Short ADHD article

[twirlgrrl]

http://www.sacbee.com/273/story/1229847.html

This article does not even begin to touch the teeniest tip of the truth about the matter. But an article like this is so much better than none at all. I am really starting to feel like awareness of adult ADHD needs to be raised by 1000%. Of course I am still in the process of raising my OWN awareness!

Comments

[jennifergroovy.livejournal.com]

I am really starting to feel like awareness of adult ADHD needs to be raised by 1000%. Me too.

[artemis-rich.livejournal.com]

It's not a bad article, per se, but there needs to be a better descriptive than "Adult ADD" because many people misinterpret that phrase to be "Adult-ONSET ADD" and that's not the case. All adults with ADD had the condition as a child and either weren't diagnosed, mis-diagnosed or had it viewed as a symptom to another issue.

But yes, being the partner of an ADDer is challenging. I think CHAAD has partner support groups. I'm sure you've looked into this. I've got some good articles printed out in my big binder too. I'll have to look for them.

But one thing I have learned is that there are ways of interacting that can be very beneficial to both of you. Just like with meds, they don't work alone. You have to also learn to restructure your life and find systems that make going about your day easier.

I'd love to talk about this with you more in person. Don't want to over-comment since this is an unlocked post.

I need to excavate my ADD books and go over them with you, see what you've got and what you may want to borrow. Knowing you and E. I'm sure you've probably acquired or read them all by now!

Hugs, beautiful woman.

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we've never had a big ADHD conversation yet! I'm looking forward to it.

This newest therapist guy told us (if I understood him correctly) that adult ADHD isn't even in the DSM yet. It's still considered only a disorder of childhood. Rawr.

I am in the online CHADD partner-of-ADHDer support group. That's where I got this article in fact. It's interesting and I keep wanting to post more about it...

Hugs back!

[artemis-rich.livejournal.com]

This newest therapist guy told us (if I understood him correctly) that adult ADHD isn't even in the DSM yet. It's still considered only a disorder of childhood.

But it shouldn't *be* in the DSM IV because it's not a separate disorder. And ADD isn't a childhood disorder. All adults who are diagnosed with ADD *as* an adult have exhibited the symptoms throughout their entire life. It is not something that appears out of nowhere.

For many adults who grew up in the pre-diagnostic ADD era (before they had a name for our "condition"), as children we where labeled as hyperactive and high-strung or dreamy and distracted. Or worse, just written off as "stupid" and "lazy." And since many ADDers are often clinically depressed or suffer from bipolar disorder or other neurochemical imbalances, the ADD itself is often not identified as a separate disease until other options are exhausted.

Part of the diagnostic is to examine childhood behavior. In fact, my psych actually gave me a questionnaire for my mother to fill out. And the disease is hereditary as well. Both my parents exhibit signs. I think my dad has been diagnosed, but doesn't medically treat it.

I also believe a great deal of the difficulty for people with ADD today is the standardization of the world. Many famous artists and scientists have been posthumously diagnosed based examinations of their behavior. How were they able to thrive without the use of therapy and drugs? I believe a big part of that is because there was more leniency to study as suited their temperaments (not always the case, as Winston Churchill famously flunked one year at school) as well as a (somewhat) greater acceptance of eccentricities.

Nikola Tesla
Thomas Edison
Samuel Johnson
Mozart
Charlotte and Emily Bronte
Emily Dickenson
Henry Ford
Benjamin Franklin
Albert Einstein
Abraham Lincoln
Leonardo DaVinci
Socrates
Eleanor Roosevelt
Galileo
Walt Disney
Agatha Christie

We're in good company.


As ADDers, we can't use our disease as an excuse or a crutch. It can explain behavior, yes, but we still have to interact with the world, with our loved ones, in professional settings. Drugs don't "cure" ADD or make one "normal." They just raise the floor, give us a level playing field. We still have to learn systems and tricks to help us navigate the world and learn that we have strengths in our "disorder" that can be positive. That we're not crazy or lazy or stupid. And most importantly, that we are not alone.

Wow. Sorry about that. I should just write my own post on the subject, huh? Instead of using up your comment space.

Sigh. ADD. What are you gonna do?

*Smiles*

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

I hear you... what I think he meant (wish I had been paying more attention, har har) was that ADHD is not a disorder that's recognized in adulthood per the DSM, as in, only kids have it and they magically grow out of it or something. I guess, stated another way, that the DSM lists ADHD as strictly a childhood disorder.

I agree with and have more to say about your other points but no time at the moment.

I'm *glad* you're commenting about this here!