Other views — ADD Tip o the day 222

Posted on February 20, 2012 by doug with ADHD

My family has been exposed to the book –

One son in law tells me that his ADD problems are mostly resolved by taking st johns wort, 5 H tryptophan, and tyrosine.  These are natural chemicals which increase dopamine and nor epinephrine in the brain, like ritalin does.  so it’s not surprising they help.  It may help so much that he does not need strategies, tho i bet he has some – he is a very effective person.

My other son in law says that we Americans want to label people too much, which seems to dismiss the notion of diagnosing treating or managing ADD.

My son does not believe that ADD exists.

One grandson tells me that his science teacher says that ADD is a myth created by drug companies and promoted by doctors so that patients will keep coming back to us and we can get rich prescribing medicines to them.  (i wonder why they would keep coming back unless the medicines helped them somehow? and then  if they help, what is it that they’re helping with?)

I hope that all of these views are correct and that my symptoms of ADD which cause so much trouble in my life will just vanish-hasn’t happened so far.  And if they don’t, then I hope that I can be one of the doctors that  gets rich off this – that hasn’t happened so far either.

My strategy is to not argue with any of these people, and I just keep trying to develop strategies to make my life better, in spite of what appears to me to be my ADD.  Maybe you have another approach or reaction to these ideas?   

doug            

About doug with ADHD

I am a psychiatric physician. I learned I have ADHD at age 64, and then wrote four ADHD books for adults, focusing on strategies for making your life better. I also published a novel, Alma Means Soul. The books are available at amazon.com (soft cover or E book), or smashwords.com (only E books). The prices are as low as they are allowed to be. Managing Your ADHD Your Life Can Be Better; strategies for adults with ADD/ADHD Living Daily With Adult ADD or ADHD: 365 Tips O the Day ( e-book). This is one tip at a time, one page at a time, at your own pace. It's meant to last a year.
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11 Responses to Other views — ADD Tip o the day 222

  1. kenthinksaloud says:
    February 28, 2012 at 4:15 am

    I’ve just discovered I have ADHD too. I’ve just written about it on my own blog – http://kenthinksaloud.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/discovering-adhd/ – what is interesting, I think, is that I don’t need medication and it has always been my friend – I just didn’t know it had a name! As a teacher who has dealt with many ADHD kids over 20 years, I know it exists – in many varied forms – and medicines are only one form of dealing with it. I wouldn’t lost my ADHD for all the world – it helps me see things and do things in a very different way.

    A great blog – I love the positivism in your tone and the sensible stance you take. I’m glad you are writing this 🙂

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  2. jeg700 says:
    February 22, 2012 at 4:18 am

    To those that do not believe ADD/ADHD exists or that it is just a myth to sell more pharmaceuticals, I say “What facts are they using to form this opinion?” There are more than one drug to treat this neurological disorder because depending on the person some work, some do not. These medications are not new, they are old and effective, and have been around for over 50 years. Also, the effects of these medications are very, very different when taken by people that do not have ADD/ADHD.
    A label is used for classification purposes, allowing those researchers to properly follow the steps to the research they are completing. The social system of our current world developed the classification systems to keep control of the growing information.
    I believe staying silent to naysayers is giving them too much leeway to spread misconception and opinions presented as facts i.e. “the world is flat” was once a common belief, based on opinion and not fact. It promotes ignorance and discrimination, bigotry and prejudice.
    Education is the most important tool we have at our disposal. Speak up. Stand proud. Don’t put up with any guff from anyone:)
    Here’s a fact: Before the industrial revolution, ADD/ADHD was unheard of. Why? Because people’s livelihoods were based on their talents, their abilities, their passions. People were physical all day long, working at their most fitted professions. It is only when the creation of rote jobs, boring, mind numbing and mechanical jobs done all day, every day, the discovery that certain people were not able to do this type of activity became known. The more studies done the more discoveries done about how those minds work. The correlation between ADD/ADHD and the creativeness of that person is obvious and cannot be disputed.
    I love being different. I love that my mind is busy, busy busy. I love that I am creative. Creative people make beauty. How can that be wrong?

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    • addadultstrategies says:
      February 22, 2012 at 10:13 am

      great comment, thank you.
      you have a good point about standing up for truth. for myself, i “come out”, i have add and make no effort to hide it, but speak forth. however, i rarely spend energy discussing it with someone whose mind is already made up and doesnt want to be confused by the facts. But it is still a good thing if you choose to do it, could have some long term effect
      your positive take on the benefits of add is great, i tend to focus on dealing with the down side – again, its probably good that there is both of us around
      thanks
      doug

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  3. Scott says:
    February 21, 2012 at 10:53 am

    Maybe they’re all right — and wrong. ADD is less clearcut than, say, hypertension, which is measured by an objective test. (I pick hypertension because although it’s objective, the daily and hourly variations in blood pressure still make it a challenging situation.) It wouldn’t take much to convince me that I have ADD. I have, in less intense form, many of the symptoms you describe, and was notorious through high school for losing books and underacheiving. On the other hand, some people are helped by the meds, suggesting (despite questions about placebo effect) that there’s something fairly specific going on. I have no doubt that many people are being helped by suggestions in your book. Maybe “labeling” is a term that describes itself. Whatever ADD is, if certain pharmaceutical and/or behavioral tactics improve the lives of people so labeled, that seems ample justification.

    I trust that when you get rich off this you won’t forget your old plebian friends

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    • addadultstrategies says:
      February 21, 2012 at 2:27 pm

      thank you for commenting and for the astute observations.
      Yes, diagnosis in interesting. while hypertension has objective measurements, the cut offs and therefore the defininition and therefore the diagnosis has been chosen quite arbitrarily – used to be 120/80, now theyve changed it. interestingly, appendicitis also, defined as so many (i forget the number) white cells per low power field. if there is x cells, appendicitis, if x-1, not.
      so there is a spectrum for add symptoms, and no specific cut off point.
      yes you may have a mild form (or not), hope the strategies may of some help in any event
      i’ll worry about the rich part when it happens
      doug

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