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I'm curious, because I have known a fair number of people in my life who claim to have ADD/ADHD. My last boyfriend claimed to have ADHD, and he's the only person I've met who I believed really did. That man could hardly sit still for anything, and constantly distracted and blurting out stuff without thinking.
I do think it is a real disorder, but I think it is diagnosed far more than it actually exists in the general population. I also think it's a label that gets slapped on kids (mostly boys) who don't fit into the rigid public school system in this country.
I'm going to try to add a poll onto this, so bear with me. But I would love to hear your thoughts.
I personally know at least 2. One is 36 and can only function in a job in which he is constantly moving and has little supervision - he cannot even drive because his inattention and irritability results in numerious accidents. The other is in his early 60s and has an attention span of a 3 year old. it's a real and sad impairment.
One of my friends got very upset, insisting that "that's not a disorder - that's just the way you are!" I read the symptoms off to her, and she snapped "Everyone's like that!"
She read a book I gave her on the subject. Then she started talking to her co-workers and other friends. The majority informed her that no, most people do not have trouble concentrating for more than a few minutes and most people do not struggle with blurting out things at inappropriate times and most people do not have to work extra hard to keep their lives from descending into complete chaos. She then realized that she herself probably had ADHD. Which I could have told her.
I excelled academically, but struggled in every other area of my life. I've built myself a successful career that accommodates my disability and plays up its strengths. In my last review, I was praised for my ability to multi-task with complex projects and told I was the glue holding my department together. But my house is always a mess, and it took me a long time to build the social ties I have now. I learn differently, and I've realized that while I'm very very good at some things, other skills are just beyond me. My company is very accommodating with this - I am not put in any positions where I will have to speak extemporaneously, for one thing. And if I seem a bit disorganized in the moment, they know that I just need a second to calm my brain down and let myself remember where everything is and what's in the work pipeline.
I think ADD/ADHD is both under- and over-diagnosed. Kids who don't misbehave in school or stand out with poor academic performance tend to be overlooked, even though their lives may be a mess otherwise. And then other kids who are going through a hard time or who have another disability or mental health issue are diagnosed with it because it's the easiest guess.
I'm beginning to think I have it. If I get bored doing anything it's almost like I want to fall asleep right then and there.
That's not really ADD/ADHD. I'm rarely bored because my brain roams all over the place. I write stories in my head, frequently (I enjoy creative writing). ADD/ADHD is more characterized by a failure to control one's focus rather than boredom. What stresses me out is that when I try to force myself to focus on something that I really don't want to focus on, I become very stressed and agitated. And when I actually become bored (as in during a conversation with someone who belaboring a single topic), I again will become very stressed and agitated. It literally feels as if my brain is bouncing off the insides of my skull, my heart rate speeds up, etc.
I CAN become sleepy (and have been known to drift off), but it's rarely the result of boredom - rather it is the result of erratic sleeping patterns. When my ADD is flaring up, I am usually too distracted to sleep.
I know several. None of which were diagnosed when they were children as it was much less talked about back then. Hmm, what was i talking about? Hey there's a plane! What kind of mileage do you get from a new Prius?
JrzDefector "most people do not have trouble concentrating for more than a few minutes and most people do not struggle with blurting out things at inappropriate times and most people do not have to work extra hard to keep their lives from descending into complete chaos. "
That describes me. And my brother. He had ADHD as a child and still as a 40-year-old. As a child he was on Ritalin. I developed ADHD as an adult. I was prescribed Vyvanse for a couple years and those were the best two years of my life. Then I built up a tolerance to it so it doesn't work for me any more and my life is hell again.
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But I would love to hear your thoughts.
