The Forums › Forums › Ask The Community › Is there really "nothing positive" about ADD? › Re: Is there really “nothing positive” about ADD?
First of all I think Dr. Barkley is thinking not just about the milder cases but also the people that are more disabled than most. These are the people that are so disabled that they are living with relatives because they can’t support themselves or are homeless or in prison because of their ADHD. For every Ty Pennington there are 10s if not hundreds that are in prison or failing so badly at life that they commit suicide rather than continue. The problem in the US at least is that most Doctors are NOT recognizing ADD in adults so it is hard for an adult to even get diagnosed much less medicated. We have to fight to get the help we need.
Medication is not a cure-all anyway. It is a crutch to help you develop the skills to work around your weaknesses. Even then there are some who are so bad that they will always be on medication in order to function.
As to being a contradiction to “ADD & Loving It!?!”, Patrick states himself that he is not loving it but he has accepted it as part of who he is and with his wonderful wife to support him, he is one of the fortunate ones who is doing well.
The only positive I have ever seen in my own ADD is the thinking “outside the box” that OCCASIONALLY puts me ahead but mostly sends me around the corner and down the block when I need to be somewhere else.
One note on Dr. Barkley, he had a fraternal twin brother that had severe ADD. He nearly died of infections because he would forget to take care of himself and died in a car wreck. He has personal experience with what it can do to someone’s life. Watch the full lecture on http://www.caddac.ca/cms/video/teens_adults_player.html where he speaks on two subject matters.
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