Nearly everyone is not a part of this conversation.
Technology - especially software - attracts people with ADHD traits like hyperfocus, so it's not a stretch to expect a higher percentage of ADHD brains on HN.
On top of that, "arguing with people on the internet" is an attractive source of stimulation for those of us with ADHD, meaning we will overrepresent ourselves in any discussion.
No. But, it feels like people seem to only be able to name a single condition. ADHD gets misapplied frequently. I only scanned the original article, but it was really evident that the individual has a complex situation deserving more than self-help.
To underline this point. There are almost weekly threads here which either either start with a mention of "ADHD", or someone posting a comment on "ADHD" along with how they manage it with self-help books. It is hard to find the right professional help, but it's something worth doing because it's probably the only thing that will solve the problems. We should encourage people to seek that help instead of only pointing to self-help articles.
The visible symptoms of ADHD (ADD is no longer a separate thing) are things normal people experience all the time.
ADHD is very poorly named. It has similar symptoms at times but it is categorically different because they come from severely compromised self-regulation across many facets. Emotional control, memory, focus, sensory processing, etc.
Many people with ADHD find ways to work around this by finding ways to create a structure they can work in. This contributes to the belief that ADHD can be solved by diligent, disciplined work. Especially because discipline is the solution to normal people’s issues with attention.
But the reality is ADHD not a lack of discipline, but the inability to have it in the first place. Some people manage, but many can’t and other people make moral judgements that anyone with ADHD isn’t trying hard enough.
Edit: I said this more clearly elsewhere:
The symptoms are not the disorder and don't come from the same mechanism that causes normal people to have difficultly paying attention sometimes.
