homer
Member
Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683 |
quote:
homer, what exactly would the advantages of AD(h)D be?
First off, go get that book...driven to distraction...it answers a lot of these questions.
The advantages of ADD is that you probably tend to focus on certain things to an extreme. In my case, I am a designer (artist). A LOT of people with ADD end up as artists of some sort.
Throughout my school years, I was extremely good at school, but doing homework was (and still is) an agonizing process. When I went to college and found myself as an art major, I was all of the sudden extremely focused on art. I could work on a project for hours upon hours at a time.
The disadvantages are that I simply am not good at things like paperwork, budgeting, etc..., but I tend to be very good at visualization and creative work.
quote:
Not being able to sit still or pay attention doesn't seem too wonderful to me.
Its not. I am terrible in meetings. I last maybe 20 minutes. In hindsight, this was the way I was in school as well. I wouldn't absorb much from a lecture class...my mind would be off entertaining itself in about 15 minutes.
quote:
Are the questionaires I had to fill out (and have my wife and mother fill out, too) sufficient enough to diagnose ADHD?
I can't answer that. However, it has been shown that the people that can best diagnose you, or, at least recognize the syptoms, are those that interact with you everyday (such as your wife). That's why childhood ADD should first be recognize by a trained teacher. I think too many parents try and diagnose their own kids, but these are the parents that see their kids from only 6-9 pm evernight where the kids are begging for attention.
In my case, the tests I was taking made little sense to me until afterwords. Basically, they were a variety of things to make sure there weren't other problems existing. They were able to cross out depression, anxiety, learning disabilities, etc..
In my case, it came down to ADD being the ONLY probably cause of my problems, as they were able to weed out any other variables.
Accoring to my psychologist, the most telling test was the one me and my wife took...they were pretty much identical.
quote:
If it's biological, where's the litmus test?
From what I understand, there isn't one today, but in a decade or so, they may be able to identify ADD via a catscan. (it is an imbalance in the brain).
quote:
If it's mental, I can do it on my own.
To a point. It's good to have a 'coach'. My problem is that I can IDENTIFY times when my ADD is acting up (when I interupt people, when I get fidgety in a meeting, etc...) but I still tend to catch myself AFTER the fact. Which is frustrating.
quote:
Why should I have to start taking medication at 22?
The same reason that you should wear glasses if your eyes are going at 22.
Medication isn't necessarily bad, just an option.
I'm going to look into it with my doctor. I have a friend who was diagnosed at 30 and he said medication made a world of difference for him. He is no longer on it, as he has developed coping skills now.
quote:
If I have ADHD, I've had my entire life, and I'm still going strong. How's that truism about fixing things that aren't broken go?
Exactly, if it isn't a problem for you, why worry? That said, it sounds like it may be a problem for your wife...so you should at least look into your options.
quote:
Is my son going to get it (if I have it)?
ADD is hereditary. I'm 100% sure that my father has some form of it. He's developed EXTREME coping skills in his life. He forces him to do one thing at a time. He can't even think about the second thing until the first one is done. It is somewhat humorous to watch him get through a conversation at times.
Again, go read that book. It will answer a LOT of questions for you (and probably bring up a lot more!)
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06-19-2001 01:10 PM
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