ADD Coaching Blog

SHOULD DISADVANTAGED SCHOOL CHILDREN GET ADD MEDS?

2012-12-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

Why not, if they truly have ADD? Of course, they should. That’s obvious. What is not so obvious is the recent stimulant medication use in disadvantaged children when they don’t have ADHD. A New York Times article, ”Pills for the Struggling Student,”(October 9, 2012) discusses the recent trend of prescribing stimulants to low-income students, WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE ADHD, to give them the same”edge” that more privileged students have. Let us not forget that Ritalin, Adderal and other stimulants can raise alertness in most people without a diagnosis of ADHD. (From my experience, high socioeconomic kids take stimulant meds whether or not they have ADHD). Let us not forget that stimulants can have major bad side effects.

The argument for low-income children seems cogent, but important considerations need to be stressed. First, there are many issues being ignored. Does the school or state have funding programs to enhance academic learning through special services such as tutoring? If not, the easy way out is just having Medicaid and other insurers pay for the use of a pill, so the schools need to make no adjustments. Medication has always been seen as the last resort after other educational and behavioral issues have been employed. Now it’s the first step in helping kids?

Second there are many factors impeding academic success such as learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional problems. Medication does not usually alter these issues. Also, there are parental management and other family factors that should be addressed, which medication per se will not impact.

So is our society going to PAY ATTENTION to other educational and societal changes to improve academics of struggling low- income children or just use pills?

ARE CAREER OPTIONS LIMITED FOR THE ADDer?

2012-08-07T07:08:00.002-07:00

The answer is simply no, even if the ADDer has learning disabilities. If we look at the deficits, it is easy to say that the ADDer may not go far in his /her career. But what about the skills? I just met a few adult clients that have both ADD and LD, and could never read well. However, one has a high position in IT and is one of the computer experts in a university. He always thought he was “stupid”and struggled to get his GED. But afterward and several jobs later, his computer skills were recognized and he is one of the most valued employees in the university system. He is also has great mechanical and carpentry skills, and is creative in music. Another client with ADD has excellent interpersonal skills and manages client interactions in a big business.

I am ADD and have a Ph.D., but I can’t figure out how to open an umbrella, shut off the sleep dial on the radio, adjust a thermostat or fasten a necklace. My fine motor and mechanical skills are almost non-existent. Fortunately, I must have good analytical and interpersonal skills to be a clinical psychologist and ADD coach.

ADD AND NON-ADD: THE GOOD GRADE PILL - PART 3 | DIAGNOSING ADD AND GETTING MEDICATION

2012-07-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

If you are a student who has ADD and really needs stimulant medication on a regular basis, you may find that that these medications are in short supply, since many non-ADD students are using them to acquire “laser focus” in studying. Where do all these non-ADD students get stimulants such as ADDerall? The NY Times article (cited in Part 1) indicates that students get them from friends who share them, or student sellers (which is a felony if reported). Many get legitimate prescriptions from their doctors or psychiatrists.

As a psychologist, psychiatrists have referred students for testing for ADD to me before they are willing to prescribe. What I have learned is that in particular, college students have mastered the “drill”. They have learned how to report relevant history and symptoms from their friends and the media.

How do I rule out non-ADD students? It is not easy. With high-schoolers, I can get corroborating data from parents, although now a number of parents will falsely report ADD behaviors, because they want their child to have accommodations and/ or an edge. The best a psychologist could do is probably conduct a comprehensive testing and look for inconsistencies, although students will soon find out the actual instruments used and become more savvy in responding, or go to another professional to get a diagnosis of ADD. So what is a realistic solution to this issue? Certainly not to put all students on ADDerall or other stimulants. In addition to the side effects mentioned earlier in Part II, it is important to note that many college students take other psychotropic medications at the same time they are asking for stimulants, which presents additional dangers.

Is the use of stimulant medication for getting an”edge” a value we want to support? Students are not only using these medications for late night focusing for exams, but during the time they take these exams as well.

I am ADHD and have to admit that in trying to write a book, I have difficulty sustaining attention, and have tried some of the stimulants at low doses. What happened? My heart rate was so rapid I had to discontinue them.

ADD AND NON-ADD: THE GOOD GRADE PILL - PART 2

2012-07-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Non-ADDers who take stimulants only to get an edge, hopefully are familiar with side effects. Weight loss and lack of appetite are common, and the obese student might be OK with these (After all, stimulants used to be taken over the counter for weight loss). Also, if there is an underlying undiagnosed seizure disorder or tic, stimulants can lower their threshold and cause seizures or tics to occur. Of great concern are cardiovascular effects. Stimulants can certainly increase heart rate. Has the non-ADDer had a physical exam before taking them? I almost always recommend the ADDer check out with his doctor whether or not he needs an EKG. In the NY times article, three high school seniors wh0 took several hundred milligrams of ADDerall one night had racing hearts hallucinations and convulsions, and ended up spending several months in a drug rehab center. Do you know any student who had this experience?

The ADDer is usually evaluated for depression, anxiety and learning problems. Has the non-ADDer checked out these possibilities? Often stimulants can make an anxious ADDer more anxious,; or if their diagnosis of ADD is wrong, and they are bipolar, a manic episode can be induced using high doses of stimulants.

Finally, in working with an ADDer at any age, as a psychologist, I help them to develop strategies at school which may lead to no longer needing stimulants for many years. Does the non-ADDer learn behavioral and cognitive strategies for studying which may substitute for the medication and may still yield an edge?

ADD AND NON-ADD: THE GOOD GRADE PILL - PART1

2012-07-06T08:15:00.001-07:00

A recent article appeared in the June 9, 2012 issue of the New York Times entitled “ Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill”. Apparently stimulant medication ( amphetamine derivatives) used to treat ADHD are being taken by many students who do not have ADHD. Why? To get an edge in grades. From my experience, stimulant medications are widely used by high school and college students, particularly at competitive academic institutions. This article stated that one high school student said” Everyone in school has a prescription or has a friend who does.” Increasingly, students are taking higher doses or snorting one of the stimulants, ADDerall, to increase their test performance. As a psychologist, I have recently found that students diagnosed properly can’t even get this medication since it is in short supply.

Questions that occur to me are, for one, should all students in public and private schools have the same ”edge”? Chances are this will never happen. After all, in general, attending private schools already provides an edge. For another, what about changes in brain chemistry? Will these non-ADD students have to take stimulants for many years to keep their edge? And what about serious side effects over time?

ADHD And Sleep

2012-04-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

On 04/17/2012 the NY Times had an article with the headline, “In BLUR of A.D.H.D., SLEEP TROUBLES MAY BE a CLUPRIT”. They pointed out that before diagnosing A.D.H.D., sleep disorders need to be ruled out. I have found that several children who have been diagnosed ADD (without the H) were spacey, sleepy and easily distractible. Also stimulants barely helped the issue. It turned out that after recommending a sleep study, some were found to have sleep apnea. They were getting very little sleep, were very sleep deprived and would fall asleep in class. They were considered ADD or just bored. Correcting the sleep issue ameliorated the attention problem. Teachers, parents and mental health professionals need to determine whether lack of sleep is the primary problem with ADD, being secondary, or whether they are concurrent.

THE ADD COACH IS BACK…THIS BLOG IS ABOUT STRESS

2012-01-17T13:48:00.001-08:00

Having taken a recess for several months I’m back blogging about adult ADDers under stress. I am an ADDer and am currently moving from my big house to a condo. The buzz words are “decluttering and “ downsizing”, two terms I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Up to a point I was hyperfocused and multitasking all the time, except when I was at work. But as the moving process continued and became more intense with greater stress, I became totally inattentive in many areas and did ridiculous things.

For example, I didn’t realize I had dumped a whole box of tissues into the washing machine, and you can imagine the result. Even with drying one load several times, clothes had to be thrown out. Not only that, but when I reached into the dryer, a trash bag full of paper balls came out, which kept happening no matter how many times I spun the dryer. As a result the duct system had to be fixed, etc.

There were other events that occurred such as pressing the computer button twice to buy an item, followed by calls to customer service which were useless. Then there was the temporary loss of my wallet in my pocketbook, which was found in my computer case. Did I look there for it? Of course, but I didn’t find it.

The message is that ADDers work well in a high arousal state until
Until we go over the top and the inattentive part kicks in.

COACHING ADULT ADDERS: NEED FOR NEGATIVE CONTINGENCIES

2011-04-23T10:30:00.001-07:00

I informally coached a good friend who has ADD. The friend could “hyperfocus” on his passion which was catering, but he had problems including the inability to start his own business and his disorganization and failure to attend to details in the rest of his life. I gave his spouse some strategies and ultimately had him report to me about his progress at specified times. He started out organizing his career, but he couldn’t follow through and was very apologetic to me. The issue was that failure to keep on task was not a negative consequence for him, so he couldn’t keep up a high arousal level over time. (He did try stimulants, but they made him more anxious.) After all, I was not charging him for this service, and I would still remain his friend.

In formal coaching, I have learned that adult ADDers who need strong negative consequences have to pay a reasonably high fee for coaching, so that they lose a substantial amount of money if they don’t follow through. As a clinical psychologist, if I treat an adult client for an anxiety disorder in a therapeutic environment, and learn later that he has ADD, I require a private fee for coaching. I take insurance for psychotherapy, but most companies will not pay for the ADD coaching. This is probably good, since a small copay from the client would usually not be a strong enough consequence for him to follow through with a strategic coaching program.

Anxiety & Attention Deficit Disorder

2011-01-13T08:40:00.001-08:00

As an AD(H)D coach and psychologist, I used to think that ADDers who were very anxious as well would do poorly on stimulants, in that they would become more anxious. However, many professionals now think that indeed a subpopulation of ADDers might become more anxious on stimulants, but another subgroup might be less anxious. Why the latter? Because their anxiety might arise from various components of ADD such as poor time management, inability to focus on or initiate tasks, or organize their environment. Thus, if the latter subgroup takes stimulants and becomes more functional, their anxiety will dissipate.

The answer to this dilemma is empirical. The possibilities include treating anxiety or ADD first and assess the result. Or treat anxiety and ADD concurrently.

What do you think?

WHAT DOES THE ADULT ADDER DO AFTER WORK?

2010-09-07T07:32:00.001-07:00

I worked with a client who has a few behaviors characteristic of ADD, but is not really ADD. His main issue at this point was how to spend leisure time at night after work. He works hard with no problems focusing on a task he enjoys, but gets fidgety after work regarding leisure time. Like some ADDers, he doesn’t want to spend more than an hour reading or watching TV; it’s too passive.

As is typically the case, his spouse has an opposite brain style and likes to sit and watch TV or read after work. In general, an ADDer has boundless energy, and often has to engage in a physical activity after work, such as using a treadmill. Or he can sign up for some class of great interest, perhaps a dance class, which his partner might not want to do.

If you are an ADDer and have a problem with leisure time, what do you do?

Another Bad Day for The ADD Coach

2010-09-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Since I coach and counsel a lot of ADDers, I have had to determine what makes for my ADD to be worse in my daily life. I found that I get internally distracted and forgetful, particularly at the end of the day when I’m tired due to focusing, or even hyperfocusing, on clients. Afterwards I get so spacey, that often I make several mistakes, some of them serious. My spaciness also occurs when I’m not busy. So yesterday I went to Target to buy a bunch of things. When I got to the parking lot, I said to myself, “ Don’t forget to put all the things in the car”. So, I did, and then went to get gas. I reached for my credit card, which is in my pocketbook, but my pocketbook wasn’t there!. I realized that I must have left it in the Target parking lot in the cart, while I was focusing on getting all the things I bought into the car. I zoomed back, and it wasn’t there. Amazingly, when I went to Customer Service, the clerk informed me that a customer found it in the cart and brought it in to the store. Nothing, including the money, was missing. I was really very lucky.

I should have known that something significant would happen that day, because before I went to Target, I went To a coffee house , bought a latte’ and left it on the counter, along with my change purse.

If you are an adult ADDer, when do you get spacey? I don’t take stimulant medication. Do you?

WHAT IF ADHD COEXISTS WITH OTHER DISORDERS?

2010-08-09T18:31:00.001-07:00

As a clinical psychologist who counsels and coaches ADDers, I often come across clients who already have been diagnosed with OCD and\or General Anxiety Disorder. They take appropriate psychiatric medications for the two latter disorders, but still exhibit classic behaviors of AD(H)D, which have not been treated. I checked with a psychiatrist on one case, who agreed with my diagnosis of ADHD and considered stimulants. However, the client was still very anxious, although still on anti-anxiety medications, and a stimulant could make her more anxious. Thus it was important to wait until her anxiety was attenuated. The client was ready to proceed with stimulant medication, but understood the issue involved.

What can be done with medications when there are several conditions coexisting with ADHD? In the meantime, I try to work on strategies for the behavioral issues associated with ADHD.

TECHNOLOGY CAUSES ADD-LIKE BEHAVIORS?

2010-07-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

The June 7, 2010 issue of the NY Times had this headline on the front page” Hooked on Gadgets and Paying a Mental Price”. The article stated that scientists have found that multitasking with computer technology can reduce the ability to be creative and to focus well on tasks and activities. They claim that computer multitasking can produce a Dopamine (involved in the arousal and reward system) release which can be addictive.. almost acting as strong stimulant. In those who really have ADD, boredom and anxiety often set in without stimulation. So can using a variety of computer tasks, particularly multitasking excessively do the same with non-ADDers, particularly if in the moment, they are multitasking?

DO STIMULANTS HELP ALL ASPECTS OF ADULT ADHD?

2010-07-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

In my add coaching and adhd counseling experience, I have found stimulants to help ADDers to be alert, to focus on tasks, and to be less distractible. Yet, with many ADDers I treat, I find they have difficulty with time management unless there are serious negative consequences for not completing assignments. Along these lines, at school, ADDers can be charming and manipulative and get professors to forgive them for being late regarding papers due or tests to take. If the same professors told them that if due dates are consistently missed, their grades would be lower, Adders often would get aroused enough to meet the deadline.

I also have found, that often stimulants do not control addictions like excessive drinking or smoking. ADDers frequently have no awareness or lack an inhibitory mechanism and cross the boundary between acceptable amounts of a substance and abuse of it. It’s not a conscious plan and ADDers, like typical addicts are regretful afterwards. It helps to have a significant other or close friend who cues them, when they reach that boundary, so that the ADDer can be aware of his tendency to become totally disinhibited.

YOUNG ADDers USING NON-PRESCRIBED STIMULANTS - ADD Coaching

2010-06-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

In my coaching and counseling of young adult ADDers, I’m finding many, particularly college students, using stimulants obtained from peers for their ADD or for “getting an edge”. Most have not yet been diagnosed with ADD,and of course, stimulants can be effective in non-ADDers in increasing their ability to focus on tasks. When I learn about clients using non- prescribed stimulants, I often find that they don’t even know the dose they’re taking, and whether it is toxic. Also, they need to first have a physical exam to rule out cardiac and other problems. They should then get diagnosed and be prescribed medicine. Unfortunately, many young adults have learned to present themselves to a clinician as ADDers( even on tests) if they want stimulants.

What do you think about this trend?

June Kaufman, Ph.D.

DO ADDers NEED NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR TASK COMPLETION?

2010-06-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

In general, that is the case. While there are many positive aspects of an ADD brain style, one serious difficulty involves initiating and completing tedious tasks. Usually negative consequences are more effective than positive ones. Why? Because tasks completed at the 11th. hour are more arousing than positive rewards.

While in school under teachers’ and parents’ control, ADDers comply because negative consequences are implemented. However, when self- directed, often there are no obvious negative contingencies, and ADDers can’t generate them unless they are very creative.

Recently, during a coaching session, we both had trouble finding a negative consequence that would enhance the clients arousal level. So she is attempting to use a positive reward. Will it work? I doubt it, but I will find out. In the meantime, I ‘m still trying to be creative in finding a negative contingency for her to complete the task.

As an adult ADDer, do you find that positive consequences are effective for initiating and completing tedious tasks?

June Kaufman, Ph.D.

ADHD : ORGANIZING A MOVE TO A NEW OFFICE

2010-05-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written a blog for a while since I had to move offices.

I’m successful coaching ADDers on organizational skills. However, since I also am an ADDer and don’t take stimulants, I had to apply the same strategies to myself. What a job to organize files, papers, articles and other stuff that had accumulated over a decade! If there is anything more tedious let me know.

I had to figure out a moving plan. No wonder ADDers like myself have trouble organizing. It took forever. I knew the moving date and tried to work systematically towards it , but it was tough. First I threw out many things I had stored, and never used(It was painful). I then removed old client files and stored them elsewhere. I set up a box for recent articles and gave away lots of stuff, such as a desk, microwave and fridge. This was just the beginning. I was tempted to throw away everything including furniture, but I stuck to the plan, and ultimately was ready for the movers.

I hope other ADDers who have a future task which seems too tedious to do will learn, as I did, not to give up , but to stick to a systematic plan. Having a definite deadline helped, of course.

IT’S JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR THE ADD COACH

2010-05-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today started off badly in terms of my ADD. When it starts this way, the whole day is off. First, I went to the doctor who noted that my white long pants were covered with what looked like blood, but was really lipstick. How did that happen? I really don’t know. So before going to my office, I changed my pants, and then went to buy coffee. So far, not so bad until I reached my office, started to drink my coffee, and found that the top was not securely on. So after spilling my coffee all over me, I went to my car and got a Diet Coke. I dropped it on the ground, and the can exploded and got all over my clothes. I expected a client so couldn’t go home. I washed my clothes off as much as possible, but still had to explain myself to my clients. Thank God most of them were ADDers! Finally, I finally decided to write this blog, when I realized that I had left my computer at the coffee shop. Fortunately, it was found and I retrieved it. But what a day!.

Have you adult ADDers ever had a totally messed up day like I did?

ADHD IS A PERVASIVE DISORDER

2010-04-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

In coaching and counseling families with an AD(H)D member, I’ve become increasingly aware that many ( even the ADHDer himself) is unaware of the characteristics and pervasiveness of his brain style in all contexts. For example, some ADHDers take stimulant medication to focus better at work. But often their families and friends complain about associated behaviors such as procrastination, poor listening skills, forgetfulness, interrupting social conversations, and lack of efficient time management. These and other behaviors are not separate from ADHD. Yet I hear many people say” I know he has AD(H)D, but apart from that, he has many annoying characteristics”. Interestingly, they don’t realize that many of the disturbing behaviors are in fact typical of ADHD and are not separate problems. Also, these behaviors occur in all contexts, not just at work or in social settings. Often, the ADHDer himself is unaware of all the associated behaviors and the impact they have on others.

An ADHD Wedding Part 4

2010-03-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

MY PARTY FOR THE FAMILY TURNED OUT GREAT. WHEN IT COMES TO PARTIES, EVEN THOUGH I’M AN ADHER AND OFTEN SPACEY, I WAS AMAZINGLY ORGANIZED AND HYPERFOCUSED ON EVERY DETAIL IN THIS SITUATION. THE NEXT DAY WAS THE ADHD WEDDING. CLEARLY, MY ADHD SON AND HIS WIFE HYPERFOCUSED ALSO AND DID A GREAT JOB. THEY’RE BOTH VERY CREATIVE AND HAD NICE TOUCHES. ONE OF THEM I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER ENTAILED EACH OF THEM TAKING A CYLINDER OF SAND( RED AND BLUE) AND MIXING THEM TOGETHER TO SYMBOLIZE THEIR MARRIAGE.. ANOTHER TOUCH WHICH WAS WAS MY SON BREAKING THE GLASS WITH HIS FOOT, WHICH IS ALWAYS DONE AT JEWISH WEDDING CEREMONIES TO SYMBOLIZE THE IRREVOCABILITY OF MARRIAGE VOWS. EVEN THOUGH MY SON DIDN’T WANT A FORMAL WEDDING WITH A RABBI AND A RELIGIOUS CEREMONY, I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE HE STILL WAS CONSCIOUS OF HIS HERITAGE. THE SECULAR WEDDING WAS BEAUTIFUL. THEN, THEY WENT OFF TO COSTA RICA FOR THEIR HONEYMOON, A PERFECT COUNTRY FOR THE ADVENTUROUS ADHDERS.

SO YOU SEE, THERE WERE MANY POSITIVE ASPECTS OF HAVING ADHD ON THIS MEMORABLE OCCASION!

Adult ADDers Need To Accept Their Brain Styles

2010-03-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

Recently, I met a college student who saw me for couples counseling and school issues. The couples issue was easily resolved. However, the school problems were still troubling her. All along, this bright student had been telling me that often she’s not motivated to finish a paper or do tedious parts of the class requirements, and was risking academic probation. At one point, I asked her whether this had been a longstanding problem, and she replied that until college, her mother stayed on her case. Now, neither her adviser nor any professor holds her accountable.

I had been suggesting to her that she has an ADHD-like brain style. I thought she was starting to feel stupid and lazy, because she wouldn’t accept her brain style, and had no external source to hold her accountable. Early on, she found my reframing her issue as ADD-like annoying, and it was childish to look for external controls. However, I told her she has to work with her brain style rather than fight against it and wait to be motivated. But in our recent visits, she told that she found two professors in courses she was having trouble with , and they agreed to meet with her weekly and hold her accountable for producing her work. She felt amazed that with external contingencies she could get through all her courses . After all, before college, children and adolescents, experience accountability with external contingencies provided by teachers and parents.

How do I know this? Because I’m ADHD and felt bad about my underperforming, until I accepted my brain style and worked with it.

The young woman I treated profited from coaching and counseling using strategies that are often effective with ADDers.

Marijuana For ADD/ADHD Adults?

2010-02-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

A client of mine who is classically ADHD, told me that he stopped his stimulants for ADHD because they made him more anxious and moody. Was this because the dose was too high, or because some ADDers don’t respond positively to stimulants? I don’t know the answer, but he turned to a regular use of pot which he claimed made him more alert and focused, and did not make him anxious. This is surprising, since usually one thinks of pot as making one less focused. He did say, however, that if he took pot in an unstructured situation and was not goal oriented, he was unfocused. But when there was a structure, routine and a passion for his work, pot enhanced his performance. Is this phenomenon possible?

Since marijuana has been legalized for medical use in several states, it has been tried by professionals for emotional and behavioral disorders, and as a substitute for stimulant use in ADHD. Some doctors report fewer side effects from pot and less anxiety. With stimulants, ADHD adults who are high strung, can become more anxious. According to some reports, pot, like the stimulants can have a paradoxical effect in ADDers, leading to heightened alertness and enhanced focusing. However, as we know, with pot, there are concerns about quality control of the drug in terms of its purity and potency. Moreover, there are many systematic studies documenting adverse effects of pot on the brain, particularly in the area of memory.
Whatever happened to cognitive-behavior therapy or coaching for ADDers as the initial intervention, before entering the world of stimulants and marijuana?

An ADHD Wedding - Part 3

2010-01-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO MY FIRST BLOG ABOUT MY SON’S ADHD WEDDING, WHERE I PREDICTED THERE WOULD CONTINUE TO BE CHANGES. FIRST, THERE WAS THE CHANGE IN DATE, THEN A CHANGE FROM A POSIBLE RABBI TO A NONSECTARIAN PASTOR, AND NOW,TO THE SIZE OF THE SMALL WEDDING. YES, THIS WEDDING , WHICH ONLY HAD THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY IS NOW DOUBLE IN SIZE, WITH A PROCESSION OF THE BRIDE, MATRON OF HONOR AND FLOWER GIRS. REMEMBER, INITIALLY, THE COUPLE WAS READY TO ELOPE!.

AlSO, I WAS PLANING TO HAVE A LITTLE GET-TOGETHER FOR THE 2 FAMILES AFTERWARD. BUT THE WEDDING IS ON SUNDAY, AND THEY LEAVE FOR COSTA RICA THE NEXT MORNING, SO I COULDN’T DO IT, AND I AM HAVING A SMALL CATERED PARTY THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING. THAT HAS MORPHED INTO A BIGGER PARTY WITH FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF MY SON AND HIS FIANCE.

HOW MANY ARE COMING.. MORE AND MORE. I HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS IS MY SECOND AND LAST CHILD TO BE MARRIED..SO WHAT THE HELL!

My husband just edited this blog and asked why it’s all in capitals. As an ADDer myself, I didn’t notice that, and now, it’s too much effort to change the whole thing.

An ADHD Wedding Part-2

An ADHD Wedding Part-1

Have You Ever Thought About Coaching For ADHD?

Stimulant Use in Non-ADDers

2010-01-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

There has been an increasing number of high school and college students who are taking stimulant medication for AD(H)D. Are They all truly AD(H)D? Probably not, since the prevalence of AD(H)D in the population would be absurdly high. Along these lines, I recently learned that several college mental health clinics will not prescribe stimulants, and insist that students use community resources outside of the college to get a prescription for stimulants. Clinic staff have figured out that the number of students asking for stimulants keeps increasing.

In light of recent developments, some professionals are arguing that non-ADDers as well could get an “edge” using stimulant medication. The original studies in this did show that many “normals” benefited academically from stimulants. Not surprising, since most of these medications are amphetamine derivatives, which improve focus and concentration.

Why not prescribe stimulants to all students in order to improve their academic work? First of all, to my knowledge, there have been no follow-up studies of stimulant use starting in adulthood. Also, there are side effects, some of them medical, and many taking stimulants are not regularly monitored.

So my question is: Do we give stimulants medication to any adult, AD(H)D or not, to improve their academics? Strangely enough, a few years ago, some advocated putting Prozac (the wonder antidepressant drug), in the water supply to benefit everyone, depressed or not. But meanwhile we’ve learned about all the problems that Prozac caused. Now, stimulants are the wonder drugs.

Adult ADHD: Tunnel Vision On Tedious Tasks

2009-12-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

Today, as an ADDer who also coaches and counsels other ADDers, I became aware of difficulties attending to detail on a tedious task. But my problem went far beyond just not paying attention. After procrastinating for several months, I decided that it was time to record all my business expenses for the year. Most of the expenses are on credit cards, thank God!

I took out my checkbook of the year, and diligently recorded every expense. In attending to the detailed account, I became aware that some items did not make sense. For example, why was my office rent lower than I was paying now? I almost called the landlord about this. Or, I remembered giving a particular client a rebate one year ago and not two months ago. I continued with my task so that, despite hurrying through it, it would be completed. However, when certain items and dates didn’t compute, I should have stopped and thought of alternative explanations. But no, I just wanted to get done.

Was there an alternative explanation? Yes, I was using last year’s checkbook and not the current one. I simply had tunnel vision, which must occur on many tedious tasks. As a coach and therapist, working directly with people and their issues is rarely tedious, and if anything, I am hyperfocused in this arena. I feel I can integrate a variety of information and think of alternative hypotheses.

If you are an adult ADDer, does tunnel vision occur on tedious tasks?

How Can Coaching Help My ADHD?