Struggling at Work? If It's ADHD, There's Help
The author of "Driven to Distraction" suggests educating yourself, considering medication, and getting exercise and enough sleep
Reader Comments
ADD
I was diagnose ADD very early, but no one ever told me or if they did I didn't notice. It was a nightmare through school but with effort and patience from my family I learned how to live being this way and have never taken a single pill... I too love the way mi mind works, I'd never trade it for a little more efficiency at work.
No need for drugs, just love and will.
Help Deal - and succeed!
All my life I've had what my parents finally admitted ADHD. My mind is constantly racing and I have a difficult time staying still or focused on one particular thing. Because my mind goes so quickly, I've taught myself to multitask and type at 85wpm. Doing things quickly while still paying attention to detail is my secret to success. My employers are constantly impressed at my work productivity, and because I've become so efficient i've had plenty of time to learn to just be as well. Because let's face it - running 100mph all day I'm bound to get tired. I guess I'd consider myself lucky because I was never diagnosed until I was in college, so I learned to cope without being inhibited by drugs. But hey that's just me... What I've found is ADHD is a dire need to multitask and be efficient in everything you do.
ADD
I've been on meds since 6th grade or so. ADD can definitely be an advantage in certain situations! Often times in class (right through college) i'd just sit there with my eyes closed, reading something else or doing homework for another class whilst still paying enough attention to the teacher to get the general concepts and whatnot (rule of thumb if the professor writes it on the board you'd best write it yourself!). That doesn't work so well with classes like Chemistry, where everything is about details and not surprisingly I always had a tough time with that subject (just for ref, i grad'd with a BA in Bio so I was good at science and complex material...just not particluarly with chemistry!) My advice for those looking into getting into a career...go with something that has many facets to it and/or you goto different locations. Even if there's a set routine its so nice not to be in the same place doing the same thing day in and day out. When you have many facets to a job you can pick and choose a bit so when you get bored with something move on to something else and then go back! I'm an Environmental Scientist and it allows me to do hands on work as well as data analysis/entry, figure drawing, and I get to goto various job sites around the state! Wouldn't have it any other way! Most of all go with something your interested in! Hope this helps Peace!
Cost of Treatment???
In response to WADE WAYLONN of LA.
Yes you can be taken to emergency when really in need, and if you do not have insurance or wealthy enough to pay cash for any treatments being offered, those treatments will haunt you for years to come and bring in more depression and anxiety.
check out this website and see if you can buy yourself Dry Erase board to somewhat plan out a to do list and expectations from yourself. Dont forget to put a line across the tasks that you have completed and do not erase it until you really need more space on that board. By the way that board can be baught at WALMARt for about $15.00 and the self customized evaluation is about $50.00 at kolbe website.
http://kolbe.com/kc08/assessment-tools.cfm
Good luck to all talented people, we are gifted but do not know our strength.
I really, really, really want to focus on the strength and enhance it so much, that my weaknesses can take a hike.
a.d.d.
I have lived with a.d.d. all my life. My Teachers always told my Dad "he is so bright he just does not live up to his potential". I remember every year I would get my notebook orginized and promise myself that I would live up to my potential. within minutes of entering the class room I was drawing pictures in my well orginized note book. I was blessed with near total recall which allowed me to remember everything I heard in class in college and I made decent grades without ever cracking a book. I married an extremely orginized woman who has taken care of the detail part of our business and I have done what I do best remember facts and make good conversation which has allowed us to prosper.
My son has a.d.d. as well and because of my experience we encouraged him to utilize his skill and hyper active mind to become an actor. A profession that he loves and excels at.
TOO MUCH
I've been ADHD from Day One. Worse yet, I was seriously abused by my mother because of ADHD for the entire time I grew up. I'm not going into details here, but it was horribly bad, horribly painful and only stopped when I moved out. I think that I am about to be diagnosed with PSTD because of the abuse. I'll be 60 soon and it's only for the past year that I have had help in dealing with this. I've never been able to achieve anything near my potential and have been in three failed relationships.
Don't do what I did and put off trying to solve the problem. Get help as soon as you can. If you're the parent of an ADHD child, get help for the both of you. Don't folow my mother's example because your kid deserves a lot better than I got.
ADD
I was diagnosed with ADD in my 50's. The Amen Clinic (mentioned above) recommended PS or Phosphatidyl Serine and Tyrosine which are supplements for the brain. They both help a great deal I also take Provigil, which is not a regular stimulant and is supposed to be easier on the heart, blood pressure, etc. It can be hard to get but it is supposed to be safer.
NORMAL?? WHAT IS NORMAL REALLY...
I remember the first time I was finally diagnosed with ADD. I was in my 30's and didn't even know it existed in adults, let alone women. It was pointed out to me by another colleague of mine who also happens to be an rtist. After she got to know me well, she stated, "Have you ever seen anyone for your ADD?" I was like, what are you talking about? Then, I decided to listen. I went to see a women social worker who also had lived with ADD her whole life. It was the first time I finally thought someone got me. She totally understood me... WOW! I also started taking medication. The doctor asked me after about a month how it made me feel. My response was simple..."I felt normal for the first time in my life."
I am glad I came across this article. It validated for me what I have always felt and thought and maybe it will also help those who don't seem to get it!
Read the article - don't scan it
I am an adult male who struggles every day with my ADD and I watch my 10 year old grandson struggle with ADHD. (both are treated)
As one with ADD I know the process of scanning an article instead of reading it. So when the last poster says "Shame on the author..." - I say, 'shame on you for making an opinion based on a scan'.
What the author said was,
"Love is the FIRST STEP (emphasis added)...these kids don't get loved enough. They get reprimanded and treated; they go through the day and it's one negative experience after the other.... they're hard to love. They're forgetful, they're oppositional, they're defiant. But as a parent, you've got to be the one who absolutely champions them."
I cried for my Grandson (and maybe a little for myself) when I read this quote. We parents, grandparents,teachers, spouses constantly tell these kids (and adults) the things they do wrong and give them no more praise then we give their siblings. I'm not saying choose one over the other, just show a little more compassion. Be their champion - God knows nobody else will be.
The poster says its, "a misguided, insensitive thing to say to a person living (and struggling) with an ADHD sufferer." Well, as an adult struggling with ADD and living with an ADHD sufferer, I will say Ned was exactly right.
