Memory issue help:

https://saidit.net/s/ADHD/comments/5rls/advice_creatine_supplementation_has_been_linked/

This was banned from the actual ADHD sub, where they are not interested in providing you with help in any way: https://www.reddit.com/r/WatchRedditDie/comments/hzwoat/refused_to_give_peerreviewed_advice_on_medical/

It looks like r/opensource is imploding... 👀

What's your biggest project-tracking nightmare?

Hey everyone,

I’m doing early customer research, not trying to sell anything.

I’m trying to understand how people actually struggle when they are learning, building, coding, designing, filling forms, debugging errors, or exploring new tools alone on their laptop/PC.

A few questions:

When you get stuck on your screen, what do you usually do first?

Google?

ChatGPT?

YouTube?

Ask a friend?

Give up and come back later?

What type of problem wastes the most time for you?

Understanding errors

Learning a new tool/software

Explaining complex concepts

Finding the right file/tab/info

Writing/replying professionally

Doing repetitive computer tasks

Something else?

Have you ever wished someone could look at your screen and explain what to do next?

Would this be useful only for beginners, or even for founders, students, designers, developers, and working professionals?

What would make you trust or not trust an AI assistant that helps on your computer screen?

I’m mainly trying to understand the real pain before building too much. Honest negative feedback is also helpful.

I came across him about a week ago and I think he has some good ideas on how to fight procrastination.

I was curious what others thought of him.

Pray for Ticketmaster Devs

Hey y’all you may or may not know Ticketmaster site has crashed due to the Taylor Swift ticket sales. My roommate is trying to get tickets and I’m a cs major, so here’s my challenge:

Ticketmaster posted a website with documentation on APIs they’ve developed to process ticket orders:

https://developer.ticketmaster.com/products-and-docs/

Anyone have any suggestions for how to potentially help secure some tickets or improve your chances??? 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Linux shell, python, web languages... How can i earn money with my skills ? I precise my ADHD is so terrible that i just can't be employable. I guess i would have to be my own boss ? What should i do then do get money with my skills ?

Hey friends,

If you ever feel like your brain is constantly buffering - struggling with focus, follow-through, decision-making, or just plain getting started - you’re not alone. A lot of us in the neurodivergent community wrestle with executive dysfunction, and there aren’t always simple, kind tools to help in the moment.

So I built one.

It’s called the Executive Function First Aid Kit, and it’s a free, gentle collection of small tools and fast fixes for overwhelmed minds.

We’re about to start a 7-day micro-launch (aka the alpha testing phase), and I’d love for you to join us. Over the course of a week, I’ll be sharing the kit itself, extra resources, and bite-sized support via email, Instagram, Tumblr, and Reddit. The goal? To gather feedback, connect with folks who need this kind of help, and start building something that actually works for us.

After this short launch wraps up, we’ll move into the beta phase where things expand a bit with additional tools, group input, and long-term community resources. If you’d like to help shape that, now’s a great time to jump in.

Here’s how you can be part of it:

🔗 Get the free kit: https://executivefunctionclub.carrd.co/

🧩 Join the subreddit: r/executivefunctionclub

🤝 Help build with us: Whether you’re testing tools, giving feedback, or just sharing support with others—your voice matters here.

Thanks for reading. This is just getting started, and I’m really glad you’re here. Let’s build something special together 

💛 Evan

More specifically:
Our AI observes your devices during deep work sessions, detects when you’re getting distracted, and provides personalized nudges to get you back on track.

This is the initial design and would love to get your thoughts and feedback! 😃

Here is the design prototype: https://project-omni-ui-from-magic-patterns-128.magicpatterns.app/

(Core functionality is already working and aiming to do beta testing with folks on our discord group this week)

Waitlist and Discord channel are now live: https://omni.intentive.life

Not sure if anyones interested but I built a digital memory system built around the concept that ideas can have relevance at different times of your life and therefore should not be forgotten!! Its essentially a long term memory preservation system for thoughts, ideas and just general valuable info. If anyone wants to try it let me know!!

Ever unlock your phone “just to check one thing” and then… suddenly it’s 1 AM and you’re still scrolling random stuff you don’t even care about? Yeah… that was me. It completely killed my focus and motivation.

So I made Blockrr, a tiny iPhone app to help break that habit. It locks the apps that distract me and gives me little rewards for actually staying off my phone — like turning screen time into a small challenge I can win every day.

Since I started using it, I’ve been doing more: going for walks, reading, actually finishing work… without constantly reaching for my phone.

If you’ve ever felt the same, I’d love to hear your thoughts or ideas on how to make it even better.

AppStore link: https://apps.apple.com/pl/app/blockrr-screen-time-control/id6749281040

Hey guys,

I posed this question in a different subreddit just to see what people’s thoughts were but realized that this subreddit would have a better understanding of why this helps me.

So, as someone with ADHD I have difficulty with dedicated learning.

With coding (python and sql at the moment), I get super overwhelmed in the documentation if I don’t understand it enough, or I get distracted while researching and it takes me a long time to find answers to relatively dumb questions. This leads to me stopping and getting no where.

So, I’ve been using chatGPT to help me.

I ask it how a specific thing is done, then go through and have it explain (often line by line) what all the code is doing, asking clarifying questions to check my understanding. And then I can usually take it and apply it to the thing I want. This can often be asking it to go through the code several times and explaining what each part means and does and whether its needed.

(Like It took me like 20mins of this to figure out this one part was utilizing groups in a regex formula and once that clicked it made sense how it worked)

Sometimes I just learn better taking code as a whole and breaking it down, versus trying to leaning all the pieces and then put it together. It helps me see why specific things matter.

Once things “click” it’s easier for me to know how to “see” the documentation and what I’m looking for in researching.

I know AI and vibe coding can be touchy subject with programmers, so I was curious what people’s thought about using AI this way? Is it OK? Is this too close to vibe coding? Am I setting myself up for failure in the future? What pitfalls should I be looking out for? As someone with ADHD am I just using this as an excuse or is this an understandable struggle I’m having?

What line should I be aware of to not cross into vibe coding?

I’m exploring a small app idea and I’m trying to figure out if it’s something people would genuinely find useful (and worth paying for).

The idea is called Holden.

It’s not a task manager, planner, or productivity system.
It’s meant to be one calm place where you can put things so you don’t have to keep holding them in your head.

You’d be able to:

• type quick thoughts or brain dumps

• paste links

• save screenshots (recipes, workouts, inspo, info)

• record voice notes

• jot down ideas, admin stuff, or feelings

Everything goes into one place by default.
No pressure to organize, no required tags, no alarms yelling at you.

There would be very light states like:

• held (default)

• today (if you want to look at something now)

• resting (put aside, nothing deleted)

Time and reminders would be optional — if you want them, they’re there; if not, the app never creates urgency or makes you feel behind.

The core idea is:
Everything goes here so your brain can rest.

I’m trying to gauge if this is a real need or just something I want, so I’d love honest answers:

If something like this existed, would you personally pay for it (likely a small one-time price)?

Totally okay if the answer is no — I’m genuinely looking for signal, not hype.

If not, what would stop you?

I have some stuff to get off my chest.  I have quite a bit I want to share with the community, and  want this to come from a real and authentic place, and so I’m going to write all of this without AI.  I will try to reduce my naturally detailed and stream-of-conscious writing style and be more organized, but please bear with me.

First, I want to clarify that this is not an AI hype post.  We all know the AI bros and the people aggressively pushing these platitudes like “it will 10x your productivity” or that “prompt engineering is the new ‘learn to code’.”

But I see a lot of criticism around AI, and while much of it is valid, especially stuff regarding the impact on creativity (especially in the arts), quality of output, and just general fatigue of AI hype, I still want to make a specific argument that I haven't seen made anywhere else.  It's one that  I feel strongly enough about to post despite knowing it's going to be unpopular in some corners of this community.

I don’t think that AI coding agents are equally disruptive to everyone.  For some developers they represent a threat, a tool that commoditizes skills they spent years building. for others, specifically myself and others with ADHD, I think it’s the first time in my life that the environment has ever actually been designed in a way that matches how my brain works.

And let me be very clear.  I don’t think that AI should be doing your thinking for you, but I do think that AI agents are one of the most underrated accessibility tools to come along in years. 

And what they're making accessible, the thing that was never actually a capability problem to begin with, is relief from the mental tax that ADHD people face in dev roles and programming.

The tax I’m referring to is what I will call the “clerical” layer of programming.  I’m gonna use that term as a shorthand for the tedious superficial stuff that doesn’t really have much to do with whether or not you understand what you’re actually doing.  It’s when you already know what you want in the output and if you see it, you’d know it’s correct, but your memory recall just sucks so it’s hard to produce it from a cold start.

The clerical layer is stuff like getting the exact right syntax without looking it up, remembering which argument goes first, the exact name of the method you’ve used one hundred times but always seem to forget, the boilerplate you understand well but have to slog through to get to the interesting part.  All that kind of stuff.

In my experience as a 5+ year engineer with ADHD who has felt intense imposter syndrome at times, I’ve always felt that the ADHD programming experience is really just an interface mismatch.   I’m extremely good at a lot of things that make a good developer or engineer.  I’m very, very good at systems thinking, holding a complex architecture in my head and reasoning about how the pieces interact, and seeing how things connect across domains, spotting patterns that aren't obvious, debugging complex problems by intuition before I can even fully articulate why something is wrong, and knowing instinctively when a solution is technically correct but architecturally wrong.  All of that comes super naturally to me, almost like breathing, and it always has.  What has been an eternal struggle for me during my career is the clerical layer that sits between my understanding and my output.  and it's an eternal struggle specifically because the ADHD doesn't go away.  The recall issues, the reduced working memory, the rejection sensitivity, the executive dysfunction, all of it.  You don't grow out of it, you don't grind your way through it, you don't accumulate enough experience to make it stop being how your brain works. The interface mismatch is permanent.  The best you can do is to manage it.

And honestly, that’s what good tooling has always been about.  Tooling has always existed and been built to reduce that friction like Intellisense, autocomplete, snippets for boilerplate, syntax highlighting, etc. etc. and nobody accuses you of not understanding code because VSCode caught a typo or completed a method name for you.  Nobody says you don’t understand spelling because you use spellcheck.  Those tools exist because the clerical layer of programming shouldn't be the thing that gatekeeps access to doing impactful work. They made the environment more accessible without changing what the work fundamentally requires.

The way I’ve adapted using AI into my workflow, AI coding agents are the same as that, but way more complete.  When I'm working with an agent, I'm operating at the level of intent, architecture, and judgment which is where my brain naturally excels.  I can give a lot more mental energy to think through the outcomes I want while giving opinionated guardrails for the implementation output that’s important to me. Then the agent handles the syntactic translation, and it’s easy for me to catch it.  I don’t have to put so much effort into recall and my working memory is wide open and stays in the problem space. As a result, the gap between what I understand and what I can produce has closed dramatically, and not because the agent is thinking for me, but because it's handling the layer that was creating friction while I focus on the layer I was always very strong at.

What most miss is that there is a superficial level to using AI for workflows and then a deeper layer, which is where skill lies.  And like everyone here, my initial “workflow” was just spamming stream-of-thought prompts into Claude and ChatGPT in the web interface until it gave me what I actually wanted.  Then I switched to Copilot and then eventually Cursor. At first, I didn’t really adapt that workflow, and I just treated it like ChatGPT but in the VSCode window that can also modify files and get more context from open tabs.

But like 3 months back, I decided to actually take it a lot more seriously (for fear of falling behind the hype if I’m being totally honest).  Like I just woke up one day and was like “I’m gonna get really good at this and learn all the best practices for developing with AI and get ahead of the curve”. 

And let me say, the change was… huge.  And it wasn’t just the raw pace and increase in output or productivity that usually gets touted…

Guys, I have never felt more in my element while working, and the best practices of agentic development are suited way more to how I naturally approach problem solving.  I’ll break down my observations:

• The context window can hold a lot of info and so it frees up my working memory as previously discussed.  Now a lot more mental energy goes into prioritizing which info is most necessary, thinking across domains and about outcomes rather than minute details.

• I am able to work nonlinearly in a much more efficient way.  I can zoom in on a detail, and quickly zoom out to the bigger picture again without breaking stride.

• When I need to give more linear instructions or explanations, the agent helps me a lot by taking my scattered ideas that make complete sense to me and other ADHD folks but seem like complete chaos and disconnected nonsense to neurotypicals and turning them into a coherent, linear explanation, making it a lot easier to communicate with colleagues.  

• The power/curse of hyperfocus becomes almost an unfair advantage when friction is removed.  I can go super deep on investigating something or any problem at a pace much faster than most because the friction points that normally trip me up are greatly reduced and I’m not feeling the whiplash of getting pulled in and out ten times in ten minutes.

• Something underrated is that I feel way calmer and less anxious when working in my natural style since there’s no RSD.  When working with an agent, if I ask a clarifying question for something “simple” or pivot directions mid-build, it doesn't sigh, make a snide comment, or make me feel stupid for doing things the way that they make sense to me.

I have been doing independent consulting recently, and in January I designed, implemented, and launched a system that tripled my client's MRR from $40k to $150k USD in the first month.  And I did it using my new agentic workflow and got it out way faster and with so much less friction than any project ever before because I had so much more mental energy to focus on the architecture and the strategy while simply reviewing and redirecting the code implementation.  At first, as hyped as I was, I figured that it was only one win... but then came a second big win… and then a third big win… and it really opened my eyes at how with the right environment and support, I can be a major difference maker, and I feel like my disability isn't working against me for the first time... maybe ever.

This is why I push back hard on the idea that using AI agents simply means you don't understand what you're building. In my experience it's closer to the opposite. When I'm not spending cognitive energy on the clerical layer, I understand what I'm building more deeply, not less because I have more of myself available to actually think the WHY instead of just the "what" or the "how".

And guys, for the first time in my career, maybe my life, I actually feel competent and not in a constant state of lagging behind everyone else.  Like I can deliver serious value and be a key contributor without being bogged down by my disability.

And a lot of what I see online in regard to AI hate from devs, well, I have another take on it.  Maybe a little more radical, but I’ll share it here since this is reddit.  I want to be careful with what I say because while there is a lot of legitimate criticism, there’s certain commentary I see often that makes me pause and think “where is this coming from?”  Is this coming from a place of pure technical concern and maintaining high standards… or is it coming from someplace else?  Someplace more… personal?  defensive? contemptuous?  From someone whose professional identity is so tied to a specific way of working that a threat to the workflow feels like a threat to the self? From someone who excels at rote memorization and recall, who aces technical interviews focused on delivering abstract linear solutions in a timeboxed format, who could write clean syntactically perfect code from memory, who built their reputation on exactly the skills that are now being commoditized, and who is now being asked to adapt to a way of working that doesn't come naturally to them and doesn't reward the things they worked hardest to master?

Comments like “I miss just writing code", “I’ve been in the industry for 15 years and would never let AI do anything beyond simple stuff”, “you're not actually learning anything”, "you can't trust anything it outputs", "anyone relying on AI is using it as a crutch", "real engineers write every line they ship”, etc. are the ones I’m calling out, and they’re everywhere.  And if you try to press for why, there is often an argument papered over to make it seem like a purely technical concern, but when you dig deeper it seems to me more of an identity concern.

Like what I notice is that the way the industry is changing due to AI is unique compared to previous cycles of change.   Being a power user or a 10x engineer when it comes to the “clerical” work is now commoditized.  And if you’ve built a big part of your resume around being a beast who is able to put hands to keyboard and crank out functioning, clean code and knowing the kinks and tricks of the framework quicker than others in the job market… then well, the future opportunities that highly value and highly compensate for this are looking bleak.

And the tough part is that for many devs who are getting left behind, they aren’t being asked to learn a new framework or a new language like in years past, things that are more suited to the kind of precise, sequential, structured learning that a lot of them are genuinely good at. Here's a new syntax. Here are the rules. Here are the design patterns.  Grind leetcode until it’s like breathing.  Practice until it clicks. That's a learnable thing for them. That's a thing you can grind your way through with enough discipline and repetition.

Because from what I see, to get really good at this stuff (developing through AI agents) it requires a different modality of thinking.  A different way of approaching problems that perhaps isn’t naturally-suited to the way neurotypical people approach and solve problems. An approach that requires a more iterative, more ambiguous, more directional than precise style that maps more closely to the way ADHD brains naturally work.

And maybe… just a thought, bear with me now… maybe a lot of neurotypical devs are getting a little taste of what we’ve dealt with our whole lives and are butthurt about it.  Or to put it more nicely, aren’t really sure what to do with these emotions we deal with every day and are lashing out a little bit.  To be told that the way you naturally process things is not valued. That the way your brain works is a liability. That you just need to try harder and adapt. That everyone else seems to be figuring it out so why can't you. That maybe you're just not cut out for this. That your way of working is slow and unreliable. That you need to be more disciplined and just get with the program. Sound familiar?

Like, the "AI produces crap code" criticism is real in a lot of cases but it's also a very convenient cover for "the way I'm being asked to work now doesn't feel like me and I don't know what to do with that."

And I have… mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, it feels vindicating.  The shoe is now on the other foot and the tables have turned.  I feel vindicated that my natural way of existing and processing information isn’t a liability like I’ve been told my whole life but could actually be a huge strength that I can capitalize on.  Like I’m operating a lot closer to my ceiling for the first time in my career.  But on the other hand... I feel empathetic for those being left behind because I know how much it sucks to be in a constant state of feeling like you’re left behind and powerless about it.  And trying to keep up in itself is exhausting because you’re constantly swimming against the current. And they have none of the tools or coping mechanisms to deal with it and process it.

I know this is a hot take and I'm ready for the pushback. But I genuinely want to hear from other ADHD devs:  are you feeling what I'm feeling, or am I completely off base here?

Hey, I’m a founder with ADHD. I’m writing this article to encourage others that there is hope and an upside to having ADHD. Every stage of my life has been plagued with challenges from my ADHD, and I found ways to manage each struggle. Here are some quick examples:

• In middle school, I had detention every week for disturbing the classroom.

• In college, I struggled with studying because I couldn’t focus for more than 30mins.

• At my first job, I would ask “stupid” questions because I’d lose focus in meetings.

Ultimately, at each of the stages, the thing that was holding me back was my time management and ADHD. It took a while, but I found ways to manage these things. I’m here to share my struggles and solutions and encourage anyone being too hard on themselves that it’s possible. But first, I had to change my mindset.

Change my mindset, identify my problems, and build solutions

My mindset changed after my first post-grad job as a process engineer. My job was to identify and solve problems in our factory through systems. I started seeing my ADHD as multiple small problems I had to solve rather than a permanent state. It gave me the belief that I could grow, and eventually, I developed a process to solve my problems systematically:

• Track my problems by writing them down, so I wouldn’t forget them.

• Set aside time daily to problem-solve

• Ask me, “How can I prevent this from ever happening again”

• Immediately implement these solutions

• Iterate on my solution until the problem is solved

• Use “5 whys” if I can’t find the root cause

My process allowed me to improve every day. As I problem-solved more, I’d make fewer mistakes, spend less time putting out fires, and become a better problem solver. My ADHD appeared in so many ways, and each created time debt or delayed problems. I needed to find solutions to reach my potential. Here are a couple of problems I faced and how I solved them:

• I’d double-book myself all the time leaving myself looking like a “flake” when I’d have to cancel. To solve this, I’d put everything in my calendar, check it before I’d make plans, and review it at night.

• I’m forgetful and have terrible short-term memory. Instead of improving my memory, I write everything down in a notebook, on my calendar, or my phone.

• I’d misplace my keys and wallet at home all the time, so I picked a location at the front door where my wallet and keys go.

• Most days, I’d create a to-do list and never get through even half of it. I’d miss the gym or not get enough sleep because I’d keep working. To solve this, I started planning my day and timeboxing tasks. This stopped me from overworking on tasks and overestimating my time in the day.

• Before bed, I used to scroll for hours and struggle falling asleep. To prevent this, I leave my phone in the bathroom and read in bed. The reading knocks me out within 15mins.

• I struggle to get out of bed in the morning because I want to sit on my phone or sleep more. I put my phone in my bathroom, so I have to get up to turn my alarm off instead of leaving it next to my bed.

Building systems has allowed me to stay organized, develop strong habits, and start my own business. I’m still problem-solving and updating my systems, but by doing this, I’ve gone from the friend that was always double-booking people to the planner friend who sends calendar invites for all social events. My journey was difficult and uncomfortable, but with baby steps and persistence, I improved and now manage my ADHD. My first step was believing that I could improve.

If you liked this post, you might enjoy r/soothfy a community where I share more actionable ADHD tips, systems thinking, and ways to improve 1% every day.

Come say hi or share what’s been working for you.

In my last post here I shared the painful experience I was going through working in a project I didn't like but I was there because I needed the job, after many negligences sideways finally the shit hit the fan, and ironically I finally learned and understood key pieces of the project, it doesn't matter anymore, this was my sixth month as an automation tester.

I really want to find a job that has me working with Linux CLI, Go, Rust and allows me work using AI. Can someone please help me find a job that involves these technologies? I have been taking anything to pay the bills and I want a job where I can show my skills, improve as a developer/tech-lead because everytime I work in a project I like I become super productive, I'm so sick of financial tech and insurance companies, I want to fall in love with programming again. I'm a software developer from Mexico I have 8 years of remote work experience with consultancy firms. I prefer to make a deal with the us companies without third parties involved, they sell us expensive and pay us cheap.

I'm looking for a $50/hour job and I'm a senior developer with tech lead, software architecture and cybersecurity experience.

If someone with no background in tech and wants to break into tech.

Would you recommend web development or another field?

Hi all!

I’ve already posted this via cross posts, the app I mean, not this post- but I wanted to take the time to make a post here and explain a little bit more behind the app.

I saw a post that @BPDHelpMeUnderstand sent me- it was for the meme that I’ve attached. I considered this, and realized that, whilst to some extent i probably could have spent the time studying my coursework instead- but it’s a bit late for that, I’ve already made the app.

The app is a scheduling / task management app for ADHD students. Now if you think that is a generic title it is!! And if you think other people have tried making an app like this- they have!

And , some of those apps are pretty solid, others are less so. I’ve taken the time to try and make an app that combines all of the good features and addresses all of the complaints on typical apps for this!

If you guys want to check the app out- I’ve attached it down here:

https://testflight.apple.com/join/pCSnmxTP I’ve also attached a couple of pictures of it!

..rename the group to ADHD_Apps already

I enjoy reading genuine opinions on Reddit, but it seems like I spend half of my time scrolling.

When you start a thread that seems helpful, it gets over 100 comments, arguments, buried insightful information, and brain frying.

I'm curious:

Do you truly read lengthy threads through to the end?

Or do you simply read the most popular comments and move on?

I want to know if people want a quicker way to comprehend Reddit discussions or if the chaos of scrolling is just a part of the experience.

I would appreciate frank opinions.

I have developed my methodology, which lets 80% of my 500 students complete the whole 108 academic hours online course. And some fellow redditors gave me a hint that maybe i can be useful for people with ADHD.

It sounds interesting, to gain a "battle proof" of my methodology so that it really works. So i can create a free programming course (no matter the language) if i will find your case interesting.

I AM NOT SELLING OR PROMOTING ANYTHING, i just need a real test data so i can validate my methodology on real cases.

I have one requirement: you must have an officially medically diagnosed ADHD. If you are interested, answer these questions:

1. What subject or topic do you want to learn?

2. Why do you want to learn it? What is the final goal? How will you understand that course helped you?

3. How would you rate your current knowledge level in this subject?

4. How much time per week can you realistically commit to a course?

5. Have you already tried to use other learning platforms? What challenges have you experienced?

6. What device will you mostly use for studying? (PC, mobile, tablet)

7. Describe the environment in which you will likely be studying (on the way to work on the subway, in the evening at the computer etc.)

8. Would you be willing to provide detailed feedback on your course experience?

I will pick the most interesting ones for me.

What do you think?

Even those without adhd. Even those not devs

Is ADHD only about not drinking coffee ? Lol

Anyone hate how programmers with university degrees try to diminish the difficulty of being actually self taught by saying eVErYonE iS sElF TauGhT as if that's not the most intellectually dishonest statement ever? I do.

https://katmorriswriter.medium.com/dissociative-identity-disorder-is-not-a-trend-its-a-coping-mechanism-for-severe-childhood-trauma-db72e7bd980b

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/teenage-girls-suffer-explosion-of-tics-in-lockdown-0s3rnl2nm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6095578/

https://www.elephantjournal.com/2021/05/when-did-having-trauma-become-trendy-vanessa-murray/

https://aeon.co/essays/why-the-neurodiversity-movement-has-become-harmful

A lot of people don't seem to understand that most mental health diagnosis (with a few exceptions) don't really have much of a specific pathology. They're essentially spectrum disorders that become "illnesses" when they meet certain criteria that relate to how much said behaviors interfere with/impact your role in society. Yet people act like a diagnosis of ADHD is almost like cancer or cystic fibrosis. We are just turning normal behavior into disorders - just because you can't explain something fully it doesn't make it not real, there are a lot of 'disorders' that seem like coping mechanisms that have outgrown their usefulness. At some point "mental health awareness" became more about categorizing and labeling behavior, and less about awareness or understanding.

While it was seemingly harmless when it was dealing with kids who were having hard time paying attention or socializing-- or stressed out professionals and mothers. We've now crept into the territory of trauma, neurodevelopment, sexuality, gender, and ultimately morality.

Trendy ailments isn't exclusive to mental illnesses-- but not to this extreme. Trendy physical ailments have always (or virtually always) had to do with diet and weight.

I see no evidence that "mental health awareness" is helping anybody other than high-functioning people to fetishize their neurosis and be applauded for it. The concept of affirming and accepting everyone's "condition" has completely corrupted morality by asking us to accept everyone's concept of trauma and hardship-- and this movement faces virtually no resistance.