AI meets ADHD
I have ADHD. My doctor describes it as "severe," and I know firsthand the struggles of managing the demands of daily life, work, and creative pursuits while dealing with the negative impacts of my condition. And that's where ChatGPT comes in. This large language model has been a significant aid for me in terms of making me more productive and helping me deal with the challenges of ADHD.
If you're not familiar with ADHD, it's a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an individual's ability to sustain attention, control impulses, and regulate emotions. For people like me, this can mean struggling with distractions, time blindness, procrastination, and the dreaded "writer's block,” and not just when writing. People with ADHD can experience a form of writer's block (often called “ADHD paralysis”) when attempting any task that requires creativity, is complex, or demands sustained attention.
With the help of ChatGPT, I've been able to overcome many of these challenges and unleash my creativity in ways I never thought possible. Here are just a few of the ways ChatGPT has helped me as an adult with ADHD:
Distraction-Free Writing Environment
One of the biggest challenges in dealing with ADHD at work is avoiding distractions. Social media, email notifications, and other online distractions make it easy for me to stop doing what I need to do. With ChatGPT, I have a distraction-free writing environment that helps me stay focused and on task.
I would typically start a search by looking up something simple, like the conversion of milligrams to ounces, and end the day many hours later as an expert on the Battle of Agincourt, with no idea how I got there. Conversely, when I ask ChatGPT a question, I get an answer to that question without a big list of links of dubious relevance.
Because I can communicate with ChatGPT directly in my writing app or browser, I don't have to worry about switching between tabs or getting lost in the endless scroll of social media. Instead, I can stay in the flow of my writing or other work and get more done in less time. ChatGPT even keeps me from falling down the rabbit hole of internet searching.
Immediate Feedback and Inspiration
Another challenge of working with ADHD is that I can often get stuck in a rut, unsure of what to write next or how to develop my ideas for a project at work. I often experience a mental logjam, where I see so many possible ways to tackle an idea that I just lock up. But with ChatGPT, I have access to immediate feedback and inspiration that helps me keep my work moving forward. I often type in a concept and see where ChatGPT goes with it, and that is usually all it takes to break the logjam and let my creative juices flow.
Improved Time Management
One of the most frustrating aspects of ADHD is the difficulty I have with time management. I often struggle to estimate how long a task will take or get sidetracked by tangential ideas and distractions. But with ChatGPT, I've been able to improve my time management skills and get more done in less time.
Because ChatGPT is always available and responsive, I don't have to waste time searching for the information or inspiration I need. Instead, I can rely on the language model to help me stay on track and keep my work moving forward.
Enhanced Creativity and Originality
One of the most exciting (and surprising) benefits of using ChatGPT as an adult with ADHD is the way it enhances my creativity and originality. With its vast database of language and concepts, ChatGPT is able to generate ideas and suggestions that I may not have thought of on my own.
I'm able to take my work to the next level and find new ways to be creative and express myself by drawing on this large pool of knowledge and ideas. And because ChatGPT is always learning and evolving, there's always something new to discover and explore.
Here are just a few of the real-world scenarios where I have leveraged ChatGPT:
At Work
Using ChatGPT to generate computer code or pseudocode, in any programming language, for solving problems. I can iterate endlessly and try different ideas instantly.
Error-checking and adding comments to existing code.
Ask ChatGPT to read and summarize research papers or other documents, and even provide, for example, the top five key takeaways.
Related to above: I asked ChatGPT to read a research paper, and then write a program in Python to calculate the mathematical formulas from the paper, based on user input for the variables.
Use it to create an outline for a presentation or a paper.
Generate a sample script for an existing presentation.
Craft responses to routine emails.
At Home
Creating schedules and to-do lists.
Meal planning, generating recipes for meals, and then creating a shopping list for the ingredients. You can specify the types of meals, e.g. Mediterranean, caloric content, etc.
Ask the language model to come up with questions to ask about a topic. So meta!
Use ChatGPT to list the pros and cons of decisions.
Comparing my resume and cover letter to a job description, and suggesting edits.
Nearly anything you would typically use other search tools for.
This supercharged chatbot is not perfect. It makes factual errors, code that doesn’t work on the first try, and other mistakes. It requires human knowledge and finesse to generate the best output, but that’s fine, and maybe even comforting.
ChatGPT has been a game changer for me as an adult human with ADHD. Imposter syndrome is a crippling part of my disorder. It makes me constantly doubt my ability to do well in any major job or life situation over the long term. This is based on the fact that, due to my ADHD, many circumstances have crashed and burned after starting out well. As an adjunct to medication and therapy, I find that ChatGPT gives me a sense of empowerment and confidence in my own abilities.
ChatGPT is not a substitute for proper diagnosis and treatment of ADHD or any other disorder. It is a tool, but a powerful one. My new AI friend is like having a personal assistant that is great at all the things that I find most difficult. ChatGPT never gets exhausted by my ADHD behavior; it doesn’t judge me, and I don’t feel guilty or ashamed when I use it. I could live without it, but for now, I choose not to.