Does anyone have any experience with ADD or ADHD?
67834
The term "ADHD" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".\n\nIt is not a "disease", despite claims or implications made by certain psychiatric or pharmaceutical organisations. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "ADHD" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".\n\n"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred Baughman, MD., Neurologist & Pediatric Neurologist.\n\n"Chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… We don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.\n\nSuch behavioural characteristics that Psychiatry created this unscientific "disease" from are, and always have been, generally considered NORMAL. Now, it seems, inattention or "hyperactivity" (Hyperactivity means 'excessively active'* -- what is excessive? On whose authority?? It's ridiculous!!) is abnormal, a "mental illness".\n\nFor a rundown of the exact diagnostic criteria of "attention deficit disorder" visit: http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/diagnosticcriteria.msnw\n\nFor information on the junkscience behind psychiatric "testing" for "ADHD" visit: http://adhdtesting.org/\n\nFor a list of what inattention COULD be attributed to (rather than some fraudulent "mental illness") visit: http://adhdparentssupportgroup.homestead.com/50conditionsmimicingADHD.html\n\nFor more information, see;\n\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/addadhd.msnw\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/adhdfacts.msnw\nhttp://www.adhdfraud.org/\nhttp://www.ritalindeath.com/\nhttp://cchr.org/files/7515/child_drug_EN.pdf\nhttp://www.ablechild.org/\n\n\n--\n\n"We are not "overdrugging" or misdiagnosing" ADHD. ADHD is a total, 100 percent fraud. The many millions of schoolchildren around the world who are being drugged have no disease." Fred Baughman, Jr., M.D. Child Neurologist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.\n\n"Parents are seldom told that Ritalin is ‘speed’—that it is pharmacologically classified with amphetamines, has the same effects, side effects, and risks. Yet this is well-known in the profession...." Dr. Peter R. Breggin & Ginger Ross Breggin, The War Against Children, P. 84.\n\n"...But because ADD is so vaguely defined, even for a psychiatric disorder, it is tailor-made for bogus claims. There are, as the American Psychiatric Association’s latest diagnostic manual concedes, "no laboratory tests that have been established as diagnostic" for "Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder." Richard E. Vatz, Professor, Towson State University, "Attention Deficit Delirium," The Wall Street Journal, July 27, 1994\n\n"The diagnosis of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is entirely subjective… There is no test. It is just down to interpretation… The lines between an ADD sufferer and a healthy exuberant kid can be ve
772079
I am older and can look back and see it in people I grew up with. I have ADD and believe an aunt of mine has it too. She is in her 80's. It has nothing to do with discipline. It is all brain chemistry. I am beginning to think that crack babies might just inherit it from their parents. To use crack, it would take a compulsive type person that is not quite right. The most maddening symptom for me has been my mind racing. I would think of a million things at once. Any antidepressant or Strattera helps with ADHD.
343522
Be careful with the meds. There are non-drug alternatives for ADD/ADHD treatment. One I have heard great things about is biofeedback, sometimes referred to as neurofeedback. Try a Google or Yahoo search on the those 2 words.
200161
www.chadd.org has a lot of info on ADD/ADHD and the positive effects of Ritilan (and other medications) when used appropriately\n\nGood luck on your report!
841065
Good Luck! I have a 15 yo with the same problem. He is ADHD with severe impulsivity and it has been a continuous battle to do any kind of school work. He would come up with all kinds of excuses about not doing his school work. I also didn't know what to do. So I started NOT letting him do anything. No TV, no video games (on TV or portable), no friends over, no going anywhere, nothing. He finally got the message. He told me he was going to give me "The Mean Mom" award because I wouldn't let him do anything or go anywhere. The thing was he knew most of the work, just had a hard time putting it on paper. He is in high school now and being homeschooled (which really works out much better). But the 'doing nothing' still stands if he doesn't do the work. He still has a problem with taking it out of his head and putting it on paper (he can tell you anything you want to know about his subjects, orally). But he has to put it on paper. But now he will sit down and do the work. I told him I was not having this foolishness anymore, I know he can do the work and if he wants any free time he'd better get it done.
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I have ADD as well.  What works me best is a timer.\n\nWhen I started this, I would set my timer for five minutes and work for only those five minutes.  When that was up, I would reward myself.  I continued doing this until and slowly increased the time; thereby training myself to work for longer periods.\n\nI now bounce between 15 minutes (for when I feel antsy or weekday evenings when I have several different tasks to work on), 30 minutes or an hour (when I'm feeling pretty driven and I have a major project I'm working on).   Most places I've seen recommend that you work no more than an hour without breaks.\n\nThis may sound like you won't get anything done, but you will be amazed at how much you can get done in just 5 minutes.\n\nETA: ignore Don.  I had ADD well before anyone could tell me what it was.  And I KNEW that I had a problem most people didn't, I just didn't know what it was. When I found out what ADD was (after I graduated college) I was finally able to deal with it effectively.\n\nETA2: desabol has some good suggestions - I want to make some enhancements:\nGetting organized - lifehacker.com has some great suggestions, but I really recommend you start with a to-do list of some kind.  It could be a word document, a 5x7 card stack, or an online to-do - find what works best for you.  This is how I get organized at work.  \nYou don't have to finish one item on your list before you start another.  I often leave projects in the middle and go do something else.  This keeps me from getting overwhelmed with everything I need to do.\nMinimal distractions.  I don't know about you, but very few things use all of my brain.  I find that if some part of my mind is being ignored it can become the biggest distraction of all.  So you need to figure out what are your distractions (for me, it is anything in print and anything that moves), and what can calm that part of the brain that wants attention. Again for me, that is music and I find that photographs of outdoor places also calm me down.\nNotes I write straight onto my to-do list at work. \n\nAnother ADD specific point.  It's easy to get into a what-to-do Catch-22.  You need to wash the dishes, but you need to pay bills, but you need to do laundry, but you need to get the dishes done...\nThe way to solve this is to choose an arbitrary pattern.  I go around my house clockwise (one room per time block) even if the bedroom just needs picking up and the bills are overdue, I'll still start with the bedroom and ignore the bills till I get to them.
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The syndrome Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) defies a concrete definition. There are no blood tests, brain scans, or psychological tests that definitively diagnose it.\n\nNot all Attention Deficit Disorders display the same exact symptoms.  There are many combinations of cognitive and behavioral problems that may exist.\n\nADD/ADHD is not an imaginary disorder.  It is a chronic developmental disorder which is genetically based.  It is not a learning disability, but can co?exist with learning disabilities in approximately 25 to 33 percent of those diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.\n\nIn general when the public deals with issues concerning children, they don’t want to believe that ADD/ADHD is a real problem that requires medication because it is often treated with Ritalin which is a controlled substance.  \n\nStudies have found that stimulants are the single most effective way to treat this disorder.  \n\n\n\n\nIs that enough or would you like more?
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I am 38 and probably the same age as your mom. In our days we never had the label of ADD or ADHD so we just did the best we could. And we did fine or so we thought. several years later they diagnosed the problem as ADD and ADHD. Sometimes it is hard for someone our age to realize that it is a problem and that something can be done about it. \n\nWe are also not too happy about the drugs that we are to give our kids either to help them with this problem. No parent wants there kids to have a problem or a sickness so sometimes they will ignore it thinking it will go away. Next time you go to the doctor, tell him about it and he hopefully will do something about it.
745626
I have ADHD and OCD -- (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder) -- and it's very hard for me to concentrate on things that are typical for other people.  Things like housecleaning, for example.  If I am cleaning a cabinet, my OCD kicks in, and I'll completely disassemble the cabinet and clean the entire hinge mechanism, taking all day long to clean one cabinet door and reassemble it!\n\nBut then, the ADHD may kick in, and I'll get distracted, and the door may get ignored and not ever get reassembled!!  Yikes!\n\nBut I have coping mechanisms in place (finally!)  --  my family understands and realizes when I have gone into one of these phases, and will help get me through it;  I take medication for the ADHD and it saves my life, and I have checklists that help me stay on task.\n\nEvery day, though I am bound by some of my obsessions that I will always have:  I cannot go to sleep without throwing away exactly THREE things (who knows why??),  I have to double lock all the doors twice, and I can NEVER have the nutrition labels showing on the foods in my pantry.\n\nSince these are not harmful, they are just quirky things in my personality that we live through, and we try to overcome the rest.  Family and good doctors help us through the other stuff when it becomes too unbearable, and when all my cabinets are disassembled and laying in the floor!!
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They now use ADHD or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder instead of the old ADD terminology. If you take the H or hyperactivity out, ADD is having problems with attention and impulsivity.\nThe consequences of untreated ADD depend on age and what you do. For a young child, sitting still in school and paying attention to teacher talking is a problem and bad grades would be the cosequence. Children with ADD who don't take medication to correct the problem will struggle with basic subjects throughout their lives not because they are not smart enough but because they just miss out on everything around them.\nFor adults, the problems are different. Forgetfullness, distractability, and inability to focus can cause problems with job performance, relationships, etc.
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There are many different medications for ADD. My little brother tried Adderal XR, but it had WAY TOO MANY EMOTIONAL SIDE EFFECTS. (But keep in mind that everyone is different!) He is currently taking Concerta and the emotional side effects have disappeared!
365234
I am  a 32 year old woman, I was recently diagnosed with adult add, I tried those drugs and had to stop. they are the same as speed. not good. the side effects are terrible and i went into severe depression when i stopped.(withdraw). I cannot believe parents would actually give their children speed intentionally
650663
My son has ADHD, in the worst way. It is very very hard. Especially when he has a schedule to follow. Most tasks are very hard for him to complete because he is so easily distracted. He is 7 and is on medication, and even that isn't 100% effective. You take a deep breath, and tell yourself they are not doing IT to irritate YOU, they just can't help it. \n\nGood luck, let me know how it goes.
795015
I was just diagnosed with adult ADD.  The testing I did took three sessions of an hour apiece.  The first session was my life history, dealing with school, work and family.  The second was testing dealing with memory, and concentration.  For example I was given 2 lists of words and had to identify which list the word was in when given to me later.  That is about it.  By the way there is no pass or fail.  Either you have it or you don't.  A good website for information on adult ADD is www.ADD.org
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It already IS bad. You don't mention meds for your ADD, but it could be a side-effect of the med. \n\nA symptom of ADHD is Impulsivity. This could explain the outbursts, but not the not realizing you are in an outburst part.\n\nKnowing you have a mental disorder, it wouldn't be uncommon for you to have more than one. Maybe one that, until now, has gone un-diagnosed.\n\nI would follow the advice of Answerer 2 and see your doctor as soon as possible.
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Check out the links I've posted below. As someone with ADD I know how difficult it can be. The first one is the National ADD Association. The second one is a site explicitly for adults and children living with ADD and the third is a mental health site, which also has some helpful links.
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It's always a difficult decision to make when faced with ADD and medication.  I try to look at it from a quality of life perspective.  Does you son receive a lot of negative input from his ADD behavior?  IF he does then it might be worth it to do a trial on an ADD medication like time released Aderall.  You can stop at any time.  The drug will be completely out of his system in a day.   You want to give him just enough medication to for him to think before he acts not to be "doped up."   For kids who really need the medication, I've seen it change lives.  Lots of lives.  If he doesn't need the medication it won't change his behavior or ability to focus.\n\nThere really are no effective alternative medications.  Talk to your Doctor and consider the quality of life he currently experiences with out medication.  Good luck! =)