ADHD while in a sweaty group?
Graduating senior here who will be starting in an extremely sweaty group (always mentioned on a thread about sweaty groups).
I was just scrolling through the symptoms of ADHD and found many that apply to me (Problems focusing on a task, Trouble multitasking Poor time management skills, Problems following through and completing tasks) and actually think that I have undiagnosed ADHD. Another major thing that they look for is documented evidence of disruption as a child. As a kid I was taken to a psychiatrist because I would cause disruption in my classes (in like 2nd grade). At that they just attributed this to me having a high IQ and said it'll improve with time. Well, clearly it hasn't improved. Will be getting myself checked once I graduate but I fear that it'll confirm my thoughts.
I have always procrastinated in school - made it through with just pulling a bunch of all-nighters for things that I shouldn't have stayed up so late for. I know I find it very difficult to sit in one place and complete a task - I'll get up like 10 times just for a stroll in my room before I sit back down. My mind deviates from the topic on hand so many times. I usually get stuff done only because of a deadline and I don't want my ultimate performance to be affected (grades, acceptance into programs I want to be in, etc.) but usually stretch as much as I can without breaking.
I could manage in school because there wasn't a lot on my plate. As an analyst in an extremely sweaty group I fear that my performance will be greatly affected because of the ADHD. During the summer I think I took a bit too long to complete my tasks but got away with it because my team probably thought I am just a summer analyst and am learning the ropes. The one aspect that I got dinged a bit in was attention to detail (another thing I am worried about - my short focus on things at hand can lead to lapses in the work).
Anyone with ADHD that's working in a sweaty group? What's the experience like? does medicine help?
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Yeah looking at the symptoms I think I have the combination type (obviously will confirm with what the doctor says). I am pretty impatient, fidgety, act out of turn, but also have trouble focusing, miss details (although have gotten much better), don't seem to listen. Were you able to get your doses lined up properly for the amount of hours you put in during the day and night? Did it affect your performance before the medicines/checklists?
bump because of bug
Currently working in a pretty sweaty shop. I take adderall and it certainly does improve my performance. With that being said, you have to be cognizant of forming a dependency on the drug (will inevitably happen if you find yourself having to really hone in on your attentiveness when staffed on multiple deals). I try my best not to take on weekends / days where things may not be as intense. I've also found taking a daily 15 minute walk w/o phone helps improve my clairty / sets me straight on tasks I need to get done / strategically plot areas where I need to be proactive and anticipate what may inevitably come.
Wanted to add on a bit more here regarding your previous experience as a summer analyst:
I highly recommend once you're in the bullpen to sanity check all of your work as much as possible. I felt the same way coming in, and had hiccups but ultimately learned to adapt. I found what worked best was printing out entire decks I'd work on along w/ emails regarding edits on certain pages to cross-check. You'll find yourself taking a bit more time to get a task done but it is for the best to produce high quality work. After a few weeks, you'll get into a solid routine and will be faster. There will be times when you are getting absolutely crushed which will put you up to the test, but try your best to take a stepback. ADHD can get the best out of you especially in those situations if you are not careful.
I appreciate your comments. How many times a day do you take Adderall in a day? Do you take it towards the evening/night so that it helps when you are working later in the night? Want to make sure I get my prescription right when I speak to the doc. Good tip on taking a walk - I inadvertently do that now anyways where I'll just get up and roam around. Maybe when I go to pick up my food I can add in a walk.
Also appreciate the comment about printing out decks AND comments - I tried that during the summer but I'll be more thorough in doing that for all my tasks. I also plan on making checklists for stuff to make sure I don't miss anything. During the summer the moment I would feel confident and start trying to do things faster I would end up making stupid, careless mistakes that I shouldn't. That's another thing I am gonna take with me into my FT gig - not to skip steps even with an increase in confidence.
I have definitely been a little paranoid about all this attention to detail - in fact its not uncommon that I'll find myself reading aloud an email 4-5 times to make sure it sounded correct - even during this past academic year on things sent to professors for menial stuff. I am hoping some medication can help with that.
Do you have any other thoughts/tips?
Also for me personally I really liked, and found that I was best when I, worked late in the night (both during the internship and otherwise) and didn't have as much to distract me. Is that kinda true for you too?
100%, there are less distractions at night so I feel immersed in my work whereas in the afternoon I'm on fire drill after fire drill. The time of day I consume adderal varies. I find myself taking half a tab in midday and another in the evening. Sometimes, I will take additional tablets when I'm running on 2-3 hours of sleep (i.e, in the morning, midday, evening, late night). I'm prescribed immediate release at the moment, and found that I prefer that over XR as I felt extremely wired throughout the entirety of my day on XR.
Honestly from the symptoms listed, it doesn't seem too much out of the ordinary especially in this generation. I know many college students have similar issues (procrastinating, poor time management like checking phone every 20 minutes even while doing homework, etc).
Its not going to be that simple to get meds from your doc. Most docs will require neuropsych testing for an actual diagnosis, not what you read off of WebMD, to get medications. The wait times for that testing can be a year unless you want to pay for private testing (~3k where I am) and even then it may be a few months.
This isn't saying you don't have ADHD, just setting expectations. In the meantime, set alarms, make checklists, and research other ways to avoid making mistakes.
1 - Don't work yourself into a tizzy with bad information. Get yourself tested and find out if you actually have ADHD or not. Make sure you do it with a therapist and you do it via a test, not just a questionnaire. My therapist had me do a test that they give to astronauts to test out for ADHD. I can't remember the name of it, but it was quite interesting and will quantify your individual case.
2 - Even if you do have ADHD, there are ways for you to manage it with and without drugs.
I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and I'm not a fan of taking drugs for it. Instead, I decide to be aware of it and tell myself to slow down when I need to. I also use it to my advantage. I have that ADHD that makes me have narrow focus on specific tasks - nothing else matters when I'm in that zone. So I pick a piece of work that I need to do - like hack out some code - and I put on music that makes me zone out (it's usually a particular song that I just put on repeat on listen to - yes, just one song!) and I just write, write, write! I've written some of the best work I've ever done in my life while I'm in these ADHD zones.
Just curious, does ADHD get improved as you guys get older? I am mid 20s and I still feel it is affecting my life so much.
Was diagnosed when I was 21 in college. Took med once but never wanted to take it again. I don't like how meds affect my brain functions. I have weak determination and worry I will become very dependent on it.
But I am having a hard time pay attention to BS tasks like writing call notes, doing mundane data mining, etc.
FML
No, mine has only become worse over time - mid 40s
I'm about your age, and also have ADHD, coupled with OCD and dysthymia. In my experience, mental illness is a massive bitch because it works more like a cancer than like a flu. That means that it doesn't just improve with time. You gotta actually take some time in your life to focus on fixing it, or it's only gonna get worse. Time won't make you wiser, but more stuck in your old ways.
What didn't you like about meds? I'm on Ritalin LA, pretty low dose. It's helped tremendously. I went from maybe a B+ player at work, not bad but not extraordinary, to full on obsessive who has led 4 full projects to completion completely solo and about to take on a 5th. Speaking about a promo to my VP every other week now. I feel like it's helped my life tremendously.
I'm late 20s. My adhd has improved a lot since being diagnosed early in college, mainly from medication.
Have been medicated every day since and taking slow release ritalin has changed my life for the better. It felt like being Bradley Cooper in Limitless. Suddenly, felt comfortable with the speed of things around me (things felt too slow before), speed of speech decreased, started concentrating well, etc.
Of course, medication isn't everything. But it acted as a base to build my education and personal and professional skills on top of, at a time when I was needing to mature as a going adult. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to do IB and then move to buy side, given my attention to detail and disorganisation pre medication
would anyone be interested in starting a group for people w/ ADHD in finance? I think it could be nice to have a group to share tips on how to manage ADHD with a high workload
Im down
Did this materialize? sounds really interesting!
Bro, I was exactly like this and just got diagnosed last year. I recommend seeing a doctor about this.
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