I'm wondering if gays have higher incodence of ADHD. Studies show gays on average are alot more depressed than srtraights. SInce ADHD,Bipolar Disorder, and Dperression run together I wonder if that could be a of large occurance in the gay community.

My questionis why? Is it attitude,hormones,emotional composition, neurochemistry or just how society treats em?

Are you asking about ADHD ?? or are you asking about Depression??



Ofcourse gays have more depression than straights.
Women have 2x the depression of males, as well.

How could they not? <G>

Probably the causes are multifactorial (more than one factor is at work), but the contributions of:

hatred (e.g. gay bashing)
misogyny (e.g. those who hate women often also hate gays; violate the rights of other they have 'power over')
trauma issues (women & children have 2x the sexual assaults that adult males do, for example; in some countries victims are evenkilled for being victims ?!?! Holy reaction formation, Batman.)
All mental illness does not happen in a vaccum. In fact, it can be other's mental illness (psychopaths; sadism; malignant narcissism; borderline antics; chronic liars; those into 'Denial'; those into 'Projection'; harmful defense mechanisms like the "gay panic" excuse, etc) -- that leads to our suffering.
All these factors certainly play a role.

Familial rejection is also commonly an outcome of people disclosing their sexual orientation to their family.Factors like religious intolerance probably contribute to depression in oppressed and minority groups, yes.

Even immigrants have more mental illness, it would seem. (Ofcourse, many are leaving wartorn countries as refugees, only to come to North America and find racism, etc.)

N.B. You are in TEXAS, i see. Isn't homophobia really bad in the South, the Midwest and in Cowboy Country. Poor you! (You are not imagining it...)

People don't have mental health problems for no reason. Often, what happens, however, is that the causation is so remote (very early and far in the past) in that sufferer's life, that it is easy for the medical community, or "society" to say "Oh, He's jsut Crazy".

When really He has been made crazy. :S

Attention deficit can be a side effect of other "mental illnesses". It is noted the people who have survived political prisons, torture or early childhood stressors (abuse; instability; extreme poverty; parental addictions/mental illness/lack of resources; frequent moving; fractured families; impaired bonding formation; will exhibit something that is/looks like, ADD/ADHD).

Well since ADHD and Depression are caused by the same thing they could be the same or one disease. Could a normal child that becomes depressed all of a sudden develop ADHD?

Anyhow Texas isn't nearly as bad as The South. I say that cause I don't think of Texas as The South. We are different and have our own mind state. We are also in South Central and Southwest. Compared to real Southern staes Texas is modern ,liberal and finnacially well off. Infact we are one of the hottest states for homosexuals. We (Houston) are the 3rd gayest city in the country. Some say more than San Fransisco. People comment on how many gays we have. I'd say they gays far outnumber the gay bashers.

Mississipip,Alabama,and Georgia............now that's southern.

N.B. You are in TEXAS, i see. Isn't homophobia really bad in the South, the Midwest and in Cowboy Country. Poor you! (You are not imagining it...)

Holy colossal stigmatizing Robin, acceptance like bashing can happen any where including Texas.:soapbox: No we do not all ride horses or wear cowboy hats, nor do we all drive pick up trucks. I happen to own a SUV before that it I drove a Mitsubishi. We bought an SUV because compact cars do not pull heavy loads worth a pop. The gotta haul the pick up to the vet some time.


The stigma was a rather surprising find in a post that other wise made perfect sense.




Well since ADHD and Depression are caused by the same thing they could be the same or one disease. Could a normal child that becomes depressed all of a sudden develop ADHD?


Although depressed individuals can develop problems with their attention span it is not the same a being born with ADD. There are strong indications via medical research that ADD is genetically based. Studies done on twin pairs shows that identical twins reared in different environments sense birth = if one develops ADD it is extremely likely the other twin will also have ADD {I forget the actual percentage some thing like 80%} where as fertinal twins reared in the same environment = if one twin has ADD the seconds twin is no more likely to have ADD than any other sibling {35% is what I think that one is}


ADD and depression are NOT the same thing and there is only a one way cormorbidity with bi-polar and ADD. People who are bi-polar are more likely to have ADD however people with ADD are NOT any more to have bi-polar than any one else in the general population. Bi-polar is more likely to occur in those with combined ADD where as depression is more likely in those who have inattentive ADD.

Although I am not aware of any scientific research in the area of ADD and sexual preference it would stand to reason that ADD would not occur any more in those who are homosexual than it would in the heterosexuals/bi-sexual population seeing that ADD has nothing to do with sexual preference or sexual identity.

ADD is some thing most of us were born with.

It sounds like depression may be at the heart of your attention problems or it is at least a good place to start. Only a qualified health care professional care tell you for sure plus be able to rule out any physical conditions that may be causing your sudden on-set of symptoms. There are only a dozen or so physical causes that can cause depressive type symptoms / attention problems.

We (Houston) are the 3rd gayest city in the country. Some say more than San Fransisco. People comment on how many gays we have. I'd say they gays far outnumber the gay bashers.

The Austin area seems pretty liberal as well.We have every kind type and variety of people one could think of and every one seems to gel pretty well.

The Austin area seems pretty liberal as well.We have every kind type and variety of people one could think of and every one seems to gel pretty well.+1; QueensU_girl has obviously never been to Texas or the South if she thinks it's THAT bad.

Texas actually has a huge gay population (mostly in Houston, but also in Austin and Dallas and other cities). Actually - what's the joke guys? If it comes from Texas it's either a steer or a queer;):p

As for the rest of the south, more religious people tend to look down on it - but even most of them have a "love the sinner, hate the sin" attitude. People in big cities (Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Little Rock, New Orleans, etc.) are of course more urban and typically the more urban centers don't really care (live and let live attitude) or are actually liberal and sympathetic to gays.

But really QueensU_girl, your arrogance/ignorance/pretentiousness certainly isn't flattering for you.:( Of course, you are a yankee, I guess its par for the course that you would be such a 'know it all':p;)

Well GEEZ guys!:D I feel the need to share MY PERCEPTION of Queens' post.
:soapbox:
I was so relieved when I read that the first reponse to Neuronic's thread was a compassionate post from Queens because I was fearing that someone might post something offensive. Discrimination & abuse of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, etc. is a really hot topic/big issue in my community, so that may be why some may consider me to be hyper-sensitive when it comes to these matters. Also, MAYbe this is why I didn't notice any stereotyping when I read Queens' post. ????? :eyebrow: The only thing that I got from her post was a validating and compassionate vibe.

Being that Queens' is from Canada, I believe she was - IN A VERY GENERAL WAY - suggesting that being gay in a "non-supportive" environment, based on HISTORY anyway, would cause anyone in that situation to feel depressed. I believe that she, out of her generous compassion for others, gave of herself in her response by offering a little more than might have been necessary in the spirit of "it's better to give too much support than to not give enough."

Anyway - SORRY NEURONIC! This is YOUR THREAD and I'm babbling on about other stuff. I wish I had some info to share about your question, but I am clueless. :confused:

Anyway - Welcome to ADD Forums!! :)

Luv,
Sue

I guess I wasn't aware of homophobia being horrible in the Midwest either. Now, don't get me wrong, I do think it is a big problem, but I didn't think or know it was any better anywhere else in the U.S.. I'll have to look into this as it seems quite interesting.

People from New York are always dissing on Texas thinking it's conservative. Soon as they get in the airport in Houston they realize it's a big city. Houston is one of the most diverse citites in the country and world. We have a slew of asians,indians,and mexicans. This is one of the top cities for vietnemese. The University Of Houston is the most diverse university in the country. Suburban Ft.Bend County is the 2nd most diverse country in the country. And Houston's Harris county is the 3rd largest county.

Houston and Chicago are similar in size. Infact they say one day Houston is gonna surpass Chicago. Another thing is Houston and Chicago are really more like what people think the other is. Chicago is really sleepy, conservative and not so metropolitain which is what people think of Houston. Houston is very lively,liberal,and urban which is what people think of Chicago. Take Michigan, they have rednecks up there. Un Ohio is mre southern than Texas. It's really conservative and I hear you'll see COnfederate flafs. But nothing's like Indiana. I hear it's freaky conservative.

I am straight and have quite a few gay friends. The funny thing is, gay bashing and acceptance can occur anywhere-even in gay-friendly cities and supposed homophobic areas can be very accepting. The issue here is acceptance and rejection-understanding or ignorance-tolerance or intolerance. The worst part of all this is that rejection and the emotions and treatment by others and difficulty of life with ADD-gay or straight, can lead to depression. That is why, to me at least, the support of affirming, positive, caring people in a support network is vital to living well. This forum is one place but we also need local friends and family for face to face support. Among the variety of support sources, we have a safety net for bad days and a place to celebrate on good ones.

Neuronic, glad to have you here! Hope my ramblings offer some support.

was so relieved when I read that the first reponse to Neuronic's thread was a compassionate post from Queens because I was fearing that someone might post something offensive.

Offensive being a relative term depending upon where one lives.

Discrimination & abuse of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans gender, etc. is a really hot topic/big issue in my community,

Gay bashing is against the guidelines (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15843) it is like racial slurs. . . .it is not tolerated.

Discrimination against race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or of any other kind will not be tolerated on this forum.


IN my community we believe if a gentleman wants to be trans-gender he pulls it off much more effectively if he shaves his face as well as his legs. I live in a small Texas town not far from Austin and I am not even sure any one around here would notice. Many females dress like males because dresses hide ones modesty poorly when working on a ranch or on the farm.




so that may be why some may consider me to be hyper-sensitive when it comes to these matters. Also, MAYbe this is why I didn't notice any stereotyping when I read Queens' post. ?????

Maybe you didn't notice any stereotyping because you do not live in the south. Apparently Queens_U was having an ADD moment when she wrote that post so she forgot southerners may also be ADDF members.




The only thing that I got from her post was a validating and compassionate vibe.

I caught the stigma which I found to be very odd for Queen_U, she is normally very logical. Her post made perfect sense and it was well written so her off the mark comments about people living in the south was like finding a fly in an elaborate wedding cake.




Don't worry Queen_U I never attribute to malice what can easily be explained by ADD. :) I ain't mad I never was, just surprised that is all. I look at it as an opportunity to stamp out another inaccurate stigma :soapbox:

Houston is a huge place with a diverse population but it can also make one feel small and insignificant because there are so many people.

If you lack a support system depression can be a problem, it can also screw with your ability to concentrate.

Speaking of Houston Neuronic are you all trading your cars in for row boats yet?. I noticed it rained a lot down there again today. We got hit with rain but not nearly as bad.

Take Michigan, they have rednecks up there. Un Ohio is mre southern than Texas. It's really conservative and I hear you'll see COnfederate flafs. But nothing's like Indiana. I hear it's freaky conservative.

Pardon me, but "redneck" has some very negative connotations. And I'm not sure everyone in Indiana would appreciate being called "freaky conservative".

I think we need to all be VERY sensitive and aware of how the words we say may be interpreted differently by others. and what we may think is a joke or exaggeration or even just something not that significant may in fact violate the rights of this forum by degrading/steryotyping others as something they are not.

either way i agree that Queens' post was wonderful until that last sentence... so we should all celebrate the good and forgive the bad about posts!

with that said I'm about as Queer as they come and here in NH there are people who are accepting of who i am, and those who are not. the only relationship/generalization (i know it's a slippery slope to generalize) i have noticed is that tolerance and acceptance seem to increase with education, as ignorance is a huge barrier to many people's acceptance of lifestyles/ideologies/cultures different from their own..

I attend University of New Hampshire and although it is considered a liberal university, there is great hostility towards gender/cultural divergence by the majority of people who have adopted the ideology of mainstream culture (and they comprise the majority of the student body). however this doesn't exclude members of this group from being supportive and understanding as two of my best friend are hetero-guys who basically are as "normal" as possible.

anyway there are usually support groups for any subgroup of people here in the US so i advise anyone who feels they are in a location non-supporting of their identity to seek out these groups and hopefully find other like-minded individuals.

-Maya

ADHD more common with gay people? I've never seen anything suggesting it's so but that doesn't mean much, just that no one's studied it.

Never been to Texas. It is highly stereotypable state, isn't it? But you know, after that election a few years back, my state was called FloriDUH. And you know, they say it's where old people go to visit their parents.

I don't think Queens U meant anything by it, just a slip of the fingers. I think all of us have prejudgements in our minds that we're not really aware of enough to question, and once in a while they slip out when we're not watching.

Thanks for todays learning point!

Given the type of Texans that appear in Scotland and the recent amazing footage of what happens if you drive a car with pro-gay slogans in the Deep South I'd have made the same assumptions as Queens_U girl.

I have not come across any research indicating that gays have higher or lower incidences of ADD/ADHD. Given the difficulties involved in ADHD diagnosis I would be wary of such a finding anyway and I'm sure that the results of such a finding would not be beneficial to the gay community at large....."Homosexuality linked to brain disorder" headlines come to mind.

I can't wait to hear the next Texan oilman sound off about how great Houston is...woooo will he get some info he didn't expect!

kilt

from GA and glad to be :) more of the nice hospitable type you hear of versus the "redneck" type.

i think this is going to vary with a lot of people. you have the people that believe gay/bi is a choice and those that believe you are born gay/bi. although maybe a connection of more gay/bi ppl with ADD would prove more you are born gay/bi? interesting.

i know same gay men that talk non-stop and exhibit the symptoms that way but I doubt that it is orientation related, I think that it is a lot like sexual orientation though just another difference in people that is inevitable.

I don't think your sexual orientation would have much to do with ADHD. Don't have research to back that up with, but I am going on a whim here. Good question though. I would be interested in seeing some research on this.

As for the Texas thing, I take a slight offense to that. I am from Texas, born there and lived there til I was 11 and I see no reason why others have to stereotype it like that. Texas is just like any other state. You will have your racist people and your bigots. It is just part of the towns. There are a lot of areas in Texas that are quite liberal. Not everyone drives around in a big ol truck chewing on straw carring a gun with huge boots on. Texas is quite modern.