Kevin comments on Do you have High-Functioning Asperger's Syndrome? - Less Wrong

19 [deleted] 10 May 2010 11:55PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Article Navigation

Comments (295)
Tags: aspergers_syndrome social winning

Comments (295)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Kevin 11 May 2010 06:13:09AM 2 points [-]

Motor inhibition is the one ADHD symptom I've never had any issues with

My diagnosis is ADHD-PI, I would guess you are similar. I just have really bad akrasia -- people seem to assume that it is not nearly as bad as it actually is because I give off the impression that I get things done because it seems like I have accomplished things, but public school taught me how to master the art of getting things done while putting forth no effort whatsoever.

To me ADHD is just this convenient label that allows me to be prescribed rather serious medication, if I want it. It would be more meaningful to talk about how my akrasia is worse than the median person's akrasia than to say that I have ADHD and the median person doesn't.

Do you think there is fundamentally something different between what Less Wrong calls ADHD and akrasia? I wonder if I could defend the hypothesis that ADHD=akrasia in post form.

Comment author: Jack 11 May 2010 06:26:36AM *  1 point [-]

Well here is the DSM-IV's criteria:

  • Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.
    • Often has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play activities.
    • Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
    • Often does not follow instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions).
    • Often has trouble organizing activities.
    • Often avoids, dislikes, or doesn't want to do things that take a lot of mental effort for a long period (such as schoolwork or homework).
    • Often loses things needed for tasks and activities (e.g. toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools).
    • Is often easily distracted.
    • Is often forgetful in daily activities.

Do these all fit under akrasia? I have pretty much all of these problems to various degrees.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 11 May 2010 07:17:18AM 8 points [-]

Those criteria sound like not being compliant to the desires of people in authority.

Comment author: Alicorn 11 May 2010 07:42:14AM 4 points [-]

The criteria are mostly there to let you diagnose the condition in children, and one thing that children in general are consistently expected to do is attend and perform tasks for school. However, characteristics like forgetfulness, short attention span, losing objects easily, or inability to follow long trains of thought as in a conversation can certainly exist in adults and cause various general-purpose functionality weaknesses.

Powered by Reddit Powered by Reddit