Living with ADHD

    In November 1997 I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Depression. This was not much of a surprise to those who knew me well, especially my family and close friends who had lived with my chaotic behavior for 27 years. There are many different theories and ideas about what causes ADHD and how it works on the mind of the person who has it, what we do know is that it tends to run in families, and that there seems to be more of it in places like the U.S. Canada, and Australia (places where large groups of "nonconformists" immigrated to). The idea that seems to make the most sense is that there is a decreased neurotransmitter activity in the frontal lobe of a person having ADHD creating behavior patterns that are difficult to deal with whether you are the person who has it, or the person who lives around someone with it. Some general behaviors associated with ADHD are:

• People with ADHD are often very bright and creative
• An inability to sustain focus on one thing for long, or a tendancy to focus on one thing so intently that they do not notice anything else
• Often starts projects and doesn't finish them-they're already off onto another project
• Often very disorganized- makes messes and doesn't clean them up, or leaves little "piles" everywhere (often for someone else to deal with)
• Often very intuitive- able to find quick solutions to problems, but often can't explain how they got the answer
• Intense "bursts" of energy followed by lulls of activity
• Difficulty sitting still in structured environments for long- fidgets, drums fingers, taps shoes on floor
• Very sensitive to their immediate environment- easily distracted
• Often has chronic forgetfulness
• Has great difficulty sustaining interest levels when bored
• Extremely persistent- stubborn and loyal to a fault
• Often lives for the moment- has difficulty in long term situations
• Difficulty following a chain of command- trouble with rules and authority
• Often can see the "big picture," but has trouble with the fine details.
• Difficulty keeping track of time correctly
• Often master procrastinators
• Often very quick and intense mood swings- can be irrationally angry one moment and perfectly calm the next
• Trouble with step-by-step instructions- has difficulty with general to specific (deductive) logic as oppose to specific to general (inductive) logic
• High levels of frustration at not being able to compete simple tasks
• Impulsive- acts or speaks without thinking
• Difficulty in social settings- often misses important verbal and non-verbal cues
• Able to react quickly in intense situations: normally good in emergencies
• Attracted to "risk taking behaviors" such as drugs, unprotected sex, speed, and other dangerous activities

   It is important to not that most people have some of these traits from time-to-time people with ADHD never get relief from them.Unless they learn to cope with their brain chemistry or take medication, they often spend their lives hearing the same things from parents, teachers, friends, and loved ones:

• "You're just lazy!"
• "When are you going to live up to your potential?"
• "Pay attention when I'm talking to you!"
• "Why don't you just do as your told?!"
• "When are you going to act responsibly?!"
• "Think before you go off and do something foolish!"
• "Stop making excuses and buckle down!"
• "Work harder at it and you'll do fine!"
• "Why don't you get organized?"
• "You're old enough to do what you're supposed to do without being told!"
• "When are you going to grow up and act like an adult?"

    After years of hearing these words, I felt worthless, inept, and stupid about everything I did. I was often frustrated and openly defiant of people in authority because both they (and I) assumed the worst about me. I was a constant target of ridicule by my peers and I would give up trying things because I was sure I was going to fail. Elementary and middle school were exercises in futility for me. I was often sitting on my own in the back of the room or being yelled out for being out of my seat. I made impulsive decisions and then got myself in trouble for "going off half cocked." By the time I was in high school, I was into drinking, sex, drugs and other high-risk behaviors that kept me on the edge all the time. The booze and the drugs helped me quiet the "noise" in my head that often drowned out my thoughts, even if only for a little while. I graduated high school with a 1.8 GPA, and since I had no direction or future, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. The structured environment of the Navy was a blessing and a curse for me. I had trouble following orders, but I desperately needed the structure. I got into trouble on several occasions, but not quite enough to get me busted. I did lose a promotion because a superior didn't think I deserved it. In college I found myself in big trouble because all of the sudden, nobody was telling me when to get up, when to go to where I needed to be, even when to fill out necessary paperwork. I nearly fell apart in college but I did manage to graduate with a teaching degree and get accepted to grad school. Graduate school was an entirely different ball of wax. After my first summer of classes, my grades plummeted. In grad school its practically a SIN to get anything less than a "B" but I managed to get 3 "C"s 2 "D"s and 2 "F"s. I simply could not hold everything together. Within a year of graduate school, I was hired to teach computers at a nearby high school. I found myself in a veritable nightmare of disorganization and confusion. I have spent much of my first year learning how to conform to what the district wanted me to do and be. I've been spoken with a few times about inappropriate remarks and my general demenor, and I've had other minor problems learning to get along. However, with proper medication and counseling, I have made incredible progress. I love being a school teacher! Recognizing my problem and doing everything within my power to correct it every single day has made all the difference in my life. What a long strange trip it has been so far, and the adventure continues...

   I know there are those who believe ADHD is a myth, that it is an "excuse" for some people to behave inappropriately. ADHD is an explaination, not an excuse. ADHD explains and describes why I and others like me have trouble conforming to the "norms" of society. Some people believe that people who have ADHD should be able to correct the problem themselves by just working harder and not acting lazy all the time. ADHD is REAL, it exists. It is not an excuse for bad parenting, in fact, many parents of children who have ADHD discover they too have it. People who believe ADHD is a hoax are often people who have never had any experience with it, or they simply cannot accept it because ADHD seems too convenient of an excuse. ADHD is difficult to diagnose, hard to prove, and is different both in severity and variety of symptoms. Add to this the fact that most people show some of the symptoms occasionally, but don't actually have ADHD. The sad fact is that ADHD is no myth and these naysayers often make our lives more miserable by insisting our problems are imaginary excuses.

   I do know people who use their ADHD as an excuse to stay screwed up rather than finding a way to turn it around. I ask them the same question I ask myself in the mirror every day: "Ok, you've got ADHD, big deal. What are you going to DO about it?" Remember, ADHD is an explaination, not an excuse. ADHD can be turned around and become an extremely positive force in life. I wouldn't trade my ADHD for any amount of money. It confers on me gifts that most people would never imagine possible. People like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Carlyle, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein who changed the world forever with their ideas, these are some people thought to have had ADHD.

I have gone through these links as of 8/3/01

ADHD LINKS

   The following links are about ADHD. I haven't checked them lately, so if you find a dead one, Mail me and I'll check it. I also included information on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Look at these sites with a grain of salt, some of them are better than others. Some sites call it ADD, some call it ADHD, but its the same thing in reality. PLEASE NOTE: I assume no responsibility for the content contained in these links!

1. A MASSIVE page of ADD Links
2. ADHD Electronic Textbook
3. Children and Addults with Attention Deficit Disorder (C.H.A.A.D.)
4. National Attention Deficit Disorders Association Page
5. ADHD/ADD
6. ADHD Alley
7. Fdisk's ADHD Page
8. Balance Check's ADD Home Page
9. All about ADD
10. ADHD: Understanding the Problem
11. What Every Parent Needs to Know about ADHD
12. Problems in Identification and Assessment of ADHD
13. How to Teach Children with ADHD
14. Joseph's Story: ADD/ADHD Links
15. One Step at a Time: ADHD
16. Test of Variables in Attention TOVA
17. Problem Child: ADHD and other disorders
18. At Health journal on ADHD
19. Neurological Issues with ADHD
20. THE WWW A.D.D. F.A.Q. SITE
21. ADDERS.org
22. ADHD in Europe
23. Addult ADD College Site
24. Born to Explore: The Other Side of ADHD
25. The Interactive Guide to Learning Disabilities for Parents, Teachers, and Chidlren
26. Internet Mental Health Page on ADHD
27. Diagnosis ADD/ADHD: Now What?
28. ADD/ADHD: What Does It Mean for Parents and Families?
29. Internet Slide Show on ADHD
30. ADHD,What is it?
31. ADHD, What are the signs?
32. ADD/ADHD: What Does It Mean for Parents and Families when Their Child is Diagnosed with This Condition?
33. What Causes ADHD? (Slow load)
34. What is Typical ADHD Behavior?
35. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) is not a Disease
36. What is Inattention?
37. What is the Difference between ADD and ADHD?
38. Now What Do I Do? or Parenting Your ADHD Child (Part 1)
39. Stef's ADHD Page
40. ADHD Books and Resources
41. ADHD Links
42. An Adult ADHD Page
43. The Living with ADD Webring page
44. Melinda White's Adult ADHD page
45. ADHD.html
46. A brief description and resource page on ADHD
47. Family Education Network Page on ADHD
48. ADD Medical Treatment Center in Santa Clara California: What's New/FAQ
49. ADD/ADHD Information Library
50. Australian ADHD Treatment Page
51. What is it like to have ADHD?
52. The About.com site on ADHD
53. Special Education Resources: ADHD
54. Asking the right questions about ADHD
55. Taking the first steps: ADHD
56. A site dedicated to claiming ADHD is a Hoax
57. International Mental Health Page: ADHD
58. How to Reach and Teach a Child with ADHD
59. Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity and Associated Disorders
60. ADD Warehouse
61. Brain Circuit Abnormalities discovered in People with ADHD
62. The 10 core symptoms at the heart of ADHD
63. Kim's ADHD page
64. ADHD Special Needs Page
65. ADHD is NOT just for kids!
66. A Summer Treatment Program as SUNY Buffalo
67. The Center for New Discoveries in Learning
68. Sherry's ADD/ADHD Resource Page
69. ADDULT ICQ Chatroom
70. ADDULT Homepage
71. An ADHD Mother's Page
72. Lisa's funky AD/HD Page
73. This is where I have left off cleaning up the dead links.
74. Women with ADD
75. Dealing with a child who has ADHD
76. How to tell if your child has ADHD
77. Teaching Students with ADHD
78. Medications and ADHD
79. Natural Treatments for ADHD
80. Subtle Brain Circuit Differences in People with ADHD
81. What the DEA has to say about ADHD and Meds
82. What is ADD/ADHD?
83. Psychotherapy, or Medication, or both?
84. Various Links to ADHD sites
85. Shane's Place
86. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Page
87. Hyperactivity and ADHD
88. ADD/ADHD in the UK
89. A Guide for Educators on ADHD and Medication
90. Educational Resources Index Citation on ADHD and Gifted children
91. Multiple Resources for ADHD
92. The ADHD Owner's Manual
93. ADHD Researcher Page
94. The ADHD Library for Parents and Teachers
95. ADHD Interventions for Teachers
96. Family Education Network Focus on ADHD
97. ADHD, A Teacher's Story
98. Exceptional Kids Page
99. Private Schools for Kids with ADHD
100. Adult ADHD
101. The ADDULT Listserv
102. ADDULT Message Board
103. The U.S. Department of Education ADHD page
104. A Canadian ADHD Page
105. Another Austrailian ADHD (and other things) Page
106. A Non-Drug Approach to ADHD from New Zealand
107. Austrailian Fact Sheets for Health Professionals: ADHD
108. An Austrailian Press Release conserning ADHD
109. Child Health Fact Sheet
110. When it looks like ADHD, But it isn't
111. Badham Clinic
112. Kiwi Explorer: ADHD
113. Attention Deficit Disorder Archive
114. A Publication about Treatment of ADHD with Stimulants
115. Teaching and Managing Students with ADHD
116. Results of a study conducted on brainwaves and effects of Medications
117. ADHD in the Adolescent
118. A Sociological Study of ADHD in Schools
119. Americans With Disabilties Act Information
120. Americans With Disabilities Act Document Center
121. ADA Home Page: U.S. Department of Justice
122. ADA Ohio Page
123. ADA Disability Information
124. Americans with Disabilities Act
125. Association of Disability Advocates
126. ADA Info Center
127. Job Accommodation Network
128. An Introduction to the ADA for Employers
129. Americans With Disabilities Act Resources
130. ADA latest Compliance Requirements
131. The Instant Access Treasure Chest
132. ADA resources on the Web
133. Ocean View Consulting: ADA Compliance
134. The Disability Discrimination Act (UK)
135. The College Student with ADHD's Legal Rights
136. Legal Rights and Services for Children with ADHD
137. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
138. ADHD in the Workplace
139. The Top 10 ADHD traps in the Workplace
140. Career Challenges and ADHD
141. Adult ADHD Groups
142. Suggested Further Reading

© 1999 J. S. Brown

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