Thread by @ABCsofADHD

I had a though.

I've always perceived/ described my meds as helping me focus. But that's not technically true.

It actually makes me much less likely to be distracted.

While the outcome is the same (increases attention), I think the framing is different and more accurate.

How we percieve and think about something is massively important as it changes our expectations.

Meds don't fix all of our problems. Saying it helps focus might cause a newly diagnosed ADHDer to think it could.

When I started taking meds, they weren't super effective.

Why? Cause meds just help you do what you want to do in the first place.

When I first started taking meds, I didn't know how to want to do things.

Self motivation coping mechanisms are needed to make best use of meds.

Its why I used to take meds and still end up doing nothing.

Now I have plans of what I want to do and when I take my meds, they help me hold my attention to it for longer.

I.e., they help reduce chance of me getting distracted from what I want to do.

Also saying 'reduces distractability' changes it from being percieved as increasing a positive to reducing a negative.

I wanna do away with the stupid belief some people have that ADHD meds are 'smart drugs' and that we're cheating by getting a boost (legit belief people have).