Causes of ADHD

When we created the 12 ADD Axioms, we were consistent about putting them together. We set up an ADD-friendly schedule for the calls. We also took a look ahead and we thought about what might drag us down. We can think. We can come up with ideas. We can do all kinds of things, but we were creating a deliverable system. We were creating something that we needed to be accountable for.

We are both ADD/ADHD adults, so we asked ourselves, “What are the ‘boring’ parts? What are the parts of this type of project that we don’t want to do? Or that we’re not good at doing. Or both. then, we needed to think about what those might turn out to be in advance and figure them out. Right then. We couldn’t let our ADD brains get hung up on things. We had to figure things out and just get them handled right then.

Some examples of things that might be sticky for us because of the ADD were:

* How would we deal with customer service?

* And how about the many, many, many individual questions that people would write in to us that we wouldn’t have time to answer because we were working on creating the curriculum for the ADD Axioms?

* How would we work through differences in our own thinking?

* How about audio editing?

* Transcription?

* How about creating the download page for the recordings?

All of these things and more were things that we sat down and consciously thought about because we, like everyone with ADD, can be consistently creating. We can be consistently moving forward, and we knew-because we’d done something similar before-that there would be areas that we needed to make sure we could handle, to be responsible.

You’re put in this situation where you need to think ahead a little bit about it and you don’t always know exactly how things are going to come together, and it can make even people without ADD anxious. The fact is, for different projects that you put together, sometimes you’re going to have a bunch of smash hits, and that’s great, but you’re going to have projects that just fall flat on their face, too. You’re going to have duds, things that don’t quite work out.

You don’t want to spend a whole lot of money and time, effort, energy and resources on something that could very easily turn out not to be an amazing product or an amazing project that you’re working on. How do you deal with that?

You do this thing that ADD-ers are pretty good at doing–you take it as it comes.

Especially when you have ADD, it’s important to think ahead of time about “Where are these sticky points?” and you realize, “We’re probably going to need to get this and that taken care of. Let’s get this thing launched and get those things plugged in as they become issues so we don’t spend six months trying to set up everything in advance, but there’s no pressure because the deadline’s not set yet and blah, blah, blah, blah.”

And if that happens, if ADD people get kind of dragged down, all of a sudden, we might lose interest, things might not seem as good as they had seemed and the project might really, really drag. It’s multiple, moving parts that need to happen.

Like we said, we gave forethought to the boring piece so when we got to it, we said, “Okay, we have to do this. Let’s get it happening, let’s make it happen,” and we’re able to focus on moving through that so we can keep going and be consistent in creating, in this case, the ADD Axioms. So there were no surprises.

If you have ADD, remember this when you’re planning any big project. Decide where the sticky points might be first. Don’t let them slow you down, just be flexible and find a way to deal them so that the don’t become an ADD issue.

About the authors:

Stephanie Frank is an author and a nationally known speaker. Tellman Knudson is a certified hypnotherapist and CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc. Learn More About Enjoying Your ADD/ADHD Abilities at InstantADDSuccess.com

On this installment of the TV Edition of Freedom Magazine, host Dave Figueroa exposes the Myth of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder.

A growing number of experts, along with psychiatrists themselves, agree that there is no scientific evidence whatsoever, that mental diseases actually exist.

This is one more chapter in psychiatry’s attempt to control the lives and minds of our society.

Read the rest of this entry »

I hate to say it, but a lot of adults with ADHD have an attitude problem. Many of us are negative thinkers with low self-esteem.

It’s understandable; life with ADHD can have us feeling bad for being so “different” from everyone else. And we feel worse when we try to improve our lives using the wrong systems.

Mainstream advice doesn’t account for the unique wiring of ADHD brains, and when this advice fails, we feel like we’ve failed. It chips away at our self-esteem.

As a result, many people with ADHD grow up to be BMWs-people who constantly B*tch, Moan, and Whine! This is one of the reasons that adults with ADHD often have trouble making new friends and maintaining relationships. It’s also why so many of us struggle to get along with our family members, coworkers, and neighbors.

No one likes to hang out with a BMW. Their constant brooding, complaining, and finding fault can quickly bring a happy person down or zap that person’s energy. Simply put, BMWs are a drag!

If you are a BMW, then don’t fret. With a little work, you can adjust your attitude and improve your social skills. Here are three practical things you can do right away to overcome being a BMW.

1. Accept compliments with grace and gratitude-even if you don’t agree with them.

If you’re a BMW, then chances are that your self-esteem can use a pick-me-up. Accepting the compliments that are paid to you will go a long way in helping you feel better about yourself.

You’ll find that most people genuinely mean what they say. If your friend says she likes your haircut, believe it! If you argue with her compliment by disagreeing and saying something like “This is the worst haircut I’ve ever had!”, then you’re essentially telling your friend that her opinion is wrong.

2. Avoid putting yourself down in front of others.

People often view self-deprecation as “fishing for compliments” and feel a responsibility to lift you up and make you feel better. After a while, this becomes annoying, and you can easily lose friends who might view you as high maintenance.

There’s a big difference between expressing your challenges, and putting yourself down for them. It’s perfectly okay to say “I would have liked to have the house cleaned up by the time you got here, but unfortunately I didn’t have enough time.” In contrast, a BMW might say something like “I’m such a slob! My house is always a mess and no matter what I do I can never get it together!”

3. Surround yourself with positive, happy people.

One of the easiest ways to adjust your attitude is to surround yourself with people worth emulating. When you choose to spend time with other BMWs, you’re choosing to be a BMW.

Make a concerted effort to ditch the BMW within, and then invite a pleasant coworker to join you for coffee, take a walk with a friendly neighbor, or reconnect with a supportive friend. You’ll absorb the positive energy of these good influences. And positive, happy people will be much more understanding when you do find yourself running late for lunch or forgetting a birthday!

When you adjust your attitude by increasing your self-esteem and adopting a more positive perspective, you’ll find that you have an easier time creating and maintaining social connections. People will enjoy spending time with the real you, and you’ll feel better about yourself, too!

For so many years running now, a lot of people have been thinking that ADHD is a disorder that is manifested only in children. The disorder is actually more rampant in boys than in girls as well. However, the results of recent studies done on the disorder actually indicate that there are children who do not really grow out of ADHD. Thus, there is a lot of reason to believe that ADHD in adults is rampant as well. One main difference that has been observed through the years, however, is the tendency for the patient’s episodes of hyperactivity to reduce significantly. But this does not mean that hyperactivity completely out of the equation for the very core of the disorder is still present. In fact, there are even cases when episodes of hyperactivity can transform into episodes of impulsivity. What’s more, when impulsivity is heightened, the adult himself is actually at risk because he can be potentially destructive, even to his own self. A large percentage of adults diagnosed with ADHD actually wish that they had been diagnosed with the disorder sooner. Most of them even attribute their poor performance in terms of social development and academic achievement to the disorder, because of how late it was diagnosed. This is precisely why getting an accurate diagnosis for the disorder is indeed very important. Most adults that have ADHD are quite lazy, sort of like in an unmotivated way. But just because you exhibit such behavior does not mean that you already have ADHD. There are other symptoms to be mindful of as well. These include distractibility, disorganization, impulsivity, and inability to create long-term plans. It would actually help in gaining a more accurate diagnosis if these symptoms were observed when the patient was still a child. Being diagnosed with ADHD during adulthood does not necessarily mean that you won’t lead successful lives. In fact, there are a lot of adults who have ADHD that are pretty successful in their chosen professions. However, there is also a small percentage of adults who are too affected by the disorder that they find it hard to hold down a permanent job of sorts. There are certain factors that attribute to the overall development of the person. These include the severity of the disorder, the support system of the patient, and the existence of secondary disorders. Thus, there is a huge need for counseling and medication for the patient. ADHD in adults is a bit hard to decipher because you can easily attribute its symptoms to some other cause, such as stress. Thus, if you have the slightest suspicion that you might have ADHD, do not hesitate to consult a psychiatrist or therapist. This way, an accurate diagnosis can be achieved.