Types of Attention Deficit Disorder

With the wonders of the Internet, there are so many quizzes, etc. that make things interesting. Somehow I came across the ADD quiz. I thought this will be a hoot - until I was finished. Most of the answers pointed to having ADD. The only thing that I didn't have was hyperactivity. Oh, I can sit so quietly, as I daydream the hours away. I was shocked, but then, not so shocked. I knew something wasn't "right" for a long time. I just compensated for it.

Then one night, thank God for PBS television. I watched a show by Dr. Amen. He was mesmerizing. He is a board certified psychiatrist, practicing for many years. He is also an open-minded doctor, and started using a new technology to study ADD. And did I mention - he has children with ADD. The next day I was on Amazon, ordering his books. This was a life-changing experience.

I devoured his book on healing ADD. I laughed, I cried, and most of all, I related. I related to the truth that I have had ADD all my life, and it never was diagnosed when young, never treated, and never went away. In school, I maintained a B+ average. but it took me hours to complete homework because of problems focusing. Major projects finally entailed help from parents on the last day, because I couldn't possibly finish on time. When I took tests, answers that I knew would blank out until I laid the test on the teacher's desk, and then it was too late to take it back to add what I remembered.

But I had plenty of time to daydream. I daydreamed when I did the dishes, and chores, and before falling asleep. People thought I was lazy.

From early childhood, I could not organize. My room was a total mess. I bought oh so may schedulers, and daytimers in adult life, and they did not keep me organized. I could only "find" what was sitting in a stack in front of me. When I tidied my room, and put it "away" in a closet or drawer, it then became "lost" until I went through my drawers a year later.

When I finished school, I hated working if it required organization or focus. And forget filling out paperwork. I married, and was a stay at home Mom, which I enjoyed. I sewed, did projects - which I had trouble finishing, cooked healthy meals, raised kids. And it seemed to take me longer even with projects like cooking, because of issues with organizing and staying focused. No matter what I did, I always somehow felt disconnected.

Then there was just me and my youngest, my daughter. I was now a single Mom, and I found a job I could deal with, because I got to travel the country, which kept things different, while I demonstrated products, which was the same. It was a perfect fit for 20 years. I had no boss breathing over my shoulder. I worked at my own pace. Life was better.

Then my daughter was grown and married, and I was alone. But I still had my work that I loved, because I traveled to a different show, and location every week.

And my daughter had a beautiful son. and then a daughter. I was a Grandma. But there were signs that my grandson might have some problems. He too was a daydreamer. And don't feed him anything with red dye in it, or he will be climbing the walls.

Now that I know more about ADD, we are 4 generations of ADD. My mother, myself, my daughter, and my grandson, and we all have different types. It would have been such a blessing if we had only known why back when. But we didn't. We made do, and compensated.

Dr. Amen is a clinical neuroscientist, and psychiatrist, and has been practicing for many years. Back in the 90's, when he saw presentations on the SPECT scans, he thought they might be useful to him. He conducted research, and started a process of taking brain SPECT scans on his family, friends, and then patients. It was like he discovered a new language. He could see a direct correlation between behavior and a malfunctioning brain section.

As a trained medical professional, he documented his findings. He took it slow. But inwardly, he was excited. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a physical way to prove what is behind behavior problems.

As he collected a vast amount of brain research, he started to publish his findings. Was the medical profession ready to greet his "scientific research" with open arms?

Instead of rejoicing with the introduction of a new tool to clearly support the physical evidence of brain malfunction in a specific area behind behavior patterns, he was sent "hate mail." He came under investigation from the psychiatric medical community.

Now fortunately, over a decade later, his brain research findings hold true. He is regarded as a top expert in his field. Progressive psychiatrists are now following in his footsteps. Dr. Daniel G. Amen is a pioneer in the field of brain SPECT scans to determine brain malfunction, and you can benefit from his research.