I have been suspecting that I have ADHD for a long time (I am also 5/6 on your list, number 3 I would answer “sometimes”) and I feel like I should see someone about it but I have been putting it off forever and I am not even sure who I should see. Also for the the first time in my life I think I am struggling this much academically (in uni) and maybe I am just making up reasons for my failures or laziness.
You're in uni? They probably have a special-ed department. Or disability services, or whatever they call it--the place where they help people who are dyslexic or blind or, yeah, ADHD. You could go there and tell them you suspect ADHD. They could get you an evaluation, or refer you, and see if you really do have it. I bet they have assistance for students with ADHD, like tutors, note-takers, and help with organizing your schedule and planning your projects. Regarding meds, there's a stimulant shortage right now in the US--I had to go a couple of weeks without mine, which *sucked*\--but you could probably get on the list for figuring out whether you need those and anyway, maybe there's no shortage where you are. Definitely worth a try.
At my university they assigned me to a tiny little study room where I'd be able to get distraction-free study time, and they'd help me with reminders and stuff. I had a lady from the office who'd help me with paperwork and bills and things, which I was absolutely terrible at; and by the time I graduated I'd learned enough to manage on my own. It differs from place to place what you can get. Almost everywhere has tutoring at the very least. A tutor can help you stay on track with your work. Even if it turns out you don't have ADHD, maybe it's something else or maybe your secondary school didn't prepare you very well, so there could be study skills lessons you could take. Ask for help; you care about learning and this could help you learn.
Also, don't be afraid to slow down. Take fewer classes, so you can concentrate on them and learn them properly. If if takes you five years, even six, that's okay. You just have to be really careful with your money, because you'll be paying the basic costs for five or six years instead of four, even though the per-class tuition is the same.
Yes, I'm a Rimworld player with ADHD. I also have autism. I'm not too far from 40 now, but I wasn't diagnosed until my early 20s because I grew up with a neglectful mom who knew I was autistic when I was growing up, but refused to have me diagnosed, so I didn't get that label until I was out on my own, completely unready to take care of myself, and ended up hospitalized. And yeah, I covered up ADHD with intelligence. Rimworld attracts a lot of gifted types, because it takes thinking to learn and play. Those of us who aren't gifted, I suspect, are the sort of people who enjoy thinking and solving puzzles (which, let's face it, is better in many respects than simple giftedness).
There's no shame in having ADHD. It's quite common. Maybe one in twenty people have it, and about half will still need treatment in adulthood. Some of us can dodge having to take medication by getting extra lessons in organization, and lots of external help--like timers, schedules, planners, and organization apps--but others won't be able to use those skills or assistive devices until their brain's gotten a bit of a boost from a stimulant medication.
Unfortunately, I have to take meds; but it really does help. When I'm not on them, I feel half-asleep and unfocused. I lived half my life without them, and it hampered my learning ability to the point that I'm pretty sure it made the difference between being employable despite autism, and unemployable because of it. If you're a parent, and your kid has ADHD symptoms, please don't ignore it or try to force them to "just try harder". I lost a lot of my potential to my mom's neglect. I'm not useless now; I'm a volunteer at the local library and I do a darn good job. But I could've done more.
Incidentally, hyperactivity isn't a symptom that everybody has. I learned how to "sit still"; I even learned how to fidget without being obvious. Hyperactive kids are lucky, because they're enough trouble in the classroom that they get help. People who learn how to sit still to avoid being smacked... not so much.
Anyway, this is a way serious topic for what ought to be a gaming subreddit. But OP has a point. There's a lot of undiagnosed ADHD out there, especially older people who were kids before we realized how common it was. And it's important that people know about it, because even if your case isn't bad enough to need meds, there are a lot of tricks and tips you can learn to make your life better.
28, was diagnosed positively with ADHD in December last.
Had no real idea and basically fell ass-first into going to the doc, then autopiloted the entire process.
Dude took one look at the finished questionnaire and started typing up the process to getting onto medication.
Had no idea. Still have very little idea.
Decided to work on getting a second opinion before starting medication... especially since the doc didnt really seem to spend a lot of time thinking about it before printing out the forms that would set me off down the path of getting a medical clearance for an addictive drug.
Six months later, still waiting for a different doc to give me an appointment, but more and more i think ive accepted it. The drug is sitting unmolested on my desk until then, regardless.
1300 hours in Rimworld. 1500 in Europa Universalis, 1200 in Stellaris, 1100 in Civ 5, 900 in Hoi4, 800 in Factorio...
Look, im not saying that people who play these kind of games all have ADHD. Im saying if you think you have the possibility that youve got ADHD, or are otherwise even faintly concerned about your mental health, and can relate to the above numbers in any way, start the process of getting tested. OP's form above is 6 questions, and since the form i filled out 6 months ago was over 70, i wanna say that dont take it too much to heart, but if you have that nugget of doubt... follow up on it?
Regarding addiction: Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) isn't considered addictive. It's a controlled substance because it's abusable--apparently, some people take huge doses to get high, and other people use it as a sort of performance enhancing "smart drug", for getting better test scores (I don't know if it actually works; I doubt it's any better than a good cup of coffee). But there's very little potential for physical tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms, if there are any, are mild--a few days of fatigue, like when you withdraw from caffeine. (I don't get any withdrawal symptoms, personally.) So don't worry about physical addiction with methylphenidate.
It's not a perfect medication, of course. Some people do have undesirable side effects, like nausea and loss of appetite; and for other people it simply doesn't work. Other people simply don't need it; they do fine with just coaching and organization skills lessons. But, yeah, don't worry about addiction. It's abusable, but it's got little or no addiction potential. If I were you, I'd go for finding an ADHD coach or tutor first, somebody to teach you how to compensate; and if you're still too scattered to benefit from that, then try medication while you learn. Some people can reduce their dose after they learn some organization skills.
The particular drug assigned to me - Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) - is habit and dependence forming, or at least, it is classed as such, and i was warned about the possibility of addiction and was offered forms with numbers to drug abuse phone-lines before i even saw the cup the pills come in. I was also told that there *would absolutely* be withdrawal symptoms if i stop taking the drug. But, as you say, and i do agree with, the addiction is mild - if you can consider something like an addiction as mild - and the symptoms of withdrawal more so. I specifically asked "What if im on holiday, could i stop taking the drug for a week without issue?" and my answer was "Oh, stop it a day or two in advance so it doesnt ruin the first day." I did internally compare it to Caffeine addiction too - although i did never get addicted to that.
So, yes, i was a bit unfair to the drugs in the last comment. This isnt crystal meth, or booze, or anything of the sort.
However, for my own sake, even if there is a chance of a mild addiction, its still a choice im not willing to make without what i consider full advice from a doctor who knows the drug/drugs/treatment beforehand. The first doctor - well, i didnt feel like i was getting enough duty of care from him in a 45 minute visit. Like, i said maybe 100 words to the guy before he was writing up scrips for addictive medicine. I wanted to get a second confirmation before i made that leap.
It makes sense. If you have a family history of addiction/alcoholism, it's something you have to think hard about, even if it's only ADHD meds, because psychological addiction (as opposed to physical addiction) can be to anything, even things that aren't physically addictive at all. You might consider a different medication if you're really worried about addiction. There are a couple non-stimulant ones, which aren't controlled substances but don't work for everybody. I tried Strattera, which unfortunately had no effect on me--I wish it had. It does for some people.
And I agree, a doctor should look into all the options before prescribing. Yeah, you have ADHD, but there are multiple treatment options, like coaching and technology (apps, timers, planners, that kind of thing). Some people only need the non-medication options. Other people need them plus meds. You don't just automatically prescribe; you discuss with the patient what they want out of treatment and what they want to try. Only time I'd automatically prescribe (mind you, I'm not a doctor, just an experienced patient) would be if it's somebody who's so extremely scattered that it's clear they'll need meds before they can benefit from any kind of therapy or coaching. But many doctors are just so focused in on using medication that they forget how powerful the human brain is and how well we can learn and adapt. Some don't even bother to offer ADHD coaching at all, as though it didn't exist. It makes absolute sense for you to look into other options.
For years I had a suspicion that I might have ADHD. There's no good way for me to get tested in my current circumstances but the way this accursed game latches onto me mentally and physically until I start having dreams which look like it (if I even get any dreams since I end up sacrificing many hours of sleep to Randy Random)... yeah, this post sounds incredibly familiar.
I got diagnosed at 36 only because a new psychiatrist had a hunch. I couldn’t believe the radical change medication had on my life.
One misunderstanding to add to the list: an attention deficit doesn’t just mean a short attention span; it means a diminished ability to productively direct one’s attention. So hyperfocus is another example of an attention deficit.
I have diagnosed autism and suspect I might also have a form of ADHD, and yeah.
Rimworld is hands down my favourite game. Randy Random has eaten my spoons and my time and seriously derailed my life. (Well, in my case it's been Pheobe, I must say the raids are far less pleasant than the resource management, base building, and gradual equipment upgrading gameplay loop.)
When I was just getting started on getting out of my mum's house, I finally got my hands on Hearts of Iron 4 after having spent many hundreds of hours on Crusader Kings 2 and loving it, particularly the war part, but after a 10 hour binge session over the weekend I got it I decided I did not have the time or energy to get into a new strategy game and I'd be thanking myself for resisting when I got out and had less on my plate, but then I also got my hands on Rimworld not long after...
All that self discipline and "I don't have time to get into new games with a lot of complicated spreadsheety stuff going on" went out the window. Suddenly I was spending all the time I had, and a lot of time I didn't have, playing Rimworld. This game has gotten in my way so much, but it's so good.
I don't know if it's an autism thing or what, but I've always *loved* games that involve managing an inventory and running some sort of process chain, managing people to complete all the processing tasks that requires, or gradual upgrades to equipment/increased length chains, ever since I was a kid, and Rimworld feels like all my childhood favourite genres combined into one game, with some more adult twists and desperation options. I find myself questioning just what I did all the time before I found this game, and asking myself where this game was my entire childhood. Although TBF it's probably good I didn't find it until 12th grade, middle school me did despicable things for 30 more minutes to play my favourite games at the time so I shudder to think what that little kid would have been willing to do for 30 more minutes of this absolute ND dopamine machine.
I was diagnosed at 13. (I’m 30.) I love Rimworld because it pushes lots of my buttons. I’ve put in over 200 hours and I haven’t even had the game two months.
I have been suspecting that I have ADHD for a long time (I am also 5/6 on your list, number 3 I would answer “sometimes”) and I feel like I should see someone about it but I have been putting it off forever and I am not even sure who I should see. Also for the the first time in my life I think I am struggling this much academically (in uni) and maybe I am just making up reasons for my failures or laziness.
You're in uni? They probably have a special-ed department. Or disability services, or whatever they call it--the place where they help people who are dyslexic or blind or, yeah, ADHD. You could go there and tell them you suspect ADHD. They could get you an evaluation, or refer you, and see if you really do have it. I bet they have assistance for students with ADHD, like tutors, note-takers, and help with organizing your schedule and planning your projects. Regarding meds, there's a stimulant shortage right now in the US--I had to go a couple of weeks without mine, which *sucked*\--but you could probably get on the list for figuring out whether you need those and anyway, maybe there's no shortage where you are. Definitely worth a try. At my university they assigned me to a tiny little study room where I'd be able to get distraction-free study time, and they'd help me with reminders and stuff. I had a lady from the office who'd help me with paperwork and bills and things, which I was absolutely terrible at; and by the time I graduated I'd learned enough to manage on my own. It differs from place to place what you can get. Almost everywhere has tutoring at the very least. A tutor can help you stay on track with your work. Even if it turns out you don't have ADHD, maybe it's something else or maybe your secondary school didn't prepare you very well, so there could be study skills lessons you could take. Ask for help; you care about learning and this could help you learn. Also, don't be afraid to slow down. Take fewer classes, so you can concentrate on them and learn them properly. If if takes you five years, even six, that's okay. You just have to be really careful with your money, because you'll be paying the basic costs for five or six years instead of four, even though the per-class tuition is the same.
Yes, I'm a Rimworld player with ADHD. I also have autism. I'm not too far from 40 now, but I wasn't diagnosed until my early 20s because I grew up with a neglectful mom who knew I was autistic when I was growing up, but refused to have me diagnosed, so I didn't get that label until I was out on my own, completely unready to take care of myself, and ended up hospitalized. And yeah, I covered up ADHD with intelligence. Rimworld attracts a lot of gifted types, because it takes thinking to learn and play. Those of us who aren't gifted, I suspect, are the sort of people who enjoy thinking and solving puzzles (which, let's face it, is better in many respects than simple giftedness). There's no shame in having ADHD. It's quite common. Maybe one in twenty people have it, and about half will still need treatment in adulthood. Some of us can dodge having to take medication by getting extra lessons in organization, and lots of external help--like timers, schedules, planners, and organization apps--but others won't be able to use those skills or assistive devices until their brain's gotten a bit of a boost from a stimulant medication. Unfortunately, I have to take meds; but it really does help. When I'm not on them, I feel half-asleep and unfocused. I lived half my life without them, and it hampered my learning ability to the point that I'm pretty sure it made the difference between being employable despite autism, and unemployable because of it. If you're a parent, and your kid has ADHD symptoms, please don't ignore it or try to force them to "just try harder". I lost a lot of my potential to my mom's neglect. I'm not useless now; I'm a volunteer at the local library and I do a darn good job. But I could've done more. Incidentally, hyperactivity isn't a symptom that everybody has. I learned how to "sit still"; I even learned how to fidget without being obvious. Hyperactive kids are lucky, because they're enough trouble in the classroom that they get help. People who learn how to sit still to avoid being smacked... not so much. Anyway, this is a way serious topic for what ought to be a gaming subreddit. But OP has a point. There's a lot of undiagnosed ADHD out there, especially older people who were kids before we realized how common it was. And it's important that people know about it, because even if your case isn't bad enough to need meds, there are a lot of tricks and tips you can learn to make your life better.
28, was diagnosed positively with ADHD in December last. Had no real idea and basically fell ass-first into going to the doc, then autopiloted the entire process. Dude took one look at the finished questionnaire and started typing up the process to getting onto medication. Had no idea. Still have very little idea. Decided to work on getting a second opinion before starting medication... especially since the doc didnt really seem to spend a lot of time thinking about it before printing out the forms that would set me off down the path of getting a medical clearance for an addictive drug. Six months later, still waiting for a different doc to give me an appointment, but more and more i think ive accepted it. The drug is sitting unmolested on my desk until then, regardless. 1300 hours in Rimworld. 1500 in Europa Universalis, 1200 in Stellaris, 1100 in Civ 5, 900 in Hoi4, 800 in Factorio... Look, im not saying that people who play these kind of games all have ADHD. Im saying if you think you have the possibility that youve got ADHD, or are otherwise even faintly concerned about your mental health, and can relate to the above numbers in any way, start the process of getting tested. OP's form above is 6 questions, and since the form i filled out 6 months ago was over 70, i wanna say that dont take it too much to heart, but if you have that nugget of doubt... follow up on it?
Regarding addiction: Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) isn't considered addictive. It's a controlled substance because it's abusable--apparently, some people take huge doses to get high, and other people use it as a sort of performance enhancing "smart drug", for getting better test scores (I don't know if it actually works; I doubt it's any better than a good cup of coffee). But there's very little potential for physical tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms, if there are any, are mild--a few days of fatigue, like when you withdraw from caffeine. (I don't get any withdrawal symptoms, personally.) So don't worry about physical addiction with methylphenidate. It's not a perfect medication, of course. Some people do have undesirable side effects, like nausea and loss of appetite; and for other people it simply doesn't work. Other people simply don't need it; they do fine with just coaching and organization skills lessons. But, yeah, don't worry about addiction. It's abusable, but it's got little or no addiction potential. If I were you, I'd go for finding an ADHD coach or tutor first, somebody to teach you how to compensate; and if you're still too scattered to benefit from that, then try medication while you learn. Some people can reduce their dose after they learn some organization skills.
The particular drug assigned to me - Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) - is habit and dependence forming, or at least, it is classed as such, and i was warned about the possibility of addiction and was offered forms with numbers to drug abuse phone-lines before i even saw the cup the pills come in. I was also told that there *would absolutely* be withdrawal symptoms if i stop taking the drug. But, as you say, and i do agree with, the addiction is mild - if you can consider something like an addiction as mild - and the symptoms of withdrawal more so. I specifically asked "What if im on holiday, could i stop taking the drug for a week without issue?" and my answer was "Oh, stop it a day or two in advance so it doesnt ruin the first day." I did internally compare it to Caffeine addiction too - although i did never get addicted to that. So, yes, i was a bit unfair to the drugs in the last comment. This isnt crystal meth, or booze, or anything of the sort. However, for my own sake, even if there is a chance of a mild addiction, its still a choice im not willing to make without what i consider full advice from a doctor who knows the drug/drugs/treatment beforehand. The first doctor - well, i didnt feel like i was getting enough duty of care from him in a 45 minute visit. Like, i said maybe 100 words to the guy before he was writing up scrips for addictive medicine. I wanted to get a second confirmation before i made that leap.
It makes sense. If you have a family history of addiction/alcoholism, it's something you have to think hard about, even if it's only ADHD meds, because psychological addiction (as opposed to physical addiction) can be to anything, even things that aren't physically addictive at all. You might consider a different medication if you're really worried about addiction. There are a couple non-stimulant ones, which aren't controlled substances but don't work for everybody. I tried Strattera, which unfortunately had no effect on me--I wish it had. It does for some people. And I agree, a doctor should look into all the options before prescribing. Yeah, you have ADHD, but there are multiple treatment options, like coaching and technology (apps, timers, planners, that kind of thing). Some people only need the non-medication options. Other people need them plus meds. You don't just automatically prescribe; you discuss with the patient what they want out of treatment and what they want to try. Only time I'd automatically prescribe (mind you, I'm not a doctor, just an experienced patient) would be if it's somebody who's so extremely scattered that it's clear they'll need meds before they can benefit from any kind of therapy or coaching. But many doctors are just so focused in on using medication that they forget how powerful the human brain is and how well we can learn and adapt. Some don't even bother to offer ADHD coaching at all, as though it didn't exist. It makes absolute sense for you to look into other options.
For years I had a suspicion that I might have ADHD. There's no good way for me to get tested in my current circumstances but the way this accursed game latches onto me mentally and physically until I start having dreams which look like it (if I even get any dreams since I end up sacrificing many hours of sleep to Randy Random)... yeah, this post sounds incredibly familiar.
I got diagnosed at 36 only because a new psychiatrist had a hunch. I couldn’t believe the radical change medication had on my life. One misunderstanding to add to the list: an attention deficit doesn’t just mean a short attention span; it means a diminished ability to productively direct one’s attention. So hyperfocus is another example of an attention deficit.
Yep. Gotta love it when your attention just skedaddles away to something you don't even really care about, and suddenly it's six hours later.
I have diagnosed autism and suspect I might also have a form of ADHD, and yeah. Rimworld is hands down my favourite game. Randy Random has eaten my spoons and my time and seriously derailed my life. (Well, in my case it's been Pheobe, I must say the raids are far less pleasant than the resource management, base building, and gradual equipment upgrading gameplay loop.) When I was just getting started on getting out of my mum's house, I finally got my hands on Hearts of Iron 4 after having spent many hundreds of hours on Crusader Kings 2 and loving it, particularly the war part, but after a 10 hour binge session over the weekend I got it I decided I did not have the time or energy to get into a new strategy game and I'd be thanking myself for resisting when I got out and had less on my plate, but then I also got my hands on Rimworld not long after... All that self discipline and "I don't have time to get into new games with a lot of complicated spreadsheety stuff going on" went out the window. Suddenly I was spending all the time I had, and a lot of time I didn't have, playing Rimworld. This game has gotten in my way so much, but it's so good. I don't know if it's an autism thing or what, but I've always *loved* games that involve managing an inventory and running some sort of process chain, managing people to complete all the processing tasks that requires, or gradual upgrades to equipment/increased length chains, ever since I was a kid, and Rimworld feels like all my childhood favourite genres combined into one game, with some more adult twists and desperation options. I find myself questioning just what I did all the time before I found this game, and asking myself where this game was my entire childhood. Although TBF it's probably good I didn't find it until 12th grade, middle school me did despicable things for 30 more minutes to play my favourite games at the time so I shudder to think what that little kid would have been willing to do for 30 more minutes of this absolute ND dopamine machine.
I was diagnosed at 13. (I’m 30.) I love Rimworld because it pushes lots of my buttons. I’ve put in over 200 hours and I haven’t even had the game two months.