Hey everybody, it's me. Katie asaurus and welcome back
to infinite Quest this week on infinite Quest.
We're going to be answering the question is ADHD real.
The answer won't surprise you before we begin.
We've got a couple of announcements.
The first is that we've announced our tour schedule.
So go over to infinite Quest podcast.com and click on tour
dates and you can check out all All of the different places that
were going to be appearing and if you don't see us appearing in
a place that you want us to appear, reach out to your
convention organizers, send us an email, let us know where
you'd like to see us what conventions you want us to
visit. And will, you know, see what we
can do next. We also just want to remind you
that we are T-minus 15 days until Eric relocates here to
Georgia, to hopefully make infinite Quest.
Our long-term sustainable day job.
And so, if you're interested in supporting and been a quest,
Work in the advocacy that we do, you can help us out by visiting
patreon.com infinite Quest. Speaking of being on tour, Eric
and I went on a little podcast to her last week and we appeared
on the American Tech podcast with Sonny Megatron study
Megatron is an incredible sex, educator and Advocate and just
honestly, generally all around Kick-Ass human being, and I just
genuinely want to be her when I grow up.
So go show sunny and can a little bit of love and check out
our episode over on the American sex podcast and last but not
least, if you haven't been checking out the D&D game that
I'm playing with critical barred and offbeat Outlaw and Danny
Phantom and sunset, bruised and tpk core.
So over on the Lark, networks, on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m.
you should because it's a goddamn fucking phenomenal D and
D, so go check that out. Go check out all the stuff that
we're doing. And now, without further Ado,
here's the thing that you came for our podcast, Transition.
Hi everybody. It's me.
Katie sores and welcome to this week's episode of infinite Quest
where it's just me alone. Because Eric has once again,
wandered off to go get water, even though he knew for a full
five hours before we started recording, that we were going to
be recording. And he could have filled this
water bottle, but he waited until the precise and exact
moment that we were starting recording.
Running to get his water. So it's just you and me folks.
It's just you and me here alone by ourselves.
It's fine, we're all fine. It's the end of the show this
week because I have nobody to talk to What?
I heard some of the last pictures of my headphones are
loud. Eric one of us has to talk.
All right. Hey, everybody.
Welcome to. We were both just stared at each
other, like, who's gonna who's gonna do the thing?
What's gonna happen? Cast chicken.
It was podcast chicken. It was like, it was just like in
them, like it. Now, what's the movie Rebel
Without a Cause with James Dean when they have never seen that
movie really is pretty good movie?
I mean, you know, the problem is I watched a tick tock Montage of
James Dean and then I was like, I can't, I can't, I can't, I
can't, I don't Don't need that energy in my life, it's too
much. It's too much for me to handle
because the energy is it the raw, sexual whatever.
Have you seen him in a dress shirt?
He's magnificent. Like I like I don't know if I've
ever had that visceral. Like, I'm not up like a person
who like gets attracted to like, how people look, but there's
just something about that Vibe. Man, there was something about
that five. It's because it's more than just
the look. It like you can infer like a
whole Persona. Yeah, there's like this, like, I
don't know. Man, but I was like, I'm too,
it's 20, 21. I can't be getting thirsty for
James became, have you ever seen a Jim Carrey's impersonation of
James? Dean, I have not fucking amazing
that guy's face Jim care. I don't know how he does, what
he does with his face but he can contort his face into any shape.
He does like that the squinty things with like the eyebrows
that are really high in the center and then he like pops his
collar and bends over and like turns around.
It's incredible. Anyways Katie welcome to the
episode everybody. Thanks for joing jumping in.
We're recording late today. So we're Little a little day
loopy, I'm it is 8 p.m. where I am and why I have had I'm not
gonna lie, I've not had the best day.
I had just like a full-on over stimulation meltdown at the
store today, which doesn't usually happen to me.
But like, I mean, like Panic attacking, like digging through
my purse, trying to find my earplugs, freaking out over
stimulated moment and I had this like profound like weird, like I
was in the bathroom and I had like my purse on like the thing
where you like change your baby's diaper and I'm like
digging through and like maybe I have a tampon and I could like
make earplugs I'm Turtle like craft like MacGyver together,
earplugs. And then the whole time, all I
could think all I could think of was that fucking video?
That's been going around. Tick tock about the guys isn't
real big. Yeah, that I'm sure I'm faking
this for the clout. Like, as I'm sorry.
I'm trying to shove tampons in my ears to, like, not Absolutely
start crying at a thrift store. Like I was that's how my day is,
got cash while I'm really sorry. Sweetheart, that sucks, it's in.
It was just really silly. Like I was just like, and I'm
just like exhausted. Like an are just like I just
that's where I'm at my day. That video has been on my mind
way too much lately to that, that freaking guy.
So for those of, you know, there's a, there's a video
that's been circulating Tick-Tock, especially on ADHD
Tech, talk, it actually, we were going to play the audio for you
on this on this year podcast. But he finally took it down, I
guess today, he must've taken it down, every being put on
broadcast for election yesterday, it was still up.
Yeah, I mean, honestly, I've watched it like once a day,
like, I don't know why, but I just get so mad that I won't be
mad about someone being mad. Because, like, when you have an
HD, especially if you talk about ADHD for a living which we do.
Yeah, you, we hear all the time. People saying that, it each day
isn't real, like it's part of our Lives, just have to respond.
It's part of anybody with ADHD is live to have to respond to
people who are wrong. That ADHD isn't real.
So I was like, re-watching, it like trying to exposure therapy
my way out of the anger like just watching until you're okay,
and then you can calmly respond, you know?
But it was terrible. So, anyways, I, you want to talk
about that today. Katie going to talk about what
to say to people. When they say these days, we
have an 8 HD. Shout-out Corner real quick.
Yeah, sure. Shout out.
ADHD, adults, and ADHD everything and ADHD Silverback.
Oh yeah. For fucking crushing the game
this week. Oh yeah.
Yeah. She Tick-Tock because Is it is
really and I don't know if you have this, but like it's really
hard to be a creator with mental illness and neuro divergency,
anyway, but like, when the bulk of the criticism that you get
isn't about you and isn't about your appearance, it isn't for
the most part, even about your content.
It's that the thing that you profoundly struggle with the
most in the entire world than the thing that like just
absolutely defines. How you interact with the world
is fake. You're faking and you're a liar
and it's a conspiracy by big Pharma and it's the type of
like, anger and frustration, and exhaustion that I feel just
thinking about like fight, like, you know, because I like to do a
little like, every so often I like to do a little bit of like,
where do I see myself in 3 years?
Where do I see myself in five years and like, really and
truly, like, I want to continue educating and I want to continue
advocating, and I want to continue this because, I mean,
like I said on Tuesday, like this needs, so fucking Much to
me. But the, the just on adulterated
exhausted, that I feel of having to spend the rest of my life
looking at people and going. No.
But it's real is sometimes very frustrating.
It's very daunting. And so, when you suggested that
we do an episode about that video, I was really excited
because like, I just, I have a lot of thoughts, me too.
I was she trailed off. Interpreting nothing to the
conversation. You contribute, plenty Katie, no
II agree like party. But I really want to make this
like helpful and educational episode, like I want to give
people tools but I also this is one thing where I can feel the
soapbox coming where I like I can feel that at some point.
I'm just gonna go off because you just box but we will just
pull to say hey 10 minute 10. 10 s o'clock that s soapbox real
quick. Yeah it's really daunting.
Especially since well one. Yeah this thing that I struggle
with everyday That profoundly affects every single moment of
my life is be like, you're denying.
That thing is even real. Well, the gas lighting is insane
like this thing that affects every single moment of every
part of your life isn't real. Fuck you like it.
That's already just infuriating. But also how there's only so
much you can do to prove to somebody that objective reality
exists. Yeah.
Like there's only so much you can do.
You can say, hey, every major or health.
In the world. Pretty much recognizes that.
This thing is real, hundreds and hundreds of scientists around
the world have all signed documents saying that they agree
that it's real. And anyone who says otherwise is
a fucking idiot. The National Institute of
Health, the US Department of Education, the American
Psychiatric association, all recognize ADHD.
It's been in the DSM since what's the first one do you in
1951? But a while it's there's only so
much paperwork. You can throw it at somebody
before you have to just sort of pick your battles and fuck off,
but the fresh Duration doesn't go away.
Do you find that? Like, I don't know if you have
this but like I think this is a slight digression but I promise
I will come back around to the point but I'm tired, like I like
for my dystonia, right? My myoclonic dystonia is a
completely separate thing for my ADHD and I don't talk about it
as much because it's just like, it's well, it's tangental, you
know, but like I spent so long trying to get a diagnosis.
In the process of trying to get a diagnosis and trying to figure
out like what was going on with me and like why I was having the
symptoms that I was having. I had a lot of times where I was
like am I faking a my faking am I exaggerating?
Am I am I like unconsciously like exacerbating this the the
symptoms in my own mind, you know?
And and I feel weirdly. I often feel that way about my
ADHD. And and like I don't talk about
About it a lot because I feel like it's kind of a dangerous
conversation to open up in terms of like, sometimes I feel like
I'm faking my eight HD, but it, but it for me, I think it's, it
makes me realize, like, the the ableism that I have
internalized, this idea that like you, you can only ever be
not, okay? You can only ever be okay or
not. Okay.
And you can't have good days and you can't have bad days.
And good days are proof that you're faking the bad days and
like that kind of thing. Um, but so then And videos like
that come up. And even though he was wrong,
even though that like this guy was like, he was so wrong.
He used the one quote that everybody always uses from that
shitty article that like literally, if you Google that
quote, like the second thing that comes up is the Snopes
article. Disproving that quote like I
still sat there and I was like well what if ADHD isn't real?
And I'm I'm just I'm just broke. Like I don't know why but like
that, my, my Scumbag brain. Always does that.
Yeah. And so what Brings me great.
I think what brings me the most sort of security is the
consensus statement because like, the contestants statement
is like the Theta, let my little life raft.
And for those of you who don't know, there is a thing that
exists in the world and it is called the World Federation of
ADHD, which I just want to be. I want to know how you get that
fucking Starfleet. Uniform was gonna say I'm
picturing cool pins. You know, like, like
Communicator badges, but basically so they've they've
published this a couple of times like they first published one.
I think in the early 2000s, 2002, if I remember that.
Yeah, and then they republish it again this year like it is it is
fresh hot off of the press has updated and basically it is like
a group of hundreds of scientists from hundreds of
different countries. Have come together to basically
be like ADHD is real ADHD exists and let's talk about it.
But one of the things that I like the best, the most about
the consensus statement is that they.
The first thing that they talk about is meta-analysis.
Mmm, Eric. Do you know what meta-analysis
is maybe a little bit but please enlighten me.
So, okay, so this is just me getting like really hyper
fixated on science for a second. Please academic.
Katie academic Katie's going to come out for a second.
So Meta analysis is really important.
Orton in conversation with ADHD and it's something that we don't
talk about a lot because it's sort of like the foundational
Base Line underneath part. Eric, what are you doing?
I'm gonna Focus. What I was reading.
I was just pulling pulling out the consensus statement on the
screen so I can read it. Dave you're like I am so sorry I
don't know sweetie it's okay no worries.
I'm sorry I'll hear it. It's up.
I'm dumb, we got it. It's okay.
I just I thought you were trying to like secretly fucking signal
to me and that it's fine. So anyway back to my discussion
about how ADHD is real. That's fine.
We'll keep it in. But still like so but
meta-analysis is really interesting because it's like
it's part of our understanding of ADHD as a whole but to
understand ADHD you have to understand meta-analysis.
And so what meta-analysis is is that it's a type of statistical
analysis which I know sounds really boring but bear with but
so basically what meta-analysis does is it looks at multiple
scientific studies at the same I'm and Compares those
statistically. So basically what that means is
that like for the consensus statement to exist, they took
dozens and dozens of studies that ask the same question.
So, first off that tells us scientifically that more than
one person is asking this question, whether it be like,
I'm going to use 8 HD an addiction because that's like
I'm prepping some content about that.
So like there's been dozens of studies about ADHD and
addiction. And what 8 HD looks like in or
what addiction looks like in the ADHD brain.
But so first off quantifiably, we know that enough people are
asking the question that they are, there.
They're more than one study exist.
I've said that five times. It's fine, I'm tired.
But then what they do is they look at that and they say, okay,
we're going to take the results of that and then we're going to
sort of like bring them into one thing.
And so then that's how you track if the Are consistent across the
board and so, what winds up happening is using meta
analysis. We are able to quantifiably say
that addiction affects people with ADHD at higher rates like
we can make these quantifiably true statements based on looking
at more than one study that's asking the same question and
then comparing those results and that is like, So important
because if you look at like literally the definition of
meta-analysis, it says that the aim is then to use the statistic
to derived a pooled estimate estimate.
Sorry closest to the unknown common troops like so it's like
you're using this data to establish.
Just fact Yeah exactly. I mean I just talked for so long
we can edit all of that out. I'm sorry, Katie, you're an
immensely knowledgeable, interesting and wonderful
person. And this is a podcast that's
that's quite the supposed to do as Eric.
I can't feel my thoughts. I'm sorry, sir.
We don't know what's happening. It's okay.
You though, that was great.
I think what I think, you know what I mean?
Like it's really cool because like every there's what is it?
208 statements. In the in the ADHD consensus
this year like when they republish it, 208 statements.
Every single one of those statements has been
meta-analysis sized analyzed. That's shut up.
No, that's exactly right. That's fucking cool, dude.
It's sick scientifically. That's fucking cool man.
Oh yeah, I mean especially will you know if you're like us and
you read a lot of studies like you read one study, you know?
All the technical jargon and studies is like.
So you got to Wade through all that shit to figure out what's
actually going on and then there's the study will draw some
conclusions and will be like oh yeah there was a higher
percentage here. They did better in these
circumstances a bunch of shit but no matter what, how
conclusive that one study appears, it's still just one
study and so then you got to read another study and then
another one and then another one and see if they all arrived at
the same conclusion. And so, the consensus statement
has done effectively is taken all of these fucking studies
from all around the world. All done independently funded by
different places. So for one the pharmaceutical
conspiracy theorist assholes. Fuck you.
Like we're talking about all over the fucking world like all
over the place. Exactly they've pulled them
together and and gone. Okay.
Given all of these studies that we've done, we can absolutely
say, we all agree that this is true.
That's what the consensus he will.
Ultimately is one a big fat ADHD is real fuck you.
If you think anything otherwise or you're wrong, if you think,
you know, you can believe that if you want your just completely
Fucking wrong. But then also across all the
studies. These are the things that we as
the scientific Community not me but you know speaking for them
are very confident we can say about ADHD that we all agree.
You know consensus we all agree on it.
Here you go but what really frustrates me is so everybody's
entitled to their opinion, fucking sure.
But how do I say this? I get really frustrated when so
you know people like this guy in the video says That ADHD isn't
real. One of the big things is, you
know, think for yourself, you know, while you're going to
believe, although you should think for yourself.
Yes, I should think for myself. I will think for myself.
And what I think is that, I don't know, fuck-all compared to
all those people. And I don't care about my
opinion about this because my opinion isn't worth nearly as
much as the opinions of these hundreds, and hundreds, and
hundreds, and hundreds of scientists who all agree.
So, I am thinking for myself, and what I think is that I
should listen to these fucking people.
Yeah, and for people for whom that is not worth Thing is that
is the most frustrating thing in the fucking world to me when
it's like, dude, you're right. You should think for yourself
and you should be aware when you don't know what the fuck you're
talking about. Like that's a really important
to be able to do that, holy shit.
And when the currency of like, hey look, all these fucking
people who know a million times more about this than either of
us ever will all claim these things when that's currency
isn't worth anything. That's what I that's when I
frankly, disengage, that's when I kind of go.
You know what? I have to, I have to for my own
mental health. I have to leave here and I think
that's one of the bigger pieces of advice.
I would have when it comes to talking to people who say that
ADHD isn't real. In a lot of circumstances, your
best option is to fucking not engaged for your own mental
health. Not engage one because you're
probably not going to convince them.
Honestly, I'm sorry, you're probably not going to convince
them because if they believe that he's using real that means
they're ready to throw out all these mountains and mountains of
data. Exactly.
And there's and there's no There's no coming back from that
at least or the maybe there is but it's doubtful that.
You one person will be able to do it but there are a lot of
circumstances when that person is like a member of your family
or somebody that you see every day.
And so I think although the best option is very often to just not
engage. You know if it's a stranger on
the bus to smiling, right, whatever man.
But since sometimes those are, people are important people in
your lives that I think it is important to have some things to
say, not necessarily to convince them that it is although that
would be great but just to To get through that interaction and
Main and be able to be okay. Given that that happen.
I mean I think that there's a difference between and I think
maybe like that we're getting it like the heart of what we want
this episode to be because I think like there's a big
difference between the the scientifically incorrect
statement that like factually incorrect event like ADHD
doesn't exist like that's just wrong.
It is quantifiably like objectively wrong but there's
also A lot of misconceptions about ADHD and I feel like, you
know, idiots on Tick-Tock aside, there are far far more people
who have misconceptions about ADHD.
What ADHD is how ADHD works and those are the things that like
our listeners, the people in our community like run into, like
the idea that people with ADHD or lazy, and they're using it as
an excuse, like that's probably Only like one of the biggest
misconceptions that I hear about.
And so I think like talking about those misconceptions and
like, kind of like what you're saying is like, you know,
providing a bit of context and a bit of like educational, like,
not advice, but educational. Tidbits, you know to offer.
I think that can be really helpful because yeah, I think
for a lot of people like they mean well, you know, like I
don't think II like to think that a lot of people when they
have those misconceptions, it comes from a place of just not
being educated and not being aware of like new science.
And we say this come up over and over and over especially
conversations with stuff like how your hormones effects 8hd.
Like so many people don't know. That, you know, like your
menstrual cycle, affects your ADHD and like, that's not like,
you're ignorant, it's not like you're willfully choosing to
like, it's just like something that we didn't know for a really
long time, but now that science exists.
So like let's talk about it. Let's, let's, let's explain it
in a way. That makes that information more
accessible, you know what I mean?
Yeah, totally. I think there's a fundamental
difference between talking to a person who outright denies the
existence of it. Eh Because in most of the
circumstances when that has happened to me, it's clearly
come from some place of hurt or trauma or frankly in a lot of
cases, toxic masculinity. Because, you know, men are
taught from a very early age that they're only worth as much
as they can produce. And so there are a lot of men
who have been grown up in the patriarchal structure who
believe that. Like, you know, hey I get up at
the thing and I bootstraps and I are going how, why can't you and
they're like offended by the fact that That that's really
hard for us for some people, but so, there's like, there's like,
a serious deep down, conviction, that ADHD isn't real.
I think that's fundamentally different than talking to
somebody who acknowledges that ADHD is real.
They just didn't only have misconceptions.
I think, in that case, it would be really nice to have a little
hosts holster and be like, oh, actually fun fact, you know,
ADHD medication doesn't make you more likely to become addicted
to substances. In fact, untreated ADHD makes
you more, you know, more likely, to become addicted to something.
That's not the, It's the it's the disorder that makes you more
likely not the treatment from the disorder.
So yeah, I think I think those are absolutely.
I think those are worth worth bringing up because I think
people who have misconceptions are often acting and places of
good faith or from places of good faith, which case here have
some information, you know. Yeah.
So what, okay? So then, let's let's make our
our list. What is what is like?
Let's just talk about like the most common ones that that you
here. I mean, the first one I was here
is that That, you know, people with ADHD or just lazy there,
they lack discipline, they lack motivation.
I like frankly, I think the best possible answer to that is just
like weird the exact opposite thing of lazy.
In fact, like I think people with ADHD have to work a lot
harder to be as productive as they are because we are
constantly battling executive dysfunction and executive or
yeah. It's just It's to do a great,
you're doing great fine. But I think, I mean, I think
that and it's and, you know, like I will say that like, I
hate when you look up articles about ADHD and there's always
like the well lots of successful people have ADHD like so-and-so
celebrity has ADHD like Mozart probably had it and you're like
cool but like, that doesn't help me.
Convince my husband that I'm not making excuses for why I can't
get the kitchen clean. So I think For me the best way
that I've found to sort of like initiate that conversation of.
No, let's talk about like lazy and making excuses and and
really just educating about executive dysfunction, like,
what is executive dysfunction? How does it affect a person?
How does it affect the way that you navigate through the world?
And I think when you put it in terms of like it's not lazy,
it's that I literally perceive tasks and task organization and
time management in a way that you may very well.
Never be able to comprehend. I think that's a really
interesting place to start that conversation because it's like,
well, let's unpack lazy. Let's unpack forgetful, you
know, like that kind of thing that that to me is like a really
big one. Oh yeah, absolutely.
I think if somebody were to say of there's no such thing as
ADHD, you just being lazy at that point, it's like oh well
actually they're images of brain, scan like my brain looks
different. Like you can see it happening.
You can see that when I'm trying to do something the my default
mode Network, the part of your brains that are active, when
you're not doing anything. When you're chilling out hanging
out on them in a hammock, your default mode network is having a
field day in your brain. You default.
I love picture. I love personifying.
The default mode Network so much.
I don't know why but it's like become a hobby of mine.
So that's happening. But when you engage in a task,
when you start doing something, a different network, activates
in your brain, something that's referred to as the task positive
Network. Now, these are supposed to sort
of Off. So when you're at rest, you're
hanging out, you're watching Netflix, you're doing, whatever
you're doing hanging out, your default mode, network is active,
and then you kick in to go mode. I got to do something task,
positive Network takes over, and you start doing the thing for
people with ADHD, their default mode Network remains very active
even when they're trying to get something done, it takes much
more stimulus from the tasks in order to get our default mode.
Network to shut up. When we do the thing, you can
see this in brain scans, there's a really interesting study done.
I'm going to talk for a S. Just really, this is a really
interesting study. There's a study done.
It's the name of it is really long.
I think I brought it over the podcast before but a lot of ADHD
testing when you go in for an 82 evaluation will have something
called a go no-go test. And what that is is you're
looking at a screen, you got a button and you're supposed to
press the button at specific times for me.
When I got tested, the screen would flash Stars.
There's a big white screen. In for like one second at a
time, a star would flash in my job was to press the button
whenever a star popped up that had four points before it went
away. So I had to act quickly because
I had to press the button before it went away, but I also wasn't
supposed to press it if it didn't have four stars.
So, the idea is that you have to balance impulses.
You have to, you have to regulate your wants to press the
button. Every time I start pops up and
go wait, is it four stars and an ADHD person?
The very specific pattern emerges, when you have That test
those are called go/no-go tests. There was a study done that was
a go/no-go test. And the idea is very similar to
the Stars thing. It was aliens, so an alien
robots on the screen, and there is something indicating that
there are certain aliens that you're supposed to catch their
like dangerous. Aliens there are certain aliens
that were friendly and they were nice.
They're like, Casper, the Friendly alien and you weren't
supposed to catch them. So it's very similar thing.
You press the button, when you're supposed to catch it, you
don't want to do, is she walking down the alley at night,
carrying a calculus book right here.
That's that's if you do that, if you do that.
Then you're immediately part of the Men in Black.
You get to meet Will Smith right then.
Let's do. You get to be in the Men in
Black. Thank you for getting my joke.
Absolutely. You got you in and it's
important that they're going to give you a chair and they're not
going to give you a table. You gotta you gotta move the
tape track. You gotta drive the table ragged
as loudly as you can see. That's a big part of it.
It's got to be super loud but anyway you know I thought I
could really live on this for so long I think about the fact that
like you could have just taken the pillow out of the chair and
then sat in front of the Cherry like on the ground in Use the
chairs, the desk. That's what I would have done.
Yeah, I think about that a lot because like the whole terror is
like an egg shape, right? But the seat of the chair spots
you have a desk area, if you sit in front of it like it does,
huh? That's true.
I always thought. Why would the floor trading my
head? Since like the 2010 came out you
definitely would have been in the Men in Black.
You would have been willing to partner with Incredible.
When you look good in a suit you do it?
Yes you do. Yes you do.
We could Riff on. This is a rest of the episode
giving us I think that's anyways, so you're supposed to
catch certain aliens, you're not supposed to catch other aliens,
you get a point every time you do the thing, right?
So every time you don't catch an alien that you weren't supposed
to catch, you got a point when you catch knowing that you were
supposed to catch, you do get a point.
If you fuck up, you lose a point.
I'm just internally screaming and burnt out, gifted and
talented kid. The sounds like my personal
hell, but the aliens are really cute.
I imagine, I never saw pictures of the actual aliens but I'm I
An image. What are you picturing?
Dear listener. What alien?
I'm picturing a green alien with a little, with a little doodle
doodle on its head. I especially like the like a
gumdrop but the Gumdrop has like little stick arms and legs.
It's almost like green gumdrops, and like blue gumdrops, and up,
and the green where the good and the blue or the bad.
I don't know why arbitrarily chose that, but that was what
was it? My head was little Gumdrop,
aliens that is delightful. Thank the Lord for like it also
singer. They have like this little, like
dots for eyes, but, you know, like when dots for eyes can be
like, really cute. Family will dots present, like
Little Smiles, but the blue ones have a line because they're bad
alien. Just like they're really mean
Ian mean, they're blue meanie. Yeah, what?
Well, so you got, so I guess the green aliens would be the don't
catch aliens in the blue aliens would be the catch aliens.
What if you are turning your head calendar, the bad trying to
catch the bad aliens, you got Castle about it and you have to
catch the blue meanie, blue meanie.
So that way the green thicker at the good, Greenies are, okay.
That's how you I'm gonna draw a picture, and I'm going to eat
it. And then, that way, everybody
will know what that looks like. The good fuckin I named one of
them farc, F AR K. I don't know why.
I think that's a really funny name Farkle.
So okay, what sucks athd podcast?
I've like, I cannot stress it off.
Like, how much I am struggling today, like, I like you're doing
great, you're doing great. Hey, if we end up, if we end up
just riffing for the rest of the So then we'll do another Pacific
misconceptions. People.
Enjoy that guy made me so crank else that they have no legs.
They have little stick legs teeny, little feet, 100 feet all
things, and then, yeah, I so mean he's so mean already.
I'm gonna tell you. Okay.
I get to see Oh, he's so cute. He looks to us.
He's so cute. He's like the size of a
thumbnail. He's just so glue.
Guy. Blue meanie.
But he's not blue. Cuz I didn't have blue posted
notes, but their minds go to our go to Twitter.
I guess, I don't know. It'll be on the web somewhere on
the world wide web. Okay, okay, okay, I'm going to
finish this up. I'm gonna finish this thought
it's gonna happen. You get one point for doing a
good thing. You get when you get you lose
one point for fucking up and this This test again so you have
to go. No, go test.
Catch certain aliens. Don't catch other aliens.
It's timed. It's a whole thing lose a point
for doing a bad thing. Get a point for getting a good
thing people with ADHD did markedly worse on this test than
people without ADHD. However oh and you lose in.
They scan their brains while they were doing this to so that
you can see that the default mode network network remained
very active even as they were doing this task or a
neurotypicals into the are people without ADHD, it's a DOT
there. No, the task positive Network
ramped up, default mode Network went down.
However however, if you made it so that you got, At one point
for doing a good thing but lost five points for doing a bad
thing. The people with ADHD did exactly
as well as people without ADHD because it was more stimulating
because it was a bigger it was a bigger deal.
It was worse, right? I think that the most fucking
cool thing. So by increasing the stakes of
the game, like a mistake is really bad.
They're a person with ADHD is far more likely to be able to
focus on that task at least that's what this study suggests.
And I think that's the coolest fucking thing.
So when a person says, you know, ADHD is you just, you just being
lazy, an excuse for people to be lazy.
It's like no, dude, you can fucking look at my brain when
I'm trying as hard as you are to do a thing in my brain is just
like now. Nope, nope, nope.
And I'm gonna describe brain. Yes.
Brain, come on and brains like no, and I'm like brain and then
maybe I'll end up doing the dishes, at be nice.
After a week of fighting that battle eventually, I'll be able
to do the dishes without my brain.
Catching Fire. Anyways, So that's something
that's just a fun study to bring up.
When somebody tells you that you're just being lazy.
Anyways, here's here's the middle interstitial.
We'll be right back and we're back.
I hope you really enjoyed that manner.
Let's ditch. All I never do transitions to
those but I figured, hey, it's 30 minutes.
That's great. I'm gonna say, like I could just
do the interstitial right now, like live, but then we wouldn't
have to edit it after the fact. You think I could do it, you
want to do it? I mean, I guess I can do to you
want me to do it? Yeah.
What should we tell people that? I know.
Hey everybody. Thanks.
It's an infinite Quest. If you if you want to support us
financially then if you're moving, you're moving in 15
days. That's right of the people to
believe is the weirdest episode we've ever done.
This is really strange. Well, was I guess we learned to
not record an episode at night, the night before I moved to
Georgia, in 15 days, largely thanks to all of you who have
been become members of the patreon, they've sent they've
sent donations via twitch, or Other things.
Thank you so much. Holy shit, it's really
happening. So I'm so excited.
So if you like to continue to sew to support infinite Quest,
we have a patreon patreon.com slash infinite Quest.
If you want to become a little become a member of the fruit
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people. You do that, that's really fun
because my I got hagee's Heroes and you got precipitation.
And so the mixture of those is the fruit snack Heroes Heroes
which is also a really good. Panic at the Disco tight band.
Jesus Christ. So that's happening.
Also, Katie and I are going on tour.
We're setting up some cons. We're going to be at play on
con. We're going to be at DragonCon
if you want to know where we are going to be and when we're going
to be there, head on over to infinite Quest podcast.com and
click on tour dates and you will see where we will be and it's
going to be amazing. Also, we were just on the
American sex podcast with Sonny Megatron.
It was really fun. So, go, let's the American sex
podcast. That was really cool.
I don't know. Is there anything else?
Katie, I think it's pretty good. How is it?
I think we get back to episode. Burn it on it.
That's it. That was that are special.
Cool. This is the best episode we've
ever done. I like that.
We were like, we're going to do a serious episode about
education and breaking the stigma.
About ADHD and that I just turned it into talking about
that it black, I'm sorry. All right, would it help you if
I if I brought up another misconception and ask you about
it. Yeah I just I just I honestly
like there's there's just like beautiful poetic irony in the
fact that like I am struggling so hard to manage my focus.
Well, while recording an episode about the misconceptions about
ADHD that it's just like I just think it's funny that.
Yeah, well, I think Also goes to show that basic, how do I want
to say this? Without making it, I don't want
to be wrong when you're emotional, you're there's a
hormones going around in your body and hormones tend to affect
ADHD. So, when I get like really
angry, my ADHD symptoms, go out off the fucking charts.
When I get really sad, my teach him to go off the chart.
And I'm pretty mad about this fucking guy's video.
And so, my brain is just going all over the goddamn place.
All right, Katie. Here's here's one.
Here's one. Here's what hit it.
A kid who can play video games for hours, couldn't possibly
have ADHD. I wrote this one down.
That's that's dumb. People are like, you couldn't
possibly have an HD and it's not me not just video games.
That's just a really common example but like you know, oh
well you can make coffee stirrer models for like 3 hours
straight. You couldn't.
Possibly have it each D. What do you say Katie to people
who say that? I mean I think that honestly I
that's the one that I get the most heated up about because
like that and like a person with good.
Good grades. Can't possibly have ADHD, were
like the two that I heard the most when I was younger as,
like, a reason why I couldn't possibly have 82, like, oh well,
you focus on this, and you focus wellness.
And it's like, yes, because my brain is constantly seeking dope
of me. And my brain is constantly
looking for a stimulus activity. That is good enough to like,
hold my focus and hold my attention and so like, yeah, I
don't Fucking do my math homework, but like, I will hyper
focus on making this costume or like, doing whatever.
Because, like, that is the thing that my attention is focused on
which is why as much as I hate fast as a name.
Oh yeah, I think that attention deficit is such a misnomer
because it is, it's not, it's a fucking, like dysregulation of
your attention. It is you, you cannot.
Not focus your attention in the way that makes, you know, life
easy to live. Like I'm a fucking Pro
hyper-focus, hyper fixator. And I think the other part of
that though to it and something that like we that honestly like
I kind of want to start talking a little bit more about like
just in my own content is like the - the piper Focus because
like we talked a lot about, like, how great it is, you know,
like all when he buckled down and you can get something done,
but there's also like a mom Use pawpaw to that.
And that's like the when you're you know like especially for me
like it's costumes and I just bought a bunch of new fabric to
build a cosplay that is due on Saturday.
And it's Wednesday night, still like I'm looking into my future
and I know what my Friday is going to be, um, but like it's
that super unhealthy taking of the hyper fixation to the
extreme. It's the like I'm gonna do
nothing but so this costume for the next 10 hours.
And then the cycle of Out of like when like that hyper
fixation breaks and then you're like, I don't want to so for the
next six months because like, that's the last thing that I
want, like hyper fixation, ruins lives, man like it ruins
Hobbies. It ruins activities, it sucks.
The joy out of a lot of things, and I think that's something
that we don't talk about and so conversation with like the
dysregulation of attention, like it's like, Yeah, man, it's
great. That you can focus on Minecraft
for seven hours but when you've burned through all your
Minecraft dopamine and then you've got a giant hole in your
life and you have to spend the next you know six months trying
to impose control your way through finding something else.
It gets to be a lot more, you know.
Oh yeah. Absolutely.
I think another weird, like other side of the hole monkey's
paw hyper-focused, than the monkey's paw of hyper focus is.
Well, there are a couple that I immediately just came up when I
was thing about us, but it can be kind of Addicting.
Like it can get. If this happens to me, this is
probably the thing about hyper-focus.
Like the, the sharpest Edge on the double, edged sword of
hyper-focus. That was a great fucking
analogy. Nailed it.
Some It's like pocket. It convinces me arrived.
Can I sometimes have convinced myself that being hyper focused
on to something is the only way to focus on something and get
something done which then causes me to believe like oh if I'm not
going to hyper-focus on it I'm just not going to do it and
that's fucking dangerous. That is interesting, right?
Like because like there have been many times in my life when
I hyper-focus on my cleaning, the kitchen.
And I'm just like, I'm gonna make this fucking thugs.
So goddamn sparkly, but that doesn't happen all the time.
The time, and if I only clean the kitchen when that was
happening, I would fucking never clean my kitchen.
And so, I get addicted to the joy of being hyper.
Hobus in the dopamine, bursts of being hyper focused on stuff,
and that could be really dangerous.
At least it has been for me. That's so I'm dangerously.
Close to a podcast breakthrough because like, I do the exact
opposite thing. I avoid things that I know I'm
going to get hyper focused on, uh, like I do the exact opposite
because like, like, even in like conversation with like, Stupid
stuff. Because like again, I'm I really
want to build this cosplay for Saturday, but like I've put it
off and put it off because I was just like, if I start that, I'm
not going to want it stopped and I'm not gonna want to take a
break and like, whatever. So now I've left it to the last
minute, and it's like, am I going to rush to the finish and
my going to, like, do it at all? Because it's not necessary.
I don't have to build a costume for Saturday.
I just want to because it's a themed weekend of the fair and I
think it would be fun, but it's not like a desperate need, you
know, to get that done. But like that's that's I think
the difference is like I I actively avoid getting hyper
fixated because like I get so invested that it consumes my
life and I hate that feeling because I hate feeling powerless
because like at some point like even in when I'm enjoying it I
get frustrated because I'm like, because now if I stop if I stop
in the middle of the build, if I stopped and you know, in the
middle of cutting out the pieces or whatever, then I'm like, now
I have this mess and now I All the shit and I've got you know
like and if I don't finish it then I'm going to feel like a
failure and like a fuckin to look at all this kind of like
compiles into like I'm really enjoying it but slowly like the
dopamine it's going as I'm worried about like well now I
fucked up, my whole dining room and turned it into a Sewing
Center and like you know, blah blah blah.
So yeah, like I actively resist that like hyper-focus little
cookie, huh? Dude.
That's That's really because I do that too.
How do I say it? But almost, I don't want to say
selectively because it's not like, but I know now that I
think about it. I noticed myself doing that too
and I can't, I don't really know exactly what causes me to either
like dive into hyper Focus or avoid it.
But I do know like think about if you were going for a run.
No, you started your house and go for a while.
Oh no. You're going for a run.
Are you certain? I used to be a church that's
work. Hyper fixated on it.
This is what I'm talking about. We go.
Well, so so you're going for a run as far away from your house
as you go. You have to come that far back.
Yeah, you know, and so God like the scariest thing in the world
to me to be like going for a run, which I never do.
But if I went for a run getting, like, far of my house, and then
fucking totally losing the motivation.
Just being like fucking being out there and being screwed,
which is a more that that fear of well, that that goes a little
deeper into into my depression. But like a lot of times when I'm
afraid to leave the house, it's because I'm really afraid that
I'm going to get depressed. Once I've reached my destination
and I'll be stuck and like I won't be able to get what I
mean. I will be able to get back, but
it'll be excruciatingly because I'll just like, I just want to,
like, lay on the floor wherever I am, but that's a different
story. But, anyways, hyper-focus has
that same sort of thing of like, if I get hyper, I know like, for
example, I just got found a TV on the street, it's nicer than
the shitty TV that I use the second Monitor.
And so I was like, oh shit, if that works.
Awesome. I can swap out my TV's bring My
house doesn't work, it works but the backlights broker Distillery
that so I was like oh shit goddamn which is not that I was
I wasn't mad that I was broken. I was a free TV when I was
immediate was like, oh fuck if I start taking apart this TV and
trying to fix it, my life. For the next seven hours will be
taking for this TV. I'll rearrange my room, I will
clear off my entire desk for TV, maintenance station.
Like I will keep going and then at An hour seven when my room is
destroyed and there are screws all over the floor.
I will meet I will suddenly just stop giving a shit and all that
stuff will stay there forever. My desk will be taken up by this
shitty TV, for the next six months.
I will never get any work done. That's a really scary thing
about hyper-focus to me is is getting in really deep and then
losing it. That's why I like, I've got
like, that's why I work really hard to like finish costumes.
But then like it's out of for me.
So I was like a burnout cycle is I get to write to the end and
that's when like the hyper-focus breaks because I'm like, oh it's
good enough for what it's like a lot of times feel like my
costumes like there's nothing there.
Never hemmed never finish happens because just like the
last thing, you know, but like so I have to work really hard to
make sure that like, no, I need to get this done, you know,
especially like with dragon coming up.
Like I'm building a couple of Cosplay.
Isn't a very excited? I can't wait but like it's you
know it's like a fake. Yeah Boy.
Alright. Hey do you want another?
Do you want another ADHD misconception?
Yeah, because I could talk about hyper Focus for a long time,
which actually it's been a while since we've done an episode on
hyper-focus. I'm at with my might, I mean, I
feel like we're just like Smorgasbord it but I have one
more thought about hyper-focus. These, I think in this is like,
this is for Tanakh warning, but I think one of the reasons why
Kink work so well for my brain is because it is a safe place
for me to just be like, okay, I'm just going to like, focus on
what's going on right now and I can like actively.
It participate in it in a way that is like safe for my brain
to engage as much as my brain wants to engage.
And like, that was like a really important thing for me to
realize and to fruit that board. That's really, that was to fruit
snacky. But no, this is a bunch of shit.
Well, I think to I think we talked a bit about this on
Sunday Megatron's podcast. I think but the idea, how do I
say this? What's scary about him?
Her Focus turning off from me, is that I then have to make a
choice. I have to choose like, am I
gonna white-knuckle my way through to a good stopping point
with this? Or am I going to just drop it?
Which is what I really fucking want to do.
Yeah, and I found that sometimes there isn't an option.
Like, for example, if you run, if you're going on a run and you
run a mile away from your house, you have to, you have to get
back somehow like you know, you either the end of the day that's
going to happen. Well, I mean, hopefully that
happens. Actually, perhaps you get you,
you meet your soul mate, right then.
And they be whisked away to Milan or something.
I don't know which case, amazing.
I hope that happens. That's actually way preferable
to just going home. I don't know.
Riffing oh and so that idea of like I don't have a choice is
weirdly is weirdly enticing to me like in a how do I say
invites by that? I basically mean There's like
the idea of surrendering of just being like I am in this moment
now and that's what's happening and I'm going to like, obviously
like safe words and all that. Like, you can get that if that's
not how Kink works. And if that is, if you're doing
it that way, you're doing it. If I could wrong consent.
And safe words, my friends who listen to our previous episode
but that idea of surrendering is very enticing to me and I think
it's because I have such a profound mistrust of my own
focus and you know, sometimes I'll be hyper focus on something
and then I'll lose it and I'll be like, fuck.
And I'll be like, I'll white-knuckle my way into
cleaning up the TV, the TV that's in 20 pieces on my desk
but then it'll come back and I'm like, fuck it.
Like I really want to work on that TV somewhere and after
bringing a either, have to bring it all back out.
It's you know, variable attention, Katie variable
attention, are you, I really hope like honestly, I really
hope that by the end of my life time, they've renamed it.
Like I really do like I like I'm I still don't like Connor,
dewolfe that like Dave video, which by the way, I know that
spicy I see Connors contact. If you're listening to this
podcast you probably like, you know, are like think I like I
appreciate I see, Connors product.
I've been tagged in that video. 4,000.
Yeah, and that's not hyperbole, like, I counted like, I'm like,
guys, I've seen the video. Yeah, I see the videos, please,
I get tagged in his Videos. So fucking much and it's only we
know is that I feel really guilty but it's ruining but that
that one video is ruining my life but I'm like, I honestly I
think Like anything that just like takes away the like
deficit. Yeah, this idea that it's like a
deficit. It's just so fundamentally
wrong. Yeah.
I think I don't have like, you know what, for one, I shouldn't
be the person to rename ADHD. I'm not qualified to do that,
but I would like to see the one I wanted to be Dave.
I like, I just hope that like, somehow like that just like some
scientist goes, you know what, conard wolf you got Somethin kid
and he's fucking, that's what that I would love that.
I think I wanted to address the idea of Regulation because I
think that's the big well for one more.
I want to talk about misconceptions.
I think that's a big misconception.
Is that a person with ADHD doesn't have attention?
They like it. It's a deficit like it's there's
no such thing as Focus to them. That's not the case.
There's not it's a struggle to regulate your attention to
decide where it goes. That's at the core of ADHD is
deciding. Ultimately ADHD is a disorder of
Regulation fundamental and how that manifests Hyperactive and
and inattentive. Oh yeah, it combined to the
point where, like we're already getting away from that we're
just like, like just like hyper. I like defining it as like one
or the other both, you know, because it's like it's a
spectrum and it's a spectrum all the time.
The like for me, my impulsivity and hyperactivity absolutely
comes up like in conversations because like I immediately think
of like nine different things that I want to say and I have to
choose one. And then that one like offs,
Shoots into eight different ones.
My brain is constantly going like, okay, but what about this
thing about this thing? And so it's like, it's really,
really loud inside my head but like, all of that is going on
inside my head. I'm not like hyperactive in the
sense that I have to, like, get up and walk around here, like
move around and fidget. It's that, I see it's ice.
Like, you know, this is really stupid and you can make fun of
me for it, but, you know that, like one scene in doctor
straighter and like The Avengers were dr.
This is like I've looked at all possible realities and like,
there's only like that to me was like, one of the most like, like
relatable things because I feel like, that's constantly what I'm
doing. I'm like, constantly looking at
every single thought and word and thing that I'm saying, and
like that's not a dysregulation of attention that is a
Dysregulation of potential as it relates to like my, like, you
know what I mean? But yes.
Oh yeah, weird. But that's like that's like what
it feels like inside. My head is just fractal-like
constant fractals of ideas and like, which one do you choose?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think that that, that image,
really proud of that analogy by the way, that's a really good
analogy, you know, right? Um, I think that image of dr.
Strange, so for you, why Haven't seen Avengers Infinity.
Were what do you fucking what? Come on.
You gotta watch Avengers Infinity.
Where I'm speaking of which Kitty?
I haven't seen Loki. I don't spoilers no spoilers.
It's I'm not in the first episode.
I thought I was gonna be a spoiler.
Kids have a really fun time looking for you.
No, I'm not I'm definitely not at the first episode.
I'm sorry, I'm really bummed out about it.
All right, whatever, I've been to the Ren Faire, so I'm going
to be I'm still going to look for landmarks and stuff, but
what was I say? Oh yeah.
It seemed with Doctor Strange, where he's looking at all the
all the things in his he's looking when he's like, you
know, he's flashing through realities, in his head is
twitching. And he's looking, he's looking
there that that's what an ADHD attack feels like to me.
Now, as far as I know, there's no such term as an ADHD
attacking literally was about to call you the fuck out.
I know you want made up, you watch my content kid.
You know, I've talked about this before occasionally, watch your
guys or suffer through, just kidding.
That's okay. It's, we were This is in good
fun. This is good fun but the idiot
like it. So I know there is no such term
as ADHD attack while there is now, because I just set it by
mean, I feel like that's a really good way to say, like, I
instantly know that the experience that you're
describing. Oh yeah.
Because like I have ADHD 100% of the time, that's because I have
ADHD, but there are times when for whatever reason, it just go,
it gets down to 11, sometimes it lasts for like a couple minutes,
sometimes it lasts for a day, but If you're think of like you
know speaking of fractals and subdivisions, you know like I
have 80 I often say that I have ADHD on all subdivisions of time
like from year to year. You can see my ADHD like oh this
year he was like really into making sourdough bread and now
he's a podcast host. You know like it all over the
bug bites. Oh my God, I have ADHD
week-to-week month-to-month day-to-day all the way down to
like the second to second base. It's Katie.
You just had a thought. What do you think?
I like, I don't like god, dammit.
We're like so close to being out of time but That is how I don't,
I'm really bad with time. Like I'm terrible with time.
Like I like if you ask me what happened, five years ago or Ted
yet, like I can't honestly was the type.
Can't tell you, I do everything by ADHD hyper fixations.
Oh yeah, I like tell my time like oh, that was the year that
I was a magician. That was a year that I worked at
the casino like that was it like that's how I like relate.
A lot of my life is like well, what was I doing?
Like what was? I it oh, that was my doctor who
year like, I dated him while I was watching Doctor, Who like,
that's that's just like we I don't think we've ever talked
about that. It's just like, weird that we
both do that. I know.
Totally, yes, that I found that out about you.
That's the only way like you can, if you ask me like oh when
did that happen? Like I couldn't tell you when
years but I could be like oh that was five hyper fixations
ago. Five career choices but that's
like it. I just like I intrinsically
linked time to like the time I spent Piper picked a ship.
No, totally But I think it like so forth and athe attack is so I
have ADHD and all time scales. So all the way down, you know,
week-to-week day-to-day hour-to-hour minute-to-minute
all the way down to, like a certain amount of seconds.
But usually, it bottoms out at a certain point like I'll have any
like where I'll be bouncing from thing to thing on a good day.
I got like 10 seconds, maybe a little less like 10 seconds
where I can be like, okay, I'm reading this book and then oh no
wait, there's this other thing over that like it's about 10
seconds, an idiocy attack happens when that shrinks down
to like a quarter of a second and I can't hold on to anything
for more than a quarter of a second.
I'm just like over there. We'll just what I should go to
the that. I will also drop off.
Apparently I'm just like I can't even think of full word and I
what happens it's it's kind of Gary, but my body starts to
Twitch a lot because my brain keeps telling my body to do a
thing and then immediately changing its mind.
And so, I'll like, twist my head to look over there.
But then twitch my hand to reach over there.
And I literally, I end up just sort of shaking like like dr.
Strange in that fucking scene. So that's what I thought of when
I saw that scene but yeah, it's really weird.
I wish we don't want ADHD attack isn't really a thing.
I think it's talked about like we should I I really like it
because like that is I actually kind of feel like I'm firmly in
the middle of an ADHD attack like right now, like not like a
bad one, but like I am struggling far more and it's
like I know that part of it is because like, I'm emotionally
exhausted and I can feel a depressive episode coming on but
also like everything that happened today and like I was
really stressed out. Like I thought I fucking get it,
man like II. Yeah, I get it's very, it's a
very weird. Sensation.
It's a very strange sensation and Burl here we here we go.
You ready for the full circle, that's why it's so fucking
frustrating. When some jackass on the
internet comes up and goes like oh you're a whole thing isn't
real. It's all it's just fake notes
all made up. You've been manipulated.
There's a global fucking conspiracy or whatever the hell
like. Are you kidding me, man?
Get the fuck out of here with that shit like this.
Like I first off like, yeah, I did.
Yep. It's a whole thing.
Well, Katie, if my if my my time is correct, I always have to set
a stop watch during these things because I will totally forget
when we're actually going. I mean, we both we, I remember
the 3 hour episodes. Oh yeah, God, that was, that was
what we were when we started out.
Like, all right, we have three hours.
We got to make it an hour. It's gonna end up being an hour
and a half. Well, so Katie, I guess.
All right here, quick question. Look, you got, what do you got
like, one or two sentences every instrument in the world?
I don't know if I'm sure. I've actually asked you that
question at some point. I'm not sure change my answer
every time you guys I change my sensor.
Pretty frequently. Yeah.
But question, what do you say to somebody who says ADHD is you
don't accumulate. The Katie.
This is really like you don't I'm not looking for some magnum
opus. Just like not really, what do
you just? What do you say?
What do you actually say? Most of the time?
I don't say anything honestly. Like most of the time, I say,
well, I'm not going to change your mind and I Don't care
because like cool, you believe what you want.
But I think like, I'm going to get all emotional about but I
mean like the real truth is like, my mom still really kind
of doesn't believe that I have ADHD like she's coming around to
this like idea that I talked about having it a lot but like
you know at the very beginning of all this like I was she
literally looked at me and was like, you know?
Oh You need to stop like lying to people about having ADHD.
Like that's not you that's not like I was like, well, you know,
yeah, so I mean, it's not the same thing as like, ADHD doesn't
exist, but like, I think my answer is the same.
It is, I respect your opinion, I don't.
But it seems nice to say that, you know?
Like I absolutely understand why you might believe that but I
know this, The store that is in my head and I know what it is
like to live inside my mind and I know what it is like to freeze
in place in the middle of my kitchen because I literally
cannot comprehend that the impossible choice of unloading,
the dishwasher or turning on the microwave.
Like I know what it is like to live these experiences and you
can believe what you like but there is irrefutable scientific
proof that what I Experience is real.
There is documented evidence that what I am experiencing is
biologically based and involves physical differences in my
brains and brain and the chemical like makeup of my
anatomy. And also if I'm not having fun
with this like it's not like a, you know, it's not a fucking
superpower. Like I would lie about having
superpowers because I think that would It'd be really fun like I
think having superpowers would be neat but like, it's not and
so this like weird like glorification even in
conversation with like it's all a conspiracy and we're all were
all drug addicts and Liars. Like why would I lie about this?
Like what do I stand to gain from any of this?
Like I cried in a thrift store bathroom today?
Because I didn't have a tampon to put in my ears because I was
so, Over stimulated. Like, I'm not in it for the
glory man. That's what I have to say.
That wasn't really an answer. I'm sorry, that was totally an
answer. It was totally an answer.
I'm not in it for the glory. Man also be like that's like
either on a t-shirt or like a tombstone or something.
I don't know. I don't know, something like
that. You know what I say?
What'd I just say? Yes, it is.
Well, better. That was a better answer, the
high. No, I don't think.
It's but it. Well, I mean, I think if our
chance to look like what do I say when somebody says idea to
what I actually really in real life would say, is yes it is
that's like that's literally what I would say and that's it
but if I were to like make the argument I would say yes it is
it's not up to you it's not up to me are my opinion and your
opinion on it. Don't fucking mean anything the
opinions of these hundreds and As in hundreds of very well.
Oh, my God, educated well educated.
Well, qualified Schultz, credentialed and qualified
professionals. All have a one, new conglomerate
opinion, one amalgam opinion. And that is that it objectively
is fucking true. So you can deny that if you
want. I don't recommend it because
reality is a good place to live but yes it is that that did has
outside of whatever whatever you think. yes, it is, Believe it or
don't That's good.
Now, that's good. That's a good play.
It's I was gonna I was going to try and do the song live but I
left my ukulele downstairs. Sure.
Well, hey everybody, that's it this week for infinite.
West. Here we are at the end.
Good job. You made it to the end of the
episode. Maybe I have a glass of water.
That's right. I know.
I forgot to do it in the interstitial this week so you
could do it at the the end this time.
You know, you're probably a little thirsty or anyway.
It's been a little bit longer so you're welcome.
I'm just out here taking care of you while.
Hey listen, as is Now official tradition.
We have some fruit snack hero. To induct into the infinite
Quest family Hall of Fame. Here we go.
It's the new patreon song of the week.
Let's do it. This week we have gratitude to
extend upon thee for the number of no patreon to Pond this week.
Number three. Yes, they know.
Ho ho ho bird. So thanks.
You to Darby and to Sandy and also Sarah.
You are the three wise, men, three, I think d'armée brought
the gold and Sandy brought the myrrh and Sarah probably brought
frankincense. Can anybody help us make sense
of what you do? It frankincense and myrrh.
Like we understand golden seems practical, but / and
frankincense is symbolic so I guess symbolically.
You are our new wise men free. So thank you, Sarah and Cindy,
and Darby, and for everybody else who's already subscribed to
the infinite Quest patreon. We really do appreciate you,
because your donations help us, keep running the podcast.
All of us here at infinite Quest.
Thank you have a really wonderful week.
Everybody remember to be kind to yourself.
Remember to take your meds, remember to drink your water,
generally above all else, we're just really, really grateful to
get to do this every week jokes aside.
So all of us here at infinite Quest, have a wonderful week.
We'll see you next week and we love you, but why?
Why? Oh God.
Hey everybody real quick. Before we go.
I also just wanted to let you know that we talked a lot about
the ADHD consensus statement on this week's episode and so we
have got ahead and uploaded that to the infinite Quest website
over on the extra section. So if you want to check it out,
you can. It's a PDF, you can download it.
It's pretty sciency. But I also think it's one of the
most interesting documents to read about ADHD, because it
basically covers every question every topic Everything that you
could possibly think about in conversation with ADHD and not
only that, but they link to all of the different resources and
all of the different sources that they used to make these
sort of consensus statements. So it's a really really powerful
document if you are just learning about ADHD or if you
just want to learn more about ADHD.
So anyway, sorry to take up more of your time but it's up on our
website. You can check it out if you
like. So.
Have a great day everybody. Bye.