Attention Deficit Disorder's topics - tribe.net

cannabis for adhd/add / teens

SkOrPiTaRiO — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:36:02 GMT

http://www.furiousseasons.com/archives/2009/11/calif_docs_using_medical_marijuana_on_teens_with_adhd.html

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

reading

patrick_spatz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:42:56 GMT

Here is a question. What do people with ADD/ADHD like to read for fun? What do you like to read?

Patrick

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

A.D.D. inspired videos/music

SkOrPiTaRiO — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:17:30 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdUZaUKKNM&feature=channel_page

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

Let's discuss the good things about having ADHD - This will make you feel better!

TouchRosesAhna — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:50:57 GMT

I've been doing a bit of research and found the following characteristics in ADHD people:

- People with ADHD are very unique... we tend to be the ones that can "think outside the box".
- We are highly creative in our thinking; being able to see things from all angles.
- Our hyper minds allow us to think far and wide and back again, making us good multi-taskers and again, very creative.
- We make good leaders.
- We are very insightful.
- We are very strong in our ability to observe, calculate and understand other peoples emotions. Our emotional intelligence is very high and can be used to help others.
- We are also highly sensitive which can be good and bad. If used properly, it makes us very caring and sympathetic to others.
- We enjoy challenges and are good at solving problems.

Please see if any of this is true for you and add to the list!!!

I know that I felt better having found some of these characteristics true within myself. I am an artist and I work in a wide variety of mediums. If I get bored with one project, I just move to another, LOL. I am super sensitive and highly intune with my emotions as well as others emotions. I am currently in the process of learning how to control my emotions better so I don't get hurt so deeply. I do love a challenge and that would be my art business and trying to make it successful. I am also a leader of a successful promotional group. I love to solve problems and give advice and I am told that I am good at that (because, yes, I can see both sides and everything in between). I am also a Reiki Master and it doesn't get more insightful and imaginative than that, LOL. My creativity, focus and drive have led to having some articles published in a national magazine.

My biggest challenge though is getting bored easily, waiting and racing negative thoughts. Ugh... I hate those.

Let's here from you... what are some of your accomplishments despite having ADHD??

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 22 replies

ADDitude magazine

SkOrPiTaRiO — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:06:20 GMT

anyone seen this magazine ? I stole a couple copies from the waiting room at my doc's office .

http://www.additudemag.com/asset/887.pdf

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

Ritalin

patrick_spatz — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:19:16 GMT

I'm a 54 year old ault just starting on Ritalin, is there anything I sould be on the lookout for?

Patrick

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 10 replies

Odd thought of the minute

Tedster — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:28:14 GMT

I have always had a hard time trying to remember to brush my teeth. Do other people have that experience?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

Sattera? Anyone using it?

Nada — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 06:46:01 GMT

My shrink called me back after I told her Ritalin was making me feel rotten. She said it sounded like stimulants were not for me, so she'll start me on Sattera this Friday. Anyone on it or any advice/pros/cons? I Googled it-constipation and liver damage and it takes a few weeks to kick in. Hmmm.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 20 replies

Here is an odd question that I have going on.

Tedster — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:44:57 GMT

The problem is that I never new what's going on with me until my ADHD diagnosis. I think it makes me be a little weird. Are there other people here who feel that way.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 5 replies

my 8.5 yro.son is on Strattera and now im scared.

SASHAME — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:13:23 GMT

hello all, new here. i have a quesiton and i need some support. my son, almost 9, was just put on Strattera beginning on tuesday. i just googled it and was scared to death about all the stuff that was under the "warning"secion. just on monday, he said that he was hearing people call his name and that he had been suffering from headaches. he would wake at night a few times with a headache and just told me on tuesday at the pediatrician. anyone else have a child on this? what are your experiences and what do i need to look out for?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 14 replies

Adult ADHD Therapist in Bay Area?

CheshireTigger — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:57:20 GMT

Anyone have good recommedations?

Thanks much! :)

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

huh?

Jessy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:07:25 GMT

I started class again today which was great..
the bad thing was that I found myself asking the professor to repeat himself a few times ..
I heard him but I didnt hear him..
almost as if it were scrambbled...
a bit frustrating.
another situation was that when I was asked a direct question, it took me a few minutes to answer..
I was literally checking the resources in my brain before I could respond..
again frustrating..
it seems that when we have open conversations I can function more efficiently... I can jump in whenever ..
as oppose to being put on the spot.. I freeze...

anyone else ever get like that ???

jess

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 16 replies

the ADDerall...hurtin fierce

matty-matt — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:48:36 GMT

i started my adderall again, after not taking it for a couple months.
new pill color and size, supposedly the same thing repackaged.
i'm having the same ol adjustment issues, but surprisingly i'm way exhausted at the end of the day.
my head feels like it wants to pop around 5pm and it doesn't go away until i'm asleep. hard to catch those Zzzs too.
maybe it's not enough food, sleep, etc. but i feel wasted.
just wanted to share and maybe someone has some advice.
i'm sure i'll get used to it eventually...again, but this really sucks...a lot.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 16 replies

Drugs as a control method

Judia — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:42:06 GMT

As a child, the drugs (ritalin) was used as a control method for me. Everytime I'd do something they didn't like--they'd threaten me with my psychiatrist, and a higher dosage. When I got off the pills, they would threaten to force me back on them.
Even the school system did it. I was never allowed in school without meds. If they felt that I wasn't on them, they'd escort me to the nurse's office.
It ended up as a discplinary measure---one I went to great lengths to avoid.
Did you have this problem growing up?
I've been depressed, and I've been thinking about things a lot. I was wondering if there were others, or if I was the only one.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 3 replies

Am I the only one

patrick_spatz — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:31:37 GMT

Damn it happen again. I left my bank care in the V-teller. I've lost count of how many cards I've lost that way. What I need is a new brain, not a other new card!!!!!!

Patrick

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

ADD and Dyslexia

patrick_spatz — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:01:04 GMT

I've known I had Dyslexia all of my life, but only found out a have ADD a few year back. Now I sometime wonder which is which. But sence there is no realy good treament for ether one, I suppose it doesn't realy make any difference.

Patrick

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 9 replies

Need Help

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:54:55 GMT

I am a Freshman Electrical Engineering student and have always struggled with school all my life ... yet somehow pulled off scholar type grades till now , I have always been a self learner and cant recall a time where I really learned something in any class.. I have a whole bunch of quirks and things I do before i actually begin a task and have always been extremely forgetful , I score well on those ADHD quizzes but am not sure if I could really be diagnosed with it.I am extremely desperate and dont know what to do anymore tried all kinds of study methods to try to prevent whatever is happening affect me but I am on the verge of losing my scholarship and my mind ..... I need tips advice ..
are there good chances of me getting diagnosed with ADD or is it toooo late ???
How long does it take to get diagnosed and prescribed meds ??
PS
I have gone an entire year of college trying to convince myself that its just the change in pace/difficulty
so I'm not a college student looking for an excuse to get drugs ..

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 12 replies

jokes

Jessy — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:42:32 GMT

http://www.fdisk.com/cgi-bin/add/youknow.pl

So many but these I could relate to and had me laughing so bad......

....You know you have ADD when...you go to the kitchen to warm up your coffee and realize you left your cup in the bedroom.

....You know you have ADD when...you are at.....ohhh, ohh, wait, oh what was i gonna say?

.....You know you have ADD when...you can't hold a 1 topic converstion for more than 2 minutes

....You know you have ADD when...everything someone says reminds you of a story (don't get me started)

....You know you have ADD when...you are barely able to keep your eyes open at 7pm so you decide to go to bed early, and at 3:30am you are still surfing the web coz the stuff you're finding is so gosh-darn interesting and it's not as though you could have gotten to sleep anyway.

....You know you have ADD when...you take hours to fall asleep at night because your brain won't SHUT UP

....You know you have ADD when...you are the only person whom you know that can get bored during sex

.....You know you have ADD when...you lose your keys once a day - each and every morning.

......You know you have ADD when...Your constantly trying to repeat your thought process

....You know you have ADD when...you're always way too busy, always on the go, and never seem to get anything accomplished.

....You know you have ADD when...you have 50-gazillion projects started, and only 2 or 3 finished.

....You know you have ADD when...when you frantically search for your cellphone, only to realize that you are talking on it.

....You know you have ADD when...WHEN YOU'VE BEEN LEARNING YOUR TIMES TABLES ALL YOUR LIFE AND YOU STILL DON'T KNOW THEM.

...You know you have ADD when...you go looking for , get pissed off at never being able to find , organize , (organizing when you find it, vowing to finish this organizational project or DIE), forget what you were looking for in the first place, then suddenly remember, but now you can't remember how to use the organizational system you just used to organize everything so you can find ...

...You know you have ADD when...you explain to non-ADD'ers that you *are* organized--you know exactly which pile to look in

...You know you have ADD when...you leave the house knowing that you have forgotten something but you are running late so you go anyway. You get into the car in the garage, you buckle up, and you put the car in reverse. You are confused by the crashing noise behind you as you back into the garage door you have forgotten to open.

...You know you have ADD when...during class, you look at your paper and fnd that its completely covered with weird, cartoonish doodles and handwriting resembling that of a 3 year old, and everyone else's paper is neat and spotless.

...You know you have ADD when...you STILL have to count on your fingers in school..but try to hide your hands underneath the desk as to not embarrass yourself in front of your classmates

...You know you have ADD when...you want to talk about the meaning of life while everyone else wants to talk about last night's TV shows.

...You know you have ADD when...you have a dozen bookmarks (for actual books) and end up using bus transfers and bits of paper instead.

...You know you have ADD when...you feel like the only "normal" converstations you can have is with others with ADD, 'cause they can actually follow the conversation.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 39 replies

What are your greatest challenges and what do you do about them?

TouchRosesAhna — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:15:53 GMT

For me:

- Getting bored easily: I always have something that I can do but I find times when absolutely nothing will grab my attention, no matter how hard I try, I just can't get into anything. Solution: I practice meditation and try to be Zen-like. I also find that taking a nap will help.

- Waiting! I hate waiting in line. So much so that I developed panic attacks and a fear of waiting in line, especially at the grocery store. Solution: Well, this one I didn't have to make happen, the grocery store made this possible for me to cope with by installing self check out machines. I can now keep my crazy mind occupied by scanning and packing my own groceries and this has stopped the panic attacks!! More and more stores are installing these so check em out if you have a problem with waiting in line!

- Active imagination that sometimes get stuck on negative thoughts or jumping to too many conclusions (over analyzing too). Does your mind ever just get stuck on 1 idea and you just can't break the thought process? Thoughts that repeat and go around in a circle? Solution: Visualize your thoughts being in front of you, get up and just walk away from them and leave them behind. That one works great for me. Another is to write out the thoughts then take the paper and either burn it up or tear it up and throw it away. That one also works great if you are feeling angry; it really helps to release the anger.

What are some of your challenges and solutions? If you don't have a solution, this would be a great place to ask for one. :)

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

Book on ADHD and women

Mishy — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:54:07 GMT

I just published my book on ADHD and women (Finally!) I welcome feedback. What do you think:
http://stores.lulu.com/sitdownmedicinepress

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

interesting article ...

Jessy — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:18:49 GMT

lets see if this one works.... had to delete and post again

I got this from one of my psychology tribes and thought it was interesting because I feel like Im on a mission somtimes to figure out why I have ADD and my sister does not... and so forth. It a little long but good and better towards the end when it gets into ADD and other " disorders"

» Schools & Education » Students of Psychology & Counseling » topics »
childhood abuse, brain development, and emotional disorderstopic posted Mon, April 7, 2008 - 12:02 AM by piksee

what do you think? How do you feel about it?
Have you come up with your own theories?

try this oneTeddy

http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=3378

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 5 replies

Hello, I have been told that I have ADD

Achbar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:50:52 GMT

What can I do about this situation without resorting to Drugs? I live in the Charlotte, NC area. Where can I get help?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 8 replies

Adderall XR dosages

SkOrPiTaRiO — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:58:14 GMT

Curious - what dose are you on and how does it work and did you took less at first and did increasing help significantly and what time of day do y ou take it and so on .... ???

I'm on 15 mg. / day of the XR and I find that maybe I need to be on a higher dose but am not sure and want to read your experiences ...

Thanks .

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 6 replies

Bizarre arguments that are quickly forgotten?

Nada — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:03:03 GMT

Is this an ADD thing? My boyfriend was recently diagnosed, and over the many years I've known him, he will spout out bizarre things sometimes during an argument-often wildy exaggerated or sounding insane. The next day they are seemingly forgotten or if I bring something up that he said, he denies saying it at all. At first I thought he was doing a Gaslight on me, but now I don't think so.

I just read Dr. Mate's book "Scattered" and I know about the blurting things out and the hypersensitivity to perceived rejection (boy do I know THAT), but these odd ass statements that boyfriend utters are too effing weird for words.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 9 replies

Doctors to Diagnose in San Francisco

moniqueivan — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 23:58:49 GMT

I need to find a doctor to diagnose in the Bay Area. After reading online at About.com, I am convinced I have Adult ADD. It was kind of a relief, but I want to have an official diagnosis. Any recommendations?

Thanks!
Monique

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 21 replies

Are you medicated?

PixieKelly — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 02:56:27 GMT

I take concerta and I love it..... just wondering if all of you are medicated. What are you on? Feel it helps?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 72 replies

herbal remedies

LegionOfMary — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:09:18 GMT

i take ginko biloba,gota kola, calamus root, ginseng, siberian ginseng(not exaclty together ) buty combinations are best and i swear this stuff really works

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 8 replies

ADD/ADHD and Indigo Children

Judia — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:29:35 GMT

Do you believe in the existence of Indigo children?
They say that indigo children are often diagnosed with ADHD/ADD. I am wondering if you guys believe in this or not. If so, how do you tell them apart from real ADD/ADHD kids??
I've been called an 'Indigo Child' by a lot of people, but not clear on why.
I'm just wondering about your guy's stance on things...

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 38 replies

Strattera depression linked???

JMercury — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:52:26 GMT

Anybody experiencing general feelings of low self worth and lethargy while using Strattera for 6 mo. to 1 yr. at 80 mg or more daily??? I could use some insight, I can't decide if it's my corporate sales job, my need for constant visceral pleasure, or the Drugs...

Any info or feedback would be helpful...

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 21 replies

Cannabis for A.D.D./ADHD

SkOrPiTaRiO — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:03:04 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj72e5q61Fs

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

Cross Post-ADD Couples-Getting Along

Nada — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:08:07 GMT

I am going to copy the last (and to me-most helpful) part of this post first. It will reappear in the end of the post, too.

"Spending a lot of time hashing over what you did to get you to the bad place in
which you currently find yourselves isn't as productive as agreeing to
accept that you both got yourselves there, forgiving yourselves, and
then starting to love each other again. So, figure out what the
hardest symptoms of the ADD are for you as a couple and work with a
doctor to minimize those specific symptoms. Then, every day (that is,
"in the present"), make it a point to do fun and happy things
together. Wake up in the morning and spend 10 minutes holding each
other and telling each other why you fell in love. Give yourself the
leeway to be silly when the mood strikes you. Hold hands. Pretty
soon, your string of happy "in the present" days will start to create a
foundation for a new beginning." TEXT FOLLOWS.

Seven Great Tips for Improving Communication in an ADHD Marriage
Posted December 11th, 2007 by MelissaOrlov
in Joy in Marriages with ADHD
I've been thinking a great deal lately about how poor communication
contributes to the downhill slide of many relationships affected by
ADHD. Here are seven basic ideas that will help you get along better
with your partner:

1. Separate the ADD symptoms from the person who has ADD.
The underlying person is generally a really good, often very smart,
person who has had many hard-to-understand bad things happen to him
before his ADD was diagnosed. Sometimes these bad events leave scars,
such as defensiveness or fear of failure, that can impact your
relationship. But ADD symptoms can be addressed with motivation and a
good support system, letting the good person really shine through. In
practice, separating the symptoms from the person means staying away
from phrases that imply moral judgments, such as â€œyouâ€™re lazyâ€, â€œyouâ€™re
meanâ€, â€œyou just never get anything rightâ€.

2. If you donâ€™t have ADD, be humble. Itâ€™s human
nature to look to your spouse as the reason why you are having
difficulties, particularly when he doesnâ€™t seem to be holding up his
end of the marital bargain. However, it is 100% guaranteed that your
behavior is contributing to the downward spiral of your relationship,
as well. It always takes two, and your responses to whatâ€™s going on
are just as important as any ADD symptoms your spouse may have.
Acknowledge your complicity, and figure out what you are doing that
irritates your partner. Ask your partner to do the same (but in a nice
way, of course!)

3. If you do have ADD, be humble! You may resent the
things your spouse is saying about how your behavior is affecting your
relationshipâ€¦but sheâ€™s right â€“ it is. My husband (with a manâ€™s ability
to simplify things!) says there are three steps a person with ADHD must
take to successfully transform a marriage: 1.) Learn what ADD is; 2.)
Assume your ADD is affecting your relationship and figure out in what
ways and; 3.) Set up a plan to make it better. Denial doesnâ€™t get you
anywhere â€“ the only way to create a happy marriage out of a
disintegrating one is to figure out what your role is and then work
with your spouse to make it better.

4. Never, ever, assign blame. Blaming one person for
difficulties is never productive. Rather, it builds resentment on both
sides â€“ a destructive emotion and one that is hard to overcome. So
what if your spouse left the door open and the cat got out again? The
immediate issue is that the cat is outside and needs to come back in.
Neither anger nor blame will bring â€œfifiâ€ home. At another time, if
leaving the door open is a frequent problem, develop a plan (together)
to help keep it from happening â€“ perhaps hanging up a sign, or perhaps
locking the door so that it has to be opened with a key will remind you
both that the door needs attention when you go in and out.

5. Thoroughly educate yourselves about ADHD. The
more you both know about ADD and its symptoms, the easier it will be
for you to understand what is going on and where the naturally
occurring, ADD-induced disconnects are going to be in your
relationship. A solid ADD education will help you both be empathetic
towards each othersâ€™ foibles and concerns, as well as help you
understand tactics and strategies that are effective in managing ADD.
When a spouse with ADD forgets to clean up, youâ€™ll be able to say
â€œthatâ€™s the ADD at workâ€ rather than assume that heâ€™s â€œjust lazyâ€.
When a non-ADD spouse gets angry that another chore has been forgotten,
the ADD member of the couple will be more able to understand the source
of that anger and respond positively to it.

6. Always â€œthink positiveâ€. Okay, when youâ€™re mad,
this can be hard to do. But ADD symptoms are very frequently
misinterpreted and this misinterpretation causes great damage. A good
(and all too common) example is that a person with ADD gets distracted
and, therefore, doesnâ€™t give his or her spouse as much attention as
they want, need or expect. This lack of attention can be
misinterpreted as â€œhe/she doesnâ€™t love me any moreâ€ when, in fact, itâ€™s
simply â€œhe/she is distractedâ€. Another common issue is that an ADD
person forgets to do a task he or she has been asked to do. A non-ADD
spouse may well interpret this as willful desire to shirk work around
the house (or being lazy), when in fact itâ€™s simply a result of a very
fast-paced brain that doesnâ€™t have much interest in holding onto boring
details such as chores. Thinking positively and trying first to
determine whether or not the behavior is a symptom, rather than the
personâ€™s ill will, will create an atmosphere that will improve
communication between you.

7. Keep yourselves, and your conversations, â€œin the presentâ€
â€“ People with ADD have two time zones â€“ â€œnowâ€, and â€œnot nowâ€. Spending
a lot of time hashing over what you did to get you to the bad place in
which you currently find yourselves isnâ€™t as productive as agreeing to
accept that you both got yourselves there, forgiving yourselves, and
then starting to love each other again. So, figure out what the
hardest symptoms of the ADD are for you as a couple and work with a
doctor to minimize those specific symptoms. Then, every day (that is,
â€œin the presentâ€), make it a point to do fun and happy things
together. Wake up in the morning and spend 10 minutes holding each
other and telling each other why you fell in love. Give yourself the
leeway to be silly when the mood strikes you. Hold hands. Pretty
soon, your string of happy â€œin the presentâ€ days will start to create a
foundation for a new beginning.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 10 replies

overload management

Plan B — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:33:42 GMT

I'm expanding my tribe connections and just joined this tribe. I am a 17
year survivor of a Traumatic Brain Injury. One of my ongoing symptoms is
similar to ADD.
How do other people deal with brain overload and shut down in noisy busy
social gatherings? ...such as walking up to a bar scene at Burningman.
What ice breakers or tactics do you use that help you manage these
situations?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 8 replies

Support For Adults With ADD/ADHD

Robert — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:42:51 GMT

Hi;

If you live in the New York Metro area, there is a support group for adults with ADD/ADHD.
The Manhattan Adult ADD Support Group has been helping adults with ADD/ADHD for over 16 yrs. Please visit our website for more info: http://www.maaddsg.org

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 11 replies

TOVA - Unreliable AD/HD Test

Raymond — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:18:37 GMT

The TOVA test is a highly stimulating computerized continuous performance test that it to screen for AD/HD,but that test is unreliable. I had problems with tracking things on screen,and that had to do with poor eye coordination. It made me very dizzy to the point that I felt the ground was moving. That test had me experiencing vertigo. I had to close my eyes and look away from the computer screen because I was getting dizzy. It had nothing to do with me being bored and not paying attention. I was even concentrating heavily on the screen. That TOVA test can be a problem for people with poor eye coordination and sensory integration issues to perform. I don't know why they think that a highly stimulating performance test can determine AD/HD deficits. Highly sensitive can have problems with that test because they are highly responsive to external stimuli. I am highly sensitive in every way including emotions,feelings,light,t ouch,sound,and smell. It's no wonder that I would have problems with the test. Being highly sensitive,sensory integration issues,and poor eye coordination can easily make me have extremely abnormal scores on that test. I don't think the TOVA is a reliable test for attention disorder. I feel that test is better for screening sensory integration and eye coordination problems.

I think that it's a test that can't differentiate eye coordination issues,sensory integration issues,ultrasensitivity from person who has AD/HD symptoms.

My LD/ADHD Assessment Report stating that I was not within normal limits on the TOVA Test,suggesting attentional disorder........2004
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=LD_ADHD_Assessment_003

My Cerebellar Vestibular Testing electronystagmography(ENG ) results very abnormal overall, showing eye coordination,tracking problems...Testing done by Dr. Harold N. Levinson.....2005
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Dr_Levinson_exam_003

Explanation for Electronystagmography(ENG )
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Dr_Levinson_exam_006

My Veteran Affairs Neurological Testing stating that I have impairment in saccadic/smooth pursuit eye movements confirming Dr. Levinson's previous elecontronystagmography results
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Veteran_Affairs_Neurology_Assessment_and_Follow_Up_003

As you see, there is no wonder that I did poorly on the TOVA test. There is no telling how many people fail the TOVA test because they have poor eye coordination,tracking like me. There is no telling if they had problems tracking the rapidly blinking things on screen nor if they got dizzy. The test could be excellent for screening these type of issues but not for AD/HD. It's not reliable for screening AD/HD. It could get somebody with Dyslexia,Dyspraxia,sensor y integration issues,and/or ultrasensitivity misdiagnosed.

http://home.iprimus.com.au/rboon/TOVAassessmentforADDADHD.htm
http://www.biof.com/onlinestore/tova/about_tova.asp
http://www.mindalive.com/2_0/tova.htm
http://www.pittstate.edu/services/carrd/tova.htm

Raymond Andrews

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

Medicating children Frontline documentary

abjectphoto — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:13:10 GMT

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

Vestibular Disorders

Raymond — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 08:37:02 GMT

I wanted to post about Vestibular Disorders (aka Cerebellar-Vestibular Dysfunction,inner ear problems) which have symptoms that overlap with Dyspraxia,Dyslexia,AD/HD,Auditory Processing Disorder,and especially sensory integration disorder.

After reading Dr. Levinson's books on cerebellar vestibular dysfunction which seems pretty much all about vestibular disorders and he trying to connect them to learning disorders and AD/HD,I am starting to believe that a vestibular disorder could be a cause of Dyspraxic,Dyslexic,other Learning Disorders,AD/HD symptoms. I don't believe that vestibular disorder causes all cases of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia,other learning disorders,nor AD/HD, and so that's where I disagree with Dr. Levinson. I also believe that the vestibular disorder could be a co-existing disorder with learning disorder and AD/HD. In 2005, Dr. Levinson's testing showed that I have vestibular disorder,and so he diagnosed me as having cerebellar vestibular dysfunction. I had a severe ear infection when I was 3 months old. I have a history of balance and coordination problems. At 4 years old,I was examined by neurologist because of those issues and brain damage was ruled out. In 2006,Veteran Affairs neurologists confirmed that I have an abnormal cerebellar system. After neuropsyche testing that concluded that I have learning problems, they confirmed that I have Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. It was Dr. Levinson's testing that I took to the neurologists to get me tested.

My Cerebellar Vestibular Dysfunction Diagnosis
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Dr_Levinson_exam_000

My Diagnosis of Dyslexia,Dyspraxia by Veteran Affairs Neurology
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Veteran_Affairs_Neurology_Assessment_and_Follow_Up_007

My Diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Inattentive Type, Generalized Anxiety Disorder,Dysthymic Disorder,and Avoidant Personality Disorder
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=LD_ADHD_Assessment_005

Dr. Levinson uses the same testing as doctors that test for vestibular disorder including electronystagmography (ENG which include Rotation tests, Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP),and Speech audiometry tests on me.
He didn't use a 3D Optokinetic scanner for me because I told him that I didn't have visual processing Dyslexic problems but auditory processing Dyslexic problems. He tested me with a 3D auditory scanner which measures auditory blurring,and the instrument capable of speeding up a series of clear sounds until they could no longer be distinguished, with and without an interfering background,thus establishing the auditory blurring speed. He also conducted neurological tests which are exactly the same type of tests that are used to test for intoxication in drivers suspected to be drunk. Maybe intoxication impairs the cerebellar-vestibular system. I was very abnormal overall on the Cerebellar Dysfunction/Neurological Testing.

http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Dr_Levinson_exam_003
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Dr_Levinson_exam_002

Confirmation of Abnormal Cerebellar System by Veteran Affairs Neurologists
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Veteran_Affairs_Neurology_Assessment_and_Follow_Up_002

Testing for Vestibular Disorder
http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/diagnostic-tests.php

Testing for Dyslexic Syndrome
http://www.levinsonmedical.com/information/testing.html

Dr. Levinson prescribed me Meclizine( aka Antivert,an antihistamine that is used for vestibular disorders and is available in drug stores without a prescription) and recommended Ginkgo,DMAE,Lecithin,and Piracetam.
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Dr_Levinson_exam_004

Symptoms of Vestibular Disorder
http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/symptoms.php

Dr. Levinson's list of Symptoms of Dyslexic Syndrome that are obvious symptoms of vestibular disorder
http://www.levinsonmedical.com/information/syndrome.html

Symptoms of Dyspraxia
http://www.ncld.org/content/view/466/391/
http://www.dyspraxiausa.org/symptoms_of_dyspraxia.html
http://www.dyspraxiausa.org/adult_symptoms.html

I want to reiterate that vestibular disorders don't cause all nor most cases of learning disorders nor ADHD. I believe that they can cause many cases of them though. I also believe that the vestibular disorder can co-exist with learning disorders and AD/HD. Another thing is that Ronald D. Davis mentions that disorientation,confusion are strongly connected to learning disorders and AD/HD in his book,GIFT OF DYSLEXIA. The thing is that disorientation,confusion are symptoms of vestibular disorder too.
Also Dore uses exercises to treat cerebellar dysfunction which he believes is root of learning disorders and AD/HD. Exercise program is also implemented to treat vestibular disorder.

Vestibular Disorder therapy
http://ww.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/treatment/vestibular-rehab.php

Ronald D. Davis Theory of Dyslexia where he talks about disorientation/confusion
http://www.dyslexia.com/library/davistheory.htm

Dore
http://www.dorecenters.com/how.aspx

I just want to say that I don't believe that nobody has all the answers to problems in life. That goes the same with people who have answers to the neurodivergent conditions. There could be right in some things and wrong in others. There can be many roots to a problem,and so there can be many solutions to a problem. I always feel that it's always good to look at numerous views of things whether they are believed to be right or wrong. Many things can seem controversial to people if it doesn't fit with mainstream views. However,many views that were controversial are mainsteam today. Jesus' teachings were seen as highly controversial,and he was rejected by many Jewish religious leaders and crucified. Now his teachings are mainstream with Christianity being one of the major world world religions.

My Blog entry on Vestibular Disorders talks about vestibular disorders in much more detail
http://people.tribe.net/4b0cf8c4-1fc3-4171-92d3-b0915985bf95/blog?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5B8b09707c-a03c-43c0-8fd1-3043bec319e5%5D

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

Ken Robinson Video "...students with restless minds and bodies..."

AzurA — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:59:28 GMT

A fascinating talk from the 2006 TED Conference:
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/66

The intro from the site:
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.
Why you should listen to him:

Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."

A visionary cultural leader, Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 6 replies

Alcohol & Adderall?

Samantha — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:25:27 GMT

I just started taking Adderall last week. A couple of nights I've had a drink or two, nothing too crazy, and I feel drunk after just a little alcohol! Most things I've read about Adderall say the effects of alcohol seem LESSENED while taking it. Anyone else feel it backwards like I do?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 14 replies

Some advice please?

Tyrus — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 06:52:07 GMT

I was diagnosed with ADD a long long time ago, I think more than once when I was a child. I had taken some medication for it for a short while around 3rd grade or something. From what I remember my parents became concerned that I had changed emotionally or something and didn't take it any more after that. At any rate school was always really hard for me to deal with, I hated it with a passion, it wasn't learning that I didn't like it was the grind of it all. Im sure many of you can relate to long repetitive assignments like math where you were given assignments of like 100 similar problems. Granted most of the time they were simple, it would take anyone else little time to get that many of them done, but after 10 or so, it just became literally painful to do it. I remember sitting there at night for hours and hours just not being able to get anything done not because it was hard, but just because I just couldn't do it anymore.

However I know from experience that ADD is not simply a curse, as someone that can't concentrate on anything in particular for very long, one tends to gather lots of almost functional levels of information on tons of different topics. That broad overview of knowledge I think gives us inherently better troubleshooting skills, as well as a more complete overall picture of things. However, the dark side of that is that while, yes, I can hold a very nuanced conversation of a huge variety of subjects, I also can barely get anything productive done. Personal projects, cleaning, taxes, tickets, bills, work, I procrastinate on everything, even right now I *should* be writing invoices to my clients. Like many ADD people I have been driven to become self employed. I loose tons of money just because I sometimes put off writing workorders until it would either be too embarrassing to send one, or I forgot about it entirely. The worst part about all of this is that I use computers for work, and play. So all the while I'm trying to work, firefox beckons me to go read slashdot, read wikipedia, check the news, the weather (mabe its a good day to go flying), Or how about that icon for flight simulator, americasarmy, or battlefield 1942? Or browsing through my archive of mp3's? I mean christ.... one time I tried just isolating myself from it all, got rid of all the games and other things, but then it was even worse, I still didn't get anything done.

Consulting a doctor and getting prescribed for something sounds attractive, but I am the kind of person who has a healthy distrust of medicine, and I avoid it if its nothing serious. Ive lived with this my whole life without any help or medication and I'm just tired, I really want to finish some projects I have going. I am also horrible with people, I have a few close friends, and I am just fine at work. However on an immediate, nuanced, emotional level, I have little understanding of people. I spend huge amounts of time alone because I am just not comfortable in a non-structured social setting. In addition I think that I am and have been depressed for a long long time.

I have thought about all of these things at great length, however I never really thought about doing anything about it until I checked a symptom list for depression and pretty much nailed every one, and then the same for much of the ADD list. However after feeling this way for, really, my whole life, how would I go about changing it? I'm just so sick of fighting myself constantly to get anything done.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 7 replies

dumbest Halloween fight

patrick_spatz — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:41:50 GMT

dumbest Halloween fight
Ok, this may be the dumbest Halloween fight in history, and yes I know part of it's me. I just can't let go. It started over candy. My housemate wanted to put the candy on the coffee table right new to the sofa. Scent this was too easy for me to reach them without thinking I ast for it to be put somewhere else.
"No" was her answer.
Other house thought to put them on the shelf across the room.
she put them back.
took the candy out of there punkens and put the decoration on the coffee table where she wanted them.
she put the candy back.
move the coffee table to the other side for the room.
she put it back.
WE had a house meeting. In the meeting while we were trying to come to an agreement she stormed out saying she'd put he candy in her room and that was the end of it.
two days later the candy was back on the coffee table.
Ok now normal that this point I'd have say what the hell and let her leave the candy on the table, but two things got to me. One this was the started of the holidays and there will be cookeries and candy for the next two or three months. Second she has done this before and we always give into her. Also I'd addment I was mad. I've been having a bad time lately and I just couldn't bring myself to back down.
I called the group housing people. (we are in government supported housing)
She would not talk to them.
She was call by the rental agent.
She would not talk them
I took the coffee and put it up stairs.
Yes you see this coming don't you? In fact it got to the point were she would bring it down, I'd walk right behind her and take it back upstairs as soon as she set it down.
At this point my other house mate call and improptwo to meeting, was there any compermize?
"No" the candy goes on the coffee table next to the sofa and I should just show some self-control. They asked her nicely, her answer was no. The candy goes on the coffee table and the table goes next to the sofa.
At this point the house mates asked me to just let her have her way so they could all get back to their lives.
I should I know I should, but it feels so wrong. Any way I put the table back and I'm sure by now the candy is back on it. The question is how do I just let her have her way, (and that is the only way this can end )and not be so angry about it?

Patrick

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 6 replies

Medication, lifestyle and some important decisions

jadestone23 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:35:28 GMT

Hi Everyone-
New to the board so this is my first post!
Hope your all doing well!
I was diagnosed with ADD as a child, went on Meds on and off through High School and College, and have been off for 4 years now.
I self medicated with pot for the last few years. That was a bit of a trainwreck in and of itself.
I'm now wanting to go back to grad school and am in the process of making some important decisions.
The most important one deals with how to best handle and take charge of my ADD.
Right now I'm looking into both naturopathic and pharmacological treatments.
If your on medication, would you mind telling me which one and how it has effected you?
I was on dexedrine and ritalin as a child and would rather not go back on those if another viable option presents itself.
Additionally, any advice on natural treatment/lifestyle change etc. etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone know of any group support networks or adult ADD doctors in the Bay Area?
Thanks
Brendan

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

adults with ADD

Roland — Wed, 09 May 2007 13:55:33 GMT

I am a 45 year-old male living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I was formally diagnosed with ADD (the non-hyperactive type) in May 2002. Prior to that time nothing was ever done to investigate the possibility of ADD. As a consequence, my life was a disaster. Socially I was withdrawn, although I do have a solid network of friends. Academically, I was an underachiever and I dropped out midway through grade 11. And while I have a passion for learning, it is one of my biggest challenges. On the one side there are many things in which I have great interest, but on the flip side I have tremendous difficulty trying to do them because of my challenges with learning.

I am not taking any meds for my ADD. I had a bad experience with a mental health professional who prescribed some meds for ADD and haven't taken any since then. I do find that it is difficult for me to function on a daily basis. And recently I have found this to be increasingly so. Some days are really wonderful and other days are absolutely horrible. Some days are as clear as crystal and others dark and murky.

I am now in a job as a shipper/receiver, which I find absolutely boring, monotonous and unrewarding. I want to move in other directions, but I am not sure which way to turn to improve my station in life and expand my horizons.

Any suggestions and recommendations are most appreciated.

Roland

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 9 replies

mistaken

Sassy_Bunny — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:40:17 GMT

they always thought i had ADD but seems i have severe anxiety...hrm...does that happen often?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 20 replies

I forgot

patrick_spatz — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:41:25 GMT

I for got I was on this tribe!
Patrick

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 3 replies

Looking for ADHDers who are interested in taking part in Online Research Study on Human Potential

kate — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:17:16 GMT

Hello, This post is concerning looking for people to partake in an online research pilot study. This is my dissertation research, and I am interested in human spiritual transformation and misdiagnosis like ADHD that result from the process.

I am looking for those who:
a) have had spiritual experiences
b) have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD
c) think you might be “gifted” or know that you are gifted

If you are interested in the study:

Please go to www.indigoresearch.org

It should take between 30-45 minutes to complete the questionnaires.

Please email me at indigo@indigoresearch.org if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Kate Apablaza, MA

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

LMAO

Judia — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:10:30 GMT

The Lighter side of ADD/ADHD
Things My ADD Child Has Taught Me
by Simon Hensby, adders.org
If you drill holes in an expensive dining room table you may find that the wood beneath the thin surface covering is infact a cheap manmade substitute. It is wrong therefore to assume that all furniture manufacturers are environmentally unfriendly.

If you drill holes in some car steering wheels the internal structure is not hard but surprisingly soft and powdery.

Dining room carpets burn better if you add a pile of toilet tissue.

Cropping small patches of your hair does not mean that a 5 minute crew cut at the barbers is cheaper than a 20 minute ordinary haircut.

Watch batteries, safety pins and paper clips are surprisingly easy to swallow.

It can take up to four days for a watch battery to pass through your intestines.

Shirt buttons travel at an amazing speed when separated from the garment with a sharp jerking action.

If you're a budgerigar, it is not a good idea to allow your tail feathers to poke through the cage wire as not all humans are slow cumbersome creatures.

With a little effort, removal of wallpaper and plaster to reveal brickwork can be achieved in a surprisingly short space of time.

TV remote control units can still function quite well even with their rubber buttons removed. Long fingernails are recommended.

Loud repeated farting and belching can sometimes help to ease a tense situation when you have friends round.

There are several further stages of embarrassment beyond the initial blushing period.

Do not use the words "please don't", in a sentence, if you'd rather something wasn't done.

Shop assistants have an amazing ability to open their mouths to an unbelievable size when looking horrified.

Telephone kiosks and public phone equipment is surprisingly robust.

When stabbing a three piece suite repeatedly with a sharp knife, it should be noted that the holes remain quite invisible to the naked eye.

Inspite of the media coverage on the original launch of Compact Discs, they do not play as well when smothered with jam, or anything else for that matter.

The size of a pile of stuffing extracted from a soft toy can be five or six times bigger than the original toy.

With patience and determination many stains originally thought to be unremovable can be quite convincingly camouflaged.

Some cushions contain nearly 1 million small bean like objects.

Provided they have locked the doors and started the engine, it is possible for a toddler to reach the peddles while holding the steering wheel. Shouting "don't touch the gear lever" while getting quite excited outside the vehicle is not recommended.

When unwound, audio tape can stretch for several metres and can be used as a passable equivalent if you're unlucky enough to have had your Christmas decorations mysteriously destroyed.

Video tapes do function just as well with the front flap section removed.

Opening tins of food at night and mixing the contents on the kitchen floor can become addictive.

Child locks on drawers and cupboards are as effective as using a tomato to balance a wobbly chair.

The ears are just right for carrying all manner of tiny objects. When you need the item in question, simply visit your local casualty or emergency department.

Simon Hensby - Thanet ADDers

Debbie Wells of Kernow Information and Support Service ( K.I.S.S), Cornwall, England, sent us the following......

Cocoa powder is an excellent replacement for all well known brands of washing powder.

Removing the swimming attendants towel whilst he is showering may give you an extra half hour in the pool.

If your mother has just had a new baby , breast pads make good replacement shin pads for football at school.

If you place enough footballs down the main drains you can infact cut off the sewarage outlets for half the Town.

Never tell your add wife that you cannot remove a partition wall ( including fitted cupboard ) from under the stairs because it will take at least 3 men & maybe loadbearing ,because you may well find it piled in the garden when you return from work!

Or that you cannot redecorate the lounge by xmas day when it's 4pm xmas eve ( it can be totally redone including stencilling! ).

Patio's don't make good crash mats when jumping from your bedroom windowsill, although it is a total myth that a person in full leg plaster cannot run as fast as any other being!

Chris.G of North Somerset, England, sent us the following......

Opening the car door on a motorway results in a near death experience.

Cats can live locked in a hen house for several days without ill effect, but smell funny for a long time afterwards.

Women with ADHD can move bedroom furniture around in the middle of the night, bed included. This may result in her husband waking in the early hours and knocking his head on a wall which wasn't there when he went to sleep.

Sandie of Sutton Coldfield, England, sent us the following......

When asked a thoroughly stupid question in a very formal job interview (civil service) it is not a good idea to respond with "Well of course not you fool!"

Yvette from the UK, sent us the following......

I've just read your amusing anecdotes sections. It is nice to know it's not just my son who wants to try to put an extra window in his bedroom by getting right down to the brickwork.

We have "danger don't touch" stickers on a lot of our electral goods and sockets as he is fascinated by electricity (also batteries and computers). I cut and pasted signs which he sees on lamp posts etc as I couldn't find anywhere to buy them. Anyway, his eldest sister put a large version on her door as he is forever getting in there and damaging her stuff (locks and catches are no restriction). All he said was that her door, "wasn't electric".

He is hard work as he has to be watched 24/7. There is an alarm on his door so we can be woken straight away should he leave the confines of his room. The house looks like a bomb site, especially when we redecorated the living room just to find holes in the wall that needed repastering not just polyfiller-ing!
I love him to bits!

Helen of Essex, England, sent us the following......

If the shed door is locked shut, a reasonable way in for a three-year-old is to remove the hinges.

Nikki of Burnley, England, sent us the following......

If you need a new kitchen floor covering, try flour and sugar. Mix with water or blackcurrant juice to ensure it stays on.

Sanitary towels look pretty on the wall.

Underpants make good lampshades. Most effective method is to toss straight in the air, to ensure correct placement on light

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 5 replies

Some poems written by a ADHD/ADD people.

Judia — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:23:44 GMT

A Child's Version of ADHD

What is ADHD?
Do we know?
Do we understand?
We do!
Who are you?
We here you ask,
We are the children given this task!
Task!
We here you cry
Yes task we reply,
A task that eventually no one will deny.

We are the children, who can explain,
We are the little people who have to explain again & again in vain.
Explain what? we hear you say,
Our disorder
Or so you say!.

First of all you must understand this wasn't our fault it wasn't planned.
We were born this way, so you see and "no" mum didn't drop me from her knee.
This was natures way it was meant to be, and Mother Nature chose little old me.
Cruel! We hear you say,
Well Mother nature has her way.

There are things that we don't understand, like what Mother nature has planned.
When you first here ADD you wonder just what it might be,
Is it catching we here you ask "no" you silly ass.

As you go through life you begin to understand that we are not the silly ones, as originally planned.
We are the children on everyone's mind,
We are the children who sit back and see
All the adults argue over me.

"Argue" we hear you shout
"yes we reply"
Argue with something that you cant see,
Argue with the unknown
"that's me".
Its you the adults the ones that are here, who live with this disorder
Us we have no fear.

We are the ones who have lots of joy,
Playing on our playstations "boy oh boy"
Whilst we are doing this you see all the adults are fighting over "me".
"Fighting" you ask
what do you mean?
Why cant we work together as a team?.

I come home from school, and go on my machine mum is on the phone to Dr Doreen,
"he needs a psychiatrist" I hear her shout,
"he needs help & there's no doubt"
who needs help? I reply
me
why?

I come downstairs and have my tea,
Away I go again and play happily, mum is on the phone again, this time to Dr Bell,
"I do not understand this ADD" I hear her yell,
"is there nothing that we can do"
no my dear I'm afraid it is left up to you!,
the research team are trying with all their might, to tackle the unknown its fight, fight, fight.

I come downstairs to get a little drink, I have a little chuckle and a little think.
Forgive me if this is way off line, but would it not be easier to take the time, for all those adults to speak to me
After all
It is me who lives with ADD.

They are the ones who argue all day!
They are the ones who wonder every day!
They are the ones who spend thousands of pounds!
They are the ones who walk the grounds!.

We are the ones who play all day!
We are the ones who get by every day!
We are the ones who live with ADD!
"please don't avoid me"
"just ask me"

By Sharon Kilday

The ADHD Child’s Bill Of Rights

“Help me to focus”
“Please teach me through my sense of “touch”.
I need “hands on” and “body movement”.
“I need to know what comes next”
Please give me a structured environment where there is a dependable routine.
Give me an advanced warning if there will be changes.
“Wait for me, I’m still thinking”
Please allow me to go at my own pace.
If I rush, I get confused and upset.
“I’m stuck ! I cant do it !”
Please offer me options for problem-solving.
I need to know the detours when the road is blocked.
“Is it right? I need to know NOW!”
Please give me rich and immediate feedback on how I’m doing.
“I didn’t forget, I didn’t ‘hear’ it in the first place!”
Please give me directions one step at a time and ask me to
say back what I think you said.
“I didn’t know I Wasn’t in my seat!”
“Please remind me to STOP, THINK and ACT.”
Am I almost done now?
Please give me short work periods with short-term goals.
“What?”
Please don’t say “I’ve already told you that”.
Tell me again in different words.
Give me a signal. Draw me a symbol.
“I know, it’s ALL wrong, isn’t it?”
Please give me praise for partial success.
Reward me for self-improvement, not just for perfection.
“But why do I always get yelled at?”
Please catch me doing something right and praise me for my specific positive behaviour.
Remind me (and yourself) about my good points, when I’m having a bad day.
“I may be hard to live with, and have ADHD, but I still have
feelings and would have never chosen to behave like I do
sometimes”.

Author Unknown
THE FOG

It descends on me like darkness
Creeping in stealthily
To consume, invade
My body and mind
I cannot stop it
It comes…

My chest feels heavy,
Tight
I want to move,
Have to move -
But where to go?
What to do?
I feel like jumping out of my skin…

My thoughts are tangled,
Confused
I cannot separate them,
I cannot think.

The world attacks me,
Bombards me
I feel everything,
See everything,
Hear everything…
There is too much
It hurts
I want it to stop.
I cannot be in the world,
With others
It is too hard
I overload,
Shut down,
Become immobile…

I pull inside myself
And wait for it to end.

By Kim Hlavka

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

ADD or Asperger's?

moonmom — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 04:37:07 GMT

I read that until recently many folks who may have been diagnosed as Asperger, were under the old DSM criteria diagnosed as ADD, ADHD. There is some unclerity around this.
Since there is much to be gleened from the knowledge of and about people with ADD/ADHD, I'd very much like to know what you percieve the differences to be.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 17 replies

Reviewing "Potty Training for Indigo Children" for this tribe

KarinLLightworker — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:28:09 GMT

Hi all;
A couple days ago I had introduced my new book “Potty Training for Indigo Children” – Cannabis/Marijuana/Hemp for Medicine, Enlightenment, and Abundant Resources for the 21st Century.
Is anybody interested in reviewing my new book for this tribe?

If so I will email you my eBook as a gift. Please contact me through regular email.
However, this book is not for the faint-hearted; it may rattle your cage or open your psychic eyes – depending on what you are vibrating. :) In any case, hold on to your hat!!! Your fellow traveler, Karin Lacy,
karinlacy@gmail.com

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

"Potty Training for Indigo Children"

KarinLLightworker — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:03:39 GMT

Hi, my name is Karin Lacy; I would like to introduce my new book "Potty Training for Indigo Children" - Cannabis/Marijuana/Hemp for Medicine, Enlightenment, and Abundant Resources for the 21st Century.
I wrote this book especially for people with ADHD and similar disorders.
To read the Table of Contents and Introduction please go to my tribe at
http://tribes.tribe.net/LightworkerForAmerica or visit my website at www.KarinLLightworker.com

If you are interested to read my eBook as a gift and give some feedback to this group, please send me your regular email to: karinlacy@gmail.com

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

How accurate are the online tests?

Andy — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:57:34 GMT

I'm trying to figure out if I have Adult ADD, so I've taken some online tests and so far they all say I have moderate ADD. I had my wife take one at:

http://psychcentral.com/addquiz.htm

I wanted to establish a control to see if it was accurate, but to our surprise, she scored higher on the test than I did! This was not expected at all, and she seems to have it together and really excels at her work.

Then she took the first test on this page:

http://amenclinics.com/ac/tests/

It said it was unlikely that she has ADD.

How accurate are these tests?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

Things to do in the bathroom stall...

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:55:44 GMT

1. Stick your palm open under the stall wall and ask your neighbor, "May I borrow a highlighter?"

2. Say "Uh oh, I knew I shouldn't put my lips on that."

3. Cheer and clap loudly every time somebody breaks the silence with a bodily function noise.

4. Say, "Hmmm, I've never seen that color before."

5. Drop a marble and say, "oh shoot!! My glass eye!!"

6. Say "Darn, this water is cold."

7. Grunt and strain real loud for 30 seconds and then drop a cantaloupe into the toilet bowl from a high place six to eight feet. Sigh relaxingly.

8. Say, "Now how did that get there?"

9. Say, "Humus. Reminds me of humus."

10. Fill up a large flask with Mountain Dew. Squirt it erratically under the stall walls of your neighbors while yelling, "Whoa! Easy boy!!"

11. Say, "Interesting....more sinkers than floaters.

12. Using a small squeeze tube, spread peanut butter on a wad of toilet paper and drop it under the stall wall of your neighbor. Then say, "Whoops, could you kick that back over here, please?"

13. Say. "C'mon Mr. Happy! Don't fall asleep on me!!"

14. Say, "Boy, that sure looks like a maggot"

15. Say, "Darn, I Knew that drain hole was a little too small. Now what am I gonna do?"

16. Play a well known drum cadence over and over again on your butt cheeks.

17. Before you unroll toilet paper, conspicuously lay down your "Cross-Dressers Anonymous" newsletter on the floor visible to the adjacent stall.

18. Lower a small mirror underneath the stall wall and adjust it so you can see your neighbor and say, "Peek-a-boo!"

19. Drop a D-cup bra on the floor under the stall wall and sing "Born Free"

20. When you're in a bathroom stall take a Snickers candy bar with you and when someone is next to you, squish it in your hand and reach under the stall wall and say "You got any more toilet paper over there, This side's completely out."

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

Hello

Sun, 20 May 2007 06:21:56 GMT

Hi I'm new. I have ADHD and AD and SAD
Is this a place where we can let out mental frustrations other so-called normal people just dont get?
Do you guys have a lot of ideas here??
I know I do, they just dont always link together =)

Hi
Peace, Namaste 8}

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 10 replies

Cylert (pemoline) question??

RockingHorseWench — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 21:34:33 GMT

Prior to the medication "Cylert" being discontinued, I was on it for 15 years (narcolepsy and ADD dx). This med was my saving grace!! It was the only med that successfully worked well for me, and without any side-effects. Now, I am at a loss, as nothing else is working!! Sigh.

Has anyone else gone through this? If so, what/how are you dealing with this? For me, life(at least as I knew it) is over ;-{

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

new guy.......

laughing wolf — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 03:56:38 GMT

Just joined this very minute. I was wondering, anybody else here ever run into problems when online? I find myself doing things like scrolling very quickly, missing stuff, ( I know this cause sometimes my wife watches me when I'm online and says I miss stuff) jumping from site to site, etc.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 14 replies

New here...

Samantha — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 02:53:25 GMT

Hi there. I just joined. I've been taking Ritalin for a few years & at first, it really helped me, but not so much anymore. I'm wondering what people's experiences are with various ADD drugs... a friend of mine takes Strattera & seems to like it. Anyone able to compare it to Ritalin? What about Adderall?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 12 replies

moral dilema pointers

matty-matt — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:26:06 GMT

i'm about to go in the closet over my ADD. i know it is a valid diagnosis. i will not be able to take meds.
besides 20 years of not knowing my brain was an add-type, my coping skills are a bit subpar.
anybody have suggestions on ways to deal w/o drugs (that have worked)
i'm non-hyperactive type, totally anxiety stricken under pressure. which is comorbid with the ADD to the point i stop processing.
i'm leaving out the specifics for some unbiased feedback, if it exists.
thnx.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

As if one wasn't complicated enough...

DravenGal — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 21:18:25 GMT

Anyone else here have both ADD and OCD? How do you deal with it? Anyone know of any books on the combo?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 5 replies

Intro

sheikyerbouti — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:02:47 GMT

Hello,

I just want to introduce myself. I'm looking forward to learning more about ADD/ADHD. My name is Eric, and I've decided that the best way for me to manage my ADHD is to learn as much as I can. Hope you all can help.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

School Work

Trinity — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:54:58 GMT

Hello, All! I have a situation here at home that I was hoping you might have some insight into. My daughter, age7, who was recently diagnosed with severe ADHD (and probably some anxiety in there too), has been having some serious issues with her school work. It seems to have come on all of the sudden, as she was doing better at staying on task during this last semester and her grades even went up.
But today, her teacher called me and said since Christmas break she's been so distracted that she can rarely get her to do ANY of her daily work! She's tested in the 98 percentile, but she's failing because she refuses to do the work. We have an appointment to get her on meds, but the earliest the doc would see us was the middle of next month and I have no clue what to do in the meantime.
I make her do the work that her teacher sends home, but she constantly (and I mean almost non-stop) complains and will throw out a negative string of comment after comment about how everyone else at school bothers her and doesn't allow her to do her work, she says she will never get it done at home because I won't sit beside her the entire time, or because she thinks she's "stupid". The list goes on and gets pretty irrational. I am seriously at a loss for how to help her. All her Psychologist says at this point is to be consistent, but we are consistent. It seems as if she explodes when asked to anything that "isn't fun". Any ideas on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated.

Trin

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 9 replies

151 Positives Of ADD - I Love This!

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:13:55 GMT

Thought I'd share this with you - I'm new to this tribe - don't worry if you get bored halfway through you can always come back to it - :-)

Positive Characteristics of People with Attention Deficit Disorder.
151 Positives.

Ability to find alternate paths to overcome obstacles
Able to take on large situations
Adaptive/collaborative
Adventurous, courageous, lives outside of boundaries
Always finding alternate routes to any given location.
Always willing to help others
Ambitious – you want to be everything when “you grow up”
Artistic
Attractive personality – magnetic due to high energy
Being able to see the big picture
Being able to see the patterns in the chaos.
Being intuitive towards others’ difficulties
Broad focus – can see more, notice things more
Can create order from chaos
Can do many projects at once
Can make people feel they are heard
Can see the big picture
Can talk about several things at one time
Can think on my feet
Career variety
Centre of attention
Comfortable talking in front of groups
Comfortable with change and chaos
Compassion for others and for themselves
Conceptualizes well
Confidence
Constantly evolving
Courageous
Creates connections easily
Creative
Creative writing
Creative – musical, artistic, “dramatic”
Good in a crisis
Good at customer relations
Dedicated
Detail-oriented
Determined to gain more control
Eager to make friends
Eager to try new things
Empathetic, sensitive
Energetic
Entrepreneurial
Excellent organizers using journals and reminders (notes etc.)
Flexible – changes as the situation requires
Fun guy to be around
Goal-oriented
Good at conceptualizing
Good at motivating self and others
Good at multitasking
Good at problem solving
Good at public speaking
Good at understanding others/mind reading – empathetic
Good conversationalist
Good delegator and good at organizing others
Good in emergency situations
Good listener
Good looking and aware of it
Good people skills
Good self esteem, energetic
Great brain-stormer
Great multitasker
Great self-company
Great sense of humour
Great storyteller
Great with kids (central figure around kids)
Hands-on workers
Hard worker
Has friendly relations with their family
Has the gift of gab
Helpful
Helps others who are also in trouble
High energy – go, go, go
Humour, very healthy, quick picking up ideas
Hyper focus !!
Hypersensitive – very empathetic and good at non-verbal communications
Idea generator
Imaginative
Impulsive (in a good way) not afraid to act
Initiators
Intelligent
Intuitive
It’s ok to not finish everything
Learning as much as I can to help children and others with adhd
Less sleep is good (midnight to 6 am)
Like to talk a lot
Likes learning new things
Look at multidimensional sides to a situation
Lots of interests
Loves to cook and be creative
Magnetic
Master idea generator
Mentoring others/helpful
Mentoring people with low self esteem
Modesty
Move on fast – never hold a grudge
Multitasks well
Never bored and rarely boring
Never intimidated to try new things
Non-linear, multi-dimensional/edge of chaos
Not afraid to speak mind
Not contained by boundaries.
On stage and ready
Optimistic
Outgoing
Passionate
Persistent
Philosophical
Holistic thinking
Playful
Pragmatic
Problem solver
Profound
Quick thinking
Quick witted
Relates to people easily
Resistant
Resourceful
Saves money in the short term by forgetting to file tax returns
See and remember details – recount them later
Sees the big picture
Socially adaptive and flexible.
Spontaneous
Stabilizer during difficult situations
Stable
Successful
Takes initiative
Tenacious
Theoretical
Think outside the box
Thinks 2 meters ahead of the world
Thinks big, dreams big
Thorough
Tolerant
Unconventional
Unlimited energy
Unorthodox
Versatile
Very creative, able to generate a lot of ideas
Very hard working to compensate – workaholic
Very intuitive
Very resourceful
Very successful
Visionary
Visual learner
Willing to explore
Willing to take risks
Willingness to help others
Witty
Won’t tolerate boredom
Works well under pressure
Worldly

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 4 replies

ADHD in Chicago

sheikyerbouti — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:07:19 GMT

Anyone from Chicago? I am and I'm looking for some local resources.

Thank you in advance

Eric

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

Experience with Focalin?

D/\/\onica — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 23:40:13 GMT

I just started taking Focalin yesterday (my 1st ADD med ever tried) and was wondering if anyone has had any experiences with this drug, good or bad.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 13 replies

What is Focalin

Kitty — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 21:29:50 GMT

I've never heard of it before. What is it most similar to?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 7 replies

Greetings and Salutations

Trinity — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:41:15 GMT

Hi, All! My name's Trinity and I just joined this tribe. My 7 year old daughter was just recently "officially" diagnosed with ADHD and while we've known this to be the case for some time, it was almost a relief to have someone else acknowledge that there are some issues happening with her.
She has a pretty complicated medical history, which I'd be happy to go into if anyone's interested but for now I'll spare the details. I'm still in the process of educating myself about ADHD, so I'm definitely here to learn.
A little more about my daughter: she's tested in the 98th percentile academically, but her work study habits are seriously lowering her grades, she has a tendency to be disruptive in class in that she can't stay focused, wants to talk, frequently interrupts and speaks loudly more times than not. This has caused some behavioral issues as well. She's a sweet girl, but often becomes irrational when asked to do things she doesn't particularly want to do, and can throw a serious tantrum, often saying hurtful things to anyone who will listen, despite years of consistent behavior modification, and growing up in a loving, supportive environment.

I've been told that ADHD can cause behavioral difficulties such as these, but I don't completely understand the WHY of that, and would be appreciative if someone with personal experience could give me a look into her head. For example, rather than brush her teeth as I've asked, she will spend 15 minutes throwing a tantrum, lying, and lashing out before she finally does it, rather than just doing it to begin with. I'd assume that over time, she would understand that simply doing it is far more rewarding and less stressful for her than fighting the inevitable, but she just doesn't seem to get it.
If there's anyone with personal experience here who could give me some insight into her method of processing I would be immensely appreciative!

Trin

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 3 replies

Working with ADHD kids!

Meg — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:52:56 GMT

Does anyone else do it?

I teach at an outdoor school, and get the opportunity nearly every day to work with both medicated and unmedicated 5th and 6th grade students.

Anyone want to share tips and tricks to keeping these kids with you on topic?

My own ADHD probably helps me understand their way of being, but I still haven't figured out how to integrate them into a class without losing the rest of the kids in the process!

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

Anyone ever notice that...

=Comrade Milquetoast= — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 15:54:32 GMT

caffeine helps aalot?

aalot?

aalot! lol.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 10 replies

Plz help! New to ALL this

Dee — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:41:09 GMT

Let me begin by describing myself. I am a 28 year old male who is coming out of a 9 year on and off relationship with only short breaks in between. I finally ended it about 6 months prior to meeting my 1st ADD girlfriend. I am a VERY laid back person who thinks and talks things through rationally. I dont believe in screaming and cussing up a storm just to solve an issue with my partner.

My new ADD girlfriend is 24, spunky, doesn't cuss, doesn't shout, keeps herself very clean, and even though she smothers me with attention, I tend to like it very much. She has a good sense of humor. Her family likes me, my family likes her. She has goals, which is a plus in my book. She was an only child, and grew up in a family that was well off. Not quite rich, but just well off.

I had zero familiarity with any symptons dealing with ADHD other than lack of focus. With that said, I recently met and started dating this girl about 2.5 months ago. At first, everything seemed incredible. Conversations flowed smoothly (mainly coming from her), the physical and mental attractions were there, and after taking the next baby step BOTH of our families liked the new special people in our lives. Suddenly, at about our 2 month mark, things QUICKLY began to change for the worse. After a few arguments, she confessed that she had suffered from ADHD and had stopped taking medication for it a while back due to one of the side effects making her overly depressed.

My only gripe is she began acting a bit too inconciderate. Many little things. If there was some food around, she would ALWAYS take the first few bites before asking if I even wanted any. When I would get in her car, she wouldnt remove whatever clutter she had sitting on her passenger seat which would keep me from sitting down. Once, she went as far as showing up at my job even though we had agreed that I would call her when the coast was clear since I am very weary of what my boss catches me doing (such as having her pass by to visit or deliver food when she would offer). Last thing I want to happen is to be questioned by my boss about having people over to this very privately kept office I work at. She would consistently fail to introduce me to people I would meet for the first time and I would end up introducing myself. The latest small argument that broke the camel's back occured when we were just strolling around a mall and we came upon this cologne hut where I stopped to see if I could introduce her to a cologne that I had concidered purchasing. She had her eye on a few colognes so I curiously went to see which one she had her eye on and after seeing her putting the bottle up to her own nose to smell it, she turned to me, and as I leaned in to smell the bottle as well, she let off two or three sprays of it on my neck ASSuming I wouldn't mind. It stunk. She even failed to apologize until about 30 mins later.

After I mentioned it to her, she became defensive just like every other misunderstanding we had in the past. After each argument we had, it was as if she felt the need to always justify her actions instead of just apologize and move on. I guess this time, she was so embarrassed that she voiced how unpleasant it was to have to walk on egg shells for me even though she was clearly being inconciderate and she came up with the idea that we take about a 2 week break from each other, which is mysteriously convenient for her since she is going on a week and a half vacation with her immediate family. Is she once again thinking of herself with this idea?

It's just amazing how one minute she's crushed over our situation and the next she's just "busy" and going about her business as if this break won't even phase her.

I'm at a loss.

I like this girl... ALOT! After only 2 months I was already having thoughts of "this might be the one." I would hate to see these wonderful 2 months go to waste due to a disorder she might suffer from that I don't understand.

My question is, are those signs of ADHD? I want to make sure it's not that she just always had it good growing up as an only child and in an above average lifestyle, making her plain and simply an inconciderate brat. If these acts, or being inconciderate like this, stem from her disorder or not. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

how many...

thomas666 — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 06:03:37 GMT

ho many add kids does it take to screw in a lightbLET GO RIDE BIKES!!!

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 7 replies

3 Hour Exam

Kimbo — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:09:24 GMT

Hi All,
I have a 3 hour Ancient History Exam coming up in Late November for my online college/university course. I have to do it at my old School (So its supervised correctly by a teacher and all that jazz) but Iam dreading it...Three hours! in that silent room trying to concentrate!
Anyway, my question is, do you guys have any tips on how to stay focused during importaint exams like these? I had to do similar exams in my final yr of High School and I bombed out majorly and I dont want to repeat that result!

Thanks!

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

A trick that I learned

whitecrystalwind — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 22:49:03 GMT

Several years ago I was thinking about my ADD and what could I do to turn it into a positive skill.
I realized I had a powerful skill to focus for 15 miniutes at time but then I needed to move on to something else.
So I decided to try rotating the tasks I was doing and always come back to each project on a regular basis.
Now I get a tremendous amount of work accomplished and never get bored or antsy anymore.

Brian

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

Help with Relationships

Johnny — Tue, 09 May 2006 22:08:15 GMT

OK - I just want to see if anyone else experiences the same thing as me. I am ADD and have noticed that as long as I am pursuing a relationship or actively trying to win a long term relationship - that I am very "into" the person - almost driven to succeed with them. The problem begins once I've won the relationship. I totally lose interest and get bored with the person. My response becomes looking for the next conquest and interest in someone else - this is very frustrating - anyone else experience the same thing?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 18 replies

How do you know if you have ADD?

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:08:14 GMT

Hey guys. I have recently been thinking about myself and my behaviours etc. and it seems there is a similar pattern of behaviour between myself and what you all describe on this tribe. i have read about ADD, but i dont entirely understand what it is and was wondering if you guys could help me.

I find it very hard to concentrate on work for a long time, i get very easily distracted. i have always been a talker at school, regularly getting moved around in class away from other students, i often speak without thinking and say very inappropriate things and offend alot of people and i have difficulty reading and taking information in.

I dunno if it is ADD but its a thought. i havent ever been diagnosed for it and its never been mentioned to me, but apparently in the uk its not something that is recognised or spotted or wotever.

at first i thought i might be dyslexic, but my spelling is great and ive never had a problem with literary things or wotever. but i do find it hard to take info in. even when i try.

I might just be exaggerating or kidding myself but anything you guys can suggest would be great. thanks.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 14 replies

'GUT & PSYCHOLOGY SYNDROME' - A Preview

newhuman — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:11:51 GMT

NEW HUMAN HEALTH
At the Cutting-Edge of Toxin Awareness & Super Nutrition
by Hugh Newman

(from 'Children of the New Earth' Magazine - October Edition Preview 2006)

This months column is going to focus on the work of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. Her new book 'Gut and Psychology Syndrome – Natural treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, ADD, Dyslexia, ADHD, Depression and Schizophrenia' is set to become a bestseller for parents who have children with any of these conditions. I saw her do a short talk at a nutrition conference where she was involved in the launch of a new advanced probiotic formula to the UK market (see bottom of page). As a parent of a child diagnosed with learning disabilities, she has become acutely aware of the difficulties facing other parents like her, and she has been devoting her time to these families through The Cambridge Nutrition Clinic since 1998.

“The child's digestive system holds the key to the child's mental development”.

According to McBride, The underlying issue, which can manifest itself in different children with different combinations, resides in the gut. So disorders such as autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, ADD, allergies and eczema are what Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride calls 'Gut & Psychology Syndrome' or 'GAP Syndrome'. There is also another group under the same umbrella: Schizophrenia, depression, manic depression (bi-polar disorder) and obsessive compulsive disorder. The book describes the way she has developed her treatments with the underlying focus on the gut-brain connection. By looking at all these disorders and noticing that virtually all her clients also had digestive abnormalities, she discovered the connection. Father of modern psychiatry, French psychiatrist Phillipe Pinel (1745 – 1828) wrote in 1807 that “The primary seat of insanity is in the region of the stomach and intestines”.

Digestion problems often start when weaning or when breast feeding is stopped and infant formula has begun. These changes are mainly remembered in the second year, but parents often recall colic, vomiting (reflux) and other digestive symptoms from an earlier period. Early bloating and flatulence can cause severe pain in children, but is often not noticed or communicated especially by autistic children who seem to develop self-punishing habits as a reaction to the discomfort.

By looking at how the immune system becomes compromised with vaccinations and to the ignorant dietary habits based upon sugar and refined flours, the book encapsulates a stunning and convincing theory of why many of these disorders are manifesting in modern society. By looking at the bigger picture it is clear that eating habits, farming methods and lifestyle changes over the last few decades are behind the cause of many mental disorders and learning difficulties.

Allergens in wheat and dairy are contenders for the 'worst' food we can eat because of the way that they get through the gut wall and into the bloodstream, especially if the gut flora is not able to do its job. These allergens are often found in these children and are linked to poor brain and immune functioning and are a precursor to many of these issues.

Beneficial bacteria in the gut has many important roles. It maintains the health and integrity of the gut, protects from unwanted bacterial invaders, modulates the immune system and helps deal with toxins and heavy metals. If it is not in a good balance, the problems start to occur. Antibiotics, drugs, the contraceptive pill, sugar, refined foods, pollution, dental work, alcohol, disease and bottle feeding are all responsible for damaging gut flora.

In the 1960's and 70's breast feeding was unfashionable and many children have had to suffer the consequences. Breast feeding establishes gut flora for life and enhances the immune system to a high degree. Babies are born with a sterile gut, so breast-feeding is the natural way for the gut to become populated with the best bacteria in the correct amounts. Bottle-fed babies guts are populated by unnatural bacteria in the wrong amounts which can lead to digestive issues later in life.

Beneficial bacteria in the gut produces essential nutrients such as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B12, Biotin and Vitamin K. It also keeps the gut wall strong so allergens cannot get through and it helps nutrient absorption from foods and supplements. Many people who take supplements cannot absorb them because of gut flora abnormalities. The importance of probiotics in McBride's research is overwhelming. This is why she helped develop a supplement that was able to help with these conditions. She told us "Probiotic bacteria are essential in order to help people with all sorts of health problems: children with learning disabilities, adults with depression and other psychological conditions, people with digestive and immune system disorders, patients with ME, chronic fatigue syndrome, Fibromyalgia, MS and other neurological conditions. The list can go on. I see excellent results in my clinic every day."

This new supplement contains a staggering 2.88 billion viable* cells per capsule. Thats 8 billion per gram. The ingredients include five strains of beneficial bacteria – L.Acidophilus, L. Plantarum, L. Rhamnosus, B. Bifidum and B. Longum. It also contains Saccharomyces boulardii - this yeast strain can help keep the digestive tract clear and is particularly beneficial to sufferers of diarrhoea and candida.. L-glutamine - an amino acid that helps protect the gastrointestinal tract and is the perfect accompaniment to probiotic cultures.

Natures Scienceutical advanced Probiotic is available from www.newhuman.co.uk and for a limited time has a 20% discount.

Dr.Natasha Campbell-McBride's website is www.medinform.co.uk and her book is available from the website.

* Total amount of live cells

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

Impulsivity in posting or IMing versus speaking

Mishy — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 06:39:41 GMT

I have always had trouble with impulsively when I'm speaking. before my meds, i said the most inappropriate things sometimes, and I had little to no control over it. it was like I was listening to me embarrassing myself!
Well, with my meds, I have that mostly under control, but when I IM or even blog, I seem to have a harder time. Do you?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

My depression, drugs and hope

LinSuZen — Fri, 05 May 2006 20:33:08 GMT

Not asking for help -- just sharing.

Went to bed last night utterly depressed. Had nightmarish dreams filled with images of suffering of all kinds and no sense of escape or relief. Woke up despondent and not knowing which way to go. In the predawn dark, helped get Laddiebuck on his way to the job he hates, a job that sucks the life from his body. Felt like everything I do is just slowly killing us both.

Dragged through a shower feeling like a miserable failure. Toweling off, I saw in the medicine cabinet the vial with a few left-over 30 mg. Adderall capsules. I’d stopped taking the prescription meth-amphetamine when I feared it had triggered my recent basal cell melanoma. But what the fuck, how could things get worse? And my new doctor this week said Adderall most likely wasn’t the cause of the skin cancer.

So I took one.

Holy jumping stuff! Within 15 minutes I was frantically alert. Ideas came so fast that I grabbed a huge whiteboard and pen and started writing. Maybe if I got the stuff on a board, perhaps my mind would settle. I couldn’t write fast enough. It all looks like scribbled demon code words. But I know exactly what they say. I filled the board in seconds and continued onto another tablet.

Lord, there’s no way to get all these urgent projects done in one day. Twitch twitch. Or is there? And for Heaven’s sake, if I got all that done, wouldn’t that start to solve all these depressing problems? One step at a time. What’s the next step?

The muscles in my arms and legs feel primed to fight. My skin feels prickly sensitive. Adderall has about an 8-10 hour effective time span. So at 7:00 tonight I’ll see what I’ve got done from my Frantic Whiteboard List. Must focus!

Depending on how today goes, maybe I’ll go back to using Adderall but at a more conservative 20 milligrams. Keep me in your thoughts today!

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 9 replies

StevenMannette's Bio&SelfAwareness&RelaxingTechniques&Hobbies

stevencoolcat — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 16:19:25 GMT

http://sitepalace.com/StevenMannettetje/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selfawarenessthinkingrevolutionlistening-
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/realize2actualize/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lovefriendz/

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

Living with ADD

ghostcat — Sat, 06 May 2006 01:35:21 GMT

Hi all,

I just found this tribe and am hoping for some advice. My house-mate for the last 4 months and friend of over 18 years has ADD. He prefers to not take meds, and his friends (including myself) love him for who he is. His energy and enthusiasms and stories are a part of his personality. He is very lovable and I love him dearly.

I'm working fulltime and studying part-time, and very early on I had to set some boundaries about when it was OK to talk to me. Because when Ben starts talking to me while I'm studying, it represents a serious distraction.He can go on and on about things that are completely irrelevant, or things that are relevant but get talked about for 20 times longer than necessary. So, we talked about this and mostly he's pretty good, but sometimes he can't help himself. And I understand becuase I know that his way of thinking sometimes needs feedback. For instance he's been fixing up our outdoor laundry and he'll come up with plans that involve doing a whole list of things, where I can look at the problem and suggest one thing that will take a quarter of the time and work just as well.

Ben is on an invalid pension because he has a shoulder injury that prevents him from working. But he's generally great at keeping himself busy and / or amused.

But a couple of weeks ago, he did something that exacerbated his injury and for the last few weeks he's been moping around the house unable to do anything and taking muscle relaxants (Valium& Xanax). It's driving me nuts. He stays in bed till after I leave for work and when I get home he's pretty much pased out on the couch. He's like a different person. He didn't smile at me for a whole week. I speak to him and he ignores me. He seems seriously depressed.... and I just don't know what to do! I realise that this experience is probably much worsefor him than for me..., but - please - help!!

Can anyone offer any advice?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 6 replies

The Role of Multimodality Integrative Biofeedback in Helping ADD - article

jason — Tue, 02 May 2006 09:28:57 GMT

Being in Control. The Role of Multimodality Integrative Biofeedback in Helping ADD
by Jason Alster, MSc

Being In Control: Natural Techniques For Increasing Your Potential and Creativity For Success in School. Also for improving concentration and learning in children with ADHD and Dyslexia.
( Amazon.com)

I began treating children with ADD quite unexpectedly in 1991. I had been a biofeedback therapist as part of an anxiety clinic in a mental day care setting in Tel Aviv, Israel. I had absolutely no experience in treating children but was doing quite well with adults suffering from stress disorders and teenagers who had test anxiety and social phobias. The biofeedback clinic had just opened and each type of patient was a new experience. With my medical- technological training in neuro-electrodiagnostics and sleep/wake disorders, I was more into the neurological and psycho- physiological disorders while a child psychologist working with me wanted to try biofeedback on ADD. Then he had said that there was no treatment for this poorly understood syndrome and the only remedy was Ritalin although reports about EEG (electroencephalogram) biofeedback and John Lubars research with Neurofeedback were just coming out.
After starting to treat a handful of children with biofeedback the psychologist had to leave the unit and I had to take over his patients. All I knew then about ADD was from a television program showing a hyperactive child literally jump off the walls and I worried about what this child would do to my biofeedback equipment. I had absolutely no knowledge of learning disorders either. I mention this lack of knowledge for a reason. I had to begin treating ADD without a prior predisposition to what was written in the literature. I had to see for myself what works, and fast.

On my very first ADD patient I performed a regular biofeedback stress baseline for anxiety. That is, I hooked the child up to galvanic skin resistance (GSR) sensors, muscle and peripheral temperature monitors, but not EEG. I had to start to treat ADD with what I knew and that is how to treat stress and anxiety. And I lucked out. My very first patient's baseline EMG (electromyogram or muscle activity potential good for measuring stress) showed that the more she sat quietly the EMG gained in amplitude. That is, sitting quietly was stressful for her. With relaxation training she had improved her baseline in just 6 sessions and began to do better at home and in school. This was not supposed to happen. Biofeedback in ADD was supposed to be a stubborn neurological problem that takes 60 sessions to treat.

ADD is not supposed to be a stress disorder - but is it?

One of the problems in dealing with ADD has to do with when the diagnosis was made. Could the ADD be superimposed by anxiety, stress, and emotional problems? How can one separate the ADD from an emotional picture? Am I treating the anxiety in the child or the ADD? I lucked out again. One of my next patients was also a pretty 12 year old young girl with ADD and a learning disorder as well as a behavioral problem to boot. She was being expelled from school 20 days a month. That is almost every day. Her mother approached me because she had wanted a behavioral treatment before trying medication for the ADD. I sat her down for a stress baseline too and this time she showed that the GSR skin response increased in intensity the longer she sat quietly. The same result in an ADD patient, with a different physiological measure.

This was not supposed to happen. ADD is not supposed to be a stress disorder. However, this patient had a diagnosis of ADD with hypersensitivity, by a respected neurologist, since age 1. That is, this was a true ADD patient. She also responded to relaxation treatment in just 8 sessions. She was no longer being expelled from school anymore. I was onto something here. I began to ask myself, why am I successful in treating ADD so quickly and others are not? Why is ADD supposed to be impossible to treat while there are successes for other more serious chronic medical disorders like cancer and hypertension?

I asked my patients what about the biofeedback worked, and they mentioned the relaxation effect. But ADD is an attention deficit disorder not a stress disorder- or is it? A closer look then at the histories of my patients began to show that up to 75% of the ADD children had other medical problems accompanying the ADD. These could be ear, nose, and throat problems, sleep problems, and respiratory problems, skin problems, and digestive problems as well as school anxiety issues. Could these associative medical problems exacerbate the ADD? If so, then relaxation assisted biofeedback would be a better treatment than medication. That is: ADD rarely stands alone.

Like in the story of the Hobbit, the quest was on and my life’s work had been sealed in fate. I felt that I had the magic bullet and a treasure map. What I had stumbled onto, without fully understanding at the time, was an objective physiological measure of concentration in ADD. The first ever. The other measure used in ADD to evaluate Ritalin was the TOVA (test of variance) and this is not a physiological measure and is open to subjective interpretation. With this physiological objective measure, the GSR, I could also determine what interventions worked for ADD. I could search every possible treatment used for relaxation and focusing and measure the usefulness of each. The race was on.

When I began to take a look at the literature I found that very few articles had been written at the time on the treatment of ADD with Biofeedback. The few written mentioned that EMG biofeedback was not successful in ADD and that just EEG biofeedback had shown some results but the protocol had to be 60 biofeedback sessions. The work suggested that ADD is a neurological disorder and therefore EEG biofeedback would work by regulating EEG brain waves. With this idea, sympathetic and peripheral biofeedback should be of no significance in treating ADD children.

In my readings at the time, a number of avenues were being pursued in the treatment of ADD. Some of these were nutrition, and sensory integration, guided imagery, art therapy, natural meditation, yoga, Bach flower remedies, homeopathy, chiropractor, and aromatic oils. In biofeedback, animated computer games were being introduced. I could use each method and observe its effectiveness. I could develop an integrated and holistic approach. I could match the method to each child individually.

One of the first things that I found that causes the GSR to become stable in ADD children and adults is holding a soft or smooth stone in your hand. Who would ever expect that this piece of nature could compete with Ritalin. But it does. I got this idea from the worry stones and beads of the Middle East.

In sensory integration one is supposed to work on all the senses - sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Listening to the sound of the waves within a seashell is relaxing for a sense of sound. As is the sound of the metronome and so are the relaxing sounds of nature. For touch, I use the soft stones especially egg shaped ones or stones from a stream or the ocean. The best are the soap stones and marble ones. A four-legged wooden massager is also good. For sight - staring at a fish tank, a scenic view, a water wheel. The water wheels and colorful sand clocks are great because they can time a relaxation period to two to three minutes. It turns out that the secret to training in ADD is short relaxation exercises of about two to four minutes each day for a period of about 2 months. For smell and taste, the aromatic oils turned out to be great. I let the child choose up to three oils that he can combine into one. The combined oil has a better aroma to the client than the 3 oils separately. Children like mainly citrus oils and these are relaxing, uplifting, and also help concentration. It turns out that all the relaxation and focusing exercises have the ability to cause the GSR to be stable.

Body Armor

To work on the body armor and let the child relax his muscles even in the classroom where he cannot do a relaxation exercise or meditation, the seated yoga exercises work well. Some I picked and chose from different sources like Tai chi, seated yoga, airline stretching exercises, Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation, and even Reiki. In the class, the child will often show the teacher the book BEING IN CONTROL and arrange that when needed, the teacher will help the child choose an exercise to do instead of just saying "be quiet" which doesn’t work with ADD children.

The relaxation and concentration exercises in children were really helping and their physiological measures of concentration were improved as well as their associated medical problems. These could be a reduction in sleep problems, improved breathing, more strength for sports and activities. The self, home, social, and behavioral situation really improved.

Accelerated Learning Techniques

But - what about grades in school? Some children still did not succeed after biofeedback. What could be expected, if a child had poor learning skills developed over the years due to the ADD? I concluded that if I was to help these children succeed I would literally have to go back to school myself to find out how to teach these children. What I discovered was that to empower children behind in their learning, I could teach them accelerated learning techniques. These included associative memory techniques for instance. Using associations between ideas and pictures to help memory, I found that even people with poor memory could compensate. If a child remembered only 6 out of 8 items he could increase this to 15 out of 15 with associative memory. Then I used speed-reading techniques. Children who read 60 words a minute, and barely remembered what they read the minute before, could now read up to 250 words per minute. And remember. To help children organize their thoughts and copy the material during lectures I taught mind mapping. To improve their cursive handwriting they were taught the rules of handwriting. This was important to let the child’s work look more organized.

Children were asked to keep exams with marks that were determined to be non-passing so that their performance could be evaluated. It turns out that many children do not keep their exams and thus never know what the right answer is so that they can make the same mistakes over again. The other main problem that in many instances the child knew the answer but did directly answer the question being asked, this especially when a question was made up of a couple of parts. Children were told to circle the main ideas of the question to help them better SEE the actual parts of the question. What turned out was that each issue could be taught during an hour session combined with a period of biofeedback practice and relaxation mixed in. Problems that were there for years were being given a solution within a short time. Parents were also involved in each session to then also help at home if needed or at least to recognize the problems and be supportive.

Visual Learners

With all the talk about learning having to be fun and that many children with ADD are visual learners, add the increased role of graphics in our cyber world, and I came to having each one of the exercises shown in a graphic format. I had fun with this as I like painting and photography myself and had an opportunity to add all my resources into it. Furthermore, the graphic artists were great, one had dyslexia herself, and really understood the idea. As I had problems in cursive handwriting and math (I probably have some math phobia myself) it was a real challenge to discover the roots of correcting these two problems and condense these skills into one graphic page, one least common denominator.

Handwriting

It turns out that either you know the rules or you don’t. Follow the rules and the handwriting will improve. For instance, keep all letters on the bottom line. Simple, but not always done. In math, imagery skills, breaking problems down to their smaller parts, attacking problems from different angles, and estimation skills are needed to help succeed in all math.

Creativity

Finally, if I was asked my opinion about what is the major difference between the new millennium and the previous one, I would say it is a higher level of thinking. That is, increases in creativity and thinking skills are here even for the youngsters. Therefore, I added a page dedicated to creativity. The bottom line there is don’t be afraid to ask questions (be curious), be spontaneous, appreciate diversity, let yourself be inspired, and knowing that today, everyone has the ability to create. My book is a step in the right direction.

So to conclude, the best response I have received about the book is from the children, they just love it. It speaks to them. From the parents, it lets them be a part of the picture too, and from the professionals – "these exercises are what I have been practicing and preaching for years."

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

Neurofeedback - any experiences?

LauraE — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 06:17:27 GMT

Okay, All -

I'm thinking about getting neurofeedback - anybody have experiences, opinions? Big Thanks, LauraE

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 2 replies

My current thaughts on taking meds

Mishy — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:48:06 GMT

In my opinion, meds can help in ways aren't anticipated when they were begun. I believe that there are two types of mental illnesses, those that feel "bad" to the person who has them, and those that don't. For example, I have both panic disorder (which is gone now) and ADHD. the first feels SO unbelievable shitty, that I would take ANY pill to stop it, or do anything, regardless of the people around me to make it go away. I had no regard for the social implications of my actions, because i was in so much pain. ADHD isn't painful, in my opinion. In fact, it's kind of like a rush. the pain comes in realizing that you are pushing away the people you love, you may lose jobs, and be perceived as hyper, unorganized, immature, even stupid, because of the actions resulting from ADHD. I take meds not to feel better, but to allow me to be more functional; I am treated like a new person. I guess it comes down to the fact that i take meds for other people. Now, is this a bad reason to take meds? maybe it is. But I do know that I am much happier now then i was before.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 37 replies

ADD and relationships

beckastar — Sun, 29 Aug 2004 22:43:14 GMT

Hey folks.

I've been thinking about this topic quite a bit as I prepare for my final project on relationships and ADHD for my psych class.

What are some issues that come up in relationships for y'all? While never unfaithful, I never had an easy time with monogamy when I was engaged in it. I naturally crave a variety of experiences, but I also like the intensity of deep connections. HOw have some of you in long term monogamous relationships kept things going? How has your partner(s) handled your quirks?

This is open to any input / feedback from all y'all, but that one point about monogamy seems like a tough one, from my point.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 59 replies

The DaVinci Method for ADD/ADHD

vidourle — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 09:05:28 GMT

Learn more here:
http://people.tribe.net/vidourle/blog&topicId=52439ade-d919-4c55-94d7-0a669be671c4

What are the qualities of the DaVinci personality type?

You like thrill, excitement and risk
You are a highly creative problem solver
You are impulsive in nature
You are ambitious and industrious
You have tons of energy for things you are interested in
You love to be the hero in an emergency
In The DaVinci Method you will learn:

* How to set your mind free and discover your true calling.

* The Habits of Rebel Billionaires – Learn the habits the rebel billionaires use to make their DaVinci temperament work for them – not against them. (These habits are not well known because they don't work for average people – only those with the DaVinci temperament have the energetic capacity necessary for these habits to work.)

* Why the DaVinci temperament can make you afraid to succeed and how to eliminate that fear.

* The difference between your DaVinci type brainwave predisposition and other people's. Once you know how to use this information you'll be able to tap a level of genius very few people have access to.

* How substances affect your mind differently than other people. What foods and substances will help people with DaVinci type personalities and what foods and substances will stifle your brilliance. Hint: Stimulants like caffeine can make you ineffective – we'll tell you how and why.

* The 2 ways to handle your impulses – one way will make you crazy – the other way will make you brilliant.

* Why you procrastinate – how to understand it and how to make it work for you.

* From Repressed to Prolific Genius: How to release your DaVinci mind to think the way Leonardo Da Vinci's did – prolifically, without boundaries – in brilliance.

* Your unique DaVinci power of hyper-focus – a superhuman ability you were born with, how to harness this amazing strength to crush any challenge.

* Why the DaVinci temperament often leads to compulsive behavior & addiction – how to avoid this and how to heal it.

* The mysterious “sixth sense” that comes with the DaVinci temperament and how to tap into it.

" I've been a successful entrepreneur for 30 years. What I like about the DaVinci Method is that it teaches you how to tap in to your instincts and enthusiasm and helps you build your own inner sense of knowing what the best move is. What great entrepreneurs do is invent new & better ways of doing things. They don't just follow rules, a lot of times they have to transcend the rules. The DaVinci Method helps you reawaken that natural gift of knowing how to break the old rules and invent new ways of succeeding.

This book also helps you find the track to keep your enthusiasm alive. You're not going to get to your goal if you're driven solely by mental ambition; you need that enthusiasm that comes from the heart to sustain you through thick and thin. The DaVinci Method will show you how.

Most other entrepreneur and business books give you lists of action steps or formulas to blindly follow, but what they don't do is show you how to build in your own inner sense of knowing, in any given moment, what the best move is. If you can feel your enthusiasm you know you are lined up to hit that ball out of the park."

Learn more here:
http://people.tribe.net/vidourle/blog&topicId=52439ade-d919-4c55-94d7-0a669be671c4

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

Portland OR Area ADHD support group starting

Static — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 14:32:06 GMT

If any of you know someone who would like to attend an ADHD support group in a home setting in the Portland area please have them contact me at frani@franigrover.com. My therapist has offered to be our reference person. I am offering the house. We will meet to start off with anyway, once a month. Thanks for helping me get the word out!

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 5 replies

Talking and moving on

Mishy — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 01:59:46 GMT

So I had an issue with a good friend, and I spoke with him about it, and I told him how I felt (which is somethign I'm trying to do, rather then just get all angry and hold it inside), but now that' we've talked, and i feel better, and he knows how I feel, I need help moving on. I don't think it's fair to keep bringing it up, and I'm not really mad anymore.
Any advice?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 9 replies

When Is It Diagnosed ?

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 18:22:58 GMT

Is there an age and a criteria that is common for ADD ? I have a high spirited 6 year old and I guess I am trying to be proactive about the possibility of his school suggesting that this is an issue for him. He is having a difficult time listening, not talking.

I'm not certain if it will ever come down to one of his teachers suggesting that he is ADD, but it seems so commonplace now that if a child has a reoccuring "control" issue, that this is tossed out there.

Suggestion, thoughts, experience would really be appreciated.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 11 replies

Do you work off a list?

Static — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 03:46:14 GMT

I go through cycles. When I get really busy I have to make a list before going to bed, but when I'm only moderately busy I tend to drop the habit. Being ADHD itself resists solutions, habits are boring.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 6 replies

What happens when your meds wear off and you're still posting?

Static — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 06:07:15 GMT

I find myself sharing a little more than normal, more personal stuff and with a bit more sarcasm. eek!

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 8 replies

Boy behaviour leads to ADD diagnoses

varianpierce — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 04:29:35 GMT

Boys Untie!
http://borntoexplore.org/boys.htm

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 6 replies

Reading

blakeley — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 06:18:22 GMT

maybe this is listed somewhere and I'm just not finding it but I was just thinking...I've tried to look some stuff up online or w/e but anyway I thought, alot of you guys have probably already read through some good books on ADD/ADHD. Sooooo I thought for those of us who need a place to start...we could start a book list? just anything that helped you out and what with specificly like medication or...living w/out medication or life in general iono! whatever you guys would suggest...

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 14 replies

ADHD Article on Children Education

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 16:20:37 GMT

http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100110773?GT1=7369

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 0 replies

Talking and ADHD

Mishy — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 22:46:23 GMT

I have ADHD, and have a really hard time listening consistently when other are speaking. It's not that i don't care what people have to say; my friends and family mean more to em than anything, I just kind of drift away, and then I seem like I'm ignoring people. And when i speak, i tend to talk really fast, and in a hyper way.

After going on meds and stuff, I came up with a method that works for me, and maybe it will help other people too. I get a list from my friends and family of exactly what i am doing that's not too functional, like talking too fast or much, because I am remarkably bad at judging my own behavior. Then I made l list of concrete rules to follow that are very cut and dry to help me monitor my own behavior. here's an example:

I have to pause for at least 5 seconds after i finish a story to let the other person have a "turn".
Pauses in conversation aren't bad. if I get antsy during pauses, which happens, I should hum a song to myself, or something, so i don't feel the need to fill the pause with my voice.
If I want people to talk about themselves, rather then asking them about what is happening, which people can perceive as prying, I use pauses, and people naturally speak then.

I guess it sounds kind of weird that i have to tell myself these things, like it should just come naturally, but it doesn't for me. i guess it better to make rules in the beginning, then to always be guessing if I'm talking too much.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 13 replies

Brain Power

VeryFine — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 21:16:48 GMT

Anyone ever hear about right-brained vs. left-brained learning styles? I just discovered a book called "Right-brained Children in a Left-brained World" and it sooo describes my ADHD son. He goes in-depth on visual/spatial vs. linear types of learning and thinking.

Wondered if anyone else is familiar with this. Feedback?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 17 replies

Beagles are ADHD

Static — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 06:30:54 GMT

Hyper, distracted, super focused (esp to smells), always feels trapped, noisy, lots of ideas (chew up the plants, knock over the pots, jump, jump, jump, steal my gloves and then play keep away) and enthusiatic. Likes to take walks.

Any other ADHD breeds out there?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 7 replies

Curious...

DravenGal — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 03:47:27 GMT

Does anyone else seem to have trouble typing, getting their fingers to hit the right keys? I'm trying to figure out if it's ADD or I'm just a lousy typist...

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 7 replies

Kinda personal about ADHD and sex....

softerimagegrl — Sun, 08 May 2005 07:40:31 GMT

This guy I have been with for 3 yrs has ADHD. I also think I have it but haven't been diagnosed. He is 36 and normally has a healthy sexual appetite. There is the background. When we got together, I had no trouble getting him to orgasm from oral. Now, that hasn't happened since we went from dating to moving in together. Could that be contributed to the ADHD or is there another reason I do not know about???

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 11 replies

AD(E)xtreme lethargyD

poopylungstuffing — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 23:33:44 GMT

Ever have one of those days when all you want to do is lay in bed and eat pizza? That is the kind of day I am having.
All my running around in circles has me worn out...and even though I have accomplished nothing really, I am tired of trying.

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 3 replies

Mutual Life Coaching

Jeff — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 17:59:03 GMT

Check out this website about mutual life coaching:
http://add.about.com/cs/coaches/a/mutuallife.htm

Anyone interested in forming a group to do this in the SF Bay Area? Check out my recent craigslist posting to respond to me:

http://www.craigslist.org/pen/grp/95033173.html

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 1 reply

Meds

IrishGoddess5150 — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 23:30:16 GMT

I am on meds. I was doing really bad at work, beacuse of my ADD. I have now lost my job, so there goes my insurance. I don't want to be stuck again doing really bad. What can I do to help with my ADD with out meds?

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 10 replies

Hi Newbi here...please don't haze me!

DHW — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 03:00:16 GMT

I'm 32 and was diagnosed between the birth of my (now) 7 year old and (now) 4year old...

They told me I shouldn't have been able to finish University (I did) or breastfeed a baby (I did...x2)...
However, I did feel like I was a freak because it seemed like I was the only one LOOSING my mind doing it, while others took their trouble as "bumps in the road".

I'm currently unmedicated although I have taken SSRIs for depression, I've never "played with" ADHD meds.

I'm feeling the need to medicate lately,...but am not surre what to experiment with...

posted in Attention Deficit Disorder - 5 replies