> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Reggie Bautista
... > Have you ever considered the possibility you might have Attention Deficit > Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or a learning disorder? I think I've mentioned it before around here, but in case it helps remove any embarrassment, etc., that anybody might about about considering this about themselves, I'd be happy to talk about ADHD from long personal experience. A couple of years ago, after a friend was diagnosed with ADD and his descriptions of the characteristics of it sounded so familiar that I started reading quite a bit about it. The books all read like the story of my life, down to a really surprising number of details. Some important things to know... ADD and ADHD describe a spectrum of symptoms/characteristics. We *all* have them to one extent or another. The important things are the degree to which you have them and the degree to which they interfere with your life. Current research suggests there are about 26 varieties of ADD, having to do with activation levels in different parts of the brain. Diet, exercise and environment, along with stress management, are at least as useful as medication in controlling it. Predicting which medications, if any, will help a person seems to be impossible. My friend tried a dozen or more, none of which helped, several of which made things worse for him. I got some help from Dexedrine, but then went into the clinical trial for Atomoxetine, now available as Strattera, which is the first non-stimulant medication for ADD (it stimulates norepinephrine production). A combination of Strattera and Concerta (sustained-release Ritalin) seems to work best for me. Whether I need and want them has a lot to do with what I'm trying to accomplish on a given day. If I'm brainstorming, they make things harder. If I need to spend long hours sitting still, they're essential, especially if the work is tedious. And the higher my overall stress is, the worse my ADHD is. Having said all that, I'm not really comfortable with the idea that ADD/ADHD is an illness. It is a difference, to be sure, but it is a difference that is a huge advantage in some ways. And being able to turn it on and off, to a certain extent, gives me an interesting tool for changing modes of work, in particular. As for reading, I'd suggest Dr. Daniel Amen's books and web site (http://www.amenclinic.com/ac/default.asp) for more understanding the subtypes and relationships to the brain. That's where Jeroen might find some info about brain injuries and ADD. And by the way, Jeroen, 30 minutes of unconsciousness *absolutely* can have long-term effects. And so can emotional trauma from an incident like the one you described. (And just to make things more difficult to sort out, things like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder manifest themselves much like ADD. I know plenty about that one, too.) One of my favorite books about ADD is "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Crazy or Stupid?" And there's a great little book about the idea that those of us who are ADD are hunters in a world of farmers: http://www.thomhartmann.com/addbooks.shtml What were we talking about? Nick _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
