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I have read the articles in the Globe and I while I agree with what most everyone is saying on this forum, I can’t think that maybe in more than a few cases the ADD is misdiagnosed and might be well controlled as stated in “Here is the cure to ADD:”. A few parents try that and if they find it works for their kids, then it apparently becomes the gold standard for treating all kids. Ritalin not needed: for everybody period.
We know that diagnosing ADD at best is difficult. Many of us have suffered silently, for years perhaps, while finding out “what is wrong with us?”
And it seems to me after reading a lot of our stories that reality of ADD took a long time for a lot of us. It was hard to put into words to doctors and therapists exactly what we were going through and how we felt. And then the wrong diagnosis was usually applied: either depression or anxiety and a suitable treatment was started. Not because of malpractice, but because nobody knew about adult ADD.
The root cause of the depression and anxiety we had was never even considered until recently. So it must be even more difficult to diagnose a young boy or girl, and based solely on anecdotal evidence from teachers for the most part. I’m reasonably certain that most parents cannot see ADD in their children unless the parents are aware themselves. Kids can’t verbalize what they’re feeling or what’s wrong or why they do what they do.
In most cases the diagnosis of ADD is usually “made in the field” by teachers who are trying to educate kids with minimal disruption in the classroom. Or because of lousy teachers. I don’t know.
But I think we need to look at the statistics, though. While it is suspected there is roughly 5% probability that a person has ADD, what is the percentage of school age children are, on the advice of a teacher, are ADD and need treatment? Has that been looked into? If there is a higher percentage of kids reported to have ADD by the school system, say in the 7-10% range then something is out of whack. That, or, there are more people in the general population that have ADD and that stat maybe needs to be changed. Maybe boys are being over diagnosed? But for the wrong reasons.
Everything now needs a quick fix, a pill, to produce the results we want immediately. Big pharma and doctors in a conspiracy? Well, that’s fine by me….I’m a lot better because of it. If someone out there has a secret agenda or a mission to make people believe it’s all a sham and we’re being duped. Fine, your entitled to your beliefs. However, these people are usually the ones that know just what’s right for everybody and you “just need to pull yourself by the bootstraps, try harder and stop being so lazy” Sound familiar?
Fine. Leave me alone, leave us alone. I’m better now, we’re better now.
“Anti-women”? I think that’s a little harsh sounding more like a generalization. Maybe because there are fewer male teachers in the junior grades it might make even more difficult for a boy to relate to school and want to do well. Maybe there is a correlation? Not having any children myself, I guess I don’t really have an opinion. But I would think the education system needs to look at that issue, because if we are “failing boys” we’re in for a lot of trouble when boys leave school early and lack the skills they need to succeed. We may need a few more “super-prisons” because some boys, as men, will find other “creative” ways to make a living. I believe the stats on the percentage of males with undiagnosed ADD already in prison bear that out. Let’s use our ability to “see the big picture” and make things better.
In just in favour of anything that engages and keeps boys in school. Maybe the curriculum has to change. My mother recently found most of my report cards when I was in school…a long time ago….and they really didn’t reveal anything I already don’t know as a result of being ADD. The subjects I liked, I did well; the subjects I didn’t like, well…you know. “Needs to concentrate/focus more…Needs to apply himself…Should pay more attention in class…”
And going back to the “Here is the cure to ADD:” Isn’t that just good parenting advice for all kids?
Hope this helps…and good luck.
REPORT ABUSEDepends on your definition of “normal”.
I’m sure everyone, including people who don’t have ADD, have issues about being “normal” at some time. I think being “normal” is a cultural concept because our western culture really wants to define people for the comfort of the rest of society. Everyone fits in. Nobody stands out. In theory…
But the more we, including people without ADD, try to fit in the more we feel inside ourselves that we don’t. Another thing I have learned about western society and values is that we tend to operate from a deficit position for just about everything. And I’m not talking the ADD type. For the most part we feel, or are made to feel, as if there is something lacking whether it’s possessions (a bigger house; a more expensive car; a beautiful/handsome spouse, 2.5 kids and a dog; the newest digital camera, etc.) or spiritual (there’s no meaning in my life – ever watch those TV evangelists?). Even to the extend living a lie just to be “normal”. Or even what sports team you’re a fan of. Let’s call it a “tribal” thing.
Sometimes it’s kinda funny to watch people be “normal”. Just look current “pop culture” trends and you’ll get the picture.
I think we ADDers get the double whammy because if we lacked our ADD, we’d still be looking for the same thing everyone else is looking for. But we get the fact that it’s elusive so we’re really ahead of the curve. I now realize it’s all a big joke and I’m the only one that gets it. Let me say, those of us with ADD “get it”. Because we can see the end result, because we can connect-the-dots, because we can see the relationship: the whole enchilada.
My feeling is you will see a lot more dissatisfaction and unrest in our culture during the next while as most of us attempt to adapt to the new world order. I remember my father was the sole wage earner in the family: we had a nice middle-class life in the ‘burbs, a nice bungalow to live in and had balance between work and life. Life was good. My father seldom worked overtime and only if the customer really needed something fast (it was more of an imposition than trying to increase productivity). Did our family want anything more out of life? In some small way, sure. That was how we based progress back then. But now it’s expected, indeed, demanded, so we can feel progress in our lives. We’ve become addicted to it and everything we watch on TV enables that feeling. Or advertising in magazines.
I fell out of that a long time ago, probably right after my father died when I was 11 years old. Single parent families were not “normal” then. That shattered everything I came to believe about being “normal” and changed everything I had believed in about the world up to then.
This, along with my undiagnosed ADD always made me feel like an outsider, that “I didn’t get it…”.
I know enough to know that “You are responsible for your own salvation”. A Buddhism belief, I believe. And I have been working on my own salvation for a long time. Getting closer every day it seems.
The other thing that really helped was a book called “Existentialism for Dummies”. I’m not joking, it really helped put some things in perspective. I’ve always had an interest in existentialism, even as a teenager probably trying to get a handle on things because of my then undiagnosed ADD and life in general. “Why didn’t I fit in…” I wondered. A lot of people think that existentialism is really dark and depressing (just the thing I need….) but I think it’s really about life. It’s not about sitting in a Paris cafe, drinking espressos, smoking those awful French cigarettes and saying “Life is sheet…”. It’s a guide as to how to cope in a ever increasingly meaningless world where all values are now skewed, manipulated even.
The other book that helped my figure things out was “The Thinker’s Way: Think Critically. Live Creatively. Choose Freely” by John Chaffee. Now, there’s a book I wish I’d read a long, long time ago. It put a lot of things in perspective. And in a big way, too.
You have everything you need: right here, right now.
Hope this helps…and good luck!
REPORT ABUSEI remember several years back after the company I worked for went bust that the Government of Canada’s Employment – Service Canada did help me with aptitude and vocational skills assessment. Best of all, it was free
Go here:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/subjects/employment/index.shtml
Hope this helps…and good luck
REPORT ABUSEHi, Lyn
Your story is very similar to mine and probably most everybody that post to these forums and I think knowing that can be of some comfort to you. My biggest struggle with ADD has been with issues concerning work. Always has. Still is.
I’m 57 and was diagnosed a few years ago after a lifetime of misery and self-defeating behaviour.
I think that it’s important for you to find the correct medication because that will help stabilize your ADD. Lots of different meds are availble to control ADD symptoms. That was the most important step in my recovery. Once you have achieved that you can start to take control of all the other issues that are, or a result of, ADD.
My situation is typical of many I suppose: I’m ADD, stressed, anxious and depressed. Not a good place to view the world. But I have noticed that with the COMBINATION of meds, therapy and a lot of people (including people that post here) have helped me believe that I’m OK making this situation somewhat tolerable. The thing of it is that once the ADD piece of the puzzle fell into place all the other symptoms have been reduced. The root cause I guess you’d call it.
Yes, it’s overwhelming I know. There have been days that I wanted to crawl into a hole and pull it in after me. And I have to tell you it still occurs, but now I am able to take control to minimize the impact. These periods are a lot shorter and easier to recover from. Think about a pilot flying an airplane and finds themselves in a tailspin. Sure, it’s terrifying at first but you can train yourself to recover. It’s one of the techniques you learn as you go long. I guess the point is once you realize you can get control…you ARE in control.
My company has spent the last several years trying to make me feel like a “freak” because I can’t do what 95% of my coworkers find easy. They’re being b@stards (there’s really no other phrase for it) about accommodating my ADD. They think it’s like having a cold and that I’ll get over it and eventually regain my senses. The only reason I haven’t been canned is I have asserted my rights and made them aware they have crossed a line. The company is working hard to force me to quit and go away. None of this would have easy if I weren’t on meds and leaned heavily (well, very heavily) on my support system. Ask my wife and she’ll tell you what an emotional and psychological toll this has taken on me. On the both of us.
But, it’s really about control. Someone once said to me “You are not your ADD. Don’t let it define you” meaning “so you’re ADD: what are you prepared to do about it?”
You and I have a different brainstyle than 95% of the world. And I’m trying to use this fact for my own tactical advantage. Bend the world to you. Adapt, change, modify.
Above all, don’t give up, Lyn. You will get through this. When you’re on your back the only place is up….
Hope this helps…and good luck.
REPORT ABUSEI’m assuming that you are asking when to stop taking meds before tested for ADD? When I had my assessment done I think it was two days without stimulants prior to the day of the test. As explained to me, stimulants “wash-out” of the body quickly (4 to 8 hours?). You can almost feel when it kicks and when it fizzles out.
Right dosage is mostly trial and error. Your doctor will probably determine a starting point usually at the lower end and ramp up until the dose is effective. The starting point can be a guess, but I think they take a pretty good stab at it based on their experience with other patients. So don’t be disappointed if you don’t feel any immediate or long lasting effect.
How to know if you’re a the right dosage is really subjective. As far as I know, there isn’t a blood test to determine a target range in the blood stream. Everyone will have a different threshold for a clinically correct dosage. Maybe the severity of the ADD or metabolism can be factors.
This is where self-reporting comes in. If you FEEL more focussed, if you FEEL you can stay on task and if you FEEL more in control, then the dose may be considered appropriate. And this is where the input of an SO (Significant Other…life partner, a friend, a relative, maybe a coworker) is important. If you feel comfortable asking them, they can be an invaluable source of feedback. The other important thing is that you establish a really good working relationship with your doctor and tell them exactly how you feel. You won’t hurt their feelings if you tell them the meds aren’t working. Things can be adjusted and changed until you’re feeling better.
My experience with Concerta was that it it fizzled out after four hours (the wash-out effect). My doc split the dosage. I took one capsule in the morning and another one in the afternoon, right after lunch. That would get me through the day. I know some people, that if they need a “booster” for something intensive in the evening like night school or social activities, also use a small dose of Ritalin.
Hope this helps…and good luck.
REPORT ABUSEHi, Fernando!
You’re absolutely right about meds helping to facilitate change. I think of it as “providing a leg up” on the situation. But that’s only a start, then it’s all about learning new skills to work with, and within, ADD.
Meditation is a skill that sometimes takes a while work. Based on what I have read, when long-time practitioners such as Buddhist monks, are monitored for brain activity during meditation they have been shown to have lower brain activity. This is a linked I just quickly googled, but there is a lot of similar websites:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1611
I guess it’s typical of the Western approach to things that we require immediate feedback for everything. I’ve use meditation techniques for a while and am starting to feel the benefits.
Meanwhile, the meds has allowed me to make those changes in my life to lessen the impact of ADD, Now that I know it’s neurological and not because of a character defect or lack of willpower, I can use that information to use work-arounds for my brainstyle. Before the diagnosis and the meds, it was all that negative crap I’ve been hearing all my life when there was a setback: your lazy, try harder, it’s easy, everyone else can do it. Blah, blah, blah.
It sounds like you have a few things in mind that you want to change. The only thing I can tell you is to be patient. The will be setbacks along the way, but do not be discouraged. Just carry on from where you fell, keep moving ahead.
If you can, find an ADD coach, or therapist (your local family services agency is a good start), they can help you along the way.
This is a time when the hyperfocus can be an asset, if used for good purposes! But now we tell when that happens, right?
Just keep your eyes on the prize and let us know how you’re doing. We love success stories here.
Hope this helps…and good luck
REPORT ABUSESorry for the repeating my post……pressed the wrong key….D’oh…..
REPORT ABUSEHow does one reduce the impact of mental fatigue? Could exercise or meditation help? Or trying to avoid constant exposure to high stimulus/stress situations?
REPORT ABUSEHow does one reduce the impact of mental fatigue? Could exercise or meditation help? Or trying to avoid high stimulus/stress situations?
REPORT ABUSEHey, ScottyDoo
I love your avatar. Only someone with a high level of visual creativity would have found that image….
REPORT ABUSEWellbutrin Xl is working well (no pun intended) for me. Like most of us. I’m on a variety of meds for the comorbid conditions of anxiety and depression. I was changed to Wellbutrin from Effexor because the Effexor (someone please stop me) wasn’t having an effect any more. But as often is the case, what works well for one person doesn’t mean it works for another.
My psydoc has also added Lomotrigine as a mood stabilizer for a while now and that has worked extremely well. When I do get angry, it seems to be more under control. When I do lose it, I’m more aware at my point of losing it and am better able to diffuse the situation, such as choosing to avoid acting inappropriately.
No doubt therapy and coaching has helped, too. And in a lot of cases where we have to interact with people, pills aren’t enough. I think somewhere in this website is the mantra of “Skills, not pills”.
Live better through chemistry…..
Hope this helps…and good luck
REPORT ABUSEI have been using noise canceling headphones for about a year and a half now. I can say that sometimes they work for me, but a lot of the times when voices of people around me (as opposed to the voices already in my head…) still gets through.
I think NC headphones are designed to allow the human voice to still filter through so others can get your attention, so I’m a little disappointed that way. It’s fine for reducing general background noise such as air conditioners or the hum of traffic or flying in a jet somewhere. There is some noise reduction when listening to other voices, but not enough though.
There are several “loud-talkers” in my department and when the three or four of them get together I have this overwhelming urge to want to puncture my eardrums with an ice-pick. You’d think that working in a cube farm you’d want to keep your voice down…just out of courtesy for those of us that have to work.
I found the best way to overcome that distraction is to plug the Bose into the iPhone and play my music. Loud. The audio quality is awesome. I know there are a lot of people that don’t like Bose, but listening is believing. The other thing I was considering was using the foam ear-plugs in addition to the headphones.
As part of my accommodation at work, I have requested a quiet location for working, but they’re response has been “Well, we tried but there is no space available anywhere that will meet your requirements”. And that’s true, there is not a cube empty in the whole place.
I’ve even asked if I can work from home, but that got turned down quickly. I kinda expected that. Why did I even bother?
But I digress….
ShaneG: what about those funky headsets pilots wear? I think they provide noise reduction in addition to receiving and transmitting radio communications. David Clark and Bose are two of the leading makers.
Just as a general observation, the headphones that completely surround the ear, as opposed to some units that fit on the ear are far superior in noise reduction. They can be a little more uncomfortable to wear, but I’ve had no issues with the Bose headphone. I’ll wear them for hours a day sometimes and my only complaint is that your head might get a little warm if your office isn’t air conditioned.
Hope this helps….and good luck.
REPORT ABUSEGrowing up in a Ukrainian household, I’ve heard a lot. My favourite translates into English as “May a disease take you….”
Sums it up, I think.
REPORT ABUSEWe don’t think so….you’ve taken a very important step by posting here.
Read the stories. We’ve ALL been there and know exactly what you are going through and what you are feeling and, most importantly, we understand. Better than most people on this planet.
Hope this helps…and good luck.
REPORT ABUSEBut wait. There’s More!….
So, quickly, what time of the year was everyone born?
The Globe articles doesn’t discount ADD, but are suggesting that it is possible some diagnosis is made to early. Which may be as bad as diagnosing to late, I suppose. As I scanned through the articles and comments, there was no “ADD doesn’t exist” conclusions, but I can see how the Anti-ADD crowd will twist this argument to suit their evil purposes. I think we expect too much of kids at that age because we expect them to behave like adults at 5!
Repeat after me: “Hey, teacher, leave those kids alone….All in all your just another brick in the wall.””
It sounds similar the Christian-Scientist article, but with less rhetoric.
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