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Comment by daychilde | Hacker News Reader

> with the attention span of an ADHD kid hopped up on meth and Jolly Ranchers

Well, I'm very disappointed to find this.

1. One of the more common (and certainly well-known) medications for ADHD is Ritalin, which is methylphenidate. It's mildly related to meth. The long story short is that giving meth to someone with ADHD would not cause them to be able to focus less; rather, to be able to focus more.

2. Studies have shown that sugar does NOT cause hyperactivity in children, whether or not they have ADHD.

I'm saddened to see these incorrect stereotypes about ADHD. As an adult with ADHD, it's part of what makes my life harder than it has to be.

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It was just a passing comparison. He didn't mean to offend or disparage anyone, chill out.

Its the same thing as saying, "the 800 pound guerrilla." Sure, most guerrillas are nowhere near 800 pounds and may take offence to us calling them heavy. But thats not the point at all.

Most guerrillas are not apes, either. (guerrilla war vs. gorilla ape)

Doesn't the expression refer to the 800 lb guerrilla revolutionary? ;)

But if the guerilla were 800lbs, it'd be only 4-5 dudes...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_lb_gorilla

I've never heard (or rather, read) anyone using the term "800 pound guerilla".

But now you've inspired me to look it up, and apparently the average male gorilla is in the 300-400 lb range, but obese gorillas in captivity have got up to the 600 lb range. The heaviest gorilla on record was N'Gagi from San Diego Zoo, who died in 1944 and weighed in at 638 lb. So an 800 lb gorilla is certainly the weight range of any observed gorilla, though I assume a really overfed gorilla could easily reach 800lb since even humans can do so (http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/heavies...)

As a fellow adult with ADHD, I don't see how either of these "stereotypes," as you say, are harmful. Not understanding the effects of street drugs on a disease one does not have is hardly worthy of such contempt. If he had said something to the effect of "He was as unemployable as an alcoholic with ADHD," I could understand your indignation, but his remarks weren't disparaging, just mildly uninformed.

If you want to be offended, that's not really my business, but unless someone is responsible for your medical care or claims to know, I don't think it's fair to hold them responsible for this kind of information.

Give him a break and substitute cracked out for hopped up on meth. I also would guess the medical dose of ritalin is anywhere near the recreational meth dosage, but I don't know.

What studies show that sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity in children?

Anecdotal evidence and extensive field work with my brother's kids has shown me otherwise. You feed them a ton of sugar at the carnival and they go wild and then crash a few hours later.

"a ton of sugar at the carnival" - it's the carnival not the sugar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperactivity#Sugar_consumption

A quick search found this: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52...

As far as "giving him a break" - why doesn't he give me a break and not perpetuate inaccurate and hurtful stereotypes?

Please don't take a tiny offhand comment that has nothing to do with the key point of the essay as a personal attack on you. That comment there isn't hurtful or perpetuating anything about you.

I didn't take it as a personal attack on me. And I'm sure it wasn't intended as an attack - just as those that call things "gay" don't mean that as an attack, and those that call things "retarded" don't mean that either.

Doesn't mean it's not unhelpful and nonharmful.

Sure, it was uninformed, but I honestly don't see how that was a hurtful stereotype. He wasn't implying that everybody with ADHD loves meth and Jolly Ranchers. How is the misconception that meth decreases attention span a hurtful stereotype against those with ADHD? I just don't see it.

On the other hand, giving meth to someone with OCD results in feedback like this.

I hope the author visits here and is educated on his misinformed analogy.

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