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Blessed with suck: living with ADD

Nescio

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There is discrimination against those with ADD.

You can't blame those who don't believe in its existence. ADD DOES sound like the perfect excuse for someone who is lazy. (which is a common lable for with people ADD)

And you can't blame people for thinking people with ADD must be mentally retarded. It IS considered to be a learning disability.

As a result, I wouldn't dare to include such a thing on any written application.
(like my college apps)

I believe there are a lot of good things that have come from my being ADD.
But obviously there are obstacles.

Part of becoming sucessful despite such obstacles is learning how work around things that can't be "fixed."

What I would like to happen in this thread is a sharing of experiences with ADD and hopefully lessons learned. How to better manage.
 

DiscoBiscuit

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ADHD, why do i hate thee?

Oh let me count the ways...

(but not right now b/c I'm being xmas lazy)
 

dylate

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Alot of times people with ADD are actually LAZY because of their ADD, simple tasks become huge detours, I know I am one of these people.
 

Halla74

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There is discrimination against those with ADD.

You can't blame those who don't believe in its existence. ADD DOES sound like the perfect excuse for someone who is lazy. (which is a common lable for with people ADD)

And you can't blame people for thinking people with ADD must be mentally retarded. It IS considered to be a learning disability.

As a result, I wouldn't dare to include such a thing on any written application.
(like my college apps)

I believe there are a lot of good things that have come from my being ADD.
But obviously there are obstacles.

Part of becoming sucessful despite such obstacles is learning how work around things that can't be "fixed."

What I would like to happen in this thread is a sharing of experiences with ADD and hopefully lessons learned. How to better manage.

Basically, now I am embracing the gifts of the style of learning and thinking that is ADHD. I am thankful I have it! :yes:

I am tireless, I have no limits on my physical energy.

I am always in a good mood.

I am extremely creative.

I can make obtuse connections, extrapolations, and relevant abstractions on anything I am actively thiniking on, and in real time on new events as my entire past can be called upon and made relevant in the here and now. It's just that getting things into my "base" of info. is the hard part, especially if it is material that is new and that I am not interested in. I learn very quickly if I am into something, but if I am not. :zzz: I fall asleep in meetings if I am not participating, presenting, or at least in need of being there. :yim_rolling_on_the_

I can multi-task like a mutha-fu&#a! :yay: :woot: :bananallama:

When I was a kid though, behavior issues in school, wild, discipline problems (e.g. taking on teachers regularly, frequent physical altercations, etc.).

Also, I had major impulse control issues as a kid, and still have to consciously keep that in check, albeit less of a chore than it was 10 years ago.

I've embraced my ADHD, but historically it was a huge mountain to overcome, and I didn't even know I was on it. :doh:

ADHD, why do i hate thee?

Oh let me count the ways...

(but not right now b/c I'm being xmas lazy)

:rofl1:

Alot of times people with ADD are actually LAZY because of their ADD, simple tasks become huge detours, I know I am one of these people.

Guilty! :peepwall:
 

Cenomite

Systematic chaos
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I was diagnosed with ADD a long time ago.

Basically, when I was in elementary/middle school, I was a hellish little bastard to my teachers. I just couldn't control myself. I couldn't pay attention, would get bored, and would start acting out all the time. It got so bad that I was given tons of special attention to try and "fix" the issue.

My Mom brought me to a psychologist/psychiatrist/whatever-the-fuck-it-was who said that I had ADD, and explained to me using a model of the brain that a certain part of my brain sucked and that's what was causing me to act out. She prescribed me Concerta to treat it.

The drug worked in-terms of fixing my acting out, and improved my school work pretty drastically. It had nasty side effects though. It pretty much just turned me into a zombie (apathetic to everything, monotone speech, etc), made me irritable and pissed off, killed my appetite completely, and destroyed sleeping. These side effects pretty much destroyed my social-life/potential-social-life, and made life generally unpleasent.

I kept taking it up until the end of high school, but when I got to college I decided that I actually wanted to make some friends and be social with more people than I was in high school. I stopped taking it, and I don't know if it was because I was more mature, had a new mindset, and or I had ADD and it got better, but I've found that I don't need any sort of pills to help me do well in school anymore if I just push myself hard enough.

I can definitely still feel the effects of not being able to concentrate well, but college let's me do my own thing in such a way that I make it work for me. I generally don't learn much in actual classes, but rather do everything in huge bursts of intense focus when I fall into the right mood. That and of course, doing everything at the last minute =D

That's pretty much all I've got to say on it. It sucks ass, but it gets much better after high school.
 

FDG

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Uh Uh, LeT mE iNveNT an ILLneSS cuZ sChooL is BOring
 

sLiPpY

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I think ADD is complete and utter dung. Bunch of shrinks, pill pushers in suits, etc. making tons of money off exploiting natural human growth stages, that are not in sync with the unrealistic expectations of modern society.

Feed a kid or an adult a Pop Tart for breakfast, or some sugar laden over processed refined grain...give them carbonated corn syrup water at regular intervals. Take away the opportunities for physical activity human beings are designed for.

Sure, you'll get "ADD" like symptoms in mass. Some of what they call symptoms are just frickn' normal, we're people dammit we're not machines.

If ADD does indeed exist in absence of the aforementioned? It's very very rare, about as rare as manic dimensia...when I was a kid. There were only three kids in my entire school career that had those types of struggles.

Now everybody and their dog's got it and taking pills.

What's changed over that time frame? 1. Diet 2. Less physical activity. 3. Technology keeps people up late.

There are a few examples of schools that made changes in the cafeteria, took out vending machines, allowed for recess activities, etc. Guess what. The vast majority of the schools who took those steps have kids that can sit still, are able to focus, and/or at least behave.

*steps off soapbox*
 

FDG

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Not gonna lie, I don't really deny possibility that I never had any sort of illness and part of me is just a scatter-brained monkey. Either way, life is good.

Eheh yeah it wasn't meant to be an attack; more like...here, where there's no such thing as ADD, I think at least 70% of extraverted males would fit the criteria for the diagnosis.
 

Nescio

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Eheh yeah it wasn't meant to be an attack; more like...here, where there's no such thing as ADD, I think at least 70% of extraverted males would fit the criteria for the diagnosis.

And I can't blame people for thinking that way.
I can see how those arguments albiet fallicious can be convincing.

and really I would prefer that this not become a "lets argue the existance of" thread.

Just most of the help out on the internet is aimed at parents and caretakers of children with ADD or ADHD.
I want to be able to learn somthing.

oh dear... I sound whiney.

I would have to agree with the mountain analogy mentioned earlier
 

Ivy

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I have an ADHD (inattentive type) diagnosis. I've opted for building behavioral safety nets for myself rather than medicating, in part because I have a heart arrhythmia and can't take most ADHD meds; I won't lie, it's tempting sometimes to take a "clean the house" pill. Parts of ADHD do suck, but on the whole I wouldn't want to be miraculously cured of it because the flipside of the suckage is stuff I really like about myself. Yes, I'm a flake, but it's because my mind is in the clouds going weird, fun places much of the time. Yes, I have trouble focusing on repetitive tasks for a long time, but it's because I'm a serial multitasker and I need to switch up the rhythm frequently.

I do wish I had a little more H in my ADHD though- inattentive type comes with some fatigue issues.

Basically, I think of my ADHD like I think of my son's autism: a description of some quirks we have that make us out-of-sync with the mainstream of Western daily life, but not all of the quirks are negatives (most, I'd say, are not).
 

Skyward

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My friend (INTP) was diagnosed with ADHD because I read a lot during class, and thus missed a lot of the material and assignments. It was weird since I was his closest friend and he would talk to me for an hour about the Fountainhead or something. It wasn't that he had problems concentrating 'period,' it was that he had problems concentrating on boring school. The diagnosis kept him from being in good math classes as he was always put in the 'trouble kids' classes.

When we were in a pre-Calculus class he was one of the most focused out of us. It was his environment, and the teacher was a great one (Another INTP). The schedule was tight to all the assignments put he would put in the time.

I won't doubt too much that he has ADD, but how the 'System' reacted to his un-mainstream behavior was irritating. His parents wouldn't let him go to a school more suited to him (our charter school) because he wouldn't do anything in the shitty public school. They would also use emotional manipulation to push him. I was the friend he would vent at, and it was frustrating. He was very intelligent and knew how to run his life, but it wasn't compatible with the normal system, so he was always fighting with that.

At least now he takes college classes, has a job, and is doing pretty well. I just wish he would get an email or something so I could keep tabs with him while I'm here across an ocean from him. :D
 

FDG

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Yes, I have trouble focusing on repetitive tasks for a long time

I only know a handful of people that can do repetitive tasks with good focus. Probably less than 5% of those I know. It's human nature, not ADD.
 

Ivy

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I only know a handful of people that can do repetitive tasks with good focus. Probably less than 5% of those I know. It's human nature, not ADD.

Actually, I considered editing that- it's not just repetitive tasks. It's any tasks.
 

run

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I think ADD is complete and utter dung. Bunch of shrinks, pill pushers in suits, etc. making tons of money off exploiting natural human growth stages, that are not in sync with the unrealistic expectations of modern society.

Feed a kid or an adult a Pop Tart for breakfast, or some sugar laden over processed refined grain...give them carbonated corn syrup water at regular intervals. Take away the opportunities for physical activity human beings are designed for.

Sure, you'll get "ADD" like symptoms in mass. Some of what they call symptoms are just frickn' normal, we're people dammit we're not machines.

If ADD does indeed exist in absence of the aforementioned? It's very very rare, about as rare as manic dimensia...when I was a kid. There were only three kids in my entire school career that had those types of struggles.

Now everybody and their dog's got it and taking pills.

What's changed over that time frame? 1. Diet 2. Less physical activity. 3. Technology keeps people up late.

There are a few examples of schools that made changes in the cafeteria, took out vending machines, allowed for recess activities, etc. Guess what. The vast majority of the schools who took those steps have kids that can sit still, are able to focus, and/or at least behave.

*steps off soapbox*

eh, i wouldn't say its that rare. I never eat junk food and run every day, and I still have it... But then again that's just me. The problem is in the people's perspective -- they don't see the importance of those things, so yeah it probably is way overdiagnosed. But its still real for the small %.
 

run

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anyways though, to answer the op, I'm really good at processing, because it doesn't take that long and I do it a lot. I'm better at fleeting thought since it doesn't take as long as absorbing information. It's a problem, no doubt, but in education, I think you're better off if you can learn to not procrastinate and thus retain information. I'm talking about education the major, which is my major. I'd imagine math and engineering and philosophy are more processing-type subejcts, but they aren't as creative and the ADD person is usually creative.
 

sLiPpY

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eh, i wouldn't say its that rare. I never eat junk food and run every day, and I still have it... But then again that's just me. The problem is in the people's perspective -- they don't see the importance of those things, so yeah it probably is way overdiagnosed. But its still real for the small %.

Junk food is an interesting topic. Would you consider fruit juice junk food?

What about bread?
 

run

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Junk food is an interesting topic. Would you consider fruit juice junk food?

What about bread?

you can't eat pure wheat and quonia all the time so I eat brown rice bread sometimes and apple juice a little, only simply apple though. Not that other shit. Anything to have an effect on your body. Its about listening. Its not about eating what most people think is healthy. Food insensitivities can make it impossible to focus.
 
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