ADD - ADHD - AADD
Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deflection Hyperactive Disorder
A A D D
Adult Attention Deficit Disorder
Problems focusing can be caused by many things (stress, anxiety or depression
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Even if you don’t suffer from this disorder it is good to have an understanding of it, we all have trouble concentrating and staying focused time to time. If you do suffer and you are on medications do not stop taking them. Get with your Dr. to help you with your cognitive exercises and possibly slowly wean you off the meds.
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The study on ADD / ADHD / AADD is vast. There is no overnight cure. Even medications take time to take an effect. The most common current medication is Ritalin or other stimulant as caffeine. The trick is to actually get the brain to slow down and allow it to focus. ADHD (formerly referred to as Attention Deficit Disorder) is now the preferred term because it describes both primary aspects of the condition - the inattention and the hyperactive-impulsive behavior. We Have To Stay Focused!
ADHD is one of the most common childhood mental health disorders. It affects millions of children and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. People with ADHD may be hyperactive (over-active) and have difficulty paying attention and controlling behaviors.
Symptoms of ADHD usually appear early in life, often between the ages of 3 and 6. Most children with ADHD demonstrate a combination of both inattention and hyperactive-compulsive behaviors. If you or an adult you know seems to fit the description of these symptoms, it may be a good idea for them to talk to their primary care physician or a mental health professional.
Many adults were never correctly diagnosed, even when they were children.
Sometimes this was because their main symptoms were inattention and impulsive rather than physical hyperactivity.
In other cases, the individual used his or her high intelligence or great determination to mask the ADHD symptoms.
Often this compensation occurred at great emotional cost. Many high-functioning individuals with ADHD may harbor feelings of poor self-worth. They see themselves as failures and feel that they constantly let others down.
Over the years, the individuals adapt to the situation. These adaptations of positive or negative become part of one’s personality, layered over the ADHD symptoms. People who have ADD/ADHD are suffering. Life is more difficult for them than the average person. Everything is intense and magnified. Their brilliant minds are constantly in high gear creating, designing, thinking and never resting.
Imagine what it would feel like to have a merry-go-round in your mind that never stops spinning.
It may take longer for a person who suffers to complete a task because their brain is in high gear.
They are looking at all angles. Supporting them will help keep them on track. Pressuring them will only aid in distraction. Belittling
them will entice them to give up.
A person with ADHD is hard to love. You never know what to say. It can be like walking through a minefield. You tiptoe around, unsure of what will set off an explosion of emotion.
They have verbal outbursts. Their intense emotions are hard to regulate. Since they impulsively say whatever they think, they often say things they later regret. It’s almost impossible for them to edit their words before they release them.
The best way to bring peace into both your lives is to learn a new mindset to deal with the emotional roller-coaster that ADD brings all-day-every-day. Understanding what a person with ADHD feels like will help you become more patient, tolerant, compassionate, and loving. Your relationships will become more enjoyable and peaceful.
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What goes on in the mind of a person with ADHD:
They may not have all these quirks but will hold the main majority of them. Some may be able to control better than others, yet some are at extremes. It depends on the person and why it can be hard to diagnose
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They have an active mind. The brain doesn’t stop. There’s no on/off switch. It is a burden that one must learn to manage.
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They listen but don’t absorb what is said. They will look at you, hear your words, watch your lips move, but after the first five words their mind is on a journey. They can still hear you speak, but their thoughts are in outer space. They are thinking about how your lips are moving or how your hair is out of place.
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They have difficulty staying on task. Instead of keeping the focus on what’s in front of them, they are staring at the colors in the painting on the wall. Like walking through a labyrinth, they start moving in one direction, but keep changing directions to find the way out.
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They become anxious easily. As deep thinkers, they are sensitive to whatever is going on around them. A noisy restaurant can sound like they are standing in the front row at a concert.
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They concentrate too intensely. When the doors of their mind open, the person with ADHD dives in like a scuba diver jumping into the deep ocean.
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They can’t concentrate when they are emotional. A depressing news snippet can set them into end-of-the-world mode. If there is something worrisome going on, or if they are upset, a person with ADHD cannot think of anything else. This makes concentration on work, conversation, and social situations almost impossible.
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They are unable to regulate their emotions. Their emotions are flying wild, out of proportion and cannot be contained. The tangled wires in their brilliant brains make thought and feelings difficult to process. They need extra time to get their systems up and running properly.
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They have social anxiety. Feeling uncomfortable knowing that they are different, people with ADD are often uncomfortable in social situations. They are afraid they will say something foolish or react inappropriately. Holding back feels safer.
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They are deeply intuitive.
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They have difficulty stopping a task when they are in the zone. For people with ADD, the surface is an invisible exterior that they penetrate. They see beyond it. This is the most enjoyable aspect of ADD. This inspirational trait is what makes creative geniuses. Inventors, artists, musicians, and writers thrive in this zone.
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They think outside the box. Because they think differently, their abstract minds see solutions to problems that the concrete thinker cannot see.
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They are impatient and fidgety and annoyed easily wanting things to happen immediately. Constantly playing with their phones, twirling their hair, or bouncing their leg up and down, a person with ADD needs constant motion. It’s a calming Zen activity for them.
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They need space to pace. When talking on the phone or having a conversation, people with ADD think better when they are in motion. Movement is calming and brings clarity to their thoughts.
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They are physically sensitive. Pencils feel heavy in their hand. Fibers in fabric that most people wouldn’t feel can be itchy. Beds are bumpy. Food has textures you can’t imagine. Like The Princess and the Pea, they can feel a pea under twenty mattresses.
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They are disorganized. Piles are their favorite method of organizing. Once a task is complete, papers related to it are placed in a pile, where they stay until the piles grow too high. That’s when the person with ADD becomes overwhelmed, frustrated, and cleans up. People with ADD have to be careful to not become hoarders. It’s hard for a person with ADD to keep things in order because their brain doesn’t function in an orderly manner.
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They avoid tasks. Making decisions or completing tasks on time is a struggle. Not because they are lazy or irresponsible, but because their minds are full of options and possibilities. Choosing one can be problematic. It’s easy to avoid making decisions because they are overthinkers. They obsess and dwell in the depths of their own minds. They have many tasks going on at the same time. Due to the constant activity in their mind, once a task is finished, they are ready to move on to the next task without closing up the prior task. The more going on at once, the better. Multi-tasking is one of their favorite activities
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They can’t remember simple tasks. Another paradoxical trait of ADD is memory. People with ADD can’t remember to pick up their clothes at the cleaners, milk at the grocery store, or appointments. On the other hand; they remember every comment, quote, and phone number they heard during the day. No matter how many post-its or calendar reminders they set; their distracted mind is always elsewhere. Visible items are easier to remember. That’s why they have fifteen windows open on their desktop.
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They are passionate about everything they do. The emotions, thoughts, words, and touch of a person with ADD is powerful. Everything is magnified. This is a blessing when channeled properly. When a person with ADD does something, they do it with their heart and soul. They give it all they’ve got. They are intense, perceptive, and deep. This quality is what makes the person with ADD so lovable. Basically, a person with ADD/ADHD has trouble controlling their impulses.
They also have many awesome qualities that you will enjoy once you understand how they think and feel. Compassion, empathy and patience will carry you through the most difficult times. It’s important to take extra care of yourself. Take alone time regularly, do what you enjoy, find a support group, a therapist or a compassionate wise friend, take frequent vacations, meditate, find hobbies and your own passion. Most of all, learn how to breathe.
source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-things-remember-you-love-person-with-add.html
Effective Treatment
ADHD is one of the most researched and treatable mental health disorders. There are numerous options for treatment, which is personalized for each individual's needs. Most people respond extremely well to medication. Along with medication, treatment for ADHD usually includes education and counseling, which can help a great deal in reducing or eliminating symptoms.
This is an informal test with 33 items designed for adult ADHD that focuses on the way the condition manifests specifically in adults. What distinguishes it from most ADHD tests is that a) it is written for adults, b) it is behaviorally based. That means it asks if you have behaviors associated with ADHD. The limitation to this approach is that it may miss something or that some behaviors may not be restricted to ADHD.
You can printout this ADHD Worksheet in PDF and check off the intensities 0-5 or, as you read each item, HIGHLIGHT if, “yes, that’s me.” If you highlight more than a few times, then you may have ADHD.
1) Something not worth doing, that it’s not important, that you’re not interested in it – whatever. You come up with a reason so you don’t have to study.
2) Someone can be talking directly to you, but you get either really irritated – you want to talk about something else – or start to zone out and not really hear what they’re saying.
3) Something boring? If something is boring, then doing it feels like your mind was put into a blender and then sucked through a straw. If something is interesting, however, you can do it for hours without getting tired or losing interest.
4) You tend to get lost while driving. Additionally, you tend to lose your temper or get frustrated with the other people on the road. Why do they drive so fast? Or so close to your car?
5) You are really excited about a new idea until someone points out a flaw, then you lose enthusiasm like a deflated balloon. Many of your great ideas die when they turn out to take more work than expected.
6) Over the course of a day, you may go from one extreme mood to another. You may feel like things are great, lose excitement, get bored, get excited and so on – all in the course of a day.
7) You can watch television, talk on instant message, and do crossword puzzles – all at the same time. You actually find it relaxing, or that you focus better.
8) People can sit at the dinner table and talk for hours. Say it’s just a plain old dinner and not on one of your favorite topics - do you leave the dinner as fast as possible?
9) Are there periods where you get really excited about something and just slip into a zone where that is all you think about? Hours go by like seconds. It’s called hyper focus, and if that name “clicks” with you, then it’s likely you have it.
10) You’re playing video games or doing something fun, when someone you know starts talking to you. “Why don’t you take out the garbage, please?” “I said I’ll do it – after I finish doing what I’m doing. Why don’t you trust me?” “Because I need it right now. Please! You’re not even doing anything right now!” A fight ensues. Sound familiar?
11) “it’s 7!” you call out. The teacher coughs, gives you a black look, and goes on -“So if you add 3 + 4 and multiply by 2…”
12) Sometimes you can just zone out. Time flies by, you’re deeply relaxed and thinking about things that have absolutely nothing to do with what or where you are – like life in general.
13) You’re in Paris with some friends, and deciding what to do. “Okay, first we’ll see the Louvre, then hit the National Museum, then see a juggling show, then…” Sound like you? When you’re in the groove, you’re a powerhouse of energy.
14) Sometimes you get really angry for no reason, or shout at someone for stupid reasons. The anger doesn’t make that much sense and goes away quickly too.
15) You’re supposed to do something, but you forgot or lost the things you need to do it.
16) You notice things all over the room that are extremely random or irrelevant. Like, for instance, in a meeting, you may notice the clicking of pens, the leaves falling outside, and so on – all while you should be paying attention.
17) You are wondering if you could be doing something more interesting than reading this list.
18) When you start getting bored, you have to move physically or do something different. Now! And if you sit still for too long, you almost feel physical pain in your head. It’s hard to describe.
19) Hitchhiking through the amazons while writing a book and making new friends with the natives – does that sound like an ideal trip?
20) You are at the coffee shop with a friend, and you’re ordering. “That’ll be a triple shot espresso, please!” Your friend looks at you. “How are you going to fall asleep? And…umm, aren’t you a little hyper already?” You smile. “It actually makes me think better.” (Friend in the back of her mind mumbles, "It makes everyone think better…"). You down the coffee and feel calmer. Then you have an hour long conversation about the new dynamics at work, take a walk and really connect.
21) You are the first to start new things, like wearing multicolored socks. When things start to become 'cool', you can be among those who make it so – adopting them before everyone else. You might find yourself ahead of trends because you’re always looking for something new.
22) When you love someone, you think nothing of spending hours on them, noticing what’s really important to them, and being very romantic. Your ability to focus can make you an irresistible charmer – when you’re interested.
23) “We’re going to have to start using this new program.” One week later, you’ve pretty much figured everything about it, while everyone else is complaining about the change. When you have to update all your files to the new format, however, you don’t get round to doing it for a long, long time.
24) You’re always interested in making new friends. Frankly, they’re usually more interesting than your old friends!
25) Since you’ve gotten lost so many times, as long as nothing important is happening, you just enjoy getting to see something new.
26) You can be very loyal, sticking with someone when everyone else abandons them.
27) When you find something interesting, you can learn everything about it. When someone tells you something about it, you don’t forget it, either. For that one thing, you are a super genius.
28) You just finished a lecture and you are the first to start clapping. Are you among the first to react to things?
29) Someone walks up behind you, shouts “boo!” You hardly flinch. You just have a feel for what’s going on in a room, and aren’t easily caught off guard.
30) Do you quickly forget what happened or the past, or not feel like it’s important? Are you always doing something new?
31) Your new boss wants to try a marketing method you feel is highly immoral. Everyone else in the office tells you to wait, that the approval process for sure will make it cleaner and more appropriate but you feel you have to do something right away.
When you next bump into your new boss, you blurt out how you feel.
32) You’re in a meeting when you can’t wait anymore. You blurt out “but why don’t we try doing this? Am I the only one who noticed we don’t have a real marketing plan?” Sometimes you seem to notice things others don’t. That said, sometimes you might say something impulsively that everyone kind of laughs and can be embarrassing. Because even if you have a good point, if not delivered the right way, it can be taken the wrong way.
33) When you want to get something done, you get it done. The way you get there might be totally bizarre, strange, exotic – whatever. But you get there.
Use the ABC, Stuck Point, and ELF Worksheets!
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Use the Relax, FIRE, EFT, and Stress Ball Exercises!