Ok if there was a cure to perminently cure ADD would you want it?
I don't know about you but yes add is hell sometimes but i like the positives that come with it, and, i have become quite comfortable to being slightly odd and not like everyone else:)

honestly...I would take it...:o
The only positives I can find are.... the ability to cut through direct to the point, and not see all the mess on the way....the energy to keep doing the washing after work...finding simple soultions to what seem to others complicated tasks...but surely, I could HIRE someone to do those things if only I could study, and get a better higher paying job!! :D

Not only would I take it, I'd pay my last dollar for it.
YES YES YES

...and another resounding YES!

I would definitely take it.....all the hell I have been through all my life, for once it would be nice to find some peace!!!

Yes, I'd take it. I would also fear it, because I know that it would completely change me. I might regret it , particularly if my creatiivity was reduced.... my creativity is why my employer keeps me around.. IF that became impared, it would be a disaster for me.

BUT (fasten your seatbelts while I rant)

The plain truth is that I am sick and tired of having failed relationships, I am tired of being scattered, impulsive, and confused. I am tired of being misunderstood. I am tired of not being able to recognize the faces of people I know. I am tired of having to take pills to just function, and I am sick and tired of feeling like a freak.

ME :D



Ok if there was a cure to perminently cure ADD would you want it?
I don't know about you but yes add is hell sometimes but i like the positives that come with it, and, i have become quite comfortable to being slightly odd and not like everyone else:)

I want to say yes to this but I keep thinking no. Life is very difficult, but even curing ADD wouldn't get rid of all the bad habbits and emotional pain that have accumulated over the years. THen again there isn't anything noble about suffering. I don't know. i really don't. I guess it depends on whether ADD is a part of who i am or if it's really just a seperate disorder. Taking an instant cure after living my whole life with ADD might be a major shock to the way I see the world. It might be better to take medication that helps and then learn behavioral skills to get throught he other stuff......

Sorry i"m ranting.

honestly...I would take it...:o
The only positives I can find are.... the ability to cut through direct to the point, and not see all the mess on the way....the energy to keep doing the washing after work...finding simple soultions to what seem to others complicated tasks...but surely, I could HIRE someone to do those things if only I could study, and get a better higher paying job!! :D
right now i am in college studing to be a teacher are you telling me that there may be a good chance that i will be unable to find employment because of my disability? god i hope thats not what your saying because i will get really scared. :eek:

Yes, I'd take it. I would also fear it, because I know that it would completely change me. I might regret it , particularly if my creatiivity was reduced.... my creativity is why my employer keeps me around.. IF that became impared, it would be a disaster for me.

BUT (fasten your seatbelts while I rant)

The plain truth is that I am sick and tired of having failed relationships, I am tired of being scattered, impulsive, and confused. I am tired of being misunderstood. I am tired of not being able to recognize the faces of people I know. I am tired of having to take pills to just function, and I am sick and tired of feeling like a freak.

ME :D
yeah i can relate to the failed relationships thing eventhough i have not had any. but try and have some faith and remember there are people out there with disabilities more severe than yours.

Yes, I'd take it. I would also fear it, because I know that it would completely change me. I might regret it , particularly if my creatiivity was reduced.... my creativity is why my employer keeps me around.. IF that became impared, it would be a disaster for me.

BUT (fasten your seatbelts while I rant)

The plain truth is that I am sick and tired of having failed relationships, I am tired of being scattered, impulsive, and confused. I am tired of being misunderstood. I am tired of not being able to recognize the faces of people I know. I am tired of having to take pills to just function, and I am sick and tired of feeling like a freak.

ME :D
yeah i can relate to the failed relationships thing eventhough i have not had any. but try and have some faith and remember (and this should give you more hope and it keeps me going all the time when ADD sometimes makes me feel like trash) that there are people out there with more severe disabilities than you and who either function very little or not at all.

Yes, I'd take it. I would also fear it, because I know that it would completely change me. I might regret it , particularly if my creatiivity was reduced.... my creativity is why my employer keeps me around.. IF that became impared, it would be a disaster for me.

BUT (fasten your seatbelts while I rant)

The plain truth is that I am sick and tired of having failed relationships, I am tired of being scattered, impulsive, and confused. I am tired of being misunderstood. I am tired of not being able to recognize the faces of people I know. I am tired of having to take pills to just function, and I am sick and tired of feeling like a freak.

ME :D
ditto

right now i am in college studing to be a teacher are you telling me that there may be a good chance that i will be unable to find employment because of my disability? god i hope thats not what your saying because i will get really scared. :eek:
I'm a teacher, I think it was harder for me to find a job because of my ADHD. I am a good teacher and I know my stuff, it's just the pressure of an interview that gets to me. Also, I tend to talk too fast and speak with my hands anyway, and in interviews with people who do not know me, they take that as a sign of insecurity and lack of experience. As a teacher, the hard things are organization and structure. If you want to talk about teaching as an ADDer, there is a private forum, ask ms_sunshine if you can have access!

right now i am in college studing to be a teacher are you telling me that there may be a good chance that i will be unable to find employment because of my disability? god i hope thats not what your saying because i will get really scared. :eek:
Nope, not what I was saying :D well, I was saying it about ME...I have so much trouble studying, but not everyone with ADD does...If I could go to college, with ADD I would be very very happy....

good luck:p

I thrived in college. I had to work a lot harder to get a grade than everybody else tho... But my experience in college was very positive.

ME :D


Nope, not what I was saying :D well, I was saying it about ME...I have so much trouble studying, but not everyone with ADD does...If I could go to college, with ADD I would be very very happy....

good luck:p

YES!

I would definitely take it. I can't imagine what it would be like to be confident that I could carry through on something that is important to me (like a degree or a job). No more meds, no more side effects, no more withdrawal effects, no more "poop-out", no more perpetual STRUGGLING....

Reaching my full potential, feeling comfortable (quiet, peaceful mind), having confidence that I will be able to handle my future (and not end up as a bag-lady), feeling content, handling life as I want to live it....

Man-oh-man....how much does it cost? I'll give you everything I own! :rolleyes: :(

In a fraggin heartbeat. I have found many workarounds over time, probably had some brain development, and things are not so bad anymore.

If I were firing on all pistons, man...the world would be in the palm of my hand.

...and that is why those "cure" websites really get under my skin. Don't think I haven't thought what it would be like...many, many, times in my life. If you are going to try and sell someone a bogus product that is supposed to cure something ....lookout!! You deserve all the fire and brimstone that rains down on your head.

ditto


I'm a teacher, I think it was harder for me to find a job because of my ADHD. I am a good teacher and I know my stuff, it's just the pressure of an interview that gets to me. Also, I tend to talk too fast and speak with my hands anyway, and in interviews with people who do not know me, they take that as a sign of insecurity and lack of experience. As a teacher, the hard things are organization and structure. If you want to talk about teaching as an ADDer, there is a private forum, ask ms_sunshine if you can have access!
oh i sure will thanks

In a heartbeat yes

I sure would! I had a day a couple of months ago when the med balance and hormone levels were just right. And for a day I could understand how to organize my room and closet, I was relaxed and happy and even enjoyed the job. That's when I decided that if that is what non ADD is like, I want it. It was just so nice to be effective and comfortable in my own skin and to not have to work so hard to accomplish something.

Today my 72 year old mom organized my garage (she had most of it done in 3 hours). Something that has eluded my efforts for 9 months. I'd like to be more effective, I'd like to remember to do things on time and have everything I need to do a job, I'd like to be more consistent and even tempered with my children and husband, and I'd like to be able to do for my parents instead of still having them do for me.

Scattered

if only non-add people could read these replies..then they MAY realize we don't just want a diagnosis of ADHD so we can take these medications for the FUN of it or something...

I am sure so many people think that....

I agree Tracy.

I guess this thread means the turn belongs to me....


That's when I decided that if that is what non ADD is like, I want it. It was just so nice to be effective and comfortable in my own skin and to not have to work so hard to accomplish something.

I do not understand what effectiveness has to do with being comfortable in your own skin?

Abrham Lincon once said "A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be"

Efficient, organized people don’t feel uncomfortable? Ever?

This doesn't sound right.......even if I read it backwards!

My ADHD tendency toward disorganization because of distraction, thus I learned to be good at quick simple organizational systems!

Chaos theory- the theory describes are apparently disordered, but chaos theory is really about finding the underlying order in apparently random data



I might regret it , particularly if my creativity was reduced.... my creativity is why my employer keeps me around.. IF that became impaired, it would be a disaster for me.

Some how perfectly sane people are under the impression that ADD traits are all bad and if they rid themselves of the bad ADD the good parts some how remain untouched…..

If I didn’t have impulsive moments of random ADD connections then yes I would be like “every one else” ……but not very original thus about as creative as "every body else" ….. getting rid of the bad with out touching the good…..

Hmm I vote nope!!!!
Newton's Third Law-"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."



Then again there isn't anything noble about suffering. I don't know. I really don't. I guess it depends on whether ADD is a part of who I am or if it's really just a separate disorder.

No theories here…well not any that come to mind……..just a question

Suffering. .an ADD trait? Heck it aint even strictly a human one!


My take on this:

Is being female part of you or a separate disorder?

If some one offered you a cure would you take it?

Oh but I hear the words already ..being female isn’t a disorder doesn’t prevent me from functioning….. well being female is the number one reason you do not function as a man……. Nor an impairment……. Can be when we need to #1 in a traffic jam!

Having ADD is like being a girl for me…… being female isn’t the end all and be of who I am but it does effect my life even more than being ADD!

I dislike parts of being female… just like I don’t like some parts of ADD…….

But……..

Some things I actually like about being a girl….. some parts of being ADD I also like

In the end

Being born a girl is what happened to me…… some good parts, some bad parts, some neither here nor there…… (atoms=some positive parts, some negative parts, some neither here nor there)<-----basic science!!!


I am female just as I am ADHD! All portions are part of me, yet I am more than the sum total of my parts…. I am me….. with ADHD…..


With out ADHD


I would be some body else!!!


Again cure for being me….. no thank you!

Tammy,

Your viewpoint is often based on personal observation of your own life experiences. That is fine until that is generalized to all folks with ADHD. It can make perfect sense to you why something works or is good but that doesn't mean it is that way for all with ADHD.


Case in point.

My ADHD tendency toward disorganization because of distraction, thus I learned to be good at quick simple organizational systems!

I did try and teach personal organizational systems to kids. They learned the tricks but couldn't execute because "planning through time" is a real disablity for them. You could teach how to use a planner and write everything down, but when it came time to do the daily check of what was completed, that wasn't done unless mom was on top of them. There were many instantances where the use of the planner broke down, unless there was someone else there to check and make sure it was done.

Barkley calls this deficit the ultimate disability.

This text takes as its premise that time is the ultimate yet nearly invisible disability afflicting those with ADHD. If one cannot see spatial distances very well, the solution is corrective lenses. If one neglects to respond to events at visuospatial distances as a consequence of brain injury, the prescription is cognitive rehabilitation. But what are the solutions to those with a myopia or blindness to time and a neglect of distances that lie ahead in time? And how can those individuals be expected to benefit from any corrective or rehabilitative treatments when the very cognitive mechanisms that subserve the use of these treatments—the self-*regulatory or executive functions—are precisely where the damage caused by ADHD lies?

Teaching time awareness and management to a person who cannot perform time awareness or time management, no matter how much they may know about time and time management, is not going to prove especially fruitful. Given the information in this chapter, we should not be surprised to find that the person with ADHD often may not even show up for the appointments for such rehabilitation or show up on time given his or her disability in performing within time. Understanding time and how one comes to organize behavior within it and toward it, then, is a major key to the mystery of understanding ADHD.

Remember that there are different levels of severity of ADHD. So, just because you "can do", doesn't mean others can follow. It's not always just an attitude change that is needed. Just because you found your way through the woods, doesn't mean others can...without continous and constant support.

I would -- provided the cure isn't worse than the disease. For example, no lobotomies, thanks. ;)

A permanent cure? Hmmm....

I would definitely give it to my 13 year old ADHD son. And my ADHD husband. Both whom are properly medicated but are still major challenges. :)

I will definitely get a bunch of it and at the next family gathering, slip some into the food at my "ADHD in denial" family and also at my husband's "ADD in denial family".

I would also give some to two of my coworkers who are as sharp as a tack when it comes to System issues but are both "ADHD in denial". If they had a permanent cure, they would work so much better and smarter, would be more organized, and not as moody.

As far as me taking a permanent cure for my ADHD. If it would make me be able to handle my family finances, clean my house, organize my home, remember to pay bills, not be so moody during pms, etc... YES, I would DEFINITELY take it. But....I have friends that can't do these things and they don't seem to have ADHD so I am not sure if a permanent cure would fix these things for me.

If I did take the permanent cure for ADHD, I would immeidately start looking for something to take that would give me back my creativity, my out of the box thinking, my fearlessness, my ability to talk to just about anyone, and my never a dull moment attitude.

Like scurro said earlier, it could be worse. I can look around my immediate area at work and see coworkers that have it alot worse than me and my ADHD. One is fighting breast cancer, one recently got diagnosed with skin cancer/melanoma, one has gout (sp?) in his feet, one has a husband who is slowly loosing his eyesight, one has a father with alzheimer, one is not yet out of the closet, and the list goes on.....

Even with all of that, it's hard to not think about taking a permanent cure for adhd.

Yes, I would take it. Someone else can be the creative one for a while. Count me in!!!! :)

If there was a cure for this stuff just put it anywhere it needs to go!!! I will take it!!!

I do not understand what effectiveness has to do with being comfortable in your own skin? For me being effective and being comfortable in my own skin are two seperate problems. I literally feel uncomfortable in my skin sometimes (I'm talking about a physical sensation, not a state of mind) -- hyper, irritable, antsy, agitated -- just like I'd like to jump out of my skin. Feeling my body relax when I took my first Concerta was the most dramatic and impacting of a whole host of nice effects from medication and the one I appreciated the most. Being effective is a whole nother subject. If I could only be one, I'd be comfortable in my own skin.

I also wonder why someone would take medication if they don't want a cure. To me, if like Umnichu said the cure was safe and had minimal side effects, why wouldn't I. I take a small temporary "cure" every day.

I also want to second what Scuro said -- ADD comes in a wide range of disability. Very mild may actually have some benefits if one is in the right situation, right relationships, etc. Severe ADD is not a blessing to anyone, especially the person who has it. Hmmm, sound like a new thread topic.:)

Scattered

Personally, I would not take it.

I like who I am and what I can do. Permanently changing my brain would change who I am.

Yes, I do take medication. Is it a complete cure, no. Does it completely remove my symptoms, no. It just helps me stay focused, on task and allows the rushing thoughts to slow down and be more managable. I can still be quick witted, but now I have the ability to decide whether or not I verbalize something and risk offending someone. The medication also keeps me from constantly interrupting other's converstations.

My ADHD brain got me where I am today. It allowed me to choose a carreer in Information Technology (like so many of us). Sure there were ups and downs along the way.

I know a lot of people are not as fortunate as myself and I respect their opinion to take the cure. :)

But not for "me". :D

I guess this thread means the turn belongs to me....




I do not understand what effectiveness has to do with being comfortable in your own skin?

Abrham Lincon once said "A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be"

Efficient, organized people don’t feel uncomfortable? Ever?

This doesn't sound right.......even if I read it backwards!

My ADHD tendency toward disorganization because of distraction, thus I learned to be good at quick simple organizational systems!

Chaos theory- the theory describes are apparently disordered, but chaos theory is really about finding the underlying order in apparently random data





Some how perfectly sane people are under the impression that ADD traits are all bad and if they rid themselves of the bad ADD the good parts some how remain untouched…..

If I didn’t have impulsive moments of random ADD connections then yes I would be like “every one else” ……but not very original thus about as creative as "every body else" ….. getting rid of the bad with out touching the good…..

Hmm I vote nope!!!!
Newton's Third Law-"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."





No theories here…well not any that come to mind……..just a question

Suffering. .an ADD trait? Heck it aint even strictly a human one!


My take on this:

Is being female part of you or a separate disorder?

If some one offered you a cure would you take it?

Oh but I hear the words already ..being female isn’t a disorder doesn’t prevent me from functioning….. well being female is the number one reason you do not function as a man……. Nor an impairment……. Can be when we need to #1 in a traffic jam!

Having ADD is like being a girl for me…… being female isn’t the end all and be of who I am but it does effect my life even more than being ADD!

I dislike parts of being female… just like I don’t like some parts of ADD…….

But……..

Some things I actually like about being a girl….. some parts of being ADD I also like

In the end

Being born a girl is what happened to me…… some good parts, some bad parts, some neither here nor there…… (atoms=some positive parts, some negative parts, some neither here nor there)<-----basic science!!!


I am female just as I am ADHD! All portions are part of me, yet I am more than the sum total of my parts…. I am me….. with ADHD…..


With out ADHD


I would be some body else!!!


Again cure for being me….. no thank you!
LOVE IT GIRL JUST LOVE IT! LET YOU BE YOU AND LIKE BEING YOU YEAH

Personally, I would not take it.

I like who I am and what I can do. Permanently changing my brain would change who I am.

My ADHD brain got me where I am today. It allowed me to choose a carreer in Information Technology (like so many of us). Sure there were ups and downs along the way.

I know a lot of people are not as fortunate as myself and I respect their opinion to take the cure. :)

But not for "me". :DTim, what I wonder (and I definately don't know the answer to this question), is whether your ADD helped you achieve these things or you achieved them in spite of your ADD. Your meds didn't take away that something special, would a cure? There are plenty of creative, talanted folks in Information Technology and many other fields who don't have ADD. I just wonder if the ADD adds anything or if your brain already had these neat things in place and just found ways to work around your ADD. I wish I knew the answer.

I wouldn't have taken "the cure" before kids and perimenopause either, but now:eek: :eek: :eek: ...

Scattered

I guess the idea of getting cured of ADD sounds a lot like plastic surgery for the brain. If I got rid of my ADD would I magically love myself completly? I lost 25 pounds a few years ago and I still had low self esteem. With ADD I don't think a cure would suddenly make me okay with myslef. There's a lot of other stuff that effects how I see myself and Id like to think that it's better to be comfortable with yourself first before any physical change will matter. I havn't managed that yet, but I"ve seen people who have. Medication is only an aid. still have to do the work.

If there was a cure for ADD I would jump on it so fast my underwear would burst into flames!

lol. 2busy, I now want an ADD cure just to watch your underwear burst into flames!

About comparing having ADHD to being female...

Yes, taking a cure for ADHD would be changing the way I was born but if it would aid in my ability to do what I want and need to do, I am all for it!

As for as changing being female, I'm not a transgender or anything, but when I need to go #1 and there's no bathroom around, when it's hot and wouldn't mind taking off my shirt, or whenever I am having really bad PMS cramps, I wish I was a boy! (I do love wearing skirts though, so if I was a boy I would have to be Scottish so I could wear a kilt!;) )

Tim, what I wonder (and I definately don't know the answer to this question), is whether your ADD helped you achieve these things or you achieved them in spite of your ADD. Your meds didn't take away that something special, would a cure? There are plenty of creative, talanted folks in Information Technology and many other fields who don't have ADD. I just wonder if the ADD adds anything or if your brain already had these neat things in place and just found ways to work around your ADD. I wish I knew the answer.

I wouldn't have taken "the cure" before kids and perimenopause either, but now:eek: :eek: :eek: ...

Scattered
I think this is something no one will ever know. I didn't get formally diagnosed until a year and a half ago (age 33). That's when I also started the medication.

I agree with you that there are many talented non-ADHD people in IT. I think the way my brain functions helps solve problems quicker. I will be working on a problem and all of a sudden the solution will come into my head. It's like my brainis processing in the background, finds the answer and pushes it to the front. It can be completely and totally come out of the blue too. I don't know how many times I have woken up in the middle of the night with a solution to a problem. Maybe others with out ADHD have this same experience and I am not alone. :faint:

originally posted by timh:
I will be working on a problem and all of a sudden the solution will come into my head. It's like my brains processing in the background, finds the answer and pushes it to the front. It can be completely and totally come out of the blue too.

Originally posted by meadd823
Like my brain has a mind of it's own

I know what you mean some times it seems as if I am smarter when I am not trying to think!

As for as changing being female, I'm not a transgender or anything, but when I need to go #1 and there's no bathroom around, when it's hot and wouldn't mind taking off my shirt, or whenever I am having really bad PMS cramps, I wish I was a boy! (I do love wearing skirts though, so if I was a boy I would have to be Scottish so I could wear a kilt! )


:p :p Where do you think I came up with

originally posted by meadd823:
Oh but I hear the words already ..being female isn’t a disorder doesn’t prevent me from functioning….. well being female is the number one reason you do not function as a man……. Nor an impairment……. Can be when we need to #1 in a traffic jam!

See I see choose to look for my strengths and abilities, I have made the decision to work with my ADHD traits instead of fighting against them........these are choices.

Because I would choose to remain me ADHD and all, doesn't mean I haven't struggled, doesn't mean I don't experience the "downer" side of ADHD. I have simply chosen to accept me for who I am and ADHD is a part of that!


Many seem to think I come from so other reality, and often refer to it as denial.......

they are oh so very wrong................

I was ADHD before having ADD was cool.............you know this ADDult acceptance thing we are now beginning to see...........yea I was there before there was such a notion. Yet I am in denial? I simply don't understand what these kids in school go through??

No I was just one of those ADHD kids , then I simply reared a few.....yet I am in denial and don't understand this ADHD as I "should"

Barkley calls this deficit the ultimate disability.

Your viewpoint is often based on personal observation of your own life experiences

And your viewpoints are often based on what?? :confused: Some one else’s??



why something works or is good but that doesn't mean it is that way for all with ADHD.

Vise versa dude…………just because some thing doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it won’t for others!



That is fine until that is generalized to all folks with ADHD.

Please note all the words including but not limited to the smaller ones


Originally posted by meadd823
My take on this:

How is the above implying all should see things my way….. MY TAKE in this?



So, just because you "can do", doesn't mean others can follow

So in your opinion they shouldn’t even bother to try………those who wish to see them selves as


damage caused by ADHD

fine by me……..

However this ADD "defective perspective" isn't the only one available. Truthfully there are those of us who do not feel this way at all!

Will seeing my self as

Barkley calls this deficit the ultimate disability.
is not going to prove especially fruitful
a person who cannot perform

Going to cure me of deficits, pain and struggles?
Is this perspective going to make me "non-ADD"

Really how is the above point of view going to help me deal with my life productively ?

In all fairness the entire quote:

originally posted by Scuro:
Teaching time awareness and management to a person who cannot perform time awareness or time management, no matter how much they may know about time and time management, is not going to prove especially fruitful

At BEST………………………

Sounds like I shouldn’t even bother trying to learn how to manage my time! Others should just learn to deal with it because I am too impaired to do be responsible! Plant food!

Another way of seeing this........

originally posted by Stabile:
Is it really any wonder that people beat on ADDers and act as if it’s obviously justified?

Yea some thing like that!



Understanding time and how one comes to organize behavior within it and toward it, then, is a major key to the mystery of understanding ADHD

( Really really edited version)

Mystery of understanding ADD?? :confused: ? What about the people we are more than our ADD? (many actually have feelings)

This guys is trying to tell me about how to live life with ADD!!! (what ever)

Key to understanding ADHDers who function Barkley dude you need to keep looking!

Now I can see the positive aspect behind MY ADHD tendency to rebel against “authorities”……I can learn and have learned no matter what Barkley or any one else say……….


It's not always just an attitude change that is needed

Originally posted by SB:
Can 'stimulus charge' be redefined under the topological constraints of a multi-dimensional cross-linked (logical) structure which contain one's own models for reality [rrreality :-)]?
"We are defined by the need to define our reality, our context, our meaning" is my answer to the above.

Translation:

I to refuse to waste my time focusing on what I can’t do………I am more than ADHD……..I AM MORE than some walking disorder……………I choose to find those things I can do…………..I choose to focus on abilities…………..Furthermore, I refuse to use my ADD as an excuse for failure………………Failure in my book is failing to try to live life to it’s fullest!!!

I choose to be positive, productive, and responsible……I choose to head toward directions of growth, learning, and ability……..This is my personal choice
Because……………….

In my personal opinion:
Laying down and letting “disorder” dictate my life………..I would be better off dead!

Personally, I don't think I'd take it. Being a little different has become part of who I am.

Do I wish I could do without some of the bad symptoms? Of course! I'd love to be able to keep a schedule for more than a few days. I'd love to be able to do well in school. I'd love to hold a job for more than 6 months.

But would I throw away what makes me myself along with it? Absolutely not! I embrace my ADD. I work around my limitations and I exploit my strengths. Most of all, I HAVE FUN!

There's no way I'd give up my creativity and spontaneity.

A permanent cure? Would I take it? At this point, I'm not sure. I'm swerving to the "no" side.

I grew up with undiagnosed ADHD. I didn't know until 4 years into university, when it all accidentally, and thankfully, came to be known. I wouldn't be the person I am today, I wouldn't have made all the choices I've made, and I wouldn't have experienced all the things I was so lucky to experience, had I been born "normal". And I've gotten a lot out of my decisions and experiences.

Would I trade almost anything to be able to organize my life financially? Yes. In a heartbeat. Would I take a pill that would "fix" all the social problems that undiagnosed ADHD causes? I wouldn't just take one, I'd take two. Would I "cure" the painful relationship issues that come along with ADHD? I would give ANYTHING to cure the relationship issues, both with romantic and platonic ones. Would I give anything to be able to focus on one person for more than 10 seconds, have a conversation with someone without spacing out, be able to remember names of people I've known for YEARS, or even not lose focus during sex? Absolutely. In less than a second.

Unfortunately, ADHD can't be "cured", so the question is moot. But that's not the point, I suppose. I wouldn't be who I am, I wouldn't do what I do, and I wouldn't choose what I choose, if I was "cured". I choose to MANAGE the ADHD, and while the meds help quite a bit, I find that for me, going to the gym or skiing or riding a bike or skating or doing ANYTHING active, once a day, helps just as much if not more. This may explain my penchant for "long walks on the beach with a bottle of red". Girls love those dates. But I digress.

If I just "cured" myself, I'd be "normal". And while I think that I definitely need to manage my ADHD through means that work for me, I don't think I want to be "normal". Even with the ADHD, if I'm ready to go, interested, and playing/working with the right people, in the right way, I'm 1 000 000 times better than anyone who's "normal".

ADHD is only as much a problem as our over-regulated, over-sanitized, and over-controlled society is. I'd rather see ADHD and society come together somewhere in the middle (maybe a little closer to "normal" than ADHD), than to find a "cure" for ADHD. I think we'd all be better off, long term. And I mean everyone, ADHD and non-ADHD alike.

Good thing they never found a "cure" for ADD/ADHD way back in history. Because if they did, I might not be here typing on a computer, with a dsl connection, using a lamp with a lightbulb.

If everyone would have taken the "cure" back then, nobody would have stood outside in a lightning storm with a kite and a key. Nobody would have tried to fly a homemade airplane with their add/adhd brother. Nobody would have hopped on a ship and sailed across the world to "maybe" find land somewhere else. Nobody would have even considered the possibility of life on the moon. AND.....I WOULDN'T HAVE THE AVATOR THAT I DO. :)

If the current scientists had to spend money on finding cures, I would definitely vote for them to spend the money on cancer and aids rather then add/adhd. Sure, it's a silent disability but atleast it's not killing me.

If everyone would have taken the "cure" back then, nobody would have stood outside in a lightning storm with a kite and a key. Nobody would have tried to fly a homemade airplane with their add/adhd brother. Nobody would have hopped on a ship and sailed across the world to "maybe" find land somewhere else. Nobody would have even considered the possibility of life on the moon. AND.....I WOULDN'T HAVE THE AVATOR THAT I DO. :)
The obvious counterargument to this is: maybe we would have even more great discoveries if these people had been cured. Maybe Old Leo D.V. would have completed more than 8 pieces over his lifetime. Sure, the ones he did finish were doozies, but wouldn't it have been nice to have more of them? :D

Maybe if he took the add/adhd cure, he'd still have both ears. :)

Or was that Michael Angelo? Or was he the one that committed suicide? I must not have been paying attention in history class. (as usual)

Maybe if he took the add/adhd cure, he'd still have both ears. :)
That was Van Gogh, but I knew what you were talking about. :D He had many bouts of depression and dementia until he took his life. That's when his art became famous. Kind of sad.:(

ADHD is only as much a problem as our over-regulated, over-sanitized, and over-controlled society is. I'd rather see ADHD and society come together somewhere in the middle (maybe a little closer to "normal" than ADHD), than to find a "cure" for ADHD. I think we'd all be better off, long term. And I mean everyone, ADHD and non-ADHD alike.
This is so much the truth.

I don't forget to do things on purpose or out of anger towards someone else. People get so hung up on the negatives that it completely overshadows anything considered good. Hence the "grude".

The "grude holders" are the ones with the problem. They are the ones that harbor anger towards someone else. It all depends on what that "someone else" does in return. Will they let themselves be controlled by the projected anger? Will this person recipocate with anger? I'm not saying it's not wrong to be angry. People should acknowledge the feeling and attempt to move towards a resolution/understanding.

Nothing gets a person that's angry even angrier than the other person remaining calm and in control.

in the end cure is a way to fit in as someone said we are not defived by our porblems weather be the add/ adhd or anything eles for that matter we are diff pices ofve jiggys puzzlie sometimes we just dont fit in to what the norms went us to be but it dont makes any less speail in life soooo to cure or not to cure so in the end is it really trying to fit what others went our only porblems....our is that we dont fit what others may went ofve us. we dont have the porbelm they DO so be happy with who you are an i know its tuff as we all do....but with a comuity here we get though each day one step at a time...iam shore meany wont ages with me but thats fine,,,,let me know what you think dorm ;.)

Good thing they never found a "cure" for ADD/ADHD way back in history. Because if they did, I might not be here typing on a computer, with a dsl connection, using a lamp with a lightbulb.

If everyone would have taken the "cure" back then, nobody would have stood outside in a lightning storm with a kite and a key. Nobody would have tried to fly a homemade airplane with their add/adhd brother. Nobody would have hopped on a ship and sailed across the world to "maybe" find land somewhere else. Nobody would have even considered the possibility of life on the moon. AND.....I WOULDN'T HAVE THE AVATOR THAT I DO. :)You may be right -- I don't know. Did they do this despite or because of their ADD? Some of the stuff like flying the first airplane and kite flying in a lightning storm do tend to sound pretty impulsive!;)

If the current scientists had to spend money on finding cures, I would definitely vote for them to spend the money on cancer and aids rather then add/adhd. Sure, it's a silent disability but atleast it's not killing me.It didn't kill me either or even stop me from having a good life, but there are folks with severe ADHD who is does kill, either because they impuslively take dangerous risks or self medicate with addictions. Other severe ADHD folks who have developed antisocial personality disorder have taken the lives of others. John Ratey who specializes in the psychology of aggression says in Shadow Syndromes (p.39) "In any highly aggressive population you will find that 80 percent have had symptoms of ADD and learning disabilities."

Ratey also states that for very mild cases there may be advantages, especially in the pursuit of their professions. I guess it just depends haw severe the ADHD.

Scattered

I guess the idea of getting cured of ADD sounds a lot like plastic surgery for the brain. If I got rid of my ADD would I magically love myself completly? I lost 25 pounds a few years ago and I still had low self esteem. With ADD I don't think a cure would suddenly make me okay with myslef. There's a lot of other stuff that effects how I see myself and Id like to think that it's better to be comfortable with yourself first before any physical change will matter. I havn't managed that yet, but I"ve seen people who have. Medication is only an aid. still have to do the work.For me being willing to take a safe effective cure (if such a thing existed) wouldn't be about self hate, but self improvement. I've had cornea transplants on both eyes because of a congenital condition that had made me functionally blind -- I couldn't focus or see things clearly anymore. Choosing to have a transplant didn't mean I didn't love myself, it meant that I wanted to optimize my life by seeing clearly. For me the same thing is true with ADHD.

I'm glad to be alive. I would have choosen to be here ADHD and all if given the choice. I would still bring my kids into this world knowing that they would be ADHD. I don't know anybody on the planet I'd trade problems with, but if an option for allowing my brain to work at an optimal level was available, that would be way cool!:cool:

Scattered

In any highly aggressive population you will find that 80 percent have had symptoms of ADD and learning disabilities."

Gee not only do I have moderately sever ADD (medication allows me to be closer to moderate) I also have a learning disability-sever dyslexia

Driven to Distraction
Edward M. Hallowell and John Ratey
Page 203

Conditions that may accompany, resemble or mask ADD

Anxiety disorder
Bipolar-mania
Depression, other disorders of impulse control (stealing, fire setting the like)
History of Fetal alcohol syndrome
Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism
Lead poisoning
Personality disorders, such as narcissistic, antisocial, borderline and passive-aggressive personality disorders
Post traumatic stress disorder
Seizure disorder
Tourette’s syndrome
End Quote***

This isn’t all the listings only a partial. My point is a lot of things can qualify as “symptoms of ADD” and not actually be ADD!

The wonders of dyslexia not only can I read severely mis-spelled words but I also read in context………………..couldn’t miss the word "symptoms of"…………….nor could I let any one else…………….!





Ratey also states that for very mild cases there may be advantages, especially in the pursuit of their professions. I guess it just depends haw severe the ADHD.

Like the word haw……………how close……………the letters too much so!

I was a nurse for over ten years before I was diagnosis with ADD…. Yes treating it made me be able to presue a wider area but this had little to do with my intelligence and more to do with socially acceptable……………

A lot has to do with how others perceive, even more has to do with our perception of self and where in this big conglomerate of mass humanity we belong……….

Too much “disorder” removes all choice of the individual having said disorder. It is alright to acknowledge the increased struggles we have but not one of us is so disordered we absolutely are unable to function…………the “prove" is easy because every one here has access to a computer and is able to operate one on some basic level………..

Okay there are those who have ADD the most sever and it is totally disabling .however the representation here in this group I am sorry to say would NOT fall into that category!

Totally disabling means one is unable………….struggling to function isn’t the same as dysfunctional!

The severity of pain ………know the difference?

Weather I am the one feeling pain or you are………….!

Life would be easier if it came in absolutes but the only thing absolute is that it is all absolutely relative…………ADD may be a liability in one setting while an asset in another.

I have meant people who have ADD and are fun ADDers, I have meant people with ADD who are NOT fun!

We all have our individual differences correct but we are all the same in that even non-ADDers come in individuals………NTers have strength and weakness just as we do!
Perhaps we have it a bit better medical science has seen fit to give some of our weakness a name called ADD! The thing is they failed to apply is the strength that comes along with the most important aspect if being ADD that is being ADHD people, who are people not a disorder!

Meadd took the words right out of my mouth.
Thanks Meadd !! (0:

"With out ADHD
I would be some body else!!!
Again cure for being me….. no thank you!"


Nova

He had one 'flavor' of Bipolar Disorder. And I guarantee he didn't take any meds for it.

Meadd took the words right out of my mouth.
Thanks Meadd !! (0:

"With out ADHD
I would be some body else!!!
Again cure for being me….. no thank you!"


Nova


And again, for the other side of the coin....I wouldn't think twice if could throw away the ADHD "impairment cane" . I'd be somebody else but the essence of me would still be there. My impairment has nothing to do with me. These traits are impaired brain functions and not my soul. I'm not defined by my hyperfocus, my low energy, my day dreaming, my inability to see some things to completion.

IMHO, creativity has little if anything to do with ADHD. I should know, I was a practicing artist for several years. You can be ADHD and creative but ADHD doesn't make you creative. Anyone can have drive and hyperfocus if they are passionate about something. My passion came from the emotional suffering I went through because of my Dad and having ADHD. But, that doesn't mean that others can't suffer and find the same passion and inspiration. People who make it in art, have incredible persistence , passion, and drive. They come from all walks of life. By the way, one of the reasons that I stopped making art was that I made peace with my dad. We understood each other.

This same sort of issue cropped up recently with the deaf. An advocacy group was making the case that new technology should not be used to greatly improve hearing with the deaf. These surgical implants would allow some kids to hear noise for the first time. This group felt this procedure was wrong because the younger kids would miss out on deaf culture and may not even use deaf sign language, if they used this technology.

My impairment has nothing to do with me. These traits are impaired brain functions and not my soul. I'm not defined by my hyperfocus, my low energy, my day dreaming, my inability to see some things to completion.

IMHO, creativity has little if anything to do with ADHD..I agree -- I am not my ADD anymore than I was my dysfunctional corneas. I received corneas from two different people -- still me here!:D
Okay there are those who have ADD the most sever and it is totally disabling .however the representation here in this group I am sorry to say would NOT fall into that category!I totally agree (haw, haw -- didn't expect that:) giggles at being called on spelling). I think those actively participating on the forums would not be a representative sample of all ADDers. Some of the problem may be with semantics -- from how John Ratey describes severe ADHD, IMO it sounds like he's describing something more severe than what some doctor's label as severe. I think those of us who can self examine and bat these ideas around -- whichever side we come down on -- are the fortunate ones!

Scattered

And again, for the other side of the coin....I wouldn't think twice if could throw away the ADHD "impairment cane" . I'd be somebody else but the essence of me would still be there. My impairment has nothing to do with me. These traits are impaired brain functions and not my soul.


And I totally adore your soul, Scure!
You are pretty cool! Have I told you that lately ?


Nova

I am still undecided on the concept of a cure. :confused:
Like someone said, "a cure for me. No thank you.":p
Yes the disorder is not me. But I don't know any different.
I didn't even get diagnosed untill this year and I am 32.
Wow it would be a beautiful thing if I could get more organized and stay that way. Man, it would be great to be able to keep my house clean so I am not embarrased:o <-(sp) when someone stops by unexpectedly.:eek: :o
I really don't know what else would be cured. To be honest, I don't know where I end and the ADD begins or vice versa.:o
I do know that when I took adderal it seemed like I got worse instead of better. :(
I lost that part of me that rehersed things in my mind before I did them. But I think that I grew that part over time after a very hard childhood of doing and saying and forgetting the wrong things at the wrong time.:foot:
Like I said, I am still up in the air about it. :soapbox: There would definetely be a list of things that I wouldn't want to change about me. The funny thing is, the thing that sticks in my mind the most is my insight, and that is the thing that I hated as a kid. :( That is the thing that made me feel the most different. :eyebrow: I don't know if knowing something before it happens is an ADD thing or just a psycho I mean psychic thing. :rolleyes: Anyway, I don't want to lose it now. I just finally excepted it as a gift instead of a curse.:D
Thanks for reading. God bless you @ lol.

Maybe if he took the add/adhd cure, he'd still have both ears. :)

Or was that Michael Angelo? Or was he the one that committed suicide? I must not have been paying attention in history class. (as usual)
Van Gogh had a bad habit of putting his paint brush in his mouth while waiting for inspiration. Lead Poisoning. I have also heard that it has been speculated that he had cataracts which resulted with the impressionistic movement.

Although there are serious negative side effects of AD/HD, there are some benefits that I'm not sure that I want to be without. Hyperfocus, being able to soak in info from twenty different directions when I'm in the 'zone' without distractions of anything around me, the ability to focus to the point of coming up with some really great ideas that others couldn't come up with. If only I could leave the fog behind and be able to switch to the 'zone' on demand, I'm OK with it. Medication helps with the fog. So no, I don't think I would take the 'cure' if it meant losing what little edge that I have.

http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2003/07/10/nadd.html was a fun article about what he calls NADD: nerd attention deficit disorder that is fitting.

I would take it. Its very hard organizing, remembering, and controlling my emotion. Yes yes yes yes yes i would love to take it.

Although there are serious negative side effects of AD/HD, there are some benefits that I'm not sure that I want to be without. Hyperfocus, being able to soak in info from twenty different directions when I'm in the 'zone' without distractions of anything around me, the ability to focus to the point of coming up with some really great ideas that others couldn't come up with. If only I could leave the fog behind and be able to switch to the 'zone' on demand, I'm OK with it. Medication helps with the fog. So no, I don't think I would take the 'cure' if it meant losing what little edge that I have.

http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2003/07/10/nadd.html was a fun article about what he calls NADD: nerd attention deficit disorder that is fitting.Ahh, yes. The search for this is what lead me to this forum. I'll post in the intro section next, but I just wanted to let you know that you described my perceptions of hyperfocus and the "fog" perfectly. I'm hoping to find information here about advanced behavioral coping mechanisms to deal with the fog (more than just "write notes" or "use a filing system"), so I don't have to hinder my creativity and ability to hyperfocus. Anyways, like I said, just wanted to let you know you hit the nail on the head for me!




Edit: Forgot to post my point regarding the original topic (typical, huh?):

I'm 22 and just graduated college. Having grown up with ADD, and having gone undiagnosed until my sophomore year of college (because I'm the spaced-out kind, not the physically hyper kind), my whole mentality, personality, worldview, etc. developed developed along the paths they did because of my ADD and the way it affected me.

Even if my ADD was cured today, I can never be rid of its effects because my mind has been shaped by it. It's like if tree grew around a scaffolding, and that scaffolding was somehow removed, you'd just be left with a deformed tree.

That being said, I reiterate the fact that I'd like to get rid of the fog and other negative effects. It's just that if I could only get rid of those by ditching the positive effects too, I wouldn't do it. I'm too twisted by now to make it as a normal person :)

In response to Scuro: no, the ADD isn't me. But if I take a good look at my personality, I can't help but notice that several of my most notable quirks stem from my having ADD. My fiance fell in love with me partly because my impulsiveness was endearing to her. She laments that I'm not as goofy when I'm on Strattera.

It's not that I feel my ADD gives me my uniqueness, but I do feel that it is a central part of me, simply because I've had it all my life nothing will change the effect it's had on my development as a person. In addition, I don't feel like anyone with a disability should hang onto it simply because it's part of them. However, I'm not entirely convinced that ADD is a disability in an objective sense. Sure, it frustrates the hell out of me and causes me to be at odds with the world around me. But, I feel that's only because society was built around the non-ADD mind, and does not make allowances for those whose brains are wired differently.

Anyways, take everything I say with a grain of salt. (that'll be my sig once I get around to setting it :P)

No I most certainly would not take any "Cure". That would require me to think I am broken and therefore not as good as others. That I am somehow diseased.

I grant that I certainly felt that way for a long time. I'll even grant that I was certainly judged broken, inferior, and worse by peers and authority figures alike.

What I will not grant is that I am broken, when I am not. Nor, would I commit what would amount to the murder of myself. ADD literally effects nearly every aspect of how our minds work. It deeply effects personality and emotional experience. It deeply effects even the intensity of our memories (strong unregulated emotions also make memories substantially stronger. Not always a good thing, but also not always a bad thing). To "Cure" what has literally made me me, would be to change every aspect of who I am. Not just the parts I don't like, but all the parts. Dan Johnson (me) would cease to exist, though I would remember him. I wouldn't even be able to remember the memories the same way he did. Because their emotional component would feel more washed out having been regulated, modulated, and appropriatedly inhibited by the normally functioning executive centers of my cured brain.

Lastly, calling anything a cure for ADD is really a misnomer. Show me an actual damaged piece of DNA, or brain tissue that results in ADD? While you might find a head trauma victim or someone with a brain infection that has some similarity of symptoms, what you won't find is a case of ADD caused by any kind of physical pathology (some of the trauma caused cases do meet DSM-IV criteria, but it is in those cases due to the pathology and often they experience much more severe performance deficits and typically don't have the gifts that go with them in normal ADD. In short with a few exceptions (some persons get whats called "Late onset talents with advanced dementia, or major head trauma. These people are much more behaviorally and functionally similar to autistics than they are to ADD sufferers) head trauma cases may display similarity of negative symptoms, they are clearly the result of much different circumstances because the 70% of cases that are inherited and not from injuries don't have any apparent malformations or missing hardware, only some difference in maturation rate, and grey and white matter variations and distributions that are different than most but still within the human normal range. Also the diagnostic criteria for obvious reasons focus on the negative symptoms. Head Trauma Caused ADD is markedly different from the genetically caused inhereted variety in that brain trauma rarely has a net good effect of any kind.

So, it being the case that I'm not sick. I'll pass on the cure. I will however accept "Treatment" as a pragmatic measure to help me adapt as well as I can until such time as society pulls the stick out of it's butt and gets a little more flexible.

Yes, I'd take it. I would also fear it, because I know that it would completely change me. I might regret it , particularly if my creatiivity was reduced.... my creativity is why my employer keeps me around.. IF that became impared, it would be a disaster for me.

BUT (fasten your seatbelts while I rant)

The plain truth is that I am sick and tired of having failed relationships, I am tired of being scattered, impulsive, and confused. I am tired of being misunderstood. I am tired of not being able to recognize the faces of people I know. I am tired of having to take pills to just function, and I am sick and tired of feeling like a freak.

ME :D
Wow, I can so relate to your post!!!!!

Well I can certainly relate as well, but I can't help feeling that the "me" I know would cease to exist if I took a cure. I have to wonder if the new "Me"
would even be someone I liked. I lean towards doubting that very much as he would probably have little tolerance for my quirks and no appreciation for the good stuff (if he had why stifle it?). That being how I feel about it I suspect getting turned into someone I don't even like would be far worse than having ADD for me.

Again though, that's just me. Your point of view certainly raises lots of flags in my mind too.

Well I can certainly relate as well, but I can't help feeling that the "me" I know would cease to exist if I took a cure. I have to wonder if the new "Me"
would even be someone I liked. I lean towards doubting that very much as he would probably have little tolerance for my quirks and no appreciation for the good stuff (if he had why stifle it?). That being how I feel about it I suspect getting turned into someone I don't even like would be far worse than having ADD for me.

Again though, that's just me. Your point of view certainly raises lots of flags in my mind too.Oh I like this E-Boy. I did see some of the points made by the "yes-cure" posters but I gotta say I am a "no-cure-thanks" vote as well. I like me. I prefer to focus on what I am able to do and compensate for what I find difficult. I get tired of the challenges to fit someone else's mold and while I do wish some things came more easily to me? I think I prefer the challenge to the notion of a life "inside the box". Looks kind of boring in there to me.

I am unique and if I were able to clone my own self, I am pretty convinced that even she would never find all the facets in me, nor I in her. I think I would run screaming from a "cured" version of myself though! :eek: An NT me just does not compute.

CrazyFeet, the closest, of course to a cure for my son was the Adderall. But, it wears off at 3:30, and he's back to his frustrations. The only ones whe benefitted from him being on medication was school! The first day I actually had a conversation WITH him was the first day he took his med. It was beautiful. It was a day I will always remember. So, if there is a "cure," I would try to make it happen for him. If he wouldn't mind me doing that for him. He will always have a beautiful soul, no matter what.

Yeah, my kid.

She is gone with her grade 8 class to a nature camp for the week. The house in normal. I don't have the constant demands, the inflexibility, the arguing......that is who she is now. I know the true her, I raised that kid as I was the stay at home dad at the time. I'd love see her like she was and I'm sure it will come with time. That belly laugh, those laughing eyes, and love of life. Take away her impulsive wants/demands and her uncontrollable rigid thinking...they drive everyone away from her. Those shortcuts in the brain have got nothing to do with her soul.

Hmmmm unmedicated moment strikes :D...and I do appreciate the input. Not feeling argumentative just feeling the urge to further clarify my thoughts.

I am personally not too sure that the removal of the downside would leave the upside intact, and I say that as a middle aged adult. I believe that everything I have been though has brought me to the place I am today. I struggle, yes, but I really like myself. That's a good feeling.

I certainly do not wish to see my child struggle...but it would appear that her gifts are part and parcel of the syndrome in her case. I naturally give her the meds that help her to cope with her frustrations due to ADD but ADD or not? Frustration is a part of life for all human beings on one level or another.

My hubby and I agree on this one point: if we had been offered a choice between a child with the gifts my 10 year old possesses with ADD or a child lacking her gifts without ADD, we would BOTH choose the ADDer, no reservations. We have a toddler aged child with a some very strong similarities to the ADDer and she is more than the apple of her Daddy's eye, she is his whole eyeball!

Bottom line: ADD is not "broken", nor is it "ill". Is just IS, and while it may be different from some other people around us? While it may present challenges others will never face? To approach it as anything other than a difference in mental processing abilities seems mean and unfair from our point of view. Just my 2C again.

It's not an either or decision, you wouldn’t have to throw away the whole personality. What you would lose is the core traits of ADHD. You would lose poor inpulse control and all the behaviours and outcomes that go with that. The disorder is an impairment which means diminished abilities in the area of impairment.

Yes, I agree with you that you learn some hard lessons when you have ADHD. You can keep that with you for life. For those that make it through to the otherside of the rabbit hole...they are stronger people. BUT, we may be forgetting about the ADHDers that we don't see. There are all those ADHDers who don't post on the board because they have been stuck in the rabbit hole all their lives and can't get out. That too is ADHD.

There are all those ADHDers who don't post on the board because they have been stuck in the rabbit hole all their lives and can't get out. That too is ADHD.

The “rabbit hole" (sounds like SB?) hold no bias, it cares not weather one is ADD, NOT ADD, PTSD, dyslexic, addicted, depressed, bi-polar or just down on your attitude. :( I know I have been to the bottom of that “rabbit hole” myself.

We should not waste what we have lamenting what we have not.




Bottom line: ADD is not "broken", nor is it "ill". Is just IS, and while it may be different from some other people around us? While it may present challenges others will never face? To approach it as anything other than a difference in mental processing abilities seems mean and unfair from our point of view. Just my 2C again

I like the way you said this, :D very nicely done. Thank you.

The “rabbit hole" (sounds like SB?) hold no bias, it cares not weather one is ADD, NOT ADD, PTSD, dyslexic, addicted, depressed, bi-polar or just down on your attitude. :( I know I have been to the bottom of that “rabbit hole” myself. I know the rabbit hole too. I also believe I am an "alpha rabbit" for the experience.

We should not waste what we have lamenting what we have not. Agreed! Haven't we lost enough time just wasting time?


I like the way you said this, :D very nicely done. Thank you.I am very glad you liked that and sincerely accept your compliment. Thank YOU for that. :D

It's not an either or decision, you wouldn’t have to throw away the whole personality. What you would lose is the core traits of ADHD. You would lose poor inpulse control and all the behaviours and outcomes that go with that. The disorder is an impairment which means diminished abilities in the area of impairment. I don't see how it would be possible to not be impacted on the positive side too. What about the wandering thoughts that help with being creative? There are many people that are successful in business because of the impulsive side. They are willing to take risks. I get my ability to live in the moment from my adhd. When I think of the things I would gain from being cured - the ability to clean the house - to mow the lawn in straight lines - remembering terminolgy - pay atttention when people talk.
What if when cured I find out that my problem with math isn't concentration but that I really can't comprehend it at the level expected for college. Or that my house is messy because I really don't value a spotless house that much.

If I didn't have stories to tell about my goof-ups then what would I laugh at?

I would be very cautious and want to see lots of testimonials from people that were cured.

Plus I need a working definition of "normal". Do they really only think about one thing at a time? Does that mean that they think in paragraphs as opposed fragmented sentences? What keeps them from feeling bored?

Would I lose my passion for things?

If I had found out sooner that there was reason for my being forgetful, for struggling to understand things, if there had been more balance between what I did well and what I did poorly, if I hadn't struggled with this undiagnosed disorder for 53 years... well, I don't know what my answer would be then.

But now, I would say - YES cure me - for sure.

I like cheese. :-)

Maybe it's where I live or just that I notice things more now. But I sure do see a lot of ADD people that haven't came out of the closet yet. Parden the expression. I think you know what I mean though. The percentages would be 50 percent or more of the people that I come in contact with. Is that because it's an evolutionary thing or is it because we have more toxins and chemicals in our food, or maybe we've always existed and it was never detected because we didn't have all of these different forms of distraction years ago?

I like cheese. :-):eyebrow: Have you been talking to my daughter when her meds wear off?

;)

I like cheese. :-)
:eyebrow: Have you been talking to my daughter when her meds wear off?

;)

I, too, like cheese. And I'm pretty sure I haven't met your daughter.

I, too, like cheese. And I'm pretty sure I haven't met your daughter.Inane word repetition is a focusing mechanism for many ADDers when the meds begin to wear off, clay. My daughter is prone to strident noises like "WHEEEEEEEEEEE!" (repeated exactly 4 times, then a pause, then continued), gutterals like "Squall! SQUALL!" and occasionally comes out with silly statements, such as "I like cheese (or cereal, or chocolate milk, or whatever suits her that day)." :D There's the connection.

I personally stick to mumbling inanities myself, like "booger booger booger" (many thanks to Stabile for the gem!), "rutabega rutabega rutabega" or something similar. My dad tends toward the single syllabic nonsense sounds like "ch-ch-ch" or "mrrp-mrrp-mrrp.

Hope that clears things up for you, now I return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

CrazyFeet, I think you responded to my thread about the STNR, and maybe you also know that my son is going through the Dore program. When we first started talking about the things that might be eaisier for him if the programs do what they say, the first and only thing he was really concerned about was, "Mom, will it take away my happy?" (The meds, although beautiful, he did not like the part that it took away his happy.) I told him we all love his happy, and would not ever want to see that go! :-) Just thought I'd share from the heart of a 13-year-old. Aren't they so cute!

I sure do see a lot of ADD people that haven't came out of the closet yet. Pardon the expression. I think you know what I mean though. The percentages would be 50 percent or more of the people that I come in contact with. Is that because it's an evolutionary thing or is it because we have more toxins and chemicals in our food, or maybe we've always existed and it was never detected because we didn't have all of these different forms of distraction years ago?I see the same thing - among the people I know most closely, there seems to be an incredibly high percentage of undiagnosed ADDer's - easily higher than 50 percent. I've concluded that the reason for this is simply because I relate to fellow ADDers more easily. We often share a similar sense of humor, and we definitely share similar struggles. It's sort of like being in the group of kids who are always straggling along at the back of the class. We seem to understand each other's foibles. (I'm reminded of the "What's the most boneheaded ADD thing you've ever done?" threads that are so popular on this forum.)

There's also an exponential aspect to it. If I'm introduced to a group of people, I'll to gravitate towards those with ADD traits (whether they're aware of their ADD or not). If I become friends with them, I often discover (to no surprise whatsoever) that their friends exhibit noticeable ADD traits.

Unless I'm completely delusional, I believe I can suss out their ADD pretty quickly. For example, I'll be introduced to someone through a friend I consider ADD, and this person I've just been introduced to will have an incredibly messy apartment. Later I'll discover that they're so chronically late for things that their nickname is "Where's John?". I'll think to myself "Yup, totally ADD - just like the friend who introduced us."

Among the ADDers I run into through contacts like this, only a single person that I know of has been officially diagnosed. A couple of people have had it suggested to them that they might be ADD, but flatly reject it. Among the others there seems to be no awareness whatsoever.

I also have a couple of friends who I would never think of as ADD. They seem to be quite organized and on top of things. When introduced to a group of their friends, I don't pick up "ADD vibes" (or whatever) coming from any of them, and find that I don't merge into the group nearly so well. Consequently, my friends and acquaintences don't expand so easily in the non-ADDer realm.

NO, I wouldn't take it.
Why, cause I am a really creative person and love it and I take meds to fix everything else but they also make me loose my creativity. I like being able to turn it on and off when I have to. There are positive sides to ADD.

I would definatley take it, only for the fact it holds me back alot and i would like to find the real me without the ad(h)d.

I wanted to say something here. I think in my initial posts here I almost came off as angry at the question. I want to clarify. I'm angry, but mostly at all the stuff that goes on in the world that makes a VERY GOOD question like this so easy to ask.

I'd be tempted to take it to avoid the occasional torture sessions with groups and ways of doing things I can't quite fit into. I still hope to find a niche where none of that is necessary. It would be nice to be who I am without the unnecessary unpleasantries.

OK E-boy that's true for me too. I could also do without the "unnecessary unpleasantries". Its tough learning to crawl at age 40 and my patience is not what it used it be ;).

Where the heck is Morpheus? Get him back in here I wanna try the red pill this time.

I like the yellow pills.... DOH!

The trick is only to realise there is no spoon ;).

What am I gonna eat my coacoa puffs with?

Chopsticks :D.

Inane word repetition is a focusing mechanism for many ADDers when the meds begin to wear off, clay. My daughter is prone to strident noises like "WHEEEEEEEEEEE!" (repeated exactly 4 times, then a pause, then continued), gutterals like "Squall! SQUALL!" and occasionally comes out with silly statements, such as "I like cheese (or cereal, or chocolate milk, or whatever suits her that day)." :D There's the connection.

I personally stick to mumbling inanities myself, like "booger booger booger" (many thanks to Stabile for the gem!), "rutabega rutabega rutabega" or something similar. My dad tends toward the single syllabic nonsense sounds like "ch-ch-ch" or "mrrp-mrrp-mrrp.

Hope that clears things up for you, now I return you to your regularly scheduled thread.
He he. I cought the reference, I was just being silly. "I like cheese" reminded me of this one time I wrote an entire essay on my fondness for cheese. I think the assigned topic was "school reform," or something.

I've often spouted random things to clear my head. Usually these are childish euphamisms for curse words, unless I'm really stressed. At that point I revert to using the real thing. :P

Edit: I almost forgot - I make liberal use of dinosaur growls, as well!

He he. I cought the reference, I was just being silly. "I like cheese" reminded me of this one time I wrote an entire essay on my fondness for cheese. I think the assigned topic was "school reform," or something.

I've often spouted random things to clear my head. Usually these are childish euphamisms for curse words, unless I'm really stressed. At that point I revert to using the real thing. :P

Edit: I almost forgot - I make liberal use of dinosaur growls, as well!Heh, that's awesome!

The kid and I are working on a personalised dictionary of alternatives to cursing these days, actually. They have to make sense to us or we will not use them, ya know? :D

Murphburger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heh, that's awesome!

The kid and I are working on a personalised dictionary of alternatives to cursing these days, actually. They have to make sense to us or we will not use them, ya know? :D

I was really into Farscape in highschool, and they made up a whole vocabulary of alien curse words for that show. It came in handy. :)

Yay for workarounds to FCC regs!

I was really into Farscape in highschool, and they made up a whole vocabulary of alien curse words for that show. It came in handy. :)

Yay for workarounds to FCC regs!We've been shamelessy "borrowing" from Final Fantasy (thanks Square-Enix) here!

And thanks be to Yevon :D.

I must say a Big NO... I like who I am now and wouldnt know what to do with myself if I didnt have any disabilities. I am epileptic too and I wouldnt go for the surgery if it was offered to me .... I dont know who I would be or what I would be like.... I like me and I know i am not my problems I just wouldnt know if I would be so understanding and empthatic .... and I like that about me.

I dont know if this is making sense but I think alot me is because of all the hardship i have face in my life and it has made me a stronger and better person ... so I think I would say a definant NO.

Ok if there was a cure to perminently cure ADD would you want it?
I don't know about you but yes add is hell sometimes but i like the positives that come with it, and, i have become quite comfortable to being slightly odd and not like everyone else:)
There is a permanent cure--I just can't figure out how to get the $.89 bullet to pass through my head without voiding my life insurance.
I bet that changes the direction of this thread a bit.
:eyebrow:

Murphburger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Badgerbadgerbadgerbadger ,badgerbadgerbadgerbadger,badgerbadgerbadgerbadger-MUSHROOM MUSHROOM!:D

There is a permanent cure--I just can't figure out how to get the $.89 bullet to pass through my head without voiding my life insurance.
I bet that changes the direction of this thread a bit.
:eyebrow:
Simple. You get someone else to fire it.

You wouldn't happen to be on Strattera would you? They say it can increase suicidal thoughts. :P

There is a permanent cure--I just can't figure out how to get the $.89 bullet to pass through my head without voiding my life insurance.
I bet that changes the direction of this thread a bit.
:eyebrow:


This kind of thought process is your own worst enemy. As long as you think this way you will never even see the hopeful stuff. Besides death isn't a solution, it's just a very final act and leaves a very large mess of misery for those left behind, as well as permanently removing any hope for improvement.

Badgerbadgerbadgerbadger,badgerbadgerbadgerbadger, badgerbadgerbadgerbadger-MUSHROOM MUSHROOM!:DSNAKE, IT'S A SNAKE!!!

Haven't watched badgers in a while. Have you see Lord Peter Feathering Walthamstone? Cockfoster! Fetch more brandy. Oh, and fresh undergarments. I think that one touched cloth.

:)

Twist

Simple. You get someone else to fire it.

You wouldn't happen to be on Strattera would you? They say it can increase suicidal thoughts. :P

Not on Strattera and NOT suicidal.

This kind of thought process is your own worst enemy. As long as you think this way you will never even see the hopeful stuff. Besides death isn't a solution, it's just a very final act and leaves a very large mess of misery for those left behind, as well as permanently removing any hope for improvement.

Death is the only possible cure for ADD in my opinion since ADD is a part of me--not a virus or disease. It is a permanent solution to ADD and the only one that makes any sense. If you don't like who you are then why be here?
The bullet remark was just to see how long it would take for anyone to notice.

I'm no stranger to positive self talk and meditation and many other mental activities that can be engaged in to better a situation. I have quite a bit of evidence from my life that proves that you manifest whatever you dwell on most--positive or negative. I don't dwell on death. It is inevitable--Death is an end result of human existence that we all will experience. It is not the end or a final act--not in my book.

It doesn't have to be a very large mess of misery for those left behind either.
As long as you think that death leaves a very large mess of misery for those left behind you won't experience life to its fullest. We spend too much time running in fear from death--most of our lives.

I agree: there isn't any "hope" of improvement, alive or dead. Hope is for people without options. Hope is what you cling to when there is nothing else useful. I have options and I don't know what "hopeful stuff" you are referring to. If life isn't worth living now then whatever it will bring later isn't worth waiting for.

I don't hope that someday my ADD will be gone any more than I hope my left hand will be gone. In fact, I don't hope at all. I get up every day and realize that this might be the day when I don't have any choice in the matter over life and death. It might be the last day I can tell my family I love them. I don't waste my time hoping death won't happen. I'm expecting it to come knocking every second of every day.
The crummy thing about having ADD is that sometimes I forget that my life has a time limit so I waste some of the time on meaningless things like posting on forums.
Then again-maybe this wasn't wasted time...just a little reminder that life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

To be honest, I wouldn't. ADD is part of me now, I take pride in the fact that I have attention problems, it is part of my identity. In the whole metaphoric way and the literal way. When people try and discribe me, they usually aways say "with serious attention problems" or "with ADD"

Granted I would love to stop taking the medication though.

I would. It's not that I don't like myself or anything... it would just make life so much easier to deal with.

I would not take it.

I 'm sure I wouldn't. And I guess it's because I have been this way since birth. This is not degenereative like alzheimers, parkinsons I have no idea why I picked these too (God I hope it's not degenerative).


I mean come on guys what about the hair brained theories? And the intuition? Never doubt your intuition.

And what about hyperfocus??!!

If losing add would mean losing hyperfocus? Would you take the cure then? No way! Don't even suggest it!

The ability to think outside of the box?

Ok the relationship stuff is a *****.
And ADD is hard on the kids.

I take Ritalin. It helps alot.

Monkeyche

Alright heres the deal, I am not myself when I'm on my Adderall..... I don't understand sometimes I can eat sometimes i can't, I've been taking it for about 3 1/2 months.... I started out not being able to eat anything now I can eat enough, but I feel very wierd. I haven't lost or gained a pound...but those are just the side effects, right? When I was in Middle school my parents had me put on ritilin it was awesome for my grades, I got straight A's when I used to get D's and E's. The thing about it was I became kind of introverted and I felt really weird like a zombie or something, I stayed on the ritilin until I realized (in the summer of 9th grade going into tenth) that I needed to become who I really was, to be able to have a good social life, because for real, I am a very social person and not being able to be who I really was, was very depressing and scary. I decided that I didhn't need it anymore and I weened myself off of it. It was good I still got good grades b/c I put my mind to it. Everything worked out until my senior yr. I was brought down with the stress of everything and my depression got worse I got severe anxiety and nevousness for no reason and I just couldn' t handle it anymore, so I went to my doctor and told him and he gave me Adderall 20mgs to help me with my problems, he also got some blood work done on me to make sure everything else was ok too, he found out my body didn't make enough B12 to metabolize my iron, so i was anemic and now I get a B12 shot along with an iron supplement, also now that I have been taking the Adderal I couldn't get all of my nutrients that way so I really didn't understand the point, I got really nauseated all of the time thinking about food made me sick and so did the smell for about 3 weeks. Then most of the nausea went away and now it's only the odd feelings and the severe dizzyness and headaches.... If I forget to take it for a day the next day is living hell and I cant deal wth it I'm so dizzy and weak that I can barly walk, like today, I tried to eat and I just felt sick but I had to force myself so that I didn't feel sick and tired and weak anymore. I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired.... bet you guys have heard that before...... I'm tired fo having low self esteem I want to like myself....not hate it. I want to feel healthy.... why do we have to feel like we are dying of a terminal illness when it's just a wee little disorder. My mind is in tatters, I can't study at all and actually get anything out of it. I learn different than everone else and I'm not dumb I just don't know how to learn the same way that everyone does. I don't even know how I learn. I get confused easy and always want everything and I feel empty. Im tired of this.... Someone please tell me Im not the only one who feels this way..... If there was a one pill cure for ADD I would definatly take it and eliminate the living hell that is such a reality to me today. Just like Raspberry said about liking to be a bit different.... yeh I love my uniqueness but the feeling of outcast even when Im not makes me very confused I am so sensitive and I want to be the real me and I think that since the first day I took my ritilin, I lost it, I lost who I really am, how do you know who you are if you have a drug making you be what society wants u to be, yes I can concentrate better and do my job better, but what about my life and my relationships, really what is more important me or them? Now I'll prolly be controlled by drugs for the rest of my life because I have ADD and I am not normal and I need meds to function correctly. I just want to help......anything....I wish there were a cure. I wish that we didn't have to feel this way....Man that was deep and long sorry guys that s my rant for the evening

Alright heres the deal, I am not myself when I'm on my Adderall..... I don't understand sometimes I can eat sometimes i can't, I've been taking it for about 3 1/2 months.... I started out not being able to eat anything now I can eat enough, but I feel very wierd. I haven't lost or gained a pound...but those are just the side effects, right? When I was in Middle school my parents had me put on ritilin it was awesome for my grades, I got straight A's when I used to get D's and E's. The thing about it was I became kind of introverted and I felt really weird like a zombie or something, I stayed on the ritilin until I realized (in the summer of 9th grade going into tenth) that I needed to become who I really was, to be able to have a good social life, because for real, I am a very social person and not being able to be who I really was, was very depressing and scary. I decided that I didhn't need it anymore and I weened myself off of it. It was good I still got good grades b/c I put my mind to it. Everything worked out until my senior yr. I was brought down with the stress of everything and my depression got worse I got severe anxiety and nevousness for no reason and I just couldn' t handle it anymore, so I went to my doctor and told him and he gave me Adderall 20mgs to help me with my problems, he also got some blood work done on me to make sure everything else was ok too, he found out my body didn't make enough B12 to metabolize my iron, so i was anemic and now I get a B12 shot along with an iron supplement, also now that I have been taking the Adderal I couldn't get all of my nutrients that way so I really didn't understand the point, I got really nauseated all of the time thinking about food made me sick and so did the smell for about 3 weeks. Then most of the nausea went away and now it's only the odd feelings and the severe dizzyness and headaches.... If I forget to take it for a day the next day is living hell and I cant deal wth it I'm so dizzy and weak that I can barly walk, like today, I tried to eat and I just felt sick but I had to force myself so that I didn't feel sick and tired and weak anymore. I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired.... bet you guys have heard that before...... I'm tired fo having low self esteem I want to like myself....not hate it. I want to feel healthy.... why do we have to feel like we are dying of a terminal illness when it's just a wee little disorder. My mind is in tatters, I can't study at all and actually get anything out of it. I learn different than everone else and I'm not dumb I just don't know how to learn the same way that everyone does. I don't even know how I learn. I get confused easy and always want everything and I feel empty. Im tired of this.... Someone please tell me Im not the only one who feels this way..... If there was a one pill cure for ADD I would definatly take it and eliminate the living hell that is such a reality to me today. Just like Raspberry said about liking to be a bit different.... yeh I love my uniqueness but the feeling of outcast even when Im not makes me very confused I am so sensitive and I want to be the real me and I think that since the first day I took my ritilin, I lost it, I lost who I really am, how do you know who you are if you have a drug making you be what society wants u to be, yes I can concentrate better and do my job better, but what about my life and my relationships, really what is more important me or them? Now I'll prolly be controlled by drugs for the rest of my life because I have ADD and I am not normal and I need meds to function correctly. I just want to help......anything....I wish there were a cure. I wish that we didn't have to feel this way....Man that was deep and long sorry guys that s my rant for the evening
I thought I was going to cry, reading your post. I definitely feel for you and I know many others here do as well. I haven't had the ups and downs that you have with the drugs. I got on Strattera as soon as I was diagnosed, and it's been alright for me. I'm not happy with some of the side effects, but I can live with them. If the Adderall is messing with you that badly, try another drug. I don't know what's "normal" for Adderall, but in general I would just think that if it makes you that unhappy, then it's not worth it.

Oh well good then. At first you scared me. :-)

and for the record I agree with you. *Does his best John wayne Impression*

"If they want to take my ADD from me they can pry it from my cold dead cerebral cortex!"








Death is the only possible cure for ADD in my opinion since ADD is a part of me--not a virus or disease. It is a permanent solution to ADD and the only one that makes any sense. If you don't like who you are then why be here?
The bullet remark was just to see how long it would take for anyone to notice.

I'm no stranger to positive self talk and meditation and many other mental activities that can be engaged in to better a situation. I have quite a bit of evidence from my life that proves that you manifest whatever you dwell on most--positive or negative. I don't dwell on death. It is inevitable--Death is an end result of human existence that we all will experience. It is not the end or a final act--not in my book.

It doesn't have to be a very large mess of misery for those left behind either.
As long as you think that death leaves a very large mess of misery for those left behind you won't experience life to its fullest. We spend too much time running in fear from death--most of our lives.

I agree: there isn't any "hope" of improvement, alive or dead. Hope is for people without options. Hope is what you cling to when there is nothing else useful. I have options and I don't know what "hopeful stuff" you are referring to. If life isn't worth living now then whatever it will bring later isn't worth waiting for.

I don't hope that someday my ADD will be gone any more than I hope my left hand will be gone. In fact, I don't hope at all. I get up every day and realize that this might be the day when I don't have any choice in the matter over life and death. It might be the last day I can tell my family I love them. I don't waste my time hoping death won't happen. I'm expecting it to come knocking every second of every day.
The crummy thing about having ADD is that sometimes I forget that my life has a time limit so I waste some of the time on meaningless things like posting on forums.
Then again-maybe this wasn't wasted time...just a little reminder that life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

It's not my ADD that I would cure because it's not ADD that causes my pain.
Let's say we put all of us ADDers together for the summer... Would we find structure and organization?
Would we become the 'Animal Farm' or 'Lord of the Flies'?
Wouldn't we all take our places to fill in the various societal niches that living in a group requires?
We couldn't all be the cook!

My point is that it takes all kinds of people and if we removed everyone else, then we ADDers would assume the pecking order positions...
So I say, let's cure the non-ADDers...

There is a cure for ADD.

Make everyone else pull the pickles out of their collective butts.

There is a cure for ADD.

Make everyone else pull the pickles out of their collective butts.Ahhh so THAT'S the source of that stench! You clear so many things up for me E-boy.

About comparing having ADHD to being female...

As for as changing being female, I'm not a transgender or anything, but when I need to go #1 and there's no bathroom around, when it's hot and wouldn't mind taking off my shirt, or whenever I am having really bad PMS cramps, I wish I was a boy! (I do love wearing skirts though, so if I was a boy I would have to be Scottish so I could wear a kilt!;) )

i understand your feelings, but you should understand that these are more feminist than transgender in nature. wanting to have some of the social benefits limited to males is a point of contention with your culture and not with your internal gender identity... i think it's unfortunate that society has placed so many gender rules on us. if you were a male you could wear a skirt even if you weren't scottish... you would just be socially punished for breaking unspoken gender rules.

as for the question i would not take a "cure" for ADHD because there are things about how i think which i love and which i feel allow me to think outside the box. and i'd be afraid that any ADHD cure would cause me to think as "normal" people do.

-Maya

If there was a cure, id take it, id also take the blue pill (talking matrix here, not viagra).

I dont care that i'd loose some creativity, if i can handle making more than my dad did untill 5 years ago without having 2500$ in credit card debt, id be much happier.

if there was a cure? yea! I'm tired of the tacitile sensitivity, the heat sensitivity, the startle reflex, and the negative thought process stream..

I wouldn't lose any more creativity I think than I already lost by being on ritalin for 3 years as a kid.

I wish there had been a poll on that question to see what the tallied results were ..


There was way too much reading to follow it all

I like who I am becuase of the way I am with my ADD

There are many people who don't like the way I am becuase of my ADD , but I don't have to live with them........

I do have to live with myself and I enjoy all the benifits that have been derived from being ADD


So my answer is a big " NO"

I wouldn't take a permenant cure for ADD

OH, heck yes, I would take a permanent cure. I can find no positives to having a brain that is constantly feeling like it just can't get it together :faint: Ritalin is a miracle drug to me. My brain gets less chaotic, and gets calm for a few hours :) :) :) Wish that was permanent!

I guess this thread means the turn belongs to me....




I do not understand what effectiveness has to do with being comfortable in your own skin?

Abrham Lincon once said "A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be"

Efficient, organized people don’t feel uncomfortable? Ever?

This doesn't sound right.......even if I read it backwards!

My ADHD tendency toward disorganization because of distraction, thus I learned to be good at quick simple organizational systems!

Chaos theory- the theory describes are apparently disordered, but chaos theory is really about finding the underlying order in apparently random data





Some how perfectly sane people are under the impression that ADD traits are all bad and if they rid themselves of the bad ADD the good parts some how remain untouched…..

If I didn’t have impulsive moments of random ADD connections then yes I would be like “every one else” ……but not very original thus about as creative as "every body else" ….. getting rid of the bad with out touching the good…..

Hmm I vote nope!!!!
Newton's Third Law-"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."





No theories here…well not any that come to mind……..just a question

Suffering. .an ADD trait? Heck it aint even strictly a human one!


My take on this:

Is being female part of you or a separate disorder?

If some one offered you a cure would you take it?

Oh but I hear the words already ..being female isn’t a disorder doesn’t prevent me from functioning….. well being female is the number one reason you do not function as a man……. Nor an impairment……. Can be when we need to #1 in a traffic jam!

Having ADD is like being a girl for me…… being female isn’t the end all and be of who I am but it does effect my life even more than being ADD!

I dislike parts of being female… just like I don’t like some parts of ADD…….

But……..

Some things I actually like about being a girl….. some parts of being ADD I also like

In the end

Being born a girl is what happened to me…… some good parts, some bad parts, some neither here nor there…… (atoms=some positive parts, some negative parts, some neither here nor there)<-----basic science!!!


I am female just as I am ADHD! All portions are part of me, yet I am more than the sum total of my parts…. I am me….. with ADHD…..


With out ADHD


I would be some body else!!!


Again cure for being me….. no thank you!I agree entirely. I was surprised how many people voted that they would take it and I think it reflects one thing. People look at the ADHD symptoms and say "wow, that sucks, I feel bad about myself now, I hate my ADHD, etc, etc." when they really don't realise that it affect every single aspect of their lives because it is one of their many traits that make up them. Without it, they wouldn't be them. Some of the things you do are good, right? SURELY! Anyway, I wrote an article on this once. I hope you guys read it and change your mind. I personally feel a bit envious of Aspies because they have that whole "We do not need a cure. We are just different" movement going for them and what to we have? A bunch of people crying over their debilitating 'disorder' and hating themselves for it. We don't achieve anything out of that. We need to work towards a better understanding of our ADHD- ESPECIALLY the positives. Why especially the positives? Because we are in a minority and so the positives are our rare gifts. Rare gifts should be cherished more than general ability.

I will admit, though, that whilst we have disadvantages, traits that aren't good or bad and advantages, some people have such severe ADHD that, whether they have amazing intellectual abilities or not, simply cannot function in society. In fact everyone with ADHD wishes they could get rid of their disadvantages. HOWEVER, you must understand that getting rid of ADHD wouldn't be the best way to get rid of your problems. Getting rid of your problems would be the best way to get rid of your problems!

Anyway here is my article:

I think that the stuff published on ADHD is a little too clinical. By this I mean that professionals are trained to identify the symptoms and treat the negatives. They do not know and can not know ADHD like an ADHDer does. This does not mean that we know about our condition better than a professional, but we understand what it FEELS like, not what it LOOKS like. We don't know what medication to administer or who to refer a patient to but I think it is time that people from this website try to explain as best they can what it is like to have ADHD. I encourage others to write an article on this site like mine because those who do not have ADHD and are indirectly affected by the condition should not only know the clinical stuff, but also the stuff that we as ADHDers just KNOW.

To start off with, to all non-ADHDers who are reading this: You must understand that you can NOT entirely comprehend what it FEELS like to have ADHD just by reading the clinical stuff or even reading this article. The only way you can build up a clear picture is by researching multiple works. ADHD is a very controversial subject. There will be clashing statements. Some may be just wrong and some may be right in only certain circumstances where some are generally accepted to be true. I hope that by spending some time here and getting to know the ADHD community at this wonderful website you will be able to decide for yourself what is true and what applies to the ADHDers you know.

To the ADHDers reading this well you know why you are reading this. You are reading this because it is bloody interesting to read about yourself, don't deny it ;) Of course if you disagree with anything I said you are welcome to submit another story like this one in opposition.

My first point is about inattentiveness. They SAY we have poor concentration. This is most likely interpreted to mean we can't sustain our attention to one thing for very long. Not only this but it is observed that this is the truth. On the contrary, people with ADHD tend to have the best concentration. Let me explain. Non-ADHDers are more linear thinkers than we are. They see the word TRAIN and they imagine a little train, chugging along around a green hill. ADHDers see a train and that triggers many, many thoughts all at once. They instantly dive into their own world. If they were to say their thoughts to another person, after only a minute it would seem to the person that they are now talking about random dribble, nothing related to the train. They would be right. That is because when I or another ADHDer sees the word TRAIN, their instants thoughts are of that image of the train chugging along, with a shiny red coat and the steam shooting out, thinning as it rises. A shiny golden whistle. The fat controller from Thomas the Tank Engine shouting "all aboard!" people rushing along, each getting to their destination. One particularly interesting man with a fancy suit and a suitcase. That reminds me, one I heard a story about one of the most baffling cases in the history of unsolved English murders where a man took a suit case containing a body part of his victim and left it on a train then repeated the process at several train stations and they never caught him... What was I talking about?

My concentration is great. I can concentrate on one thing for hours. The trouble is that my mind thinks so fast and so laterally that I have trouble keeping up. Much like a car accelerating. As it accelerates, the driver has less control. Once my mind gets racing, I can't keep up and tell myself "STOP: You should be concentrating on your work instead of daydreaming about unsolved murders!" like most people can. Hang on, but didn't I say I have good concentration? That certainly isn't good concentration. Weelllll.. another thing is people with ADHD have less dopamine. That's right, that naturally produced happy drug. Your body releases it when you are happy. It gives you a feeling of euphoria. Because people with ADHD don't have as much of that, we suffer from constant boredom unless we can find something external to keep us happy. When I sit in maths class I get bored. Something the teacher says triggers a thought about that murder case. Now most people would block it out, but sub-consciously my mind craves the interesting though