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ADD Is Not A Handicap

By On · Add Comment · In ADD, ADHD, Bruce Jenner, David Neeleman, Jim Carrey, Michael Phelps, Paul Orfalea, Sir Richard Branson, Will Smith

Many people throughout history have been thought to have had ADD.  I presume this has something to do with their observed behaviors, but nevertheless, you see some famous names come up–Albert Einstein, Vincent van Gogh, and Salvador Dali to name a few.  Now I don’t know for sure if this is true, as I can find no reliable sources for this information; but plenty of current celebrities and other accomplished individuals have been diagnosed with ADD, and much of what I’ve been talking about in earlier posts stands out.

One common theme seems to be an understanding of how the uniqueness of ADD was instrumental in the individual’s success.

Take Sir Richard Branson–diagnosed with ADHD, he started a magazine, called Student, at 16, and went on to start an airline, a record label, a record store, and a total of 400 companies under the Virgin Group.  Branson is “living proof of the statistic reported in Psychology Today that people with ADHD are 300% more likely to start their own company.”

And then there’s David Neeleman, Founder of JetBlue Airways–he “credits his success, and creation of JetBlue, with his ADHD — saying that, with the disorder comes creativity and the ability to think outside the box.”

Paul Orfalea, Founder of Kinko’s, “credits ADHD with helping him start the copy chain. ‘With ADD, you’re curious,’ he said. Orfalea also says his ADHD lets him think big without getting weighed down by details, saying ‘I can’t write a letter and I can’t fix a machine […] I hire capable people to handle that.'”

Another theme is finding and tapping into a child’s inspiration, or hidden genius.

Take actor Will Smith–he states that “he was the ‘fun one who had trouble paying attention’, and that today, he would’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. He also recalls having trouble reading–these days he follows along with books on tape.”  No doubt where his genius lies: He is the fun one–that comes out in all his work.  Lucky for all of us that he tapped into his talents.

For Michael Phelps, Olympic gold medal record holder, “swimming isn’t just a winning sport; it’s a way to cope with his ADHD.  His mom Debbie described her son’s exhibition of classic ADHD symptoms: not sitting still or being able to focus. However, he channeled that into swimming, and with ‘continuous praise and positive reinforcement’ Phelps had the encouragement he needed to score the golds.”  Continuous praise and reinforcement of a child’s inspiration, folks…I’m telling ya.

Then there’s Olympic decathlete, Bruce Jenner–“he struggled in grade school with attention issues, until he won a race in fifth grade. Being the fastest kid in the class gave him his “little arena” to focus on–and eventually, the tools to succeed in the big arena.”

Comedic actor Jim Carrey has also been diagnosed with ADHD.  He credits “his zany, all-over-the-place antics on his ADHD.  He remembers coping by being the class clown, and said that it’s ‘hard for me to come down from what I do.'”  Talk about embracing your inspiration.

The list goes on and on, including:

  • Terry Bradshaw
  • Glenn Beck
  • James Carville
  • Kurt Cobain
  • Billy Connolly
  • Bill Cosby
  • Magic Johnson
  • Avril Lavigne
  • Eva Longoria
  • Howie Mandel
  • Michelle Rodriguez
  • Pete Rose
  • Karina Smirnoff
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Liv Tyler
  • Emma Watson

So, embrace your child’s uniqueness.  There’s a genius in there waiting to come out–it just takes recognition, encouragement and support.  You might just be amazed at what your ADD-labeled kid might accomplish.

ADD Rx: Turning Kids Into Speed Freaks II

By On · Add Comment · In ADD, antipsychotics, cocaine, dopaminergic, drug dependence, neurotransmitter, Ritalin, Schedule II drugs, side effects, stimulants, sudden death

So the modern medical solution to ADD is primarily stimulant medication.  And funny that the U.S. is the major consumer of the pharmaceutical Ritalin, a drug compound similar to cocaine.  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the United Nation’s International Narcotics Control Board both recognize the dangers to individuals and society by the increased prescriptions of Ritalin to growing numbers of children (mostly boys) being diagnosed with ADD.

Despite these facts, and the dynamic nature of the ADD definition (parameters), doctors in the U.S. (not Europe, not Asia, and in fact the full demographics are quite startling) continue to prescribe hard core meds to children.  Even worse is that some doctors have taken the next step to even harder drugs to treat their pediatric patients labeled ADD–antipsychotics.

What are the real dangers of taking central nervous system stimulants, that is, how do they affect the bodies and minds of the children put on them?  First, as I described last post, stimulant drugs like Ritalin, cocaine, and methamphetamine are dopaminergic, which means that they affect the dopamine neurotransmitter system.  Dopamine is involved in the pleasure and reward responses of the brain.  Stimulant drugs, then, create a state of euphoria–they feel good.

Drugs that feel good have a high-propensity to cause dependence, that is why stimulants for treating ADD are classified as Schedule II drugs (some medicinal uses, high potential for abuse, high rate of dependency).  Other Schedule II drugs include cocaine, morphine, methadone, methamphetamine, and opium; yet, only Ritalin can be obtained by a doctor’s prescription.  Think about that.

Stimulants do increase focus and concentration in the short-term, that’s why amphetamines were given to pilots in World War II, but they come with some unwanted side-effects.  The side-effects associated with Ritalin are:

  • nervousness (common)
  • insomnia (common)
  • dizziness
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • loss of appetite
  • stomach pain
  • diarrhea
  • heartburn
  • dry mouth
  • headache
  • muscle tightness
  • uncontrollable movement of a part of the body
  • restlessness
  • numbness, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
  • decreased sexual desire
  • painful menstruation
  • stunted growth

More serious symptoms may include:

  • fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
  • chest pain
  • shortness of breath
  • excessive tiredness
  • slow or difficult speech
  • fainting
  • weakness or numbness of an arm or leg
  • seizures
  • changes in vision or blurred vision
  • agitation
  • believing things that are not true
  • feeling unusually suspicious of others
  • hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
  • motor tics or verbal tics
  • depression
  • abnormally excited mood
  • mood changes
  • fever
  • hives
  • rash
  • blistering or peeling skin
  • itching
  • difficulty breathing or swallowing

And according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information:

Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) may cause sudden death in children and teenagers, especially children or teenagers with heart defects or serious heart problems.This medication also may cause sudden death, heart attack or stroke in adults, especially adults with heart defects or serious heart problems.

It must be kept in mind that these side-effects are known with regard to short-term use.  Long-term effects of Ritalin and other stimulant meds is not yet fully known.

One thing we do know for sure is that Ritalin is currently the most stolen drug as listed by the DEA.  Why?  Kids want it.  The highest rate of abuse is among college students–Ritalin helps them stay awake to study (smart drugs?).  Some children prescribed Ritalin sell their pills to others who wish to take the drug recreationally.  Since overdose is possible on Ritalin, the practice of ADD-labeled kids selling their drugs (more reason to question the drug’s necessity) makes this a serious public health concern.

I write these posts because I know that many of you reading this are either being faced with making a decision for your ADD-labeled child now or you may be in the future.  This is a paramount decision, and very likely a scary one.  When a medical diagnosis is rendered, it may seem as if conventional wisdom is as solid the Newtonian laws of gravity (wink, wink).  But in this case it is not.  There are too many holes in the current ADD model, and the solution American doctors are prescribing for their pediatric patients can alter your child’s life forever.

Why not accept that your child is a unique expression of life, carrying his or her own untapped genius?  Why not learn to find your child’s inspiration and nurture it?  Offering your child hard-core drugs may actually suppress that genius from expressing itself.  In the next few posts we’ll discuss these ideas, and look at a few people that have done extraordinary things with their lives, despite being labeled ADD.  But next–the antipsychotics.

Too Much Dummy Tube Leads to ADD

By On · Add Comment · In ADD, attention, attention deficit disorder, brain, brain development, children, concentration, dendrites, dendritic pathways, dummy tube, focus, problem solving, T.V., television

We all know that too much T.V. isn’t good for the brain, right? Well, at least most people with common sense suspect so, anyway. But now we have proof: Current research shows that young children who watch more than two hours of the brainfryer a day are more likely to have attention problems as adolescents.

Duh. You mean that constantly changing visual images rapidly flashing on a screen – sometimes faster than the human mind can comprehend (anyone hear of subliminal messages) – might have long term effects. You don’t say?

Think about it for a second (I’d have you think about it for a minute, but veteran television watchers might change the channel): Television really does consist of rapidly changing images. As a medium, it does not engage your concentration. You just passively watch images and listen to the accompanying audio. No thinking or concentrating necessary. True, you are following a story (reality shows notwithstanding), but it’s still a passive activity.

One might make an argument for educational T.V. (like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and the History Channel), but you still passively watch and listen, which does nothing for the development of focus or concentration. Add to that today’s popular programming – reality shows, awards shows, music videos – and the term dummy tube starts to take on a whole new accuracy, doesn’t it?

The study, carried out at the Dunedin School of Medicine in New Zealand, showed that children who watched two or more hours per day were at a significant risk for developing attention deficit disorders later in life. And those who watched over three hours per day were at even greater risk. According to Carl Erik Landhuis, one of the lead authors of the study, kids who get used to watching lots of attention-grabbing TV may find ordinary life situations – like the classroom – boring. It’s also possible, he adds, that TV may simply crowd out time spent doing other activities that can build attention and concentration skills, such as reading and playing games.

Yes, that’s exactly it. Activities like reading, solving puzzles, playing sports and other games, learning computers or instruments, all require focus and concentration. They also require thinking and problem solving which leads to the development of dendritic pathways in the brain and nervous system, which leads to overall brain development. I’m sorry but T.V. doesn’t do that – no thinking involved. Furthermore, learning to entertain oneself in the absence of mind-numbing image flashing is the gateway to the imagination. Give your kid a copy of Tom Sawyer, Harry Potter, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, or whatever, and let them learn to stimulate their own vivid and priceless imaginations. And get them away from the dummy tube. Trust me, our autonomy and self-sufficiency as a civilization depend on it.

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