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I’m not sure ADD determines what we are or are not interested in, but I suspect it has a role to play in how relentlessly we pursue the things that grab our imaginations. Whether it’s watching team sports on TV, or playing video games, or posting stuff on FB, or gambling, or watching porn, or shopping, or… whatever, if it’s an activity an ADDer finds particularly stimulating, it can become an obsession.

By the same token, if an activity, TV program(me), or conversation doesn’t grab our interest, our minds are often just not available; having to endure the uninteresting for more than a few minutes is like Chinese water torture.

(N.B. When I use “our,” I realize I can’t speak for every ADDer. I write from first-hand experience with several members of my own family and circle of friends who have been diagnosed or who, years ago—before ADD was widely understood, clearly presented the symptoms.)

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And speaking of brain science, George Will—an American political pundit who normally writes about the machinations of government—has written an interesting column on… an Administration initiative to study the neurochemistry of the brain (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-f-will-obamas-brainy-idea/2013/08/23/ca5bb1ca-0b45-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html).

Do we have bodies or are we bodies? What will become of the field of psychology as explorations of brain anatomy advances our understanding of how brain architecture influences, or even determines, behavior? “The devil made me do it” is no longer an exculpation. But what about “My brain circuitry made me do it”?

What indeed.

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I posted about Twitter just the other day. The Internet in general is just as insidious. Our friend Larynxa likes to say that an ADD mind is an interest-driven mind. Though I think that’s generally an unfortunate thing (it’s a sign of narcissism—we are constantly focused on our own likes/interests/thoughts, often at the expense of being insensitive to the needs of others and unavailable for ideas and tasks we don’t find personally compelling), I certainly think she’s right. The Web fuels the impulsions of a wandering, interest-driven mind ad absurdum.

I don’t know what the answer is. You can hardly afford to throw your computer or tablet away—they have become essential devices in the modern world. Still, it’s like being forced to sleep in the same bed with somebody you find irresistibly attractive but know you need to avoid.

I suppose you do the best you can—resolve to limit your browsing to just an hour or two a day? Good luck with that.

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[Wgreen]

I did EXTREMELY well in boarding school (highly structured environment) and nearly flunked out of university (no structure, many distractions). But I think academic success also depends on the quality of instruction and our level of interest in the subject matter. I know from experience that there are some schools out there that any bright kid can breeze through, disciplined or not. And of course it’s always easier to excel in something that really grabs and holds our interest, or something for which we have a real talent.

I always ran into trouble when I signed up for a course that LOOKED interesting but turned out to be excruciatingly tedious. Too, I knew I usually didn’t read books; I skimmed them. Sort of. So I was savvy enough to steer clear of The 19th-Century English Novel. It seems to me the key for ADDers (and others, as well) when it comes to academic success is to avoid impulsivity when it comes to choosing courses. We need to be always mindful of our particular challenges and, for example, resist that urge to sign up for The Architecture Of The Roman Empire just because we saw some neat pics of the Colosseum in National Geographic.

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Interesting comment about “Jeopardy.”
I’ve never heard anybody claim that a good memory (for trivia) is an ADD asset. On the other hand, if a racing brain does anything—apart from drive me around the bend—it perhaps helps me find interesting patterns in what others would consider random factoids or data points.

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Wow. I’m convinced Rick and I are related somewhere down the line. The symmetry in our lives is uncanny.

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[Wgreen]

This is a wonderful illustration of why ADD is a big deal. Lord knows, I’ve been there, done that. If there were some strategy, any strategy, Jo could use (apart from meds or somebody constantly standing over her shoulder) to get her project moving before CRUSHING pressure forces her to do it, ADD wouldn’t be a serious disorder. It would just be a bothersome life problem a little behavio(u)r modification could iron out.

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[Wgreen]

Well, at least it appears some people out there take ADD seriously. And how good to know it’s a get-out-of-jury-duty card!

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Emotional regulation has to be the of the greatest challenges ADDers face. Extreme bouts of frustration and frequent fits of anger seem to come with the territory. It seems to me that perfecting the art of the sincere apology should be one of the first skills ADDers acquire. Some years ago my daughter told me she thought I was bipolar. Not a theory without merit. In any event, ADD and Bipolar Disorder seem to be close neurological cousins. Perhaps it’s fair to say that bipolar tendencies are generally part of the AD(H)D package—they call it a “comorbidity”; maybe it’s really a standard accessory. Dunno. What I do know is everybody in my family who suffers from AD(H)D rides an emotional roller coaster. And sometimes it can scare the hell out of coworkers and loved ones.

STOP PRESS: Russell Barkley explains the neurological difference between AD(H)D and Bipolar Disorder here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cw8jHUkHiA
The behavio(u)r may seem the same, but the neurology is, in fact, different. (The clip is short.)

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[Wgreen]

Alas, “discovery” ain’t an on-off switch. ADD will dog you your entire life. Meds may help. Other strategies also may help. But you’ll likely always have challenges. You’ll find this forum is divided mainly between people who think AD(H)D is a terribly debilitating disorder and those who think it’s the greatest thing since e-mail. A few will say it’s “just an alternate neurology.” While I suppose that’s basically true, I’m not sure that’s much more helpful than the view of people (like myself) in “camp one.” It’s certainly not going to help turn your life around.
I imagine there will be a flurry of posts on your string. You’ll see for yourself how diverse opinion is among people diagnosed with Attention Deficit. (And I’m sure the same thing is true of people diagnosed with lots of things.) Here’s hoping that meds can make a big difference for you. But you’ll undoubtedly need more than that. The site is chock full of tips.

I’m so sorry your life has been so difficult. At least you now know it’s not all your “fault,” for whatever that’s worth. Best of luck going forward. And welcome.

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This is a question for a doctor. Period. Anybody else who gives you advice about stopping a medication is probably breaking the law, not to mention potentially putting you in danger.
With that caveat, I’ll share my personal experience: I was on Adderall for a brief period and found I couldn’t tolerate it. My doctor took me off it cold turkey and there was no adverse reaction. WebMD says there sometimes can be withdrawal symptoms when a patient has been on the med for a lengthy period of time. I don’t know what “lengthy” means.

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@dithl—If you do a search of “Russell Barkley” and “Youtube” you’ll find dozens of videos of his lectures. Most of his most recent clips deal with self-regulation. In his view, everything else is largely peripheral.

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Just an observation:

“We have been seeing a therapist for over a year now with nothing in the line of results. They seem to do little more than have a nice chat once a month.”

First you say “we,” then then you say “they.” Therapists can’t be very helpful unless and until they get their heads around all the problems. What I see anecdotally and have gleaned from a (Russell) Barclay presentation on a large longitudinal study is that, often times, ADDers simply don’t see the true extent of their “problems” or refuse to acknowledge them. Anybody who has an older ADD child in therapy needs to make sure the therapist gets mom and dad’s side of the story. If Barclay’s observations are correct, the problem may not lie with the therapist, except to the extent that s/he isn’t savvy enough to understand that your child may be pulling his/her chain. It appears that ADDers are notorious for not confronting—for whatever reasons—the serious issues they present. I know. I was in denial for years.

My advice: ALWAYS make sure YOU get face time with the therapist so that all your concerns are on the table. It needs to be a family intervention.

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It’s just a curious finding. These results would seem to contradict considerable anecdotal evidence to the contrary. So what are ya gonna believe—your own experience or the conclusions of people who supposedly know what they’re talking about? In his book Wrong, David H. Freedman draws heavily on the work of John Ioannidis, a medical statistician who reviews medical research for accuracy. Ioannidis asserts that, eventually, two thirds of all medical research published in prestigious journals (i.e., the best of the best) turns out to be… mostly or flat-out wrong. In an article that appeared in The Atlantic a few years back (see below), Freedman discusses why this might be. So I’ll wait for at least one more team to duplicate these results before I accept the unnerving possibility that my own eyes have been deceiving me for years.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/308269/

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KTF—You’re absolutely right. Nobody wants to “parent” an adult. And no adult wants to be “parented.” If your husband is in denial about his ADD and the serious problems it presents, it just makes matters worse. All you have to do is read this forum: lots of ADDers think Attention Deficit is a benign “alternative” neurology, they think others just need to understand and “make adjustments—meet them half way, so to speak.” So you end up half bankrupt, I guess. ADD is slippery. My experience is that’s it’s much more nightmare than gift. Others clearly disagree. And to be fair, I suppose it depends. But ADD aside, if your spouse is acting irresponsibly—for whatever reason—you need to put your foot down. Getting the help of a third party makes the difficult conversations less personal.

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