickname.
), and have been for the last ten years.
That said, Ritalin did not work for me. I hadn't tried anything else except simply dealing with the condition as things arise, until I got a bicycle when I was eleven years old. I can spend hours wrenching at what would seem like tedious things to others (truing wheels, adjusting cones, etc.) to get things absolutely perfect, and spend even more just riding. Bicycles are my way of dealing with my condition.
Originally Posted by CagerTools
...
people use coffee and caffeine of all sorts (similar effect to ADD meds) to get through their route boring tasks...
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a big role in both motor function and information exchange within the brain. Dopamine
transporters clear excess dopamine away from synapses. Stimulants (caffeine, methylphenidate (
Ritalin), and cocaine, to name a few) block the transporters from doing their job, leaving the dopamine there.
This works in someone with AD/HD because they have abnormally high levels of dopamine transporters -- which tend to sweep a ton of the dopamine away before it can take effect. With these medications, the
normal amount of dopamine remains and AD/HD folk can function "normally".
In someone without AD/HD, stimulants (since they block the dopamine transporters, as mentioned above) cause an
overload of dopamine, vastly increasing the rate of motor function and information exchange.
I'm not sure what CagerTools was getting at, but I wanted to make clear that caffeine in people without AD/HD has an entirely different effect. Whereas those without the disorder folk get a buzz and burst of energy, it provides only a small amount of ability to focus in those
with the disorder -- incidentally, this is also the cause of its inefficacy as a real treatment, along with other unpleasant side effects.
(Disclaimer: As I'm not even halfway through my course of study in psych, my information could be inaccurate. Feel free to correct me if you know better, or have information saying otherwise.)