i just had to copy this.... | ADHD Information

it's all i need. it's all i need. a way to work WITH it.....
   it was posted on the parents and children site by susie b - but hey we adults need it too! hooray for ADD --- long live the ADD revolution. don't let the b*stards grind you down!

THIS BEAUTIFUL DISORDER"

By Edward C. DeWindt-Robson, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist and Health Services Provider
The Epilepsy Institute of North Carolina

     ADHD, if not understood and handled properly, can lead to all sorts of
miseries. Academic failure, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse,
financial disaster, failed marriages, and a reputation for irresponsibility
are only a few. Preventing problems like that would be reason enough to
treat the condition.
     But the best reason, in my opinion, is something entirely different.
To put it simply, the ADHD mind is too wonderful a thing to waste.
     I'm completely serious about this. These individuals are different in
ways that can be a blessing, not only to themselves, but also to those
around them. What's more, the world needs them.
     We need them, because without them, too many decisions would be made by
accountants. The most effective leaders are invariably people who don't
mind taking risks, who get impatient with the details and go right to the
big picture, who know when it's time to cut to the chase, choose a course of
action and go for it.
     We need them, because without them, there is too much we would never
find out. Explorers and discoverers throughout history have been people
whose curiosity overrode their need for safety, who took chances "sensible"
people avoided. We need people who refuse to accept the word 'impossible.'
We need heroes.
     We need them, because some jobs involve more excitement than the rest
of us could tolerate. Firefighters, test pilots, EMT's, professional
athletes, stunt people, spies--these are people who are accustomed to
adrenalin levels that would send the rest of us into panic disorder.
     We need them, because without them, we might never try anything new.
Sensible people are satisfied with a system that works. "If it ain't broke,
don't fix it." Progress depends on innovators, people who just have to try
new ideas, whose minds are always questioning the old assumptions, who find
any fixed routine boring.
     We need them because they keep life interesting. In their passion for
novelty, they take the lead in creative pursuits, invent new approaches or
push the old frontiers in art, music, literature, and film. In their love
of the limelight, they become our actors, comedians, rock/rap/jazz
musicians, inspirational speakers, charismatic preachers, and talk show
hosts.
     We need them because they are the people who remind us how to have a
good time. These are the ones who live in the present, not watching the
clock, and make the most of every moment. These are the adults who haven't
forgotten how to play. These are the great romantics, the great lovers, the
people of passion. These are the ones who may live ordinary lives, yet
somehow manage to live them a little closer to the edge, whose intensity
reminds us that there's always a bit more to life than what we have yet
experienced.
     This is the potential of the ADHD mind. Some of these people manage to
realize that potential without medical or psychiatric intervention, usually
because they have had the benefit of a parent or mentor who showed them how.
Many others, in the absence of treatment, fall victim to the dark side" of
the disorder, as their lives never rise out of the chaos of undisciplined
impulses.
     This is the purpose of treatment. It is not to "cure" this beautiful
disorder, or to suppress it. Waking up the sleepy brain won't take away its
love of stimulation and distaste for boredom. Learning organized habits
won't turn actors into accountants, or Tom Sawyer into Little Lord
Fauntleroy. The professor may learn to be less absent-minded, yet still
retain his eccentric brilliance.
     The purpose of all psychiatric treatment is to give people more control
of their lives, to make sure they have meaningful choices. We don't want to
turn the next Jimmy Kirk into the perfect child; we just want to make sure
he doesn't drop out of school before he ever reaches Starfleet Academy, to
make sure he has the opportunity to do what the ADHD mind does best: "to
boldly go where no man has gone before."

Amen! yeah sure, highlighted version = Adders Rock!!!! (as long as given the support to develop proper coping mechanisms....) Com on Jones!, can you just give me the highlighted version? OK OK, cut, paste, read one paragraph at a time.    I did read 1st & last paragraph, but I have a feeling I missed something. Sounds good - I will try really hard. OK?

Read an article that talked about the importance of teams in a work environment--one that included people with all kinds of different strengths and weaknesses.

It used the Myers-Briggs profile but most AD(H)Ders would like fall into NPs. For those unfamiliar with the MBTI, that means intuitors (Ns) on the intuitive/perceivers continuum and judgers (Js) rather than sensor/judgers on that continuum.

More info...

Of the four continuum (1st - source of energy: internal or external); (2nd - source of information: internal [intuitive] or through senses [sensor]); (3rd - basis of decision-making: feelings vs. thinking); (how quickly someone wants closure: judgers want it fast and often jump to conclusions and perceivers like to leave things open-ended and see relationships).

Boils down to most effective teams are diverse. Problem is that people like/want people just like them and that's not us!

[QUOTE=chjones]yeah sure, highlighted version = Adders Rock!!!! (as long as given the support to develop proper coping mechanisms....) [/QUOTE]

Thank you!!!!

Love the article...I had no problem getting through it b/c I've got the adderall pumpimg through my brain. Oh the adderall...I'm starting to think it's not quite the blessing I once considered it to be. Bear with me for a second...

Ever think the drugs that make you focus kill that part of you that makes you great?

Like the drugs just make you like everyone else who can sit down a read a book?

I've been struggling with this for a while.

I started taking the drugs in college. Ever since graduation, when I continued taking adderall, I've felt like my true self was somehow held back.

Any thoughts?

You could try lowering your dosage, 5mgs can made a big difference in some people.

so its not a bad thing....

Alan

[QUOTE=vidagrrl]

Ever think the drugs that make you focus kill that part of you that makes you great?

Like the drugs just make you like everyone else who can sit down a read a book?

I've been struggling with this for a while.

I started taking the drugs in college. Ever since graduation, when I continued taking adderall, I've felt like my true self was somehow held back.

Any thoughts?

[/QUOTE]

HELL NO! Untreated AD/HD sure as hell held me back though. Have you actually been diagnosed (by a qualified professional) as having AD/HD or are you just experimenting with drugs?