This is how you treat ADHD based off science, Dr Russell Barkley part of 2012 Burnett Lecture

Adhd Videos10 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
5.1M views · lecture · evergreen · Uploaded 2014-09-23

A short excerpt from Dr Russell Barkley's 2012 Burnett Lecture on ADHD, focused on treatment. He argues ADHD is a disorder of executive function and self-regulation, and that environments should be designed to compensate.

HN people with ADHD or ADHD-affected relatives share it as an authoritative, practical talk that helped some seek diagnosis.

Watch on YouTube

17 comments from Hacker News

@joshuak2015 · in “Entrepreneurial Tendencies Among People with ADHD”

This 13 min video [1] also by Dr Russell Barkley is something of a summery, but the longer one is absolutely worth watching. 1: [VIDEO]

RecommendsView on HN
@burntrelish12732018 · in “In Praise of ADHD”

Praise? :/ Just diagnosed as an adult partially due to parents not "believing in it," refused testing then and I was blind to it until now. Currently friendless, jobless, broke, homeless and a bazillion unfinished projects not exactly the picture of praiseworthy. ADHD is a misnomer, it's an executive function disorder, but the name will never change because it's embedded in disability laws. Medicating for emotional regulation, continuity of thought, completing tasks and not coming-off as weird are lifesaving... don't avoid medication out of some antivaxx nonsense. Worth watching: - ADHD Child vs. Non-ADHD Child Interview [LINK] - How To Know If You Have ADHD [LINK] - This is how you treat ADHD based off science, Dr Russell Barkley part of 2012 Burnett Lecture [VIDEO] - Dr Russell Barkley on ADHD Meds and how they all work differently from each other [LINK] - The Neuroanatomy of ADHD and thus how to treat ADHD - CADDAC - Dr Russel Barkley part 1c [LINK]

RecommendsView on HN
@azeirah2018 · in “The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do”

According to Russel Barkley (well known and central figure in the ADHD scientific community), you should definitely take short breaks every so many minutes. He recommends 3 mins for every 10 minutes of work, but that's for children. I think you'd want be interested in watching this video [VIDEO] Definitely check out his other work as well, listening to his talks is like reading my own diary... except translated to scientific language

RecommendsView on HN
@azeirah2019 · in “Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?”

Lists, logs, writing, post-its, Todo lists etcetcetc. I tend to forget stuff even while I'm doing it, so it helps a million if what I'm doing is written on a Post-It right in front of me. Also, to keep track of tasks, problems, todos etc, I have a huge text file that is bound to the ctrl-` keybinding (autohotkey script opens a file in sublime text). I think the most important thing is to externalize your mind into your environment, you might forget, but your table or text files won't. Also, make sure to watch Russel Barkley. This man is literally ADHD Jesus. [VIDEO]

Strongly recommendsView on HN
@rl32020 · in “Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time”

> Some people argue that what we're today are calling ADHD should be referred to as emotional impulsiveness. The argument is that lack of emotional control causes all kinds of symptoms ... While that's certainly a major component, I believe sensory stimulation also plays a role. Certain video games for example tend to yield considerably higher dopamine rewards in part due to their elevated degree of stimuli relative to other, less stimulating activities. It's why I can play certain games to a world-class level, and then by the same token attempt to read technical literature but find myself re-reading the same sentence a dozen times over. On that front, I've found that if I really attempt to immerse myself in a topic in every way I can, while simultaneously convincing myself on the emotional front that learning whatever I'm attempting to learn will be fantastic-it tends to result in better attention. It's as if my mind has a minimum RPM requirement to operate, and the primary challenge is just achieving a minimum speed that gets the blades moving. > I highly recommend looking it up, you should be able to find some of his talks on YouTube. Just watched a (partial?) talk of his, thank you. It was quite informative.[0] He mentioned a steady stream of fast-metabolized glucose [to the frontal lobe] helping tremendously. That's in weird contrast to my experience, as I tend to avoid virtually all refined sugars. In fact, I also fast for 16 hours every day, finding that my mental clar

RecommendsView on HN
@andai2020 · in “Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time”

I thought you might appreciate this clip from a lecture by Dr. Russell Barkley which explains how to use the environment to compensate for ADHD (externalize everything - time, to-do's, motivation, rewards, feedback) and how to keep your willpower reserves high (frequent breaks, positive self-talk and positive mental pictures, meditation and exercise). [VIDEO]

RecommendsView on HN
@ncfausti2020 · in “Why I Procrastinate (2019)”

As a 33 year old who was just diagnosed with ADHD, a few minutes into reading this I knew exactly where it was going. For me, it was when I watched Dr. Russell Barkley's talk[1] and halfway through, it brought me to tears. No one before then had described exactly the way I felt on a daily basis. Since going through a full day of neuropsychological testing and being diagnosed with ADHD-I and starting medication, I feel like the me I think I am, naturally curious, optimistic, and actually following through with the things that interest me. Planning and grad school assignments just click so effortlessly now, and my stress is way down, as I am completing things in a timely manner and not fighting myself at every step of the way. If any of this resonates with you, please talk with a psychiatrist to see if this is something you're unknowingly (and unnecessarily) struggling with. Also,if you're like me and like listening to audio books at 2 or 3x speed, check out Speechify, it allows you to listen to any kind of text including rough scans of books/PDFs. It's been incredibly helpful for required readings in classes. edit: wrong video url [1] [VIDEO]

Strongly recommendsView on HN
@jw4332021 · in “The thing standing between procrastination and daily progress is ritual”

Disagree. Executive function deficiencies have been proven to be an essential symptom of ADHD. ADHD is the most treatable mental disorder out there, even if medication is only option being considered [1]. If you have had long-term problems with executive functioning and you feel like you've tried everything, then you should get medically evaluated for ADHD. [1] [VIDEO] [2] [LINK]

@nerdyadventurer2022 · in “Ask HN: I am lost in life. How do I fix this?”

I also had similar experience, my undiagnosed ADHD was unknowingly ruining my life close to a decade. Problem with ADHD is it become late to diagnosed if you are smart, do well in school. My ADHD story goes something like this I was diagnosed was OCD at 16, even though I had symptoms from 14 or so. Before 16 I had symptom like difficulty in brushing teeth according to order, difficult to stay still and walk around the house thinking. But these things were not bothering my life that much. I did well on school exams, but starting from 16 with distractibility small task started to take hours, failed exams, anyway I attended to private college here and get through it. After college, I did not apply to any jobs, because I want to do something of my own, I tried different things some failed, but I had constant lingering of project I idea, I worked on it time to time while procrastinating but not close to at least releasing prototype. Like this five years passed away (up to today), I am still not any closer to finish it. As procrastination, I was helping relations, friends browsing social media, watching TV. Also did small freelance dev gigs. Over this time I have read about science of doing work, learning, but none of these helped me to work constantly. I muster my will power for several days and then fall off the wagon, but I keep trying, keep falling. I was feeling envy like OP because my peers were rising the ladder of success/life over these five years, while I was remaining st

@ncfausti2022 · in “Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?”

I have ADHD-I and I'm feeling almost exactly the same way, right up to a falling out with a company I had significant ownership in/was part of the founding team. How are your daily routines? Are you taking breaks and pursuing the things you actually enjoy doing? Have you thought much about the kind of experiences that have brought you the most joy/satisfaction in life (both at work and outside of work)? Maybe watch this video and see if it resonates with you. It's a talk by Dr. Russell Barkley on ADHD and it's what made me finally schedule a full analysis (after literally decades of putting it off). [VIDEO] If you'd like to talk I'm here to listen.

RecommendsView on HN
@adolph2022 · in “Tell HN: If you have trouble focusing on projects/meetings, see a psychatrist”

Barkley considers meds necessary but not sufficient. The second part is "to design prosthetic environments around the individual to compensate for their EF [Executive Function] deficits." [0] For those not following the ADHD conversation, Executive Function refers to a set of: Nonverbal working memory, Internalization of Speech (verbal working memory), Self-regulation of affect/motivation/arousal, Reconstitution (planning and generativity). [1] 0. This is how you treat ADHD based off science, Dr Russell Barkley part of 2012 Burnett Lecture: [VIDEO] 1. [LINK]

@kurikuri2022 · in “The silent struggles of workers with ADHD”

> Folks, learn how to use the tools that are available to you in order to schedule your workday. And if you are a manager then you have an obligation to train your staff in the use of tracking tools, which can be something as simple as post-it notes. Learning tools doesn't solve the problem, a person with ADHD can know about the tools and the thought simply won't enter their mind to keep up with the tool itself [1]. Many ADHD medications can be relatively cheaply had (generics are available for Adderall, Straterra, Ritalin, etc.), but the stigma associated with those medications are still quite high. [1]: [VIDEO]

@prometheus762022 · in “The silent struggles of workers with ADHD”

Knowing something or knowing how to use something is not the same as using it. This is a classic struggle between those without ADHD and those with it. People without ADHD think it's just a training issue. It's really not. This is an especially difficult dynamic between non-adhd parents and adhd kids. Ask me how I know. In other words, I know how to use Outlook, and it can help. I know how to use Post-it notes. And it helps a little, but if I don't have a chance to write out a post-it note and put it in a prominent place (with the other 250 prominent post-it notes in a prominent place) it's going to get lost and/or I'm going to forget. This isn't just a "you're just not organized" problem. One of the bigger challenges is categorizing things. As you can see just in this post, my brain started sprawling out to all the issues that confront someone with ADHD and the scope started to spread and I started talking about other things besides your post-it notes idea. This isn't a training issue. Largely, the issue is with impulse control and a dysfunctional intrinsic rewards system. Here's a video with some actual useful advice for ADHD people and their managers: [VIDEO]

RecommendsView on HN
@novok2023 · in “Ejaculation Frequency and Prostate Cancer”

I got diagnosed in middle age after a very long assessment that cost me a lot of money, because I wanted accuracy. If it was depression, neglect or trauma I would've been fine with that assessment too. I had no idea going in that I was anything close to ADHD, just extremely frustrated at my career & life stagnation. If I known years ago I'd would've been about 7 or 8 years ahead in my career. Yes ADHD is a different mind structure, it's also being called neurodiverse. But just watch a kiddo or a completely dysfunctional adult a with severe ADHD / autism and you quickly dissuade yourself that it isn't a problem and isn't a dysfunctional disability, and to expect a society to totally reconfigure itself beyond the equivalent of a few wheelchair ramps to match a forever minority with a lack of various mental abilities is economically naive. Just like how we don't mandate zero-flicker lightbulbs for autstic people with sensory issues for the entire country because they consume more power with a higher power factor. But it doesn't matter much either way in the end, and seeing how conspiratorial you are, I don't think I'd get much of anywhere trying to convince you otherwise. Sadly or happily, reality is way more mundane than you think it is. Also many freak out about stimulants, but they really are not that big of a deal IMO. If ADHD didn't involve stimulants, one of the most effective mental health medications for any mental condition out there BTW, I don't think you'd get this de

@code_biologist2023 · in “Cognitive AI for ADHD”

Great video I came across that expresses similar ideas about it being executive function that's the challenge, not attention. "This is how you treat ADHD based off science, Dr Russell Barkley part of 2012 Burnett Lecture" [VIDEO] Edit: here's a newer one by the same speaker "ADHD as Motivation Deficit Disorder" [LINK]

RecommendsView on HN
@j33zusjuice2023 · in “Anxious brains redirect emotion regulation”

Does this all feel familiar? [VIDEO] I don’t know if it’s always this way, but I create emergencies and catastrophes because I otherwise have no motivation to do anything. My back has to be against the wall to get me to act. It’s been a lifelong issue, I’ve tried to kill myself several times because of it, and I learned it was ADHD in the last month. 100% of my issues are explained by this. I never would have guessed.

RecommendsView on HN
@lathiat2025 · in “Ask HN: My 12 year-old nephew just got diagnosed with ADHD, any advice?”

Medicate and try not to stop. Don’t avoid it, it’s life changing and the most effective intervention by far. None of the other stuff is nearly as effective. It is very likely turn their life around. As someone who was not medicated in his teenage years (Briefly in childhood and now all through adult hood. But was nissing all through school and it sucked). It’s a real life changer. Look up Russ Barkley on YouTube. He’s a very well known and respected ADHD researcher and clinician that has some very engaging and informative videos. Here’s a taster: [VIDEO]

RecommendsView on HN