[Wgreen]

Time. Now that’s an interesting subject. And the relationship between time and productivity is perhaps even more interesting. Time is not arbitrary. Productivity, like, say, velocity, is a function of time——how much work per hour; how many feet per second. Without some concrete notion of time, productivity could not even be defined. Nor gravity for that matter. Those of us in the “West” perfected the notion of productivity based upon a keen awareness of time. While people around the world have always used the sun and moon to give them some notion of time of day, month, and season, clocks have made it possible to synchronize our lives. Today we organize our daily routines around clocks——time to get up, time to take a medication, time to eat, time to work, time to watch a certain program(me) on TV, time for a meeting, time to catch a train or plane, etc. After accurate timekeeping became possible, punctuality became de rigueur in the West. Not so much in some other cultures. Is it not interesting that the West, which became enamoured of the clock centuries ago, also became extremely productive. And perhaps it’s no coincidence that ADDers’ inability to synchronize their lives with the time requirements of others (especially an inability to organize towards the future) lies at the root of so many of their problems.

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[Wgreen]

SB—Thanks for posting that. Like so many things, our understanding of mental health seems to be constantly in flux. Several years ago a French psychiatrist I know asserted without ANY reservation that homosexuality was a serious neurological disorder and should be treated as such. I haven’t spoken to him in a long time, but I do know the American Psychiatric Association has an entirely different view today. So there’s a prime example of a widely accepted mental-illness “downgrade.”

What I do know is this: if a neurological (or psychological) issue is defined as nothing more than an alternative neurology, then there is little incentive for anybody to care about it. Just a pat on the back and a little encouragement is all that’s required. I’m sure there’s no way a “neurotypical” person can even imagine what it’s like to have what I have——what my father had. So I don’t even try to explain it. I don’t make excuses anymore; I know nobody is interested in them. And to be frank, I don’t really care what people think about things that lie completely outside their realms of experience. But I fervently hope that there will always be some people out there who take bi-polar disorder, ADHD, and other mental-health issues seriously. And that they’ll continue to work in their labs doing research, trying to find some way to help me——and countless others——reclaim our wills… and our dignity.

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[Wgreen]

Let me tell you about a strategy I heard about that may sound a bit off the wall. In most communities there are groups of parents who home school their kids. That doesn’t mean parents do all the teaching themselves. My understanding is they form “teaching cooperatives.” One parent teaches math, another one English composition, another one biology, etc. Kids are shuttled around from house to house for classes, which are always small.

Some while back I heard about some parents who had a kid in a public school and whom they wanted to remain in a public school. But their kid desperately needed remedial help in several subjects that the school couldn’t/wouldn’t provide. So they did some research and signed up for a few of these home school classes—in the afternoons. I don’t know exactly how it worked, but it apparently was cheaper than tutors. And I gather the instruction was really helpful.

I wish I could remember where I read/heard about it. And I don’t know whether your community would have such a network. It’s just an… idea.

Good luck.

Idea for Rick and the gang——use the website to set up ADHD tutoring networks in various cities. Lord knows many people could use ’em.

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[Wgreen]

I quit a good job once, simply because after several years my (great) boss wouldn’t give me benefits. I felt insulted. Alas, it was a bad idea. Not that I quit, but that I hadn’t found another place to land before I jumped. If you need to move on, by all means go. But I wouldn’t do it precipitously. There was a time when you could say adios on Monday and have a new job by Friday. But those days are gone (for most people). Also, in the digital age, it’s much harder to reinvent yourself. You don’t want to act unprofessionally. Word gets around.
Prudence. Take Scattybird’s advice——take a few days and think it through.

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[Wgreen]

Here’s an interesting perspective on gift v. curse from the Wikipedia ADHD entry. (I think I may have posted it a few days ago on another string, but I can’t remember exactly where. Sorry.) Under the subhead “evolution,” the author(s) posits this theory:
“Further evidence that hyperactivity might be evolutionarily beneficial was put forth in a 2006 study finding that it may carry specific benefits for certain forms of society. In these societies, those with ADHD are hypothesized to have been more proficient in tasks involving risk, competition, and/or unpredictable behavior (i.e. exploring new areas, finding new food sources, etc.), where these societies may have benefited from confining impulsive or unpredictable behavior to a small subgroup. In these situations, ADHD would have been beneficial to society as a whole even while severely detrimental to the individual.”
So here we have somebody suggesting that while ADHD is (or can be) hell for an individual, it is sometimes “a gift” to the community. We’ll call it the Vincent van Gogh theory——the man was deeply troubled; the world got some great art. All I can vouch for is the individual hell part.

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[Wgreen]

@witamind—If you’re near Baltimore, Johns Hopkins has ongoing studies on ADHD: http://www.hopkinsbayview.org/studies/
Not only do they pay money, but the researchers may well know of other resources available in the area. Just an idea.

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[Wgreen]

Only a doctor can provide a diagnosis. But you might want to read this:
http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/adhd-facts.pdf

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[Wgreen]

So… what happened next?

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[Wgreen]

Hmmmm. A heart rate of 115 would seem to be a common side effect of ADD stimulants. Here’s another recent thread that addresses the same issue: http://totallyaddconnect.com/forums/topic/vyvanse-makes-my-heart-beat-at-115/

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[Wgreen]

Since ADD sex seems to be a “hot” (no pun intended) topic lately——some people take meds and can’t get enough, others take meds and would rather watch reruns of Gunsmoke——I thought I’d cross-reference the other string about intimacy currently trending on the site: http://totallyaddconnect.com/forums/topic/how-do-i-eliminate-the-heightened-sexual-desires-side-effect/

It’ll be interesting to hear what Ari Tuckman has to say.

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[Wgreen]

That’s an interesting piece, particularly since (in my experience) a lot of ADDers have quick wits. There’s an awful lot to be said about humo[u]r. It can be be used narcissistically to draw attention to ourselves. It can be used to bully. It can be used to diffuse tension. It can be used to try to gain acceptance; it can be used to gauge acceptance (do people tend to laugh at our attempts to be funny?). And, as the article suggests, it can be used to shoot ourselves in the foot. You could go on and on. Of course, things are further complicated by the fact that different cultures have different collective senses of humo[u]r. What’s funny in Toronto, may not be funny in, say, Mumbai.

I would add one observation: Since ADDers tend to shoot off at the mouth, it’s not unexpected that they will often shoot off at the keyboard. But BEWARE——written speech is uninflected. A sarcastic comment out of your mouth is inflected in such a way that most people understand you’re not really serious; you’re trying to be funny. The same comment on FB or in an e-mail may come across as extremely insulting or rude. Just a heads up.

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[Wgreen]

Just an observation:
I think this is an important post——even though Kath is yet to find her productivity buddy.
Consider: Nashville, Tennessee, may be the ADD capital of the world. Everybody there jokes about it, because so many extremely creative, ditzy people live there, attracted by the music business. Music publishing (songwriting) is a huge local industry and one of the most lucrative. And here’s how songwriters work: two people will make a date to get together and spend hours working on a song they intend to pitch to particular artists, producers, A&R execs, etc. But the important point is, it’s a process that seems always to be done in tandem. In fact, around town, you hear people making songwriting dates all the time. Instead of “Hey, let’s do lunch some time,” you hear, “Hey man, we need to get together and write some songs…”

Taking a page out of the Music Row “song book,” maybe ADDers really should look for buddies who can help them, in situ, get stuff done. Now, in the case of music, it’s always collaborative. But it doesn’t have to be. If you’re not working together on the same project, at least you’ve got somebody looking over your shoulder while you look over theirs. Simply make a date to be productive. (When it’s over, you can go back to Angry Birds.) Russell Barkley alluded to the utility, even necessity, of “supervision” in one of his videos. Maybe Nashville songwriters have the secret sauce. Kath, thanks for the post.

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[Wgreen]

Out of curiosity, what’s the subject of your thesis?

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[Wgreen]

Justness, here’s the dilemma. This site could really use more expert moderation. But doctors have be be EXTREMELY careful how they dispense advice. They operate under rigorous ethics rules. Were they to advise you to do something and your health went pear-shaped, there could be a… problem. That’s why, when it comes to prescription medication, you need to talk to your own doctor—who has your chart, knows your particular situation, can monitor your progress, etc.
Still, I will tell you that, initially, my doctor prescribed BP meds and stimulants for me simultaneously. I gather that’s NOT uncommon. For what it’s worth.

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[Wgreen]

Justness, I couldn’t say. I’ve had heart issues, so my cardiologist told me, “Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. THROW THAT STUFF OUT!” Now, I have heard anecdotal stories, but it’s dangerous to talk about mediations if you don’t have an M.D. after your name. Where I come from (the U.S.) they can throw you in jail for handing out legal and medical advice without the proper credentials. Of course, that doesn’t stop us here. We just all say we’re Canadians and didn’t know! But seriously, here’s what I’ve heard (perhaps others will weigh in): 1) Your blood pressure should be at or slightly below normal levels—stimulants will raise BP. 2) Your body will acclimate itself to stimulants over time (the palpitations), so if you can manage to survive a few weeks, you’ll feel better. But, as I said, I’m not a doctor. And you need to talk to YOUR doctor. I don’t want you telling an Emergency Room triage nurse that some guy with the handle Wgreen on the Totally ADD website told you the palpitations would go away just before your eyeballs roll up and you lapse into a coma.

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