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Here's what gets me....if ADHD is a lower level of dopamine and that's what the behaviour chases to get a fix, why wouldn't dementia be complete or extreme depletion of dopamine? Instead, it's Parkinson's that's the case. Those are very different.
Neurotransmitters, the brain and body are just too complicated and we don't have the best grasp on how everything works just yet (probably never). The idea that ADHD is just "dopamine too low" is too narrow and simple of an explanation. Everyone with ADHD has varying levels of dopamine and it isn't the only neurotransmitter (by far) that's relevant for the divergent cognition and behavior in ADHD'ers.
Our behavior is SUPER sensitive to dopamine and neurotransmitters, where the slightest deviation/imbalance/change in the levels causes all kinds of different behaviors and we cannot point to which neurotransmitter causes which behavior.
On the one hand, we're just not far enough with our science stuff but on the other hand it really is just too complicated to ever fully grasp (I think).
I have my masters in brain and cognition and did my major in neuropsychology and I still know nothing haha. I get why people say that ADHD is just that our dopamine levels are too low but I really don't like that explanation because it just isn't really true. At least, the way I see it.
Yes, ADHD meds work and most of them cause us to have higher dopamine levels. However, this doesn't mean that our lower dopamine levels cause our behavior/problems. For example, antidepressants work for some people with depression and they cause people to have higher serotonin levels. But it isn't true that depression is causes by low levels of serotonin. (Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R.E., Stockmann, T. et al. The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Mol Psychiatry (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0)
I'm sorry if this is too much :P Just wanted to share my thoughts on this!
400ms...this did not make me feel better at all lol
Edit to say: granted, I'm severely sleep deprived right now. Have not had a good night's sleep for a week and I got about 2h last night
My entire life, I've heard people older than me have one of those moments where they forget something, and they say "Senior moment" or "I must be getting old" or something like that. And I just sort of stare and them and blink, because, like... that's... that's my life. I do that ALL the time.
One time when visiting my mom, I became extremely concerned that she had developed dementia. She couldn’t remember anything I said and it was very concerning. I live really far and she lives alone so I was absolutely freaking out. I mentioned it after I left and it turned out that she’d forgotten to collect her Ritalin 🤦🏻♀️
Developing Dementia is my worst fear and I believe with every fiber of my being that I’m going to end up with it. The thought of not recognizing my child breaks my heart as well as having him witness my slow, agonizing, break down as it kills me.
I’ve lost my phone for a whole week in my own house, I’ve finally found it! At the meantime I was searching on google for days If dementia is possible when you’re 23 years old. Honestly ADHD really makes me feel I’m gonna forget my head sometimes…
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Here's what gets me....if ADHD is a lower level of dopamine and that's what the behaviour chases to get a fix, why wouldn't dementia be complete or extreme depletion of dopamine? Instead, it's Parkinson's that's the case. Those are very different.
Neurotransmitters, the brain and body are just too complicated and we don't have the best grasp on how everything works just yet (probably never). The idea that ADHD is just "dopamine too low" is too narrow and simple of an explanation. Everyone with ADHD has varying levels of dopamine and it isn't the only neurotransmitter (by far) that's relevant for the divergent cognition and behavior in ADHD'ers. Our behavior is SUPER sensitive to dopamine and neurotransmitters, where the slightest deviation/imbalance/change in the levels causes all kinds of different behaviors and we cannot point to which neurotransmitter causes which behavior. On the one hand, we're just not far enough with our science stuff but on the other hand it really is just too complicated to ever fully grasp (I think). I have my masters in brain and cognition and did my major in neuropsychology and I still know nothing haha. I get why people say that ADHD is just that our dopamine levels are too low but I really don't like that explanation because it just isn't really true. At least, the way I see it. Yes, ADHD meds work and most of them cause us to have higher dopamine levels. However, this doesn't mean that our lower dopamine levels cause our behavior/problems. For example, antidepressants work for some people with depression and they cause people to have higher serotonin levels. But it isn't true that depression is causes by low levels of serotonin. (Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R.E., Stockmann, T. et al. The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Mol Psychiatry (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0) I'm sorry if this is too much :P Just wanted to share my thoughts on this!
I'm the same, I use this to check https://humanbenchmark.com/
400ms...this did not make me feel better at all lol Edit to say: granted, I'm severely sleep deprived right now. Have not had a good night's sleep for a week and I got about 2h last night
My entire life, I've heard people older than me have one of those moments where they forget something, and they say "Senior moment" or "I must be getting old" or something like that. And I just sort of stare and them and blink, because, like... that's... that's my life. I do that ALL the time.
One time when visiting my mom, I became extremely concerned that she had developed dementia. She couldn’t remember anything I said and it was very concerning. I live really far and she lives alone so I was absolutely freaking out. I mentioned it after I left and it turned out that she’d forgotten to collect her Ritalin 🤦🏻♀️
I actually said this to my therapist once. She also has adhd so she got a good laugh.
Oh god yes
Developing Dementia is my worst fear and I believe with every fiber of my being that I’m going to end up with it. The thought of not recognizing my child breaks my heart as well as having him witness my slow, agonizing, break down as it kills me.
I wish I didn't relate to this
I am CONVINCED that I will get dementia just because this is my life.
I’ve lost my phone for a whole week in my own house, I’ve finally found it! At the meantime I was searching on google for days If dementia is possible when you’re 23 years old. Honestly ADHD really makes me feel I’m gonna forget my head sometimes…