I have the nastiest phone etiquitte, I am nasty and rude and impatient and get really indignant when I get put on hold and asked the same questions more than once. Answering machines hang up on me before I finish and I end up nasty because of that. People who aren't on time when it comes to I will call you at 2 pm per say tend to get nasty voicemails for having "to waste time waiting" and this occurs within a minute or two.

How's this working for you, mspen1018?

Well, some days I want to reach through the phone and throttle my truck-driver BDH for calling me 7 times a day because he is bored :rolleyes: I never know what to say after the first few calls and then I begin to get distracted, then annoyed...

I had to wait for a half an hour to request a tax summary from the IRS, by the time the woman got back to me each time It was DOB SSN name etc. There isn't a dose of any medication that could make me patient enough for that. I was quite rude.

I was quite rude.There was an interesting article in the paper about a U.S. psychologist who wants to add a new category to the DSM: dysfunctional anger. Apparently it is difficult to treat as the patient doesn't think they have a problem and rather enjoy being angry. :eek:

I get mad when the phone rings. I hate the telephone!! It could be because even though I have 7 cordless phones in my house I can never find one when it's ringing.

I hate talking on the phones especially when someone's speaking sh*t....and I get nervous a lot on phones too, so I stick to texts and messages on msn or somewhere.

I get mad when the phone rings. I hate the telephone!! It could be because even though I have 7 cordless phones in my house I can never find one when it's ringing.You know, your theory makes perfect sense. When my daughter visits, it's fair game where the three cordless phones are and one winds up in a temper by the time you find the phone or are forced to subject yourself to the torture of standing in one place and using a regular phone.

I hate telephones period. I tend to get a bit hasty as well, especially if it is my parents calling me. But then again, I have little patience for those who go on and on anyway, especially if it's continuously reiterating a point. Most of the time, I don't even answer my cell phone when it rings, unless it is someone important.

There was an interesting article in the paper about a U.S. psychologist who wants to add a new category to the DSM: dysfunctional anger. Apparently it is difficult to treat as the patient doesn't think they have a problem and rather enjoy being angry. :eek:They used to have a category called Intermittent Rage Disorder, but they left it out of more recent DSM IV editions, because it was rarely ever used. Like you said folks who had it frequently didn't see it as their problem -- usually thought someone else was making them angry. John Ratey in Shadow Syndromes says he feels it was let go to soon, because he thinks it's quite common and there is brain research backing up a lack of serotonin and hyperfrontality contributing to it. Of course for an ADDer it could be that or it could be impulsivity and stimulation seeking -- being angry is very stimulating!

Scattered

Of course for an ADDer it could be that or it could be impulsivity and stimulation seeking -- being angry is very stimulating!

ScatteredLong before I had ever heard of ADHD, I had learned about people labelled as adrenalin junkies who might pick fights with people just for the fun of it. :D

Long before I had ever heard of ADHD, I had learned about people labelled as adrenalin junkies who might pick fights with people just for the fun of it. :DI read an interesting research project that observed husbands and wives fighting. Most people became more disorganized and illogical the angrier they got. There was a small subset however that got more organized and together in their thinking! I wonder what group that might be?:p

I used to get really bad road rage and phone rage because I expected that people could drive and that people could do their jobs. When I began to realize that nobody can drive (at least in Mass) and a lot of people really don't do their jobs that well my rage dispeared.

Don't get me wrong I still get annoyed and angry but I don't yell and scream like I used...lol

I know that what should be a 3 minute phone call may take up to 45 minutes. I don't like it but I accept it.

I generally avoid the phone as well - but mostly because I feel bored/anxious when stuck in long conversations. (which makes sense, since I can't really do anything else while on the phone or I'll stop paying attention to the person on the other end) I'm not sure if it'll help the angrier of you ;) but I found a long while ago (before I knew anything much about ADD) that keeping my hands occupied while on the phone can help to reduce to anxiety/boredom/and eventually anger. "Fidget" or "Wiggle" toys can be a blessing with this. There are a few places on the web where you can find items like that.. or probably in teachers/science/novelty gift stores locally.


Umm.. a couple places I've ordered from before.

http://www.officeplayground.com/index.html (i highly recommend the "Linkers", and anything squishie/stretchy, since those tend to relieve stress in general)

http://www.kleargear.com/1564.html (out of stock atm, but definitely worth a giggle considering the topic)

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/ (I love ThinkGeek!)

The squishie toys are also nice because they are good for the muscles/nerves in your hands and arms, and keeps those ever so troublesome Guyon canal and Carpal tunnel places in better shape. ;)

If you don't want to spend the money - you might want to try just moving around while on those long and bothersome phone calls. Walk, do some light excerises (the kind that aren't going to have you panting into the phone, maybe some squats, arm and shoulder stretches), dance (if some of the people I talk to could see me when I talk to them sometimes, they'd never stop laughing), do whatever. It might help to keep you from feeling so tense/bored, and keep your mind off the fact that you're totally stuck on the phone for a little longer, without being as likely to completely zone you out.

Hope it helps some of you.. =)

I have tried 'em all and when it comes to OTR phone calls from BDH? Its still him hitting me with the "bus". :D

I have a friend that likes to do the same to me at work... eventually I had to tell him just how distracting/annoying it was, and that I love him to pieces, but he was driving me batty. If that doesn't work, telling them you're risking getting in trouble with the boss-person might help. =) A little white lie can save you some pain I suppose.

Confession time...When I'm listening to a menu I lose track by the time it gets to 2..and I find myself listening to them about 4 times before I finally decide to PAY ATTENTION as well as listen OR I just press any number and hope it doesn't take me to another menu.. a maze of menus..its not funny when you have ADD and get lost in the menus...I hate menus.

Confession time...When I'm listening to a menu I lose track by the time it gets to 2..and I find myself listening to them about 4 times before I finally decide to PAY ATTENTION as well as listen OR I just press any number and hope it doesn't take me to another menu.. a maze of menus..its not funny when you have ADD and get lost in the menus...I hate menus.Heaven help the person who has the nerve to TALK to me while I am lost in that maze of menus :mad:...ugh!

Jacinta, you will see me in my office or in my house, repeating the menu as it scrolls along (outloud and to myself). LOL
Tara, I did this too, and came to the same conclusion.
There are idiots out there, who can't drive, and can't do their job.
But why are they breeding 2x as much as regular people?:D
Maybe it's just me.
I get this at work, and at home.
But at home, I have fixed my problem for the most part.
(I really just get annoyed at people, not really outraged or redfaced)
Bell South offers something called "Privacy Director" or something like that.
If the number isn't listed, or the name is "unknown name", Bell South picks up the line. If the party refuses to give their number or name, Bell South hangs up on them, and my phone never rings. It's $5 dollars a month.
When the phone rings, Privacy Director is listed on caller ID. You pick it up, and hear who is on the other line (records their name), if it's a telemarketer, bill collector, etc, you can refuse the call. Then Bell South hangs up on them.
My phone rings when it's family, or the Dr, and that's about it.
Cuts down on that rage thing.
That's worth $5 dollars a month to me!

Jacinta, you will see me in my office or in my house, repeating the menu as it scrolls along (outloud and to myself). LOL
Tara, I did this too, and came to the same conclusion.
There are idiots out there, who can't drive, and can't do their job.
But why are they breeding 2x as much as regular people?:D
Maybe it's just me.
I get this at work, and at home.
But at home, I have fixed my problem for the most part.
(I really just get annoyed at people, not really outraged or redfaced)
Bell South offers something called "Privacy Director" or something like that.
If the number isn't listed, or the name is "unknown name", Bell South picks up the line. If the party refuses to give their number or name, Bell South hangs up on them, and my phone never rings. It's $5 dollars a month.
When the phone rings, Privacy Director is listed on caller ID. You pick it up, and hear who is on the other line (records their name), if it's a telemarketer, bill collector, etc, you can refuse the call. Then Bell South hangs up on them.
My phone rings when it's family, or the Dr, and that's about it.
Cuts down on that rage thing.
That's worth $5 dollars a month to me!
Used to have it... found myself letting them hang up on people I probably shouldn't have... "Oops, sorry boss, the phone company must have had a glitch and played the wrong name recording!" :p