What is ADD/ADHD?

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, 1994, (DSM IV) the diagnostic label is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, in popular conversation, the terms -ADD, ADHD, AD/HD- are used interchangeably. On this article, we'll use the term ADD.

What is it like to have ADD?
It's like being super-charged all the time. You get one idea and you have to act on it, and then..., before you've finished up with the first one, you’ve got another idea, so you go for that one. Before you've finished with the second idea, now you've got another third idea, and you just have to follow that one. What happens then? People identify you as disorganized, impulsive, and all sorts of impolite words that miss the point completely. You're just trying really hard. It's just that you have all another good ideas pulling you this way and that which makes it really hard to stay on task.

Sometimes, you're doing your task with a messed. People think you’re not paying attention or that you’re not interested when you keep drumming your fingers, humming a song, whistling, looking here and there, scratching, doodling, and tapping your feet…. But all you’re doing actually is spilling over so that you can pay attention.

Person with ADD seems to be here and there and everywhere. He/she feels as if everything is happening all at once. This creates a sense of inner turmoil or even panic. The individual loses perspective and the ability to prioritize. He or she is always on the go, trying to keep the world from caving in top.

Impulsivity on ADD frequently showed when they’re on line or queue. They almost incapable of waiting in lines. Usually they show their impulsivity on how they talk. So many people with ADD are lack of tact. Tact is entirely dependent on the ability to consider one’s words before uttering them. They will have to learn hard to say inappropriate things in such a way or at such a time that they can in fact be helpful. It really is takes time. As an example, they call someone as fat lady without trying to insult the person. They merely mention words that describe an object visually.

When speak about ADD, usually the positive doesn’t get mentioned. It understandably because there is a natural tendency to focus on what goes wrong, or at least on what has to be somehow controlled. In fact, when persons with ADD have maintained their behavior, they will surprises everyone around them, and they surprise themselves. Often these people are highly imaginative and intuitive. They have a ‘feel’ for things, a way of seeing right into the heart of matters while others have to reason their way along methodically. This is the person who can’t explain how he thought of the solution, or where the idea for the story came from, or why suddenly he produced such a painting, or how he knew the shortcut to the answer, but all he can say is he just knew it, he could feel it. This is the child who, having been reprimanded for blurting something out, is then praised for having blurted out something brilliant. These are the people who learn and know and do and go by touch and feel.

As a closing, it is important to understand that ADD is a way of life, a hard one. So, if you know someone who’s acting up and daydreaming and forgetting this or that and just not getting with the program, consider ADD before he starts believing all the bad things people are saying about him/her and it’s too late. Before the syndrome is diagnosed that way of living may be filled with pain and misunderstanding. After the diagnosis is made, one often finds new possibilities and the chance for real change.

It should be underlined, that their cognitive style is qualitatively different from most people’s, and what may seem impaired, with patience and encouragement may become gifted.

[infopsi-admin]