ADD Traits in Famous and Talented Peopl | ADHD Information

Don't tell me SD1975 - Strattera? It zombiefied me so I assume that might be the one. Dexedrine makes me more sharp and focused - and though I'm not sure maybe creative.

That's the rub isn't it? Life is a tapestry - pull one thread and you risk wrecking the original pic. But for me my tapestry was not to my liking - so yanking a bundle out didn't do me any harm. If I'd been artistic or creative as a youth this might have not worked but hey - we can't all be right?

- glen

Based on my readings, some of the greatest artists and genius minds that ever lived were ADD..its one of the plus's of having it, the problem is, is that if you try to fix it will it reverse your clever flow of creativity and artistic ability..a nightmare for me personally, so far, it hasn't taken that away from me personally, but the med I started on (And am off it now thank god) drained the life out of me.I'm an ENTP (but alas, no Edison). Any other ENTPs with ADHD out there? What is your Myers Briggs?

Funny - but after the thread started I began to recall a lot about Edison's life. He wasn't all a great man - he was also well known as a slave driver - running a "patent sweatshop" in which many of "his" ideas came to be. He would pay pennies to poor inventors - then patent the idea totally in his name. I guess that could be considered an ADHD aspect - the ability to do something wrong and justify it to yourself totally. I found myself doing that a lot - conveniently forgetting details that would have given me a guilty conscience.

I know it's not nice to pooh pooh this tribute to great people with ADHD - and I don't think I'm doing that too much. Just thought about it - and we all take the good and the bad if we're honest with ourselves. And that's a big part of who Edison was - maybe a genius but not always a nice man. Like us all.

- Glen

I am a big beiliever that ADD is just a difference, not a disability. I just take
meds so I can get along in the boring people's world.

those things describe me!

well, except for the success part!

maybe i'll do something to be remembered for, besides being a pain in the ass!

i especially like the part about "difficult temperament". my friends and others use the words 'contrarian s.o.b.'.

I think that's a great read!

Of course - the ADHD helped all these people. Many people shine through when they are challenged. I don't think that most of the traits of ADHD help - but fighting to beat them does. Perhaps someone like Edison, by struggling to beat the inner noise and turmoil learned to focus his talents in new and inventive ways.

Many times genetic anomalies pop up and even if they are disabilities (somehow I don't think when we evolved hearing less advanced than other creatures it was a benefit) they can make a creature strive to overcome them - in the process learning new skills and gaining from the fight - not the problem!

I love to learn new things - and these days I even remember them! LOL

- Glen

How do you expect me to read that? Over the counter? yo davieboy, its easier to read than most of your postings http://borntoexplore.org/famous.htm

ADD Traits in Famous and Talented People

According to conventional wisdom, the traits of attention deficit disorder (ADD and ADHD) are an error of nature. But was Thomas Edison the world's most famous inventor in spite of his hyperactivity, inattention and impulsiveness or because of it? Why are ADHD traits so similar to traits shared by "highly creative individuals" as well as to the ENTP, or "Inventor," temperament?

This article contains clippings about famous, talented and highly creative people who have traits often used to describe ADD "explorers." This does not mean they have (or had) ADD. Many ADD traits are shared by the "gifted," (top 3%) who are about as boredom intolerant as ADDers. The purpose of this page is to destigmatize ADD traits, not to diagnose famous people. Just because a child daydreams or is disruptive in class, is impulsive, fidgety and can't seem "stay on task" does not mean they have a brain defect, although there are many physicians, teachers, and counselors who would say otherwise. They may be gifted or creative or just plain fidgety (and there's nothing wrong with that!)

- Daydreaming and Inattention -

"Highly Creative Individuals": Many have a reputation for daydreaming. (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995)

Robert Frost was dropped from school for daydreaming. He was probably composing poems during some of his daydreams. (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995)

Frank Lloyd Wright daydreamed so intensely that his uncle had to shout at him to get him back (Cramond).

Thomas Edison was said to be "addled" because of his excessive daydreaming in class.

Nikola Tesla "had such strong visualization abilities that he would imagine the workings of his inventions to great detail without putting anything on paper or conducting any experiments until all of the problems were worked out" ("Tesla: Man out of Time" by M. Cheney, 1981).

ADDers daydream frequently, leading to inattention in classrooms and other dull environments. Inattention is the most important diagnostic criteria for ADD. The conventional wisdom on ADD is that ADDers daydream because they can't pay attention, which isn't the whole truth. They can't pay attention to something which is boring. ADDers are extremely, even painfully, boredom intolerant. A daydream is more mentally stimulating, for example, than a grammar lesson, and ADDers require this mental stimulation more than others. Calvin's daydreams (from Calvin & Hobbes) are wildly imaginative adventures in outerspace. Calvin is a smart kid who needs excitement, and school doesn't cut it. ADDers may actually be paying very close attention, hyperfocusing even, to their daydream.

- Inability to Finish Projects (Inattention)-

"Highly Creative Individuals": Creative people have many interests and tend to play with ideas, sometimes losing interest in one to take up another. (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995)

Leonardo da Vinciwas famous for his paintings but only managed to compose 17 painting in 67 years, and some of those were never finished. Freud claimed that this was because Leonardo's father had abandoned him. Leonardo said his inability to finish projects was because his interests were "so many and so diverse." (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995)

John Grisham "I am prone to start projects that never quite get finished."(from the forward to A Time to Kill.)

Nikola Tesla "pursued so many ideas that he '...often did not follow-up on his intuitions, theories, and preliminary experiments to the point of verification.' This became a problem because others were then free to complete the invention and get credit for it as Tesla clamed Marconi did with the [radio]. Tesla was driven to action at one point when his bookkeeper reminded him that money was running out and his inventions were not being completed." (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995)

- Hyperactivity -

Highly Creativity Individuals:In a 1986 study, students who scored in the top third on a test of creativity were found to be significantly more hyperactive than those who scored in the bottom third on the creativity test. They were found to have a "surplus of energy," as expressed by rapid speech, restlessness, fast games and sports, marked enthusiasm, delinquent behavior, impulsive actions, and nervous habits" (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995).

Ernest Hemingwayat age five: "Young Ernest burst in one day with the news that he had stopped a runaway horse single-handed. His grandfather was much amused. 'Mark my words, Chumpy dear,' he told his granddaughter,'this boy is going to be heard from some day. If he uses his imagination for good purposes, he'll be famous, but if he starts the wrong way, with all his energy, he'll end up in jail.'" ("Ernest Hemingway, A Life Story" by Carlos Baker, 1969).

Nikola Tesla "was almost drowned on numerous occasions, was nearly boiled alive in a vat of hot milk, just missed being cremated, and was once entombed (overnight in an old shrine). Hair raising flights from mad dogs, enraged flocks of crows, and sharp tusked hogs spiced this catalogue of near catastrophes." ("Tesla: Man out of time" by M. Cheney, 1981)

Thomas Edison ...

- Difficult Temperament and Deficient Social Skills -

"Highly Creative Individuals": "The stories of creative individuals with what are considered difficult temperaments are so abundant that the characteristic has become a stereotype" In one study, artist were found to be aloof and nonconforming to conventional standards of behavior, which was thought to be related to deficient social skills. (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995)

- Academic Underachievement -

Highly Creative Individuals:In a study of 300 eminent artists, individuals in the group were not typically considered to be good students in school (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995).

Thomas (Al) Edison's schoolmaster, "angered by the lad's inattentive 'dreamy,' distracted behavior, frustrated by his tendency to drift off during recitations, to draw and doodle in his notebook instead of repeating rote lessons -- cuffed and ridiculed Al in front of his motley classmates. Teachers saddled with disaffected students like Edison were judged by how many pupils were promoted from one grade to the next, and they needed to rationalize the actions of children who were 'not apt.' Sure enough, 'One day,' Edison recalled with bitterness many years later, 'I heard the teacher tell the visiting school inspector that I was addled and it would not be worthwhile keeping me in school any longer. I was so hurt by this last straw that I burst out crying and went home and told my mother.' His indignant mother 'brought [him] back to the school and angrily told the teacher that he didn't know what he was talking about, that I had more brains than he himself.'" Mrs. Edison pulled Thomas out of school and began home-schooling, determined that "no formalism would cramp his style, no fetters hobble the free rein, the full sweep of his imagination." ("Edison - Inventing the Century" by Neil Baldwin, 1995).

- Different Learning Styles -

Thomas (Al) Edison: "The tales of Al's youthful curiosity consistently stress the consequences of his compulsion to discover phenomena or validate nascent theories through direct experience: investigating a bumblebees' nest in the corner of a pasture, he was attacked by an angry ram. Exploring new ways to shorten a skate strap, the tip of his middle finger was cut off by an errant axe. Deciding birds could fly because they ate worms, he mixed mashed worms with water and convinced a neighborhood girl to drink the concoction. She got sick, and he got 'switched.'" ("Edison - Inventing the Century" by Neil Baldwin, 1995).

- Sensation Seeking -

"Highly Creative Individuals"search for variety and intensity in life. This results in openness to experience, flexibility, high energy level, preference for complexity, playfulness, receptivity to new and novel ideas and experiences (The Coincidence of ADHD and Creativity, Dr. Bonnie Cramond, 1995).

- Frequent Job Switching -

Thomas Edison started working for the railroad at age 13. During the next several years he was fired or quit numerous jobs in various fields. His first termination occurred when a chemistry experiment he was working on set fire to the train. His employer, a Scotsman, "burst in and summarily evicted the boy from the train a Smith's Creek station, hurling Al and his paraphernalia onto the platform --'Off ye go, lock, stock, and ivry drap o' chimicals with ye. Ah must a' been daft when Ah let ye br'r'ring thim aboord!'" ("Edison - Inventing the Century" by Neil Baldwin, 1995).

- Sloppy Appearance -

Thomas Edison "did not go out of his way to tidy himself up for visitors. Most often you got the hayseed look." ("Edison - Inventing the Century" by Neil Baldwin, 1995).

- Other Interesting Tidbits -

Dr. Samuel Johnson:(Submitted by a reader)"Here's an excerpt from a witty and wonderful description of the great lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson, whose contribution to the intellectual progress of his time was so immense that the era is called 'The Age of Johnson.' Novelist Fanny Burney, upon meeting the great Dr. Johnson at the home of Sir Isaac Newton, wrote in her diary:

"His mouth is almost continually opening and shutting as if he was chewing. He has a strange method of frequently twirling his fingers, and twisting his hands. His body is in continual agitation, see-sawing up and down; his feet are never a moment quiet; and, in short, his whole person is in perpetual motion.

"His dress, too, considering the times, and that he had meant to put on his best becomes, being engaged to dine in a large company, was as much out of the common road as his figure; he had a large wig, snuff-colour coat, and gold buttons, but no ruffles to his shirt, doughty fists, and black worsted stockings."

"His attention was not to be diverted from the books, as we were in the library...having fixed upon one, he began, without further ceremony, to read to himself, all the time standing at a distance from the company. We were all very much provoked, as we perfectly languished to hear him talk; but it seems he is the most silent creature, when not particularly drawn out, in the world.... Dr. Johnson being taken from the books, entered freely and most cleverly into conversation; though it is remarkable he never speaks at all, but when spoken to; nor does he ever start, though he so admirably supports, any subject."

glen- strattera made me a zombie too.

i couldn't remember exactly why i stopped taking it. i know i didn't like it. but when i saw your words about how it zombified you- well, that was it . the light went on and it came back to me.

in thinking about it, i am wondering if it didn't somehow make a permanent change in my brain, even taking it for 3 mos. or so.

a friend of mine refers to me now, as 'the new, improved' me. i just know i feel different. not cured, or even improved really. just different. and i'm off meds.

of course, like many here, just mulling over the implications of being dx'ed adhd is both a relief, and a downer.

on the one hand, so much about my life is now illuminated. there is 'aha' replacing 'wtf is wrong w/me!?'

on the other is 'so maybe i'll just always be stuck doing this, that, and the other thing, that have caused so much trouble and anguish.'

one thing has clearly taken place in my psyche. that is that i get frustrated less. i don't always expect that i should be, or maybe ever will be, more like 'normal'. i just don't expect that i can be orderly, linear thinking and acting. i am aware that my brain flies compared to everyone around me, and it's not their fault if they operate in realtime, while my brain jumps back and forth, surpassing the speed of light.

i had a dog once. she was an australian shepherd. beautiful, full of energy, smarter than most humans.

when i took her hiking, she would stay close for a few seconds, run far up ahead and explore there

for a bit. then she would come running back my direction, check in with me, then run far behind me. she would explore a little bit, then come running back.

she would do this throughout the entire hike.

i didn't know it then, but she was a perfect reflection of me. not in the physical sense, but her spirit reflected my nature.

i time travel in my mind all the time. i am only with you, present for a brief time. then i'm rushing up ahead, spend moments there, return to the present, respond to your presence, and speed to the past. a little reflection, then i'm racing back to the now, only to pass you, if you're lucky, acknowledge you, then i'm off racing into the future again.

and boy, do i end some days really tired.

i find it a relief to be dx'ed aswell. so many pointless years
beating myself up for being so useless --- totally
counterproductive. now i am more accepting of my ADD flaws i
am able to DEAL with them. rather than just hating myself --- i
don't mind it and actively look for ways to counteract them or
minimise them rather than just hating myself for having them
and trying to delete them out of my personality (futile!) thinking
all the time useless, useless, lazy, lack of self-discipline,
pathetic, pointless, selfish etc. etc.

i think okay well, i will try to do it like this (taking into account
that i am like THAT). it's such a relief and i am getting so much
more done --- i know i could get a lot of help off the meds but
even the dx has made a huge difference in my attitude and
ways of dealing....

and reading this board and all. it just helps a lot.

Does anyone else think Larry David has ADHD. Watching Curb Your Enthusiam on HBO cracks me up because he is the poster child for the most obnoxious form of ADHD. It's good to be able to laugh and feel like I'm not the worst-case scenario.

Just remember n&d - the reason it's called a "disorder" is that for the majority of us the whole reason we know we have it is because it's cause our lives to be chaotic and unpleasant in comparison to those who don't have it.

If it works in your life - fantastic!! Just be careful to always add the words "in my life" to your opinion of ADHD being not a disability. Because for us - it certainly has been.

I'm very glad you have grown up and live happily with it. I'd have loved to have never known about ADHD personally. It was a big downer.

[QUOTE=GlenW]

Don't tell me SD1975 - Strattera? It zombiefied me so I assume that might be the one. Dexedrine makes me more sharp and focused - and though I'm not sure maybe creative.

- glen

[/QUOTE]

Strattera! Dead On! It Sucked! Drained The Life right out of me! Concerta isn't at all taking away from my creative mind, I still write poetry, songs, stories, and experiment with a lot of musical styles in my recording studio. I found a healthy balance I believe.

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