u/Medium-Dependent-328

I get no sense of peace or satisfaction. Feels like I'm always grasping for something just out of reach. I do something but the box doesn't get ticked in my brain to say it's done. I had the best possible exam results I could have got and I didn't give a fuck. Things feel so hollow sometimes. It's like being in withdrawal from a drug that you never took in the first place.

One thing I notice about British news as an Irish person is the comparative lack of exam-related news about O-Levels, A-Levels, GCSEs, and what have you.

The Irish media are absolutely obsessed with our Leaving (and Junior) Certificate by comparison and will do breakdowns of papers, daily "exam diaries" where students talk about how it went, results stats and reactions, exam advice, study material etc. I'm not sure whether our level of obsession is good or bad. It's just something I've observed.

I'm wondering whether this is just my perception as a foreigner or whether the UK is just less fixated on state exams.

And if what I've noticed is true... is this because your exams aren't standardised by the government or something? Or because ye take fewer subjects/don't have mandatory ones, so it's not as much of a "universal" experience? Or is it just a more relaxed attitude/a desire to avoid stressing out the students?

So on this sub a lot, I see loads of people saying how they got missed because they weren't/aren't hyperactive, how the disorder is misnamed, how they grew out of hyperactivity, how it's normally internal etc.

It makes me wonder about myself because I'm an adult and I'm still hyper as fuck, especially when alone and off meds. I will jump around the room, bounce off the walls, mutter to myself frantically, just act like a total maniac. I will be pacing and jumping around in the middle of the night instead of going to sleep. I will cause myself accidental injuries from racing around rooms. And then I go online and see that most people mainly have problems with executive dysfunction and the hyperactive stuff is mostly a children's problem.

What's going on?

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I have ADHD, but in the medical records system, I'm down as having the very 70s-sounding "Hyperkinetic Disorder"

Wondering how common this is

I've seen a rise in bigots using disorders as a way to make fun of the LGBTQIA+ community, and using the LGBTQIA+ community as a way to make fun of people with disorders.

Obviously, loads of prejudiced people have always said stuff about gay and transgender people being "mentally ill" or "infected by a contagion" or some shit like that. Bigoted, offensive, pathologising, dismissive, incorrect. We know that.

But with increasing awareness of different specific disorders, as well as increasing awareness of different LGBTQIA+ identities, I've noticed more specifically targeted abuse, especially aimed at some of the less obvious targets like asexuals and bisexuals.

I've seen people say that all asexuals are autistic and imply that both asexuals and autistics are cold, prudish, mechanical and boring. Now, there is significant overlap between people who are autistic and people who are asexual, but not all asexuals are autistic and vice versa. Also, the stereotypes they use are inaccurate and insulting to both communities.

Asexuals also get medicalised through claims that they have "Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder". I'm not going to get too much into detail here but basically it's supposedly a mental disorder where people don't feel sexually attracted to others.

Now, if you've always had sexual attraction and suddenly lose it, I can see why that's a health concern. But someone who's always been like this for no apparent hormonal or physical reason... is asexual. And they may not know it, and be distressed by the fact that there's something "wrong" with them, and get diagnosed with a "mental disorder." Slapping a "They don't have the disorder if they call themselves asexual" disclaimer onto the medical definition of HSDD does not help people who don't know asexuality is a thing.

I've also seen people claim that bisexuals must have Borderline Personality Disorder. Now, of course, this will be true for some, because bisexuals are people and some people have BPD. But I don't like the implication that bisexuality is just a sign of an unstable identity, or that BPD people's sexual orientations are just attention-seeking behaviour. Again, insulting and inaccurate on both counts.

I've also seen people say that bi people are hypersexual due to some kind of trauma. I don't think I have to spell out the fact that bisexuality and hypersexuality are not remotely the same. You can be hypersexual and straight. You can be hypersexual and gay. Hell, you can be hypersexual and ace. And many bi people are in committed monogamous relationships (as are many hypersexual people for that matter). Nothing to do with each other. Being hypersexual ≠ being attracted to both men and women.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but I had to have a rant. I wish the world could stop reducing sexualities to the symptoms of disorders. And stop reducing disorders to just sexuality-related things. It's weird, it's stigmatising to both sexual orientations and disorders, and it's not even accurate. Thank you

I've been on Concerta over a month now, but it's only in the last week or so that a higher dose of 54mg has been taking effect. I like feeling calmer, more comfortable in my own body and mind and more rational/able to control my decisions. I feel like I've matured overnight.

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One thing is really weird, though. My perception of time has been thrown way out of whack. Like, not just by a few minutes. As in, I've been estimating the time that's gone by as being twice its actual duration.

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I was in an hour-long appointment today and I could have sworn time was up half an hour in. But not in a "time is dragging" kind of way. I wasn't in a hurry out of there.

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Then I was watching the World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa for a bit, switched the channel and watched a couple of other programmes for a bit, then switched back to see the final score. "Oh, it was 1-0 to Mexico", I said. Then I noticed "HT" for "half time" written beside it.

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I have seldom been so disoriented in my life. I've had time blindness before, but only while absorbed in hyperfocus. Not while idly watching television.

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If anyone else has experienced this, please share advice for how to cope with this trippy feeling/jetlag/hole in the fabric of the universe, as well as any theories for why this might be happening.

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The only theory I can think of is that maybe, when I was chronically understimulated pre-medication, the little bursts of zoning out meant I was only mentally present about 50% of the time. Now that I'm way more tuned in, all those little holes have been filled, making it feel like there's twice as many "moments."

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I'm wondering whether there are actual criteria to measure this or whether it's just based on vibes.

I'm also aware that severity can fluctuate over time based on environment, comorbidities, hormones, being medicated or not etc. Just wanted to know if anyone had any information on this.