#aaaaughhhhh

[*throws this out here] IM DONE-

Ok I know he got announced like three hours ago…

AWEEEEE LOVEEE. IT!!

Hmm.. so like, yes?? But also.. mmmm no not at all

if you squint

Yknow what they say the first kid is always a copy and paste of their dad 🥀🥀

Take a wip.. featuring tiny irn ☹️☹️

Saw a new york times magazine article recently about ADHD that could be summed up as "OH NOES the number of diagnoses for ADHD has gone up SO MUCh there's no way that many people have it :( clearly some of them don't :( we're giving too many people medications!!!"

I admit I couldn't finish reading it bc I was so angry.

Like, take a look around you. Please notice how many people are wearing glasses at any given time. Or: think of what percent of people have had braces on their teeth (or needed them).

Now ask yourself: does that number mean those conditions are fake? Does that mean we shouldn't give people glasses and contacts? Do you realize how stupid that sounds? "Well bad vision is just normal in a certain amount of the population, so all but the 'worst' cases should just suffer. You need to get used to having bad vision. Maybe you should try harder."

I do, in fact, think it's entirely possible that nearly 20% of the population has ADHD.

The article (what I read of it lol) also mentioned how there's no cutoff point between "has ADHD" and "does not have ADHD" and like....okay? Yeah, it's likely a spectrum (just like, I dunno, bad vision lol). Yeah, the severity of your symptoms/how much they disable you is heavily influenced by your surroundings, the support of other people, how your parents raised you. That....doesn't disprove anything???

And don't even get me fucking started on the "some people actually have anxiety or depression" thing in that article. Do you know how many cases of anxiety and depression are actually untreated ADHD you fucking assholes. I swear to god r/adhdwomen has at least one post PER DAY of someone whose doctors insisted on treating only their anxiety and/or depression for years and years and YEARS with zero improvement, until they were diagnosed with ADHD and put on ADHD medication, and voila, their anxiety/depression improved nearly overnight. GEE. IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT SUCKS ASS TO HAVE UNTREATED ADHD.

I'm starting to get to a point where my opinion on ADHD medication (including, yes, the stimulants) is basically an informed consent model: Do you understand the risks of this medication? Do you think you could benefit? Okay, sign this form. Here you go.

"There's no way that many people should be on stimulants." Do you drink coffee/tea/energy drinks? Shut the fuck up.

I admit part of the reason I hate articles like that one, is that I know damn fucking well that what little ability I have to be a "functioning" adult is dependent on continued access to combined amphetamine salts (aka Adderall). I can't even switch medications; going from Adderall to Concerta (which is methylphenidate aka Ritalin) made me bad enough at a previous job to get me fired. Hell, I got noticeably worse at being a mail carrier when my pharmacy switched me from one generic to another, and I only realized it once they got my preferred generic back in.

So yeah, I get a bit worried and on edge when well-regarded news sources write articles about how too many people are taking ADHD medication.