Re: Can we stop being negative?

[Bibliophile]

I agree that people with ADHD can succeed given the right setting and support. I also agree completely that the impairments each of us contend with vary in intensity and type; although to be ADHD the impairments would have to be associated with impairments of executive functions or inattention and behaviour monitoring.

Sure, there are situations when being unable to maintain a train of thought will lead to brilliant insights seemingly out of left field. Other times it will lead to losing ones train of thought while pitching a new technology or focusing on a minor detail instead of the big picture. The environment is the key to success.

For day to day tasks, e.g. housework, paying bills, programming the kids’ activities, etc., and business related activities, e.g. ensuring tasks are completed on time, ensuring tasks are completed with the appropriate detail and scope, ensuring that tasks follow accepted format, etc., ADHD detracts from one’s success because staying on topic or focused and monitoring time are difficult activities for the ADHD brain. The business setting will dictate how rigid the rules are as well, which may play up to a person’s strengths or allow for some degree of inattention.

Not every person suffering from ADHD is a gambler, drug addict, divorcee, or math failure. I agree. However, I feel that the person would most likely be better at doing what there strengths are if they didn’t have to deal with the ADHD symptoms. The exception is the environment or task that REQUIRES random thinking, not sitting still, and trial and error.

I ask you, is jumping from one thought to the next really thinking faster? How do we measure that? I know we feel like our minds are racing, but is that just because of the constant flurry of thoughts or is it really processing faster? How could we even measure and what would the baseline be?

We can all point to anecdotal examples of either side. For example, Walt Disney was very much a LINEAR thinker but still creative and visionary. Would he have accomplished as much as he did if he was not staying on task or found it difficult to finish a project? How much patience was required to refine ideas and implement them?

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