Wasn't there a thread on ADD?

[ssampier]

Step 1) Go to the library and borrow a copy of Driven to Distraction by Dr. Edward M. Hallowell

Step 2) If you lose the book before you finish it they you definately have ADD (or ADHD)

Sorry. I got distracted on the way to the library....

 

[ssampier]

I was on Paxil for a while for ADD and depression, and some of what you describe reminds me of my depression, even if you claim it not to be depression.

I've thought about that, too, since I have a history of mental illness in my family. Paxil worked okay for you then? Ideally if I need meds, I'd like something with a generic equivalent.

 

[Shemeska]

You may want to look into the Dore program.

Acording to the Dore program, they have noticed that people with ADD have a less developed Cerebellum then the average person. (The Cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls balance, coordination, & motor control). Their research has found that practicing physical exercises which stimulate the Cerebellum will also lead to reduced symptoms of ADD or ADHD.

I'd urge caution on taking any of the claims of the Dore/DDAT people at face value.

They really only have a single published study independantly looking at their claims, and that particular study has been slammed by a large number of researchers for being flawed in its setup, and inconclusive in its results. It hasn't really stood up to peer review, and given the cost often associated with their program, I'd give them a rather peery look.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

As for the coordination thing, I've been blessed with very good coordination for the most part, so I can't say that realy applies to me, but that doesn't mean it's not normal.

I did not say that people with ADD cannot be coordinated. While the Cerebellum does control coordination, that is not nessasarily All it does.

According to my therapist, relatively little "brain research" studdies the Cerebellum. Most research is more interedted in the "higher" functions. Some recent studies suggest that the Cerebellum might also be involved in learning.

 

[Pbartender]

On a slightly related topic, does anyone know any non-medication ways to treat ADD?

Willpower. Concentration. Patience. Tenacity.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

Start small, and work your way bigger... Just like any exercise program, except that you are exercising you willpower, concentration, patience and tenacity to complete a task.

If you live with someone you trust, enlist their help. Develop simple aids to help you stay on task... To-do lists, schedules, "gold star" rewards, and such. Whatever works for you to stay concentrated long enough to get the job done. At first, break tasks up into smaller portions, and complete one step at a time, with breaks between. Later, work toward completing multiple steps, before taking a break. I'm sure you get the idea, here.

My son is slightly autisic. We didn't find out until halfway through hiw firts year of kindergarten. My wife and I were adamant that he wouldn't never be medicated for it, and that he would stay in the regular school classes with all the other kids. Instead, we would work with the teachers and school faculty to find ways for him to work with his autism... Teaching him to use the strengths of his condition to his advantage, and learning to work around the weaknesses.

He's now in 2nd grade, and has gone from being a uncommunicative, unresponsive, stubbornly resistant 5-year old (mostly because he couldn't find appropriate ways to express himself or maintain his attention long enough to complete tasks he was uninterested in) to being a kind, friendly, open, talkative, independent 8-year old. Much of that, we have to thank his teachers and his principle for. Before kindergarten, he was an autistic child with an obvious problem. Three hard won years later, he's a practically normal kid (meaning he can do anything the other kids can do, even if it means he does it in a different way than they do), who's sometimes just a little bit odd.

 

[BOZ]

You may want to look into the Dore program.

Acording to the Dore program, they have noticed that people with ADD have a less developed Cerebellum then the average person. (The Cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls balance, coordination, & motor control). Their research has found that practicing physical exercises which stimulate the Cerebellum will also lead to reduced symptoms of ADD or ADHD.

not surprisingly, i am rather clumsy and inathletic. although, my balance is not bad and i rarely fall (people in high school used to try to trip me as a prank, and they got disappointed at how easily i regained my balance) unless i'm on ice or something.

 

[BOZ]

This thread is kinda... unnerving, in a way. Many, well most, of the symptons are talking about are things I exhibit, like zoning, zero concentration, mediocre grades in school (except what I like), depression (oh boy, this is a biggie), etc (well, there are many more things, but I can't really think of them all right now)

The thing is, I know I have some sort of a problem, but I don't know how to deal with it at all. I feel kinda lost and unsure of that part of me, and generally try to ignore it. But it bothers me constantly, and I feel often like time is slipping away from me as I go on in life, trying to do what I can do.

What can I do about this situation? I don't have a doctor I usually go to (heck I only go into walk-ins if I'm seriously sick with something, and only if it's really bothering me) and really don't know how to take the first steps.

thanks and cheers,
--N

well, if you do have ADD, you have something that i didn't have at your age - a place to talk about it with other people who have it in common. i felt pretty alone as a kid, for that, and in some ways still do.

 

[BOZ]

Step 1) Go to the library and borrow a copy of Driven to Distraction by Dr. Edward M. Hallowell

Step 2) If you lose the book before you finish it they you definately have ADD (or ADHD)

i was never able to read it through. but then, non-fiction often does that to me, much moreso than fiction. :\

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

i was never able to read it through. but then, non-fiction often does that to me, much moreso than fiction. :\

Within the book there is a 100 question self-evaluation, if I remember correctly, Question 100 is "Did you finish all the questions?"

 

[Merkuri]

Willpower. Concentration. Patience. Tenacity.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

Start small, and work your way bigger... Just like any exercise program, except that you are exercising you willpower, concentration, patience and tenacity to complete a task.

I don't have problems completing tasks (aside from normal procrastination that everyone gets). I get plenty of stuff done, using todo lists and things like that. My big problem is concentrating when participating in a passive task, like reading a homework assignment or sitting in on a meeting. Nowadays I only read things I'm interested in, so that's not so much a problem, but the meetings are. I don't know how to practice concentrating.

I also had a problem adding small sums of numbers in my head, and I think it's also related to the ADD. If you asked me to add 23 and 8 without the aid of paper or a calculator I could do it, but it would take me much longer than the average person. My problem is that I can't hold the numbers in my head long enough to do the math. I'll add the 3 and the 8 to get 11 and I know how to carry the 1, but at that point I've already forgotten what the first number was that I'm supposed to be adding (23). When I mentally put that 23 back I forgot what number I got for the 1s place (11). If the numbers are written down in front of me I can do it much easier, but when it's all mental I just can't hold the numbers in place long enough.

I've found that the game Kakuro helped me with that a little. It's fun, so it keeps my concentration, and it requires adding and subtracting small numbers. The more I play the game the better I find myself able to add numbers in my head.

So is there some sort of exercise or game that will help my concentration during passive tasks, like sitting in on a meeting?