eli5 Why do stimulants calm and bring focus to people with ADHD?
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I explain it like this. Before medication, I felt like I was taking one step in 10 different directions. After medication, I am now able to take 10 steps in one direction.
My life motto had always been “if you wait ’till the last minute, it only takes a minute!” That started off as a running joke in middle school, but ended up being how I was able to get through college.
Basically, I was only able to focus on whatever was immediately in front of me and my brain is, admittedly, easily distracted. Being distracted is a symptom of not having enough of the “hey this is interesting” chemicals in the brain, so my mind wanders easily in search of something more interesting or pressing.
Medication isn’t a stimulant to me in the same way coffee is. Personally, my ADHD stimulant medication doesn’t increase my heart rate at all, and frankly I don’t “feel” the medication. It just gives me just enough of the “hey this is interesting” chemicals to keep me focused on whatever task is at hand. This has subsequently reduced my anxiety and depression, which were a result of not being able to function as a productive member of society.
The thing is, even when I want to do something, my brain still continues to search for new even more interesting things to do or think about. So in the middle of doing something I really enjoy my brain may decide without my consent to wander off and have some shower thoughts which prevent me from doing even the things I enjoy or want to do.
It impacts every minute of my life and has had significant consequences where I have been left to pick up the pieces. Stimulant medications aren’t designed to give a leg up and help someone do something they don’t want to do. They specifically increase the “hey this is interesting” chemicals in the brain for those of us whose brains don’t produce enough of those chemicals naturally. It increases mine just enough to be a functioning human being.
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