what is good about adhd | ADHD Information

I am not sorry I have ADHD because it does have some advantages in that
I am very creative and have a very fast processing speed of
information..once it gets into my brain. I had a nice childhood as I was
constantly in dreamland which was very useful in boring circumstances. I
alwys thought that ADHD was a load of nonsense and that stupid and
disruptive people had it. But this is not true. In fact a great deal of people
with ADHD are highly intelligent and they work out ways to cope with it as
a second nature without even realising it. We all normalise our own
behaviour and I thought it was normal to lose things, not remember what
someone had just said to me, read the same thing over and over again,
constantly be daydreaming. The list goes on. But I can say this. I have
been taking the dexamphetamine for 4 months now and it has changed
my life. I can now read something without getting distracted. I can order
tasks and complete them. I don't have this constant disorder in my life. I
actually listen to what people have to say without butting in and saying
completely out of context things ( although people did say that this was
one of my endearing qualities). I just feel like the craziness has gone out
of my life and I can reach my true potential. I feel sorry for those who are
undiagnosed as now it has been treated for me I know that although
there are some positives it is a very debilitating condition.I know what you mean (really)  Keep in mind though, other people say things that bother YOU. You count too. So if in elementary school, someone called me motor mouth...I would smile and recite a tongue twister REALLY fast, and show just how motorized my mouth could be. I generally got at least a "wow!" and a raised brow. Now, at the same time instead of feeling bad about myself, I felt bad for the children who's mother did not teach them better than to say something negative to someone, or call them a "mean name" and possibly hurt their feelings. Those kids did not have ADHD, but they were rude etc...You may tell me I am crazy, but I think if you have a "problem" of any kind- 50% of it is perception. That is why I feel like self esteem is the issue. Way back when we were not as equipped to tackle this type of thing as we are now. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking (if you do sorry).
What is good about adhd???

Nothing, absolutley NOTHING.

 except posting to all of you and learning I am not alone.

Our lives, well mine, has been all an illusion to us/me.

When young we are told we are lazy, not listening ,out of control, waste time, made fun of, mocked, called names and just basically ignored. And we are most of those things because of adhd, we show all of those traits. We are ostricized because we do have a condition that is not accepted or can be made fun as kids, teachers and so many others are thoughtless and careless. parents don't help sometimes either.

We can't help ourselves and we mainly are under the beat of a different drum, but all of this negativity that we are shown does affect us gravely, we have shallow personalities, fragile egos, seek constant acceptance, and have very few "friends".  We feel unloved and unwanted at times, and maybe we enjoy things, but we always push people away since we know they will run from us at a point in the future. We are very strong emotioned and smothering, and we have a need for instant gratification. I know there are more things I am forgetting, but I will stop there as far as my youth goes. But as for getting older, here is a sample.

 I was wrong , made wrong decisions, did bad things, dumb things, was not very good at any one thing, and now am bitter as I can't seem to get my sh*t together. Medications are helpful, if it is the right one, and I have to read these posts claiming adhd is not real, which really PISS me OFF. Looking back at my life, would I have been better dead, no. I am better off to be alive to find the thing that makes my life come together, I want to see that happen. It may never happen, but I have to keep a positive attitude that it will, and if not, maybe others can learn from me. I would not wish this on anyone, and it is severely handicapping my life, my kids life, and my wife. I don't follow through on some things, I make excuses, I lie because of my inability to do things thouroughly, and I always have to have the last word or repeat everything until I am acknowledged.

 Am I a burden? Yes, because I have to be a certain way and I can't seem to ever be what I want to be, and I can't seem to get certain predisposed notions out of my head.  Is this depressing to read? yes, but I cannot sit and lie and say it is all so great. Have you had great times? Yes, but there always seems to be something wrong and dumb that I say or do at a point that manages to ruin it for someone. I can't shut out the truths and I am not down on myself, just truthful. I am not depressed nor am I upset with myself. I know this is all part of being adhd, and I just have to bide my time until I find the right things to make some of this easier to get through. I don't belittle myself, and I ignore most of the stupid things I do. The only word I use more than I or but or and, is sorry.

 Life is great, now we need to find out what really can be done about adhd.
bugzappers38647.5158217593

thank you for your input. I know my son is special & so similar to me in lots of ways (as I said earlier I may be an undiagnosed adhd myself, if that is the case I know some classic mistakes I hope he doesn't take to curb it)

There is so much in him but the anger just seems like a wall holding him prisoner

do you think you may be innately spiritual or intuitive & just not comfortable with either what you see, or accepting that gift? I know that is probably a different thread, its just that sometimes I think my son is a barometer for the truth only he cant control himself fully so that is not always recognised

the contradiction of views of adhd is astounding.

unfortunately, i carry a lot of the bitterness of bugzappers post above. my self-esteem has been ravaged by the effects of adhd. most of the damage is b/c of the gap between what i usually am, and what i wish i could do.

examples-

i know i'm very intelligent. so why can't i express my ideas, or articulate them in a form to express clearly to others, without rushing in and connecting every atom in the universe to my one thought? or without jumping from concept to concept?

i can understand very complex things, but have trouble reading any book?

why is the exuberance of my adhd so often turned into short temper and lashing out with frustration, then into sadness and isolation?

how can a topic of discussion get me fired up so that i can't let go 'till i've made my point and then some?

why can i start a project with lots of gusto and progress, then lose interest and can't finish without painful  and monumental  effort?

thinking 'outside the box' is great, and i wouldn't be otherwise. except sometimes, when i would actually like to be able to not feel the overwhwelming compulsion to do everything 'my way'.

i agree that self-esteem is the key to enjoying who you are, your peculiarities. self-esteem is the basis of deciding if your struggles mean you are inferior, or if you are just being challenged. self-esteem is the factor that distinguishes whether 'they' are right, or 'they' just don't know.

i think the benefits of adhd are multiple. that is, if not undermined by the demands of a non-adhd culture.

Your childs self esteem Protect it, and build it!My favorite part is being faster, smarter, more creative, grasping the big picture far before others. It has made for a fun lifetime of being battered by a big, stupid, slow, narrow-minded world until holding on to my own dignity and sense of self-worth and holding true to the things I know are right are a daily struggle fought in depression and poverty.

That's so true about those with the emphasis on the H in ADHD. My brother is ADHD ( heavy on the H!!)  He gets invited to every party there is because he is so much fun!! He makes people laugh til their blue in the face

He is the hardest worker I've ever seen, and has a boundless amount of energy!! He is also great for coming up with things to do when everyone is bored.

Inattentives, in my experience at least, or a bit different.. I 'm going to speak in general but this is more  personal experience. If I'm on the money so to speak, I 'd sure like to know Or, for that matter, way off base!

-  quiet in parties, but Great listeners one on one ( but wait!! I thought you were inattentive type?)

- Seem unapproachable at first, been once you get to know them make a pretty good friend.

- love intillectually stimulating conversation.

- good at adding insites to philisophical viewpoints.

- think "outside" the box

- ability to stay young at heart ( both inattentive and hyper types!)

- We are the dreamers, the poets, the great story writers.. if we can come out of the dreams long enough to write them down

 

Sherry

Hi Deborah the Mum!

At the risk of redundancy, I have found this w/ADD (ADHD too I imagine)

lots of fun often very intelligent definitely thinks outside of box energetic motivating inuitive fast thinker multitasker great at coming up with ideas when no one else can, whether it is something fun to do or a solution to a problem.

IMHO the biggest thing a parent can do is very their best to make sure the child's self esteem is nurtured. I feel like that a lot of brilliant children were not perceived by the outside world properly and they grew up ultra aware of their differences (they thought of as shortcomings), rendering them with a low self esteem, and less able to face the world. There are now a lot of books on the subject and the Doc's themselves are more aware than they were previously. Also, as you know, there are Meds that are extremely helpful too.

Obviously there are different degrees of ADHD, and it manifests itself at least somewhat differently in each person. It just seems to me that doing everything you can to take care of the self esteem of the child is absolutely one of the most important things a parent can concern her/himself with.

 

 

Ok this is probably a strange question but surely there are some benefits to adhd. I am asking because my son has it (I may have it undiagnosed myself) & I want to work on the positives of yes your different but look at these options. Eg. would it make you a great unionist or lobbyist or something?

Please indulge me. You guys have knowingly grown through it, what do you wish had been pointed out to you when you were younger.

well deb - this one is an oldie - but worth going over with you.  Be sure to check back through older threads a way back and you'll see this in detail

What's good about it? Well, adversity makes us stronger - that's one thing.

We tend to think fast.  Very fast.  Bad for mom - good for us getting cookies, stapling the dog's tail to the wall before you catch us.  We think on multiple wavelengths.  Now if we could only stick to one...

We look at life from a slightly different angle.  That can give us insight into things - like people, art, comedy.  Focused - our skills make us excellent workers.  We can get any job we want - just keeping it is harder.

I can tell you that as an adult with ADHD - after taking meds I now find that I am an excellent writer (so I'm told).  Never before - was meandering and never on point.  Now - I can relate things in a way that noone else seems to have approached them.

Oh - and we are passionate.  Issues, charities - if we feel injustice has been done - we are likely to fight it with a fervor not often seen.  I think many greenpeace members could be ADHD.

It's not all bad - much better with therapy.

oh and we are fun, the life of every party... heaps of energy, vibrant, creative and highly imaginative..

and as glen has mentioned, great issues ppl..  my dd kicked up such a fuss at school about the soap not being 'free from animal testing' that the school is now on an environmental drive .. and she is only 10!!
she also kicked up a fuss about the lack of indigenous studies at school..  oh and about poverty and waste.. she's had kids in tears at mcdonalds - rainforest destruction, small businesses folding, the genocide of amazonian communities etc..
come to think about it, maybe thats why dd hasn't been invited to any parties this year  ..

[QUOTE=seeker63]

i can understand very complex things, but have trouble reading any book?

why is the exuberance of my adhd so often turned into short temper and lashing out with frustration, then into sadness and isolation?

how can a topic of discussion get me fired up so that i can't let go 'till i've made my point and then some?

[/QUOTE]

 Yes, Seeker. I feel exactly as you do on these points. Especially about lashing out. I tend to lash out. I cannot control myself. I would argue for days if others would listen. This can help a lawyer. Yet, it is more helpful to have a well-thought out plan.

Good things - creativity, amazing results in high pressure situations, being an extrovert, having lots of enthusiasm - even if it is short-lived, & possessing amazing resiliancy.

I can bounce back well. Go ahead, criticize me. Not only will I not hold it against you, I'll probably forget that what you said to me was critical or negative. If I'm mad at someone, I tend to forget about it & not dwell on it. This actually helps my relationships. Most things that tick me off aren't worth my time. Even in sad times, I can be distracted from my problems. I have lots of different interests.

DJ

My favorite part is doing a lot of things, and being smart enought to be thought to be able to do more...

Davidornado
Senior Member



Joined: 23 July 2005
Location: Vatican City State
Posts: 3160 Posted: 06 August 2005 at 2:18am | IP Logged You know you are WiLdLy ADHD when...

... as a kid everyone stereotyped you b/c of your adhdness...

... therefore, I'm the kid...

With a BP 210/120...
With a wait problem...
With a weight problem...
With cokebottle glasses...
With cokebottle hearing aids...
Suckin’ albuterol poppin’ wallcrawwwlin’ TheodoreSprinkles...
 
ButAlso...

The OEC...
The CEO...
The LUVr...
The EMTb...
The RiDER...
The artIst...
The RacEr...
The father...
The saiLor...
The welDer...
The auThor...
The capTain...
The teachEr...
The HRVSTR...
The addMiral...
The husband...
The lifeSaver...
The preacher...
The fleetCinC...
The olderSter...
The mechAnic...
The hayMaker...
The genEticist...
The snowSkier...
The youngSter...
The evangelist...
The netWorker...
The catSkinner...
The headMelon...
The hoeSkinner...
The truckDriver...
The skiPatroller...
The melonHead...
The treeHugger...
The pathoLogist...
The hydraulIcist...
The budAnalzyer...
The worldFeeder...
The pollenDuster...
The microScopist...
The photoGrapher...
The expertWitness...
The businessOwner...
The businessLooser...
The search&rescuer...
The masterScientist...
The chemicalBiologist...
The microbialEcologist...
The greenRevolutionist...
The organicAgronomist...
The deliveranceMinister...
The antitheticalAppearance...
The botanicalEndocrinologist...
The neverAloosingSeason coach...
The starStryker with 2 goals/game...
The million$revenuer...with a bkor2...
The masterInventor with 150 of an IQ...
The pioneerExplorer of newWorlds w/o frontiers...


__________________
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When young we are told we are lazy, not listening ,out of control, waste time, made fun of, mocked, called names and just basically ignored. And we are most of those things because of adhd,

i would just like to point out that we are not most of these things because of ADHD but because of the way society chooses to perceive us.  I was lucky in that i went to a very middle class, gentle English school where eccentricity was considered a good thing in a lot of ways and people were by nature not judgemental. 

so i had a great childhood.  because of the attitude of others to me.  they never made fun of me or picked on me - i wish i had known i had ADD however because i beat up on myself a lot, for not being able to do x or y --- always thinking that others could because they had a better mastery of self-discipline and self-will and i berated myself constantly....  over and  over  again. 

thinking all the time well Emma over there can do it - so why can't you just get on with it, stop being so pathetic (and it never occurred to me that Emma over there wasn't having a struggle with it - i just presumed she was but had overcome it).

so i wish i had known.

personally i am extremely spiritual and extremely upset and sensitive toward injustice.  i believe passionately in TRUTH - that is a huge thing for me.  i believe in God above all, i believe that I am here to know God and to worship God and to love God and do his will to the best of my ability beyond and above anything else... i just fail at it all the time!!!!  (no surprise there - my life has been a series of constant failures :-)...

so yes, my spirituality is something that is most vital to me and something i believe to be connected to my ADD as is my visual creativity.  i have a phenomenal eye - which is why i work as a cinematographer - and get an enormous amount of solace from visual stimuli --- speicifically art work.  at the same time, obviously, if i see a piece of chocolate box rubbish masquerading as art i get into a fury of completely unjustified rage.  so out of proportion to the offence of some Sunday painter deciding to put oil to canvas but it infuriates me, it offends my sensibilites, it outrages me almost as much as an injustice...  i feel to go around and burn every piece of sh*te art in the world and get an enormous amount of pleasure out of it!

so yeah, it is a mixed bag.  it should be fine, but society has become so narrow and constrained and people so insecure and cliquey that it is currently harder to be different - people's fear drive them to be nasty. 

nonetheless, i am fighting for an ADD revolution.  we keep the world moving forward, we defend liberties --- i believe Hitler even referred to three types of people one of them being ADD types as dangerous because they had been gifted with the ability to think independently always a threat to dictatorships and corrupt govts.  and we are.

and we have to stick by it and not give in.  that is our only job, the thing we are good at - others work and can do the 9 -5 but not defend their essential liberties... we have to work to defend them and us - as they work also for them and us (it is all give and take) that's what i think - the inverse of the normal statement i believe...  better a dead lion than a live dog.  i can't be a slave, i can't be a live dog.  i choke on it.

and in choking on it, we make sure that enslavement of the masses doesn't come to pass.  hopefully.  although i have my doubts about the US at the moment!!!!!!!  but we are here to be the side of compassion (not that materialistic people are wrong either - we all need both to work in harmony, just sometimes the balance goes off and then it needs readjusting) helping not condemning, looking for the spiritual not the material and all that... to come up with different viewpoints, to be funny, to be artistic, to be creative, to be all that good stuff - if only we weren't forced to try to be square pegs in round holes....

which is sorta what i see happening here in the States, pretty much.  all these kids forced to feel that being the way they are is not alright because of some spurious grade system that has no basis in any true reality is to me, all wrong...

as everyone else said on here.  the most vital, beyond vital is nurturing a sense of self-esteem (ok, you don't want to go over the top and create a monster...!) but yeah, if someone tells your son that they're stupid because they are getting an F - sod that for crying out loud.  for all that teacher knows they are the next Einstein but the one thing that will stop them developing that genius is if they begin to believe all that crap that they are no good.


so yeah, let him know about the ADD.  that's great - i wish i had known.  let him take meds if he wants and if it helps but above all let him know that he is just exactly what you want him to be.

and blessed to be an ADDer.  for all the trials it can force on you equally so the rewards.



chjones38649.92We're also very very very creative, and imagine

Ative

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