Proud To Be A.d.d. - ADD / ADHD Message Board

sheezle · 07-07-2004, 04:10 AM

I came to these boards to look up some info on medicine my sister has been subscribed and when i saw a.d.d. I had to jump on....I am a 34 year old female and have always had and always known i had a.d.d....I read a post where bearboy or some name like that told another she did not want to be a.d.d...I feel the exact opposite..I find most if not all a.d.d. people to be very creative, sensitive to how others r feeling and what they are thinking..I believe once you realize that you are wired differently and you arrange your life to suit you then a.d.d. is a gift..Ok yes, I do remember walking behind a teacher in the hall and just tripped him..It was an impulse that I find incredibly funny now but at the time it wasn't..I was never put on any medication although it was suggested to my mom more then once..I did get into trouble at home for serious events but for the most part when someone would point out what I was doing odd in thier eyes my mom would respond with " thats kelly " She would brag to others about my a.d.d. traits...As for school work I really never had a problem in the early hours it was just being in one place too long that seemed to turn my brain off. When I started high school my mom, being the angel she was, asked me what my problem with school was and i told her if it just wasn't so long..She found a night school that usually kids that got kicked out of other schools went to..Well she had me take 3 classes at my normal school,come home for 3 hour break then my last 3 hours at the night school. Ya, I still struggle with being disorganized and at times i get overwhelmed easily but i know this about myself and I make an honest effort to work on them..I can have something in my hand one minute and 10 seconds later not know where it went..Once the people around you understand that we are just wired differently (but not wrong)it also helps..My husband no longer gets mad when I don't remember where i put the car keys. He'll look at me and say "car keys" then he rolls his eyes and we both bust up laughing...My point is Embrace who you are make it work for you..Put yourself in a career for no other reason then true passion no amount of money can make an a.d.d. person happy with thier job unless its a passion for them..We usually do best in creative jobs or jobs with excitement..police officer etc...If this post helps just one person be proud of who you are then all this typing has been worth..HECK YA I'M A.D.D. AND LOVING IT!!!! BY THE WAY WHEN I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOLL MY GPA WAS 3.8..NOT TOO SHABBY FOR A MINIMAL BRAIN DYSFUNCTION..LOL..THATS WHAT THEY USE TO CALL A.D.D..THEY WERE JUST JEALOUS!!!

Afdia1086 · 07-07-2004, 06:44 AM

Thats great, too bad everyone is not like that. For me, I accept it, but it sucks! Until I started taking medication, i jumped from job to job trying to "find myself". I had a horrible temper and a worse attitude towards EVERYONE. I had no patience for anyone including family members and other loved ones. I could barely remember something from 3 seconds ago and anything I read would go in and out with virtually no retention whatsoever. I have been on Strattera since January. I can tell you this, my life is 1,000 times better! I am calm, more patient, understanding, and I actually have a job I like and am a Vice President! I think it's great that you embrace your ADD! You can have mine too!!!

sheezle · 07-07-2004, 09:41 AM

Thats great that you found what works for you. Straterra has helped you control the traits that held you back. Although you probably landed the success of your job due to the A.d.d. traits that are pure blessings. Your temper was obviously frustration from not fulfilling the intelligent person(not the a.d.d) . By no means did I mean to suggest medicine is not the way. Whatever works. Thats my point!!! Find what works for you!! By all means don't use it as a crutch. Read books and I mean books, not symptoms on the internet and educate yourself about it. My son is having problems with the self control part of it also and I am seriously thinking about finding a med right for him. I do feel its holding him back but at the same time I also see the other wonderful traits that A.D.D. has given him..outgoing, sensitive, creative.etc..I wouldn't trade him for the world. I am a one finger pecker when it comes to typing so this is all for now..congrats on your success.

Afdia1086 · 07-07-2004, 11:51 AM

I hear ya'! I didn't mean my last post to come off as a rebutal. I was trying to illustrate the other side of the coin. I agree with what you say, alot of people who've met me say I am very funny. I was SO afraid to take medication in the past because I though I would loose my humor and spontanaity. Turns out, I was SHARPER with the medication then without. i also agree with you about using it as a crutch, when I was young ADD was called "hyperactivity" and there were no programs unless you were sent to a "special needs" school. So I hid it, and so did my parents and some doctors so I never truly knew what was "wrong" with me! It wasn't until I was older that I looked into symptoms I had and realizied I had this trait. The best thing about it is after you have treated (for lack of a better term I guess) it, you get a great sense of realease. A sense that you can finally do the things you thought about and finish and concentrate on. That is worth the 20 years I had of frustration and confusion.

Jennita · 07-10-2004, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheezle

I came to these boards to look up some info on medicine my sister has been subscribed and when i saw a.d.d. I had to jump on....I am a 34 year old female and have always had and always known i had a.d.d....I read a post where bearboy or some name like that told another she did not want to be a.d.d...I feel the exact opposite..I find most if not all a.d.d. people to be very creative, sensitive to how others r feeling and what they are thinking..I believe once you realize that you are wired differently and you arrange your life to suit you then a.d.d. is a gift..Ok yes, I do remember walking behind a teacher in the hall and just tripped him..It was an impulse that I find incredibly funny now but at the time it wasn't..I was never put on any medication although it was suggested to my mom more then once..I did get into trouble at home for serious events but for the most part when someone would point out what I was doing odd in thier eyes my mom would respond with " thats kelly " She would brag to others about my a.d.d. traits...As for school work I really never had a problem in the early hours it was just being in one place too long that seemed to turn my brain off. When I started high school my mom, being the angel she was, asked me what my problem with school was and i told her if it just wasn't so long..She found a night school that usually kids that got kicked out of other schools went to..Well she had me take 3 classes at my normal school,come home for 3 hour break then my last 3 hours at the night school. Ya, I still struggle with being disorganized and at times i get overwhelmed easily but i know this about myself and I make an honest effort to work on them..I can have something in my hand one minute and 10 seconds later not know where it went..Once the people around you understand that we are just wired differently (but not wrong)it also helps..My husband no longer gets mad when I don't remember where i put the car keys. He'll look at me and say "car keys" then he rolls his eyes and we both bust up laughing...My point is Embrace who you are make it work for you..Put yourself in a career for no other reason then true passion no amount of money can make an a.d.d. person happy with thier job unless its a passion for them..We usually do best in creative jobs or jobs with excitement..police officer etc...If this post helps just one person be proud of who you are then all this typing has been worth..HECK YA I'M A.D.D. AND LOVING IT!!!! BY THE WAY WHEN I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOLL MY GPA WAS 3.8..NOT TOO SHABBY FOR A MINIMAL BRAIN DYSFUNCTION..LOL..THATS WHAT THEY USE TO CALL A.D.D..THEY WERE JUST JEALOUS!!!

I personally believe ADD should not be defined as a mental disorder, which is a polite way of saying mental illness.

It is a different wiring, and most ADDers' seem to test high IQ's...is that mental illness. NO, not by any means. But in order to sell all those toxic, profitable drugs, one must be catorgorized with an illness in order for insurance companies to pay.

Long term use of amphetamines for ADD has recently been linked to development of depression. They also take their toll on the heart, kidneys and liver. They disrupt sleep patterns which are vital to mental and physical health. Tolerance can develop, which leads to many problems.

Anyway, the labeling needs to stop. Mental illness used to be reserved for those who had delusions, no touch with reality. Now it can be anybody who doesn't feel or act perfect according to what's expected. That used to be called eccentric or gifted, I think...

Anyway, I got through school fine but getting me to voluntarily read though a whole book is near impossible. Think I'm ADD? Who knows. I don't. I doubt it because I know I am not all that smart(IQ), which seems to be an ADD trait.

However, I would not even consider going in for a diagnosis. I'll take what I've been given. Don't allow others to label you. If we were all the same, what kind of world would it be?