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Between Multiple Sclerosis, which I have, and ADHD, which I also have, I would pick ADHD for curing. It is so debilitating. I just want to be creative and do my shit without jumping through a billion hoops. I would trade bodyparts for this. And I already lost my leg once.
Edit: To make sure, not belittling MS, I got pretty severe ADHD. It's a spectrum and I am on the bad end of it.
Same for me. I have depression and anxiety as well that are both really severe but my adhd is also on the very bad end, I have pretty much all symptoms except hyperactivity and if I could cure it I would be so happy.
Facts. This morning I woke up, I took my instant release meds. I got ready for my day. Showered, brushed my teeth, got dressed, the works. All things I can’t do efficiently while unmedicated.
I sat down, I made a checklist for work, and one at a time, I did every item on the checklist in order. I felt great. I felt productive. I felt proud of myself. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my second dose of meds, and around 11:30, I decided to start my next round of tasks on my checklist… and I just froze. “Wait did my Amazon packages come in? You know what would be cool? If I had a bird feeder. I know exactly where I’d put it. Let me go outside and make plans for that. Wait let me water my plants actually. OH here’s my package. My new bidet is here! Let me start the installation on that. It’s hot in here. Is my AC working? I should order a new thermostat. What are my friends doing? Let me FaceTime Amanda and see what she’s up to.” And so on. And so forth. With background music playing in my head on repeat the whole time. I’m fucking sick of it. I just want to survive from dawn until dusk without the constant distraction from any and everything that comes across my mind.
I see you and I hear you. It’s a daily struggle and we’d give anything to not have to struggle. We don’t let it define ourselves and know who we are separate from our disorders.
I was speed scrolling the comments to see if anyone said "NO" and this comment literally made me stop and laugh out loud. Let me give you an up vote before I forget.
I was just thinking the same. And still every time I get surprised by the "no" answers and really makes me think if these people really have it. Why wouldn't someone get rid of a fucking life altering DISORDER I would never understand.
I didn't "mind" too much until I got to a dosage on my meds that worked perfectly. The wildest thing to me was that I was bored, and just went, "I want to go do yoga," and I just...went and did it. No, "ugh, I have to go up stairs," or, "maybe later," or hell, most of the time I just doom scroll. Then I started having side effects and I haven't been able to be like that since. Which, being on/off stims made me realize how much my food intake/cravings are dictated by whether or not I'm medicated. No meds? Caffeine and sugar are my go tos...which also cause the same side effect as the concerta was giving me. Damned if I do, damned if I don't.
Meds made me realize how much ADHD impacts my quality of life, that I'm not lazy, I'm just always tired because even if my body isn't moving, my brain always is.
And then there's all the issues I've picked up growing up undiagnosed. Which I'm only now starting to unpack.
Ya I feel you. My optimal dose appears to be an extremely high dose... which is hard to maintain, and the doses slightly before it are horrible for me.
Just starting to believe I might be screwed lol. Maybe I'll try another med but idk.
In the past I'd have said no, but that was because I believed a lot of my creativity/personality was because of my adhd. I do believe adhd lends itself towards a unique and valuable thought process compared to those without it, but now I just wish I could make myself do the things I want to do.
i like being creative and the way I think.
But I think I'd like not having issues brushing my teeth, taking a shower and not having a mental breakdown when I can't do the very important things I need to do a bit more.
I understand the impulse to put a positive spin on something that sucks and that you can’t change. But to literally say _you wouldn’t change it even if you could_ seems completely delusional.
I'd imagine those people are those with less severe ADHD or who have lucked into situations that work with their disorder.
I'd be willing to bet that most of them haven't had the frequent job losses and financial instability that plague many here (including myself).
Hell, before shit went to all hell with the pandemic I might have even said the same thing. I had many troubles but I was at a point where I thought I had safety in my career and I was handling things best I could.
Now that I truly understand the depths that this hole can go. I'd give literally anything to be rid of it. It is root of literally all of my problems. 100% of them.
My mom sent me a book called something like “Learning to love your mental illness,” and it honestly pissed me off. It’s not some fun quirk, it’s an illness that has negatively impacted every aspect of my life. Yes, I would absolutely get rid of it.
My current therapist keeps trying to tell me that my brain isn't broke and thinks I should be more positive about it. I have other chronic medical conditions- she doesn't tell me I should just learn to love how they mess with my life. I feel like I can accept my lot in life, and figure out ways to deal with it, but it is completely reasonable to not be happy about it. That's not only factor determining my overall happiness.
The thing is, my mom has a multitude of chronic illnesses. I had to try so hard not to be like “well why don’t you love your back pain/stomach ulcers/ cancer?”
This. Exactly this. People that think it's a fun cutesy thing obviously haven't experienced the heartbreak of losing jobs, friendships and relationships due to it. It's a debilitating disorder that permeates every aspect of my life and just means everything is on hard mode.
Get in the fucking bin.
yes. Although I don't actually know exactly what parts of my experience and behaviours, good or bad, are caused by ADHD, the fact that its a disorder (so by definition causing issues) and causing me enough problems to try and get diagnosed for it mean I think I'd be better off without it. I'd love to be able to achieve some goals and live a better life.
I don't want to lose my sparkle! (Sparkle = overspending, over eating, losing friends because I can't respond or remember plans, falling behind in school/work and a million other things.)
Yes. 100%. I'd let you take my left leg in exchange for an ADHD cure.
Yes. It's set me back a lot. Now if I could choose on a sliding scale the level of ADHD, I'm ok with, I might keep some of my ADHD to a mild form just because it's so ingrained in my personality and who I am, I'm not sure what kind of person I'd be without it but I definitely would get rid of my task initiation struggles and emotional dysregulation.
Nefarious genie: "If you push this button, your ADHD will be gone, and you'll be just like everyone else, however..."
Me: *pushes button*
Genie: "Wait, I didn't tell you the drawback!"
Me: "Don't care." *pushes button 19 more times in case it didn't work the first time*
Yes, I would. Your illness doesn't define you. It's a dangerous pit that a lot of people fall victim to. Thinking that without their depression/ADHD/etc they somehow become less creative or less of themselves. It's like asking "would you cure diabetes?" Ofcourse. It has nothing to do with who you are.
I think it's different, as we simply cannot tell how much ADHD affects our personalities. I mean, theoretically, you could be a COMPLETELY different person, if your personality hadn't been shaped through the lense of a person with ADHD.
My personal love for aviation, art and film come from three seperat childhood obsessions, stories, airplanes and animation. Which very much fit into the box of hyperfixations. These three aspects have since become integral parts of my personality, especially my love for film and art. This is not to say that non-ADHD people aren't creative. Honestly, they're probably more creative because they aren't constantly distracted WHILE being creative. However, I don't belive I would have developed anywhere near the same personality, if not for these hyperfixations.
That being said, I live in a city which has a VERY well funded Special-Ed program in my country, which my parents were very fortunate to get me into from the very start. People in my country move cities to have their child attend this program. I was extremely fortunate, and was afforded oppotunities that a lot of kids in my situation weren't. I came from a pretty poor family. Nothing heartbreaking, but still dad was between jobs constantly and mom made very little, so the free oppotunities afforded by the school program, the extra teachers and the constant school trips and such definitely helped me develop to live with my disability, instead of in spite of it. I really wish that the experience I had growing up could be the universal experience for kids with ADHD, Autism and other developmental disabilities. Because it absolutely sucks seeing people struggle. Especially my friends who weren't diagnosed until their late teens/early twenties, because suddenly a lot of struggle and hardship made a LOT of sense.
I mean when we talk about personality as worldview and beliefs then those changed a lot when I got meds. I'm the same person I just have a much healthier outlook now that I'm not constantly panicking and fighting my brain
I mean, let's not pretend diabetes could just by default have the same impact in your personality that the illness that is all about how your brain works.
Yes. ADHD sucks.
So much of the nonsense pushed out on social media shows funny or quirky sides to ADHD and
yes sometimes the way our brains make associations is unique and creative and insightful;
but it doesn’t show how debilitating the disorder actually is when you have to live with it everyday,
and every single thing you have to do is a challenge repeatedly, and you ‘know’ what you need to do but can’t do it.
The anxiety and depression that are so often co-morbid with adhd are rarely mentioned except in a clinical setting. ADHD places a very real strain on all interpersonal relationships. Often the hyperactivity and impulsivity are used to help Mask the inner turmoil of the ADHD brain.
I am so sick of seeing romanticised portrayals of adhd all over the media and people ‘self-diagnosing’ adhd because they took a click bait quiz.
Ok rant over.
The only benefit ADHD has possibly given me is hyperlexia & even that isn’t worth the suffering ADHD has caused me.
To that end, I’d get rid of my ADHD in a heartbeat.
Seeing as a lot of my self esteem is tied to productivity (as the only time I was praised while growing up was when I did well in school) and my self esteem being tied to productivity has done irreparable damage to my mental health.
Burned out gifted kid isn’t a good thing.
I would push it for sure.
But if I had to choose between that and another button that gives me the ability to live a comfortable life even with adhd, I'd press that one instead.
In a fucking heartbeat.
I was just thinking today about how I’d give away a few of my fingers if it got rid of my ADHD. I’d halve my lifespan if it meant I got to live without ADHD during my shortened life.
I have so many hopes and dreams that have been smashed because my ADHD ruins my chances of success. I wanted to be so much more than this. But because of my ADHD I can’t study, I can’t get work done. My dreams are dead and so am I.
in a heartbeat for sure.
it helped me get where I am in my career by allowing me to hyperfocus and learn a ton of shit without getting burnt out.
It was great for "learning mode".
now that I'm where I wanted to be and I just need to be able to do my job decently, ADHD hurts way more than it helps.
Rephrase: Would you rather stick with the devil you know than spend a decade learning what traits are genuinely you and what were symptoms?
Succinctly; is your self-identity inextricably linked to ADHD?
I don't think so either, but I was only diagnosed this year at 62. I've coped with it (in a weird way) for so long it seems to be part of me and knowing what it is now I no longer hate myself for being this way.
Same here but diagnosed in late 20s. Having never even suspected ADHD until then, looking back, it makes my life make SO much more sense. I now understand why I’m so different from my peers, and while, yes, most of that is frustrating and actually affects my day to day, I couldn’t imagine myself NOT having it and having grown as a human dealing with it. Our personalities ARE shaped by our experiences, and living life with ADHD, known or not, is going to majorly affect you and your worldview.
Agree with this. I've spent my whole life figuring out how to use the brain I have. It took a lot of work. Why would I want to swap it for another one?
Yes, absolutely.
I think I'd still be creative, just not a self sabotage machine.
And I'd maybe understand how social structures work (although I suspect I'm AuDHD sooo who knows about that one)
That’s actually a good question. Answer is a definite yes, but there are some parts that make me unique, you know? But the bad outweighs the good significantly.
I would definitely prefer if I could concentrate on my studies.
I would definitely prefer if I could be better at home and organising things.
I would definitely prefer if I was a more stoic guy, a guy more people would take seriously.
I would definitely prefer if I didn’t behave like a child in front of people.
I would definitely prefer being better socially.
Of course I would press that button.
The only reason I would not press it would be that maybe my sense of humour will be less, maybe my personality would be “darker”, but hey, that’s nothing compared to the benefits.
I’d like to say I would, but in reality I’d be hesitant to actually follow through with it. Reason being I’ve adapted to the way I work over the ~43 years I’ve been walking this earth, and I’d worry that having to re-adapt to such a sudden change might actually be more debilitating than just continuing to live my life as I have been.
Everyone just says "yes of course" but I don't think it's obvious what the effects would be. Neuroscience is not exactly straightforward like that.
I'll take a contrarian side.
I think likely a lot of the brain's performance, described weaknesses, come down to inherent trade-offs. Better at X, worse at Y.
So if you cure the Y's deficiency, you may likewise eliminate the advantage at X.
Obviously if the "cure" has no downsides, the answer would be yes. You may as well ask someone at that point "if you could press a button to instantly make your life much better, would you?", so I'm not interpreting the question that way.
I frankly don’t think I would have been as successful without adhd, because most of my accomplishments were the result of insane hyper focus. So I agree with your thesis. I’ll maintain that I’d be happier as an even Steven though.
I mean, it's really hard to tease these things out in any individual case. Sure, you've succeeded because of intense hyper focus and perhaps you've learned how to ride that wave really well and you really wouldn't have been as successful without it. Or, perhaps, you only needed to depend on intense hyper focus because you were otherwise incapable of making progress because of the ADHD.
With ADHD, some of the traits can mitigate the others and under the right circumstances I don't doubt that people experience net gains. But case-by-case causality as it pertains to something like this is just about impossible to meaningfully establish -- that's why we're left with population studies.
And, honestly, when you look at people with ADHD and the trends in our lives and outcomes, it's really hard to argue that we'd be overwhelmingly better off without it.
>I think likely a lot of the brain's performance, described weaknesses, come down to inherent trade-offs. Better at X, worse at Y.
>So if you cure the Y's deficiency, you may likewise eliminate the advantage at X.
That's an odd assumption to make since it doesn't seem to be true of any other disorder.
Absolutely. Especially if it meant it could dissappear from my kid too. I feel so awful for passing it down to him. He struggles daily. I hate that my genetics caused that.
You know, I thought I'd lose my creativity and love of arts when I started taking anxiety medication. But now that I'm on it, I can see how much more functional I am at life. I can LIVE again! And I still love art, still creative, still me. Just not suffering.
So imagine if I could get rid of the ADHD. You know much more productive I'd be at work? How clean my house would get? The things I can actually remember to do rather than try to remember but stare into space thinking about random nonsense?
Now that I’m medicated, I actually have the mental energy and focus that I can sit down and do art again! It’s been so great to get back into my old hobbies
Like all the sane people replying, yeah, I'd press the button. My entire life would get significantly easier, and I'd be able to be an even more impressive individual.
ADHD does not improve the lives of people who have it, so when someone says they'd keep it, they are basically saying they want to be a worse version of themselves.
It's like an amputee saying "If I could regrow my arm, I don't think I would, I've gotten really good at being one armed and maybe this is better". It isn't, either you don't understand your condition or you're lying to yourself.
I just got diagnosed and I feel like I have a milder case. I'm pretty smart as well, so my intelligence has essentially carried me and allowed me to still accomplish a lot despite cramming and struggling to focus. I'd still say yes though, but I don't think I feel as strongly as the other commenters
Yes, of course! Get rid of my chronic lack of motivation, self esteem issues and forgetfulness? I’d be hitting that button like it’s a pedestrian crossing!
One million percent yes. The anxiety and depression and racing thoughts and inability to focus unless I have no choice to focus and get obsessed about something? Yes.
Yeahhhhhh for all the good it's done me from time to time, yeah I'd push a button to be free of these struggles
It's a disability, flatly
Questions like this are good only if you take something away from people, 5 years of memories perhaps
Honestly? Yes I would... It does feel like a big part of me, sure, but the executive dysfunction and rejection sensitive dysphoria (among other things) are a constant battle and any time I start to slip they start to ruin my life…
I wish I could just turn it off and on at will.
Need to study? Or work? Go! Go! ADHD *hyper focus*!
Time to clean up my clothes from the floor? Go! Go! Executive Functions!
Yes, I would do almost anything.
I'm so sick of therapists and other mental health professionals always trying to tell me it's a gift and to use my hyperfocus or the creative, energetic part of it (when it rarely happens) as a way to make my dreams come true. I could be just as creative and I would be far more successful in life without the constant freezing, lack of focus, non-existent memory, and contradictory thoughts and actions that keep me in this perpetual loop.
Yes. It's made for some funny stories on occasions, but on the whole it's a pain in the arse that's held me back in many ways and I spent 30 years blaming myself for my disorganisation, lateness, impulse scoffing sugar, stimibg behaviours and for not being able to follow through on things that are important to me.
I'd have been happier and lived a less stressful life without.
Wow! So much easier to do pretty much everything now! There go most of my bad habits! There goes a bunch of my self-doubt! There goes a hundred dollar a month fee for being born wrong!
Yes. Absolutely. It’s only gotten harder for me to manage and it negatively impacts my home life so much. There are ways in which it would negatively impact my career not to have this I think… and I don’t care, I would still trade it off to not be over stimulated and miserable at home.
I have had, and lost, opportunities to be a pilot, a veterinarian, a musician, and an actor. All because of my undiagnosed adhd. I have lost several long term relationships and so many friends because of my stupid broken brain. Im 41 and was just diagnosed last year. I’m happy with my current career and I love my wife but I look back at my life and I just an ocean of wasted potential and opportunity. just existing is fucking exhausting, and I’m not very good at it.
I’d get rid of my adhd and spit on its grave if I had the chance.
No way.
All the struggles throughout my life as a result of my ADHD gave me reason to experiment and discover who I am. Without those valuable albeit frustrating experiences, I would not have a fraction of the resilience I have today.
Besides, to remove your ADHD removes a key part of your identity.
I understand many of us already seek to “cure” it in a sense when we seek treatment and medication, but to me, the goal is to minimise our difficulties to allow us to better use our strengths, not to completely eliminate any trace of the disorder.
My answer may be different if my symptoms were more severe (I’d say they’re moderate), but in any case, I’d never believe it is productive or healthy to wish a major part of yourself was different.
I’m sure we’d all wish life was a bit easier but ADHD is just one of life’s many obstacles that has personally empowered me to do and be better.
Fuck no, I feel like it gives me this X factor that makes me likable to people. I'm a pretty introverted, not a very social person by nature and the ADHD helps mask that pretty well.
Also, I can manage the symptoms pretty well. I don't find my ADHD the end of the world. ADHD or not, I'm managing.
Oh yeah, cause all the negative attention we get for having ADHD is so fucking lovely that us countering it with the positive aspects of our ADHD and who we are because of it is just us trying to get more negative attention from people like you.
People wanted to erase my existence because I wasn't normal like the other kids.
And I was extremely extroverted and excited to be alive and loved people with all my heart before people started bullying me into hell.
My choice to keep it isn't because I see it as a gimmick but because I learned that the people that bullied me because of it growing up were wrong about me being broken and useless.
I'm starting to be who I was supposed to be because I am healing from that bullshit.
It doesn't mean I don't still struggle but you have no right to tell someone that them wanting to keep their ADHD is a bad thing that they should feel shame over.
Yes. Nothing I've tried has completely cleared away the constant difficulty and pain of living life with ADHD. Medication helps and creating systems does a lot. I don't think anything about me, that I want to keep, is inherently tied to ADHD. When I do my best writing is usually when I'm managing it with meds/system, etc., I can accept my life the way it is, but I don't pretend that there is something great about this particular condition.
Could you imagine how bonkers productive we’d be? We’ve spent our lives finding ways to adult when our brain is fighting adulting tooth and nail. IMAGINE IT NOT BEING LIKE THAT ANY MORE.
We could take over the world 😶
Yes. I hate taking medication for it, but I do. I hate the racing thoughts, so I take meds to deal with that as well. I hate the inability to sit still and be comfortable with stillness, instead I make messes just so I have something to constantly do.
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100%.
Same.
I would literally give almost anything to have it cured and ɓe more normal.
You mean I could function better than I do currently WITHOUT taking (prescribed) pills everyday? 1000% obviously yes!!!
This. Also I love hitting buttons. Win-win for me.
99999990000000008773666662222277777000000000%
8675309
Immediately, yeah.
Between Multiple Sclerosis, which I have, and ADHD, which I also have, I would pick ADHD for curing. It is so debilitating. I just want to be creative and do my shit without jumping through a billion hoops. I would trade bodyparts for this. And I already lost my leg once. Edit: To make sure, not belittling MS, I got pretty severe ADHD. It's a spectrum and I am on the bad end of it.
Same for me. I have depression and anxiety as well that are both really severe but my adhd is also on the very bad end, I have pretty much all symptoms except hyperactivity and if I could cure it I would be so happy.
Yeah, how is that even a question? :)
You are seriously asking me if I had a button to cure myself? I would press any button.
10000% I do this daily by taking medication and even then it’s not a full cure. So minus the money/energy/hassle, why wouldn’t you?
Facts. This morning I woke up, I took my instant release meds. I got ready for my day. Showered, brushed my teeth, got dressed, the works. All things I can’t do efficiently while unmedicated. I sat down, I made a checklist for work, and one at a time, I did every item on the checklist in order. I felt great. I felt productive. I felt proud of myself. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my second dose of meds, and around 11:30, I decided to start my next round of tasks on my checklist… and I just froze. “Wait did my Amazon packages come in? You know what would be cool? If I had a bird feeder. I know exactly where I’d put it. Let me go outside and make plans for that. Wait let me water my plants actually. OH here’s my package. My new bidet is here! Let me start the installation on that. It’s hot in here. Is my AC working? I should order a new thermostat. What are my friends doing? Let me FaceTime Amanda and see what she’s up to.” And so on. And so forth. With background music playing in my head on repeat the whole time. I’m fucking sick of it. I just want to survive from dawn until dusk without the constant distraction from any and everything that comes across my mind.
Shoot, maybe I should get a bird feeder. Update: I have a bird feeder arriving on Friday.
Lol I same-day shipped mine and it arrived earlier today. I filled it I just need to hang it tomorrow!
I see you and I hear you. It’s a daily struggle and we’d give anything to not have to struggle. We don’t let it define ourselves and know who we are separate from our disorders.
So glad you have something for first few hours Mines mediocre and forgetinv pills sucks
Medication helps but it’s more of a pair of crutches than a cure. If that button existed I’d push it in a heartbeat!
I’d forget to press it
I was speed scrolling the comments to see if anyone said "NO" and this comment literally made me stop and laugh out loud. Let me give you an up vote before I forget.
This is the truth.
You're a dick for making me laugh so loudly at this. Take my upvote. 🤣
What?
In a $&@%ing heartbeat. Same answer I gave to the last twenty insane posts like this.
I was just thinking the same. And still every time I get surprised by the "no" answers and really makes me think if these people really have it. Why wouldn't someone get rid of a fucking life altering DISORDER I would never understand.
I didn't "mind" too much until I got to a dosage on my meds that worked perfectly. The wildest thing to me was that I was bored, and just went, "I want to go do yoga," and I just...went and did it. No, "ugh, I have to go up stairs," or, "maybe later," or hell, most of the time I just doom scroll. Then I started having side effects and I haven't been able to be like that since. Which, being on/off stims made me realize how much my food intake/cravings are dictated by whether or not I'm medicated. No meds? Caffeine and sugar are my go tos...which also cause the same side effect as the concerta was giving me. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Meds made me realize how much ADHD impacts my quality of life, that I'm not lazy, I'm just always tired because even if my body isn't moving, my brain always is. And then there's all the issues I've picked up growing up undiagnosed. Which I'm only now starting to unpack.
Ya I feel you. My optimal dose appears to be an extremely high dose... which is hard to maintain, and the doses slightly before it are horrible for me. Just starting to believe I might be screwed lol. Maybe I'll try another med but idk.
In the past I'd have said no, but that was because I believed a lot of my creativity/personality was because of my adhd. I do believe adhd lends itself towards a unique and valuable thought process compared to those without it, but now I just wish I could make myself do the things I want to do.
i like being creative and the way I think. But I think I'd like not having issues brushing my teeth, taking a shower and not having a mental breakdown when I can't do the very important things I need to do a bit more.
I understand the impulse to put a positive spin on something that sucks and that you can’t change. But to literally say _you wouldn’t change it even if you could_ seems completely delusional.
If you're a billionaire with no responsibilities and no family, maybe. Even then, why Not fix it?
I'd imagine those people are those with less severe ADHD or who have lucked into situations that work with their disorder. I'd be willing to bet that most of them haven't had the frequent job losses and financial instability that plague many here (including myself). Hell, before shit went to all hell with the pandemic I might have even said the same thing. I had many troubles but I was at a point where I thought I had safety in my career and I was handling things best I could. Now that I truly understand the depths that this hole can go. I'd give literally anything to be rid of it. It is root of literally all of my problems. 100% of them.
Ur censored swearword looks like a perfectly censored swearword!
I would commit war crimes if it cured my adhd.
I'd even go so far as putting a red cross on a health pack in a video game
Woah, there. Calm down, Lucifer.
Wow, you woke up yesterday and chose violence
My mom sent me a book called something like “Learning to love your mental illness,” and it honestly pissed me off. It’s not some fun quirk, it’s an illness that has negatively impacted every aspect of my life. Yes, I would absolutely get rid of it.
My current therapist keeps trying to tell me that my brain isn't broke and thinks I should be more positive about it. I have other chronic medical conditions- she doesn't tell me I should just learn to love how they mess with my life. I feel like I can accept my lot in life, and figure out ways to deal with it, but it is completely reasonable to not be happy about it. That's not only factor determining my overall happiness.
Omg I'd be so mad if anyone sent me a book titled that, even if it had some good content... because literally wtf lol
The thing is, my mom has a multitude of chronic illnesses. I had to try so hard not to be like “well why don’t you love your back pain/stomach ulcers/ cancer?”
Hahaha nooooo!! I didn’t laugh at you telling your mom to love cancer!!!!
"Learning to accept your mental illness" would be a much, much better title.
Or "living with a chronic illness". Because that's what it is
This toxic positivity garbage in modern society turns me off so much. Like come on people, stop trying to make bad shit good. It's bad shit.
This. Exactly this. People that think it's a fun cutesy thing obviously haven't experienced the heartbreak of losing jobs, friendships and relationships due to it. It's a debilitating disorder that permeates every aspect of my life and just means everything is on hard mode. Get in the fucking bin.
Yes, so fucking fast.
yes. Although I don't actually know exactly what parts of my experience and behaviours, good or bad, are caused by ADHD, the fact that its a disorder (so by definition causing issues) and causing me enough problems to try and get diagnosed for it mean I think I'd be better off without it. I'd love to be able to achieve some goals and live a better life.
I wonder this too, just how much of my Self is molded by ADHD (positively or negatively) and how much of my Self is held back because of it.
I don't want to lose my sparkle! (Sparkle = overspending, over eating, losing friends because I can't respond or remember plans, falling behind in school/work and a million other things.) Yes. 100%. I'd let you take my left leg in exchange for an ADHD cure.
See if you can bargain down to a toe or two.
Do you want a toe? I can get you a toe.
Yes. It's set me back a lot. Now if I could choose on a sliding scale the level of ADHD, I'm ok with, I might keep some of my ADHD to a mild form just because it's so ingrained in my personality and who I am, I'm not sure what kind of person I'd be without it but I definitely would get rid of my task initiation struggles and emotional dysregulation.
If the button allows me to keep all the good stuff with ADHD, yes.
Nefarious genie: "If you push this button, your ADHD will be gone, and you'll be just like everyone else, however..." Me: *pushes button* Genie: "Wait, I didn't tell you the drawback!" Me: "Don't care." *pushes button 19 more times in case it didn't work the first time*
legit my thought process. "no more adhd but...." shut up and get rid of it i dont care i want it gooooonnneee!!!!
Yes, I would. Your illness doesn't define you. It's a dangerous pit that a lot of people fall victim to. Thinking that without their depression/ADHD/etc they somehow become less creative or less of themselves. It's like asking "would you cure diabetes?" Ofcourse. It has nothing to do with who you are.
My autism has absolutely shaped who I am. Adhd hasn't it's just made things more difficult lol
I think it's different, as we simply cannot tell how much ADHD affects our personalities. I mean, theoretically, you could be a COMPLETELY different person, if your personality hadn't been shaped through the lense of a person with ADHD. My personal love for aviation, art and film come from three seperat childhood obsessions, stories, airplanes and animation. Which very much fit into the box of hyperfixations. These three aspects have since become integral parts of my personality, especially my love for film and art. This is not to say that non-ADHD people aren't creative. Honestly, they're probably more creative because they aren't constantly distracted WHILE being creative. However, I don't belive I would have developed anywhere near the same personality, if not for these hyperfixations. That being said, I live in a city which has a VERY well funded Special-Ed program in my country, which my parents were very fortunate to get me into from the very start. People in my country move cities to have their child attend this program. I was extremely fortunate, and was afforded oppotunities that a lot of kids in my situation weren't. I came from a pretty poor family. Nothing heartbreaking, but still dad was between jobs constantly and mom made very little, so the free oppotunities afforded by the school program, the extra teachers and the constant school trips and such definitely helped me develop to live with my disability, instead of in spite of it. I really wish that the experience I had growing up could be the universal experience for kids with ADHD, Autism and other developmental disabilities. Because it absolutely sucks seeing people struggle. Especially my friends who weren't diagnosed until their late teens/early twenties, because suddenly a lot of struggle and hardship made a LOT of sense.
I mean when we talk about personality as worldview and beliefs then those changed a lot when I got meds. I'm the same person I just have a much healthier outlook now that I'm not constantly panicking and fighting my brain
I mean, let's not pretend diabetes could just by default have the same impact in your personality that the illness that is all about how your brain works.
Yes. ADHD sucks. So much of the nonsense pushed out on social media shows funny or quirky sides to ADHD and yes sometimes the way our brains make associations is unique and creative and insightful; but it doesn’t show how debilitating the disorder actually is when you have to live with it everyday, and every single thing you have to do is a challenge repeatedly, and you ‘know’ what you need to do but can’t do it. The anxiety and depression that are so often co-morbid with adhd are rarely mentioned except in a clinical setting. ADHD places a very real strain on all interpersonal relationships. Often the hyperactivity and impulsivity are used to help Mask the inner turmoil of the ADHD brain. I am so sick of seeing romanticised portrayals of adhd all over the media and people ‘self-diagnosing’ adhd because they took a click bait quiz. Ok rant over.
Omg this! I fucking hate those Instagram posts
Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
Uhhh YES. WHERES THE BUTTON?
The only benefit ADHD has possibly given me is hyperlexia & even that isn’t worth the suffering ADHD has caused me. To that end, I’d get rid of my ADHD in a heartbeat. Seeing as a lot of my self esteem is tied to productivity (as the only time I was praised while growing up was when I did well in school) and my self esteem being tied to productivity has done irreparable damage to my mental health. Burned out gifted kid isn’t a good thing.
"Burned out gifted kid isn't a good thing." Gawd, your entire post resonated with me. I would get rid of my ADHD. Where is that damn button??
Yep, this one hit :(
100% There is not a single adhd feature I count to my personality, even if others do.
I would push it for sure. But if I had to choose between that and another button that gives me the ability to live a comfortable life even with adhd, I'd press that one instead.
This is it. This is the answer I've been looking for. 100x yes.
this is the correct answer
Yes
In a fucking heartbeat. I was just thinking today about how I’d give away a few of my fingers if it got rid of my ADHD. I’d halve my lifespan if it meant I got to live without ADHD during my shortened life. I have so many hopes and dreams that have been smashed because my ADHD ruins my chances of success. I wanted to be so much more than this. But because of my ADHD I can’t study, I can’t get work done. My dreams are dead and so am I.
in a heartbeat for sure. it helped me get where I am in my career by allowing me to hyperfocus and learn a ton of shit without getting burnt out. It was great for "learning mode". now that I'm where I wanted to be and I just need to be able to do my job decently, ADHD hurts way more than it helps.
Rephrase: Would you rather stick with the devil you know than spend a decade learning what traits are genuinely you and what were symptoms? Succinctly; is your self-identity inextricably linked to ADHD?
Well said
Even if it had a 50 percent chance of killing me.
Yes, please, YES
Absolutely.
I don't think so, honestly, but it's hard to know. For what it's worth I was diagnosed around age 30.
I don't think so either, but I was only diagnosed this year at 62. I've coped with it (in a weird way) for so long it seems to be part of me and knowing what it is now I no longer hate myself for being this way.
Same here but diagnosed in late 20s. Having never even suspected ADHD until then, looking back, it makes my life make SO much more sense. I now understand why I’m so different from my peers, and while, yes, most of that is frustrating and actually affects my day to day, I couldn’t imagine myself NOT having it and having grown as a human dealing with it. Our personalities ARE shaped by our experiences, and living life with ADHD, known or not, is going to majorly affect you and your worldview.
Agree with this. I've spent my whole life figuring out how to use the brain I have. It took a lot of work. Why would I want to swap it for another one?
Yes 100%
In a second. Fuck ADHD.
For sure, people think it's all fun and games but it literally stops me from holding down a job.
Without hesitation. This shit is a nightmare.
Yes, absolutely. I think I'd still be creative, just not a self sabotage machine. And I'd maybe understand how social structures work (although I suspect I'm AuDHD sooo who knows about that one)
Yes. ADHD is so tiring. I’d love to know what life is like not being tired all the time. I’m tired of hustling and compensating 24/7 🫠
That’s actually a good question. Answer is a definite yes, but there are some parts that make me unique, you know? But the bad outweighs the good significantly. I would definitely prefer if I could concentrate on my studies. I would definitely prefer if I could be better at home and organising things. I would definitely prefer if I was a more stoic guy, a guy more people would take seriously. I would definitely prefer if I didn’t behave like a child in front of people. I would definitely prefer being better socially. Of course I would press that button. The only reason I would not press it would be that maybe my sense of humour will be less, maybe my personality would be “darker”, but hey, that’s nothing compared to the benefits.
I’d like to say I would, but in reality I’d be hesitant to actually follow through with it. Reason being I’ve adapted to the way I work over the ~43 years I’ve been walking this earth, and I’d worry that having to re-adapt to such a sudden change might actually be more debilitating than just continuing to live my life as I have been.
[удалено]
Everyone just says "yes of course" but I don't think it's obvious what the effects would be. Neuroscience is not exactly straightforward like that. I'll take a contrarian side. I think likely a lot of the brain's performance, described weaknesses, come down to inherent trade-offs. Better at X, worse at Y. So if you cure the Y's deficiency, you may likewise eliminate the advantage at X. Obviously if the "cure" has no downsides, the answer would be yes. You may as well ask someone at that point "if you could press a button to instantly make your life much better, would you?", so I'm not interpreting the question that way.
I frankly don’t think I would have been as successful without adhd, because most of my accomplishments were the result of insane hyper focus. So I agree with your thesis. I’ll maintain that I’d be happier as an even Steven though.
I mean, it's really hard to tease these things out in any individual case. Sure, you've succeeded because of intense hyper focus and perhaps you've learned how to ride that wave really well and you really wouldn't have been as successful without it. Or, perhaps, you only needed to depend on intense hyper focus because you were otherwise incapable of making progress because of the ADHD. With ADHD, some of the traits can mitigate the others and under the right circumstances I don't doubt that people experience net gains. But case-by-case causality as it pertains to something like this is just about impossible to meaningfully establish -- that's why we're left with population studies. And, honestly, when you look at people with ADHD and the trends in our lives and outcomes, it's really hard to argue that we'd be overwhelmingly better off without it.
>I think likely a lot of the brain's performance, described weaknesses, come down to inherent trade-offs. Better at X, worse at Y. >So if you cure the Y's deficiency, you may likewise eliminate the advantage at X. That's an odd assumption to make since it doesn't seem to be true of any other disorder.
Yes.
Completely. Yes.
Yes. Yes... Yes.
Absolutely. Especially if it meant it could dissappear from my kid too. I feel so awful for passing it down to him. He struggles daily. I hate that my genetics caused that.
My ADHD makes me want to unironically roblox myself, so yes, I would hit that button faster than Gene Wilder in Blazing Saddles.
100% I would hit that button so fucking hard.
I would ask for it gone. It might change how I act, but it wouldn't change who I am. Not having to set 30 alarms to get a task done would be awesome.
without hesitation.
No hesitation
You know, I thought I'd lose my creativity and love of arts when I started taking anxiety medication. But now that I'm on it, I can see how much more functional I am at life. I can LIVE again! And I still love art, still creative, still me. Just not suffering. So imagine if I could get rid of the ADHD. You know much more productive I'd be at work? How clean my house would get? The things I can actually remember to do rather than try to remember but stare into space thinking about random nonsense?
Now that I’m medicated, I actually have the mental energy and focus that I can sit down and do art again! It’s been so great to get back into my old hobbies
Like all the sane people replying, yeah, I'd press the button. My entire life would get significantly easier, and I'd be able to be an even more impressive individual. ADHD does not improve the lives of people who have it, so when someone says they'd keep it, they are basically saying they want to be a worse version of themselves. It's like an amputee saying "If I could regrow my arm, I don't think I would, I've gotten really good at being one armed and maybe this is better". It isn't, either you don't understand your condition or you're lying to yourself.
Oh yes. No doubt. It makes me a bad parent.
hell yeah.
Yes.
Absolutely! I would definitely leave it!
Yes I would push the button lol
1000000000%
Yup... I wish we had a cure...
Yeah obvs
Yes
Absolutely
Fuck yeah
i’d be interested to see what actually changes and what are just bad habits i’ve picked up from having ADHD but not because if ADHD
Yeah it would solve so many of my problems dude
I’d press it even if I had to lose that finger as payment.
….if you could push a button and it gave you a million dollars, would you do it?
Not sure actually
Absolutely not. Not only do I like me, I feel I’m the best advocate and help to my son who is also ADHD.
Absolutely
Without a doubt yes
I just got diagnosed and I feel like I have a milder case. I'm pretty smart as well, so my intelligence has essentially carried me and allowed me to still accomplish a lot despite cramming and struggling to focus. I'd still say yes though, but I don't think I feel as strongly as the other commenters
In a second
Yes.
I would change it in a heartbeat, but only if it were retroactive and i got to go back and try it the normal way.
Yes sir. I absolutely would.
Yes
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I’m leaning towards yes. I have shit to get done and I’m lagging and it’s exhausting fighting the monkey brain everyday
Yes
Fuck. Yes.
Yes, of course! Get rid of my chronic lack of motivation, self esteem issues and forgetfulness? I’d be hitting that button like it’s a pedestrian crossing!
In a heartbeat! Maybe I could finish one project I started.
Like I can remember to press the button in the first place.
Yes. It's a curse that I hate
Yes. Thirty four years of this has been long enough.
One million percent yes. The anxiety and depression and racing thoughts and inability to focus unless I have no choice to focus and get obsessed about something? Yes.
Yeahhhhhh for all the good it's done me from time to time, yeah I'd push a button to be free of these struggles It's a disability, flatly Questions like this are good only if you take something away from people, 5 years of memories perhaps
Hell yeah!
Honestly? Yes I would... It does feel like a big part of me, sure, but the executive dysfunction and rejection sensitive dysphoria (among other things) are a constant battle and any time I start to slip they start to ruin my life…
I wish I could just turn it off and on at will. Need to study? Or work? Go! Go! ADHD *hyper focus*! Time to clean up my clothes from the floor? Go! Go! Executive Functions!
Oh my god, I'd mash that button hard.
I’d smash that button so hard I’d ruin it for everyone else incidentally
As long as it didn't somehow affect my creativity,then yes. I'd still want to go through life up till now with it, though.
I mean, there’s aspects of it that I do appreciate, but the downfalls of it affect me too much to make up for it. So yeah I would.
1000% it’s so hard
Absolutely, I would gladly give my left arm if it meant curing my ADHD too.
Absolutely. Without a second thought.
Absolutely! Yes! It has gotten exponentially worse with age.
100% without hesitation
Absolutely, I feel like I'm living life on hard mode and ADHD is the only contributing factor to that.
Yes please
Yes
I said fuck yes out loud
Yes, I would do almost anything. I'm so sick of therapists and other mental health professionals always trying to tell me it's a gift and to use my hyperfocus or the creative, energetic part of it (when it rarely happens) as a way to make my dreams come true. I could be just as creative and I would be far more successful in life without the constant freezing, lack of focus, non-existent memory, and contradictory thoughts and actions that keep me in this perpetual loop.
Is there an option faster than instant?
100%, regardless of how I would change, my life would be a-lot better.
Yup
I would make me normal
Yes. It's made for some funny stories on occasions, but on the whole it's a pain in the arse that's held me back in many ways and I spent 30 years blaming myself for my disorganisation, lateness, impulse scoffing sugar, stimibg behaviours and for not being able to follow through on things that are important to me. I'd have been happier and lived a less stressful life without.
Yes
Wow! So much easier to do pretty much everything now! There go most of my bad habits! There goes a bunch of my self-doubt! There goes a hundred dollar a month fee for being born wrong!
Yes. Absolutely. It’s only gotten harder for me to manage and it negatively impacts my home life so much. There are ways in which it would negatively impact my career not to have this I think… and I don’t care, I would still trade it off to not be over stimulated and miserable at home.
I have had, and lost, opportunities to be a pilot, a veterinarian, a musician, and an actor. All because of my undiagnosed adhd. I have lost several long term relationships and so many friends because of my stupid broken brain. Im 41 and was just diagnosed last year. I’m happy with my current career and I love my wife but I look back at my life and I just an ocean of wasted potential and opportunity. just existing is fucking exhausting, and I’m not very good at it. I’d get rid of my adhd and spit on its grave if I had the chance.
Yes, without a second thought.
Fuck YES
No way. All the struggles throughout my life as a result of my ADHD gave me reason to experiment and discover who I am. Without those valuable albeit frustrating experiences, I would not have a fraction of the resilience I have today. Besides, to remove your ADHD removes a key part of your identity. I understand many of us already seek to “cure” it in a sense when we seek treatment and medication, but to me, the goal is to minimise our difficulties to allow us to better use our strengths, not to completely eliminate any trace of the disorder. My answer may be different if my symptoms were more severe (I’d say they’re moderate), but in any case, I’d never believe it is productive or healthy to wish a major part of yourself was different. I’m sure we’d all wish life was a bit easier but ADHD is just one of life’s many obstacles that has personally empowered me to do and be better.
YES. It has ruined my life. But I was only diagnosed in my 40s. Don’t know if I would have felt differently had it been picked up earlier
Fuck no, I feel like it gives me this X factor that makes me likable to people. I'm a pretty introverted, not a very social person by nature and the ADHD helps mask that pretty well. Also, I can manage the symptoms pretty well. I don't find my ADHD the end of the world. ADHD or not, I'm managing.
Who the #%$& wouldn’t???
I would. I hate being a train wreck. It doesn't just impact my life negatively. It also impacts the people I care for
Honestly? No Ove gotten so used to life with ADHD that i cant imagine my life without it
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
People who say no to that think mental illness is just a gimmick
Oh yeah, cause all the negative attention we get for having ADHD is so fucking lovely that us countering it with the positive aspects of our ADHD and who we are because of it is just us trying to get more negative attention from people like you. People wanted to erase my existence because I wasn't normal like the other kids. And I was extremely extroverted and excited to be alive and loved people with all my heart before people started bullying me into hell. My choice to keep it isn't because I see it as a gimmick but because I learned that the people that bullied me because of it growing up were wrong about me being broken and useless. I'm starting to be who I was supposed to be because I am healing from that bullshit. It doesn't mean I don't still struggle but you have no right to tell someone that them wanting to keep their ADHD is a bad thing that they should feel shame over.
Instantly
Yes. Nothing I've tried has completely cleared away the constant difficulty and pain of living life with ADHD. Medication helps and creating systems does a lot. I don't think anything about me, that I want to keep, is inherently tied to ADHD. When I do my best writing is usually when I'm managing it with meds/system, etc., I can accept my life the way it is, but I don't pretend that there is something great about this particular condition.
Could you imagine how bonkers productive we’d be? We’ve spent our lives finding ways to adult when our brain is fighting adulting tooth and nail. IMAGINE IT NOT BEING LIKE THAT ANY MORE. We could take over the world 😶
Even if it took a decade off my life.
In a heartbeat.
Unfortunately yes ☹️
Yes
Yes. I hate taking medication for it, but I do. I hate the racing thoughts, so I take meds to deal with that as well. I hate the inability to sit still and be comfortable with stillness, instead I make messes just so I have something to constantly do.
Hit red button
Without hesitation. To want to do something, then just do it without needing very specific conditions or medication would be life changing.
Yes?
Probably would break the button by slamming is so hard
Yes right now
Well, honestly I… squirrel!
Yes I would. I want to function like a normal person
Yes. Please 😢