Yes, ADD ADHD exists
Dr. Friedman’s article contains a mixture of scientific tidbits which support the existence of ADD ADHD and the dismissal of its significance.
His patient the lateuses Adderal to help her focus but can deletefocus for hours on painting, which she loves. Yes, we can focus when it’s of personal interest, novel, challenging, or has a heavy immediate deadline. When we do it for hours, we call it hyper focus. So??
The “real problem”
“… looks like a lack of focus and attention, and impulsive behavior. But if you have the “illness”, the real problem is that, to your brain, the world that you live in essentially feels not very interesting.”
– The “real problem”? So disinterest is what causes me to procrastinate, and not finish, and blurt out, fidget, lose my keys, forget where I parked, have trouble with priorities, and get distracted and go off on nonproductive tangents? Really?
Certainly I do have trouble doing things that don’t interest me. But one of my biggest problems is that so many things in the world are so very interesting that I have trouble choosing and tend to go off in all directions at once.
What is a “disease”?
And if that were “the real problem,”, does that make it not a disease? Does that mean those problems really are not significant? I cannot find a clear definition of the term, disease. There is some confusion between symptoms and a disorder. Usually a disease causes dis-ease, but not always. Some people have diabetes for years before it makes them uncomfortable. And is hypertension a disease?
The doctor notes that our brains are deficient in certain dopamine receptors; doesn’t that sound like a disease? Like people with type I diabetes are lacking in insulin?
– and there’s more
but this is long enough. Next time.
Doug
Links
On previous NYT ADD ADHD bashing
Ditto- the anti-ADD ADHD crusade
Definition O the Day:
Confidence – that feeling you have before you fully comprehend the situation.
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ADDadultstrategies 
Homey – exactly. And sometimes we hyperfocus, which can be good, but then we can’t shift gears when we need to. I think he has a lot to learn.
I appreciate your comments.
Doug
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I hate to tell him this, but even if I’m interested, I still can’t always focus. The problem is FOCUS – not whether I’m interested or not. Not being interested makes it worse but that’s true of anyone. I just can’t focus!!!
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