SCI/TECH: The Gift of ADHD

It's all in the spin. Creativity, energy and intuition are the flip-side to the distractibility, poor impulse control and emotional sensitivity that characterize ADHD, say two new books: "Delivered From Distraction" and "The Gift of ADHD." According to Dr. Edward Hallowell, "It's how you manage it that determines whether it becomes a gift or a curse."






No doubt this new theory will generate much debate - but it makes a lot of sense to me.

Kids and adults I know with ADHD are almost uniformly brilliant, if in sometimes weird ways. Learning how to channel that brilliance seems to be the key. Hint: Lithium and prozac aren't the way to go.

It won't surprise anyone to learn I think ADHD and other "disorders" result from exposures to different contaminations in our world and likely, some sort of genetic mutation. But it's happened, it's here and we may as well make lemonade.

No one benefits if we belittle and target people with different abilities. People with ADHD may be the next evolutionary step on our path to species' greatness.



[edit on 10-3-2005 by soficrow]

I'd like to see a study on ADHD and allergies. How many people have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have also been diagnosed with allergies?

[edit on 10-3-2005 by SourGrapes]

I have to agree with this one..

I am told I am a strong canidate to have ADHD, my one kid who is 6 is suppost to have ADHD and ODD(Opisition Defiant Disorder) Anyway my point of this post is not to bitch about who is riught and wrong on diagnosing this crap...

I think having ADHD is a good thing providing i do in fact have it, as the soficow stated, people with thise have extrodinary ability to be very smart in whatever they put thier minds to...

For example I give myself, I wanted to make a car and put it in a game, it took me about 3 months to learn to model, found out the 3d prgm i had can do alot more than add a car to a game, therefor i studied it more and more.. 8 months later i am comparitive to someone who has been doing 3d for 3 to 6 yrs..

another example, I am very intelegent, I can tell you things most people will never think of... for instance, a Fleas average lifespan is about 1 week, all they do is eat, sleep, and have sex..

I like the gift i have it gives me alot of skill around here.. I am pretty good on my defenses here, considering i have only been into this a few months...

I also do not think people should rush to put these people on drugs who they think have this ADHD cause i think we will miss alot of smart people in alot of diffrent things...

And to Sour Grapes, I do not have any allerigies, comparitive to my kid who has a few.

[edit on 3/10/2005 by ThichHeaded]

Wow, that's pretty amazing.

I suffer from ADHD aswell, and always thought of it as a detriment. Hey, I turned out pretty smart !



Deep

People thought i had ADHD because i got done with my school work and tests early
ADD and ADHD can at times, in my opinion work in a way for good productivity. I know many people who have struggled with the disease but i think that many times it can be overdiagnosed. It's a tough disorder but with hard work and dedication can be overcome.

PS good work Sofi! another WATS?

i have add or adhd, the difference isnt much, regardless, ive been told my iq is extremely high, but at the same time things such as school bore the crap out of me and i always am wandering about the most random #

the funny thing is that in a intelligent debate, i cant remeber when i have ever lost(aside from politics b/c well u cant win in politics)

the funny thing is i often find myself thinking up very creative stuff, from movies, to plots, to anything really. i also perform alot ie singing/acting etc.

i have weird in a sense impulses about people, by this i mean when i talk to people i know what they are thinking, feeling etc. and the funny thing is its not like hey 50/50, id say 99.9% of the time im correct, and it comes to me so natural...very odd.

ive told people about this, then ive been talking to them and there all shy about a topic, and i just say what there shy about, and they get the funniest looks cause im right on all the time. its best when i do it to my g/f lol

regardless i am a firm believer in paranormal things, and i plan on studying them for a living...research psychologist

[edit on 3/10/2005 by Zach]

My mom recently got medication for ADD symptoms, the stuff she got(Aterol sp?)was amphetamine coated so it would be time releasesd. Funny how its ok to give it to kids, but possesion of it is a big no no.

Originally posted by soficrow
Kids and adults I know with ADHD are almost uniformly brilliant, if in sometimes weird ways. Learning how to channel that brilliance seems to be the key. Hint: Lithium and prozac aren't the way to go.

Lithium and fluoxitine have never been indicated for ADHD. This combination is more likely to be prescribed for Bipolar II.

As far as ADHD is concerned, I think, it is way over diagnosed. The incidence of this disorder seems to have risen far faster than can be accounted for by some intervening variable, either congenital or environmental.

I have seen too many kids medicated because they have adjustment problems or because they have behavioral problems. In the long run, everybody loses from such a policy.

ritalindeath.com...

This site asserts that fluoxitine and other SSRIs are prescribed for children with ADHD, but, while I have seen many kids prescribed these drugs, none that I have seen was diagnosed with ADHD alone.

The most troubling trend in this area is the almost wholesale prescription of Risperdal (risperidone) to kids whose behavior is a result of their environmental conditions.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Originally posted by soficrow
Kids and adults I know with ADHD are almost uniformly brilliant, if in sometimes weird ways. Learning how to channel that brilliance seems to be the key. Hint: Lithium and prozac aren't the way to go.

Lithium and fluoxitine have never been indicated for ADHD. This combination is more likely to be prescribed for Bipolar II.

Mea culpa. You caught me. I went for the quick one-liner. It was cheap. Sorry.

As far as ADHD is concerned, I think, it is way over diagnosed.

I used to think so too. Not any more tho.

The incidence of this disorder seems to have risen far faster than can be accounted for by some intervening variable, either congenital or environmental.

Incidence has skyrocketed for sure - as have things like diabetes, obesity, heart disease and more. Most of these diseases and disorders are associated with misfolded proteins.

I have seen too many kids medicated because they have adjustment problems or because they have behavioral problems. In the long run, everybody loses from such a policy.

I agree. And most often, the medications create more problems than they help - physical and cellular problems too. IMO - we are far better off recognizing that it's our schools and educational systems that need to change - not the kids.

The most troubling trend in this area is the almost wholesale prescription of Risperdal (risperidone) to kids whose behavior is a result of their environmental conditions.

Go Grady.

And even when environmental conditions aren't the actual cause of a disorder, removing environmental triggers that make the disease worse can make the difference between a decent life and disability.


.

I think that a contributing factor in the apparent increase of this disorder might be the fact that in today's society, many parents seem to find it easier to medicate a child rather than do the hard and often thankless task of raising a decent human being.

Also we have to consider that people probably always have suffered from this. It just wasn't diagnosed correctly. ADHD and the earlier ADD labels haven't been around all that long, but the disorder itself probably has.

I am diagnosed w/ bipolar disorder, which has very similar symptoms of adhd. My son has been diagnosed w/ adhd. He was struggling in school mostly, not being able to sit still long enough to do work, being very aggressive towards other children. It was a mess. I was against medications at first, but then I decided to let his doctor try him on concerta. He is doing very well in school now. He's in 1st grade and is reading about 3rd or 4th grade level. He is a wiz at math also. So now I am not opposed to medications for children w/ severe cases of adhd. I didn't realize how smart he was until he was put on concerta, and able to focus. On the other hand I have seen some kids on medication that just has them so drugged up that they can't function, now that is wrong. My son is also learning to play guitar, and draws really good. And before the medications he couldn't do anything. He is also a wiz at putting puzzles together. Age 7 and he will sit and put a 500 piece puzzle together w/in a few hours time. I am also fairly intelligent, and I enjoy writing poetry. So I agree that ppl w/ certain disorders are smart!!

Originally posted by Ambient Sound

Also we have to consider that people probably always have suffered from this. It just wasn't diagnosed correctly. ADHD and the earlier ADD labels haven't been around all that long, but the disorder itself probably has.

i have to disagree with this. It's a fairly standard line about many new diseases - dead wrong IMO - and one of my pet peeves. ...Fact is, there ARE a whole lot of new strange diseases and arguably, diagnosis isn't any better now than it ever was. Maybe way worse.

...The microscope was invented about 400 years ago (Janssen) and then brought into popularity after Leeuwenhoek - and doctors only stopped doing their own microscopic studies maybe 60 or 70 years ago.

...So we have incredible records of cells and tissue, illustrated and described in writing - and we know that much of what's become common over the past few decades used to be non-existent.



[end rant].

Well sofi, I have to disagree somewhat. I think alot of what has been diagnosed as ADD/ADHD is really Asperger's Syndrome a form of Autism. I was (wrongly)diagnosed with ADD and OCD when I was a teenager and was put on Ritalin and Prozac. Let me tell you that being a difficult person to get along with was far better then being a drugged up Zombie. I have started to learn how to take advantage of my brain but from everything I have read about Asberger's I will not be able to do such a thing until my late 20s.

Originally posted by mizzfit_cenny
I am diagnosed w/ bipolar disorder, which has very similar symptoms of adhd.

My son has been diagnosed w/ adhd. ....I was against medications at first, but then I decided to let his doctor try him on concerta. He is doing very well in school now. He's in 1st grade and is reading about 3rd or 4th grade level. He is a wiz at math also. So now I am not opposed to medications for children w/ severe cases of adhd.

... I am also fairly intelligent, and I enjoy writing poetry. So I agree that ppl w/ certain disorders are smart!!

Thanks.


Okay - another one of my pet peeves. ....Your son got meds that worked for him. YEA! ...Go for it, I say.

The problem is that the same drugs do NOT work for everyone. ...Most drugs target certain proteins at specific stages in cell development. The pharmaceutical companies know exactly what protein they're targeting - and they know that not everyone needs the same fix.

ALL IT TAKES is a friggin protein test to find out if the drug prescribed is the right one for a particular patient. But do they run the tests? Heck no. They turn the patients into guinea pigs. They tell you that uou have to just try it to see if it's the right one for you.

Bull puckey. It's a money game. and it makes me mad.


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Originally posted by sardion2000
Well sofi, I have to disagree somewhat. I think alot of what has been diagnosed as ADD/ADHD is really Asperger's Syndrome a form of Autism. I was (wrongly)diagnosed with ADD and OCD when I was a teenager and was put on Ritalin and Prozac.

Sorry. Glad you got it straightened out. ...I do agree that ADD/ADHD is a 'catch-all' global diagnosis - should have made that clear. ...The difference is in categories, classifications and forms. IMO - diagnosis sucks whatever you've got - getting the right diagnosis and treatment is practically a miracle.

Let me tell you that being a difficult person to get along with was far better then being a drugged up Zombie.

I bet. This business of drugging kids has got to stop. It's a convenience and a cop out. And way wrong.

I have started to learn how to take advantage of my brain but from everything I have read about Asberger's I will not be able to do such a thing until my late 20s.

Keep thinking, posting and writing. You're doing great.

Really - using the muscle does wonders. ...I had 2 small strokes last summer - wiped out most of my vocabulary and chunks of memory, made it hard for me to read and write, and left me kinda stupid - but I kept pushing and now I'm getting it all back.

Think of yourself and your brain as your own creation. You're a work of art - a painting and symphony all at once, constantly evolving.



.

Wow...sign me up to get ADHD. I know weird facts too, like there is a 1 in 12,000 chance of finding a pearl when you eat an oyster or that I have a 1 in 23,000,000 chance of winning a six digit lottery. Honestly, that is nothing but brain farts not to be confused with intelligence. Everyone can remember weird things like that.
I have a strong suspicion that I might have ADHD though because I tend to do what I want to do instead of what I should do.hmm......I wonder what kind of meds I can get......wonder if they are good?

Originally posted by sardion2000
been diagnosed as ADD/ADHD is really Asperger's Syndrome a form of Autism.

I know someone with Asberger's. Didn't Einstein have a form of Autism also? Anyways everyone really likes to say the word asberger's really loud, its hilarious because most people think you've just made up a new cuss word. I chuckle all the time because of that word.............ASBERGERS! HAHAHA

Good luck with coping with it though.

He had asberger's actually. Basically 1905 is when he reached maturity. I can only hope to achieve a fraction of what he did, but who knows. No body who knew Al when he was growing up knew he was going to change Physics as we know it. Coping with it is nothing now that I know what is wrong with me. There are no meds for it and even if there were I would not take them. Asbergers is basically a partial mental retardation of the center in the brain that deals with Socialisation and Body Language while the centers for Analitical and Abstact thought do the opposit, its why alot of people call it the Genuis condition. The only real way to treat these individuals is to get them Social Training early on in life. Allthough some are so bad nothing may help them in that regard. I was lucky to have a mild case(or is it unlucky :puz

I would like to speak from personal experience. I have ADHD, and an IQ of 182, which is hindered in some ways by the ADHD, but it is also complimented. I have been told by others, and have noticed myself that it allows me to be quite responseful, and has enabled me to multi-task extremely well. I agree more with those that call it a blessing, and feel sorry for those who aren't able to realize the blessing that they have been given. Not a day goes by where I am not thankful for my ADHD, I don't know what I would do without it. I was more able to channel more energy into my work when I was medicated for it, but I was very reclusive and had no social ability.

I heard some new information on the link between ADHD, autusm and other nuerological diseases. Apparently, vaccines are prserved with unsafe doses of mercury. Some children are genetically or environmentally predisposed to not be able to roid their bodies of heavy metals.

To cross-reference, it is discussed in this thread:
www.abovetopsecret.com...