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Maybe ADHD is an adaptive trait that's useful for surviving in quasi-nomadic and early agricultural societies, but is extremely poorly suited to late stage capitalism. https://twitter.com/_pem_pem/status/1357356561178492928
Yes, late-stage capitalism is unbearably anti-human, and lots of people do self-medicate to get by, AND ALSO ADHD is a neurological condition that shows up on MRIs and affects metabolism, among other things.
Yes, I am technically "on speed" (it's not actually much like speed), but it only works because it doesn't affect me the way it affects neurotypical people - because I have a neurological condition that affects how my brain processes that chemical.
Capitalism can't *cause* a neurological condition. The societal structure can exacerbate the symptoms, the presentation can be incompatible with societal expectations, but the neurological condition is a physical, epigenetic trait. https://twitter.com/_pem_pem/status/1357362342393217024?s=20
The person in the screenshot was probably misdiagnosed. Like, I'm not a doctor, but when I say that the drug affects me differently, this is what I mean. "Breaking things every 15 minutes" is a neurotypical response. https://twitter.com/_pem_pem/status/1357369528146137088?s=20
I am *less* likely to break things when I'm on my meds. I'm *less* likely to feel like I can't do things because I'm too revved up. And, not for nothing, I'm less likely to get addicted to it, because it doesn't create a "high". I forget to take it all the time.
Anyway, learn to make your sound point about capitalism being unforgiving to diverse human brain types and crushingly depressing to live in without gaslighting neurodiverse people and stigmatizing actual neurological disorders and their treatments 2021 challenge.
addendum, because this is bothering me:
Actually, Adderall/Ritalin are NOT speed. Speed is a street name for methamphetamine. Adderall is a combination of amphetamine/dextroamphetamine. Methamphetamine and amphetamine are chemically different. https://twitter.com/JustSayXtian/status/1357478059620790273?s=20
Actually, Adderall/Ritalin are NOT speed. Speed is a street name for methamphetamine. Adderall is a combination of amphetamine/dextroamphetamine. Methamphetamine and amphetamine are chemically different. https://twitter.com/JustSayXtian/status/1357478059620790273?s=20
Meth is synthesized from amphetamine. When metabolized it breaks down into amphetamine in the body, and the amphetamine is excreted. While both methamphetamine and amphetamine are stimulants, meth crosses into the brain MUCH faster, and MUCH more.
That's why the effects are faster, and also why the physical damage is greater. It's super easy to overdose on meth, and it's SUPER addictive. You *can* overdose on amphetamine and it *can* be addictive, but it's not anywhere close to the same level.
Dextroamphetamine is an enantiomer of amphetamine, which means that it's chemical structure is like a mirror image of amphetamine's chemical structure. It's chemically and pharmacologically very similar to trace amines produced naturally within the body.
So when I take Adderall for my ADHD, I'm taking a controlled substance that's 75% made up of a synthesized chemical that is nearly identical to a chemical that neurotypical brains make on their own.
ADHD brains have functional impairments with neurotransmitters, primarily involving impaired dopamine transmission. These occur in specific parts of the brain. Amphetamines are effective treatments because they increase neurotransmitter activity in these specific impaired areas.
Saying that taking Adderall to treat impaired neurotransmitter function is *exactly the same* as taking heroin or cocaine recreationally is insulting, not just to people with ADHD, but to generations of scientists. https://twitter.com/_pem_pem/status/1357364198829928448?s=20
I'm good with de-stigmatizing recreational drug use. We can do that without perpetuating false impressions of the medications neurodiverse people need to treat neurological conditions and undermining the very important medical science that allows for that.
And yes, I learned a lot of this because I forgot to take my meds this morning and I've been hyperfocusing on the chemical structure of various drugs for the past hour and a half when I should have been working. Because I have ADHD.
