It blows my mind how productive I’m able to be, being properly medicated after a diagnosis. I don’t understand why I cannot do these simple tasks normally. Why does adderall make me “go” and actually accomplish tasks?
In: Biology
Think of it this way…
ADHD brains have slow brakes and overly sensitive steering. Adderall speeds up the brakes (less impulsive) and tightens up the steering so your focus isn’t swerving all over the place.
The more complicated explanation….
Adderall is a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, meaning it increases those two neurotransmitters. We don’t know if ADHD brains need more than others or if they are low in production. We know these two neurotransmitters are extremely important in regulating executive function.
A way to understand why ….
Hunter brains & farmer brains. The world started out with hunter-gatherers as the most successful humans, so those genetics became dominant. Eventually, farmers became the most successful, leading those brains to be dominant.
A hunter NEEDS to have their attention constantly scanning (avoid being prey while finding prey). They need to be “distracted” by every little noise. Hunting is energy intensive and requires fight/flight on high. It is a very heavy dopamine and norepinephrine process. The body is flooded with adrenaline (nature’s Adderall) when the kill is near (the moment where you need all of your focus, aka hyper-focusing).
You have an ancient body in a modern world where farmers rule. But …. nature needs those ADHD brains. In a crisis, when flooded with adrenaline (speed), your brain isn’t going to be scattered and drown in panic. It will hyper-focus, and you will get calmer (again, adrenaline is like a mainline of Adderall). And if the farming isn’t feeding, hunters will be necessary. You are nature’s survival plan.
The reason ADHD brains struggle is that the world is mostly built for farmer brains. If you sat down and tried to come up with a way to F with the ADHD brain, you couldn’t do much better than the American school system or repetitive work. You’re not broken; the world just doesn’t make room for your difference right now.
Farmer brains are nature’s best fit for this current world. They aren’t “better.” They’re just perfectly suited to fit and succeed.
Hope this helps.
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