kansas city star article | ADHD Information

ADHD SUFFERERS FIND THEIR NICHE

ADULTS WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER DO WELL ON DEADLINE AND LOVE A CHALLENGE

Kansas City Star

BY DIANE STAFFORD

Want an employee who performs best on deadline? Hire someone who has trouble staying on task.

That's the not-so-facetious recommendation of William Dodson, a medical doctor who spoke recently to about 50 Hallmark Cards employees.

Dodson, who specializes in treating patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (also known by the older, shorter ADD name), said adults with the neuropsychiatric condition generally respond well to urgency and fast pace.

''Workers with ADD need to be challenged or feel competitive,'' Dodson generalized. ``They like the new, the novel, the fleeting. They need ADD-friendly jobs -- not accounting.''

DON'T FORGET GIRLS

Much attention is directed to the hyperactive behavior of young boys diagnosed with ADHD. But, Dodson said, girls are equally likely to have the disorder. Through some quirk of nature, though, girls with ADHD are more likely to ''space out'' than act out, and thus often miss diagnosis.

About 8 percent of the adult U.S. population is diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, but he said the disorder is probably underdiagnosed.

Most symptoms can be controlled with the proper medication at the proper dose, Dodson said, but many sufferers aren't diagnosed or treated correctly, and that means some have trouble on the job.

Blythe Gross, who has a doctoral degree in organizational psychology, also specializes in ADD treatment. After working with or interviewing hundreds of adult ADD patients, Gross wrote Making ADD Work: On-the-Job Strategies for Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder.

The book, published this year, shares examples and suggestions from workers with ADD. There is no ''typical'' case, but rather an array of manifestations.

Symptoms can range from an inability to get started on a task, to an inability to follow through on a task, to perfectionism that makes a project drag on forever because it's never good enough.

ADULT SYMPTOMS

Rarely is the fidgeting that's the hallmark of young male sufferers the prime problem for adults. Adult manifestations are more likely to include a tendency to speak before thinking things through, emotional overreaction, or hypersensitivity to criticism -- any of which can have obvious workplace ramifications.

The experts in ADHD treatment say it's important to find doctors who have knowledge and experience in the field.

At Hallmark, in response to several questions, Dodson reiterated the need to adjust medications if there are side effects such as lack of energy or inability to sleep.

While many of the employees at his lecture came because of questions about their children, Hallmark health committee organizers said there is a recognized need among some employees to get better information about the disorder.

That's interesting about the perfectionism. For me, I don't think it's
exactly perfectionism, but that my ADHD, multi-angled mind comes up
with a lot of "what ifs" with project work, so factoring them in can make a
project take forever. (OK, also the dawdling... and the procrastination.
But I digress.:-)) Anyway, my non-ADHD colleagues will forge blindly
ahead. And they get rewarded for being "performers" and "moving the
project forward." Later, the very problems that I would have anticipated
may arise, but then they "move swiftly." They call meetings and get to
look like real problem solvers.   They make a show of adding this oh-so-
unforeseen difficulty to the list of "lessons learned." Ultimately, the whole
thing takes way, way longer than it would have with "what if" approach. I
learned (very late) that the vigorous "can do" attitude is more important
than getting it right.

But then again, I'm bitter. Don't mind me. :-)

[QUOTE=chjones]"Symptoms can range from an inability to get started on a task, to an inability to follow through on a task, to perfectionism that makes a project drag on forever because it's never good enough."


man they should just call that the chjones sub-syndrome.  here i am meant to be stupid editing stupid film of stupid band and i can't even get round to downloading it onto the computer let alone starting ANYTHING else......  it is still sitting in stupid tape.  i haven't even looked at it once since it was filmed because a. i can't get round to it and can't face it.  b. i think the footage is likely to be sh*te.  c. someone gave me their firelight harddrive to put the footage on and i have lost the connecting lead to my 'puter....  still gotta do it at some point - i guess i'll just wait until that deadline forces some sorta action outta me... yeugh.

"Through some quirk of nature, though, girls with ADHD are more likely to ''space out'' than act out, and thus often miss diagnosis."

might as well throw that in there with the chiones sub-syndrome too.

ok I AM GOING TO DO THIS STUPID EDITING RIGHT NOW.... even if i only do three minutes of it.

You NOT finished Yet! Gees!!! CH... You are Slowing Down???......
[/QUOTE]

good 4 u miss jones!

i constantly have to con myself into starting projects. especially the one that look like it will be opening a can of worms. meaning a big slimy tangle!

those first three mins. are the first big obstacle. it seems like if i can convince my brain of that, then the next step is a little easier b/c it's easy to tell myself that the initial step was a 'little pitiful'. "c'mon- you can do better than that " i say to me.

then comes the battle to just pick a little task or 2 to ensure i cont. to forge ahead. it is a little like herding cats, but so far, just about the only reliable method i have of self-control.

the bit in the art. about perfection rings esp. true 4 me. the more complex the task, the more i struggle to plan it out from beg. to end, predicting, and accounting for all pitfalls and conflicts. that in itself is a real deterrant to progress.

Seeker:

Who says they're the first three minutes?

Could be the second, or third, or fourth, or fifth, or sixth, or seventh, or eighth, or ninth, or thenth...

yes- actually, they may all be equallly difficult.

they are all  equally difficult for me. Look what time it is, and I haven't put in my first three minutes yet...

Oh, you were right, it is the first three minutes...
yay for me!  i have downloaded the stupid footage --- boy i deserve a BIG present now.  haaha --- now at least i have a chance to face minute four, five and six (which three minutes ago were a point in the far distant horizon practically unreachable due to the large mountain of the first three minutes in the way.  or whatever.  am going back to stupid footage.  c ya! ooooooo, a competition!!!

That'll get me started...

Okay, first three minutes, here I come!

Soon...
See, ADDers are competitive. "Symptoms can range from an inability to get started on a task, to an inability to follow through on a task, to perfectionism that makes a project drag on forever because it's never good enough."


man they should just call that the chjones sub-syndrome.  here i am meant to be stupid editing stupid film of stupid band and i can't even get round to downloading it onto the computer let alone starting ANYTHING else......  it is still sitting in stupid tape.  i haven't even looked at it once since it was filmed because a. i can't get round to it and can't face it.  b. i think the footage is likely to be sh*te.  c. someone gave me their firelight harddrive to put the footage on and i have lost the connecting lead to my 'puter....  still gotta do it at some point - i guess i'll just wait until that deadline forces some sorta action outta me... yeugh.

"Through some quirk of nature, though, girls with ADHD are more likely to ''space out'' than act out, and thus often miss diagnosis."

might as well throw that in there with the chiones sub-syndrome too.

ok I AM GOING TO DO THIS STUPID EDITING RIGHT NOW.... even if i only do three minutes of it.
enjoy doing it chjones!!  

absolutely!!

i am well known for foreseeing problems, predicting trouble down the road, doing amazing work, and, unfortunately, for taking too long on the planning and execution, having too many ideas, showing up and disappearing unexpectedly, and never failing to challenge authority. ( i hate when idiots are running the show!)

the perfectionism aspect is the worst for me b/c i invent so many options, think so many simultaneous, parallel streams of thought, that a) it is hard to get started, b) look like i'm progressing at an acceptable rate, c) stick with one plan and not mix it up with other plans, d)end up doing it like i may have communicated to someone i was going to do it.

i think all the builders i work with find me very frustrating. i just do not process time and information like most people. they like me, love my work, but are made very uncomfortable because i'm not predictable.

i have found i have to approach things differently to have any success at all. instead of forging ahead when i know it's wrong, or will cost more to fix it or redo it, i do something else that i can make progress with until an acceptable solution is imagined.

 i think this is read as quitting, or being lazy, or being incompetent. people seem to like decisiveness more than thoughtfulness. (as evidenced by the reelection of our current pres.)  they fear anything being up in the air, and do not have the foresight or trust to know it will work out fine. they prefer to waste time and money on 'busywork', and looking like they're in control and capable, over being smart and juggling to buy time to come up with good solutions for this while making progress on that and that and that.

as i think of it, i might be a little bitter too!