Background: I was diagnosed with ADHD in the sixth grade and the diagnosis made sense then, and still does today (I am 27 years old - CS graduate and software developer). I don't want to make this post into a discussion or flamewar on the existence of ADHD, whether it is overdiagnosed, etc.<p>I am simply curious because I understand that some fairly successful and creative people have been diagnosed with ADHD (the founder of JetBlue comes to mind) and I figure that the same must be true for a community like Hacker News. It would be very interesting to me to hear your stories!<p>Note: There is no "ADD" in the DSM-IV. The term ADHD is meant to include Type A (Predominantly Inattentive), Type B (Predominantly Hyperactive) and Combined. I just want to point that out so we're all speaking the same language!
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was probably in 2nd grade and took Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta. I stopped taking them about 3 months prior to finishing my Bachelors of Computer Science. I have now been 8 months with out it and have been working at my new job quite well. Prior to that for the last 2 years of my education I would only take my medication when I needed to study hard or had a test.
In addition to the distractibility for which it is most known; ADHD folks are often capable of super-concentration for periods of time. This is why you often find them in occupations that benefit from this capability... programming being chief among them.<p>Self medication with mild stimulants like caffeine is also common.
I have been diagnosed with Type A in college, and I've got that hyperfocus ability at times. Medication didn't really help me so I stopped. However I recently learned I have Convergence Insufficiency, which can cause you to look as if you're ADHD. So now I don't know.