HomeHealthEntertainmentOpinionInterviewsHoroscopeCartoons

Check out Amazon.com's
Top 100
ADHD Books

Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot by Al Franken

You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!: A Self-Help Book for Adults with ADD by Kate Kelly, Peggy Ramundo

All
About
Attention Deficit Disorder by Thomas W. Phelan, PhD.

Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping With ADD from Childhood Through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey

   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which has been called the "in" diagnosis of the '90s, is nothing more than an elaborate hoax perpetrated by the psychological community according to critics such as Rush Limbaugh and Phyliss Schlafly. A week hardly passes without a negative story in the news media about ADHD and the use of Ritalin, one of several medications used to treat its symptoms.
   The Church of Scientology, which is spearheading the fight against ADHD as a major part of its ongoing battle against psychology in general, is attempting to undermine the credibility of the psychological community by pouring its vast resources into their attempt to demonize Ritalin. Scientology, which many critics claim is a mind control cult, declares "Ritalin has turned essentially normal, healthy children into depressed, listless, and sometimes violent or suicidal ADDicts."
   Dr. Russell Barkley, director of psychology and professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, dispels such talk. Widely considered the world's leading expert on ADHD, Barkley calls Ritalin, which has been prescribed safely and effectively for more than 40 years, "safer than aspirin."
   Despite the claims of Limbaugh, Schlafly, and other charter members of what some ADHD sufferers have called the, "Earth is Flat Club," Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is coming closer to being scientifically validated. In 1996 the National Institute of Mental Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published the results of an extensive study in the Archives of General Psychiatry which indicates there may be a physical cause for ADHD).
   The results of a study of 57 boys with ADHD, aged 5-18, revealed "three structures on the right side of the brain—prefrontal cortex, caudate nucleus and global pallidus—were smaller than normal in boys with ADHD."
   "If the prefrontal cortex is the steering wheel, the caudate and globus are the accelerator and brakes," said F. Xavier Castellanos, M.D., coauthor of the July report. "And it's this breaking or inhibitory function that is likely impaired in ADHD."
   Once thought to be a disorder which only affected children, adults are being diagnosed with ADHD in eye-opening numbers. Several Brevard Community College (Brevard County, Fla.) students with ADHD are registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities. Students with ADHD (students must provide documentation from a physician) are eligible for benefits such as tutorial services, priority registration in order to secure a favorable class schedule, and extra time on tests--including special tests such as CLEP, SAT and CLAST.

Search: All Products Books Magazines Music Classical Music Video DVD Toys & Games Baby Video Games Computer Games Electronics Software Tools & Hardware Outdoor Living Kitchen-Housewares Camera & Photo Wireless Phones Keywords:

   Despite the growing number of ADHD students taking advantage of the available resources it's believed there are many more haven't yet registered. "I don't think most of the students with ADHD realize we're available to help them," said Robin Severence, a BCC learning disabilities specialist.
   The number of students seeking BCC's help has grown large enough for Severence to join with her student assistant, Lisa Bregenzer, to organize an ADHD support group which meets each month on the Cocoa campus. If the turnout at September's meeting is any indication, there are many students with firsthand knowledge of the existence of ADHD. More than 50 people attended the afternoon session, which was an unusually large turnout for a new group, Severence said.
   "That's a bigger turnout than many [BCC] clubs get," said Severence.
   It's not surprising to find a high prevalence of ADHD on college campuses. Higher-than-average intelligence and creativity are hallmarks of ADHD. Psychologists estimate as many as 50 percent of the world's geniuses (an IQ over 140 is considered genius) have  ADHD.
   For those whose lives have been irrevocably changed because of their constant battle with the disorder, it doesn't take a Mensa-level IQ to realize ADHD is not a hoax. Harvard Medical School's Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., co-author of Driven to Distraction, understands ADHD better than most because he suffers from it.
   "Some people say the so-called syndrome doesn't even exist, but believe me it does," said Hallowell. "It's like being super charged all the time. You get one idea and you have to act on it, and then, what do you know, but you've got another idea before you've finished up with the first one, and so you go for that one, but of course a third idea intercepts the second, and you just have to follow that one, and pretty soon people are calling you disorganized and impulsive and all sorts of impolite words that miss the point completely. Because you're trying really hard."
   While many people find ADHD disabling, there are some who believe it's a gift. "I wouldn't trade my ADHD for anything on earth," said a BCC student who prefers not to be identified because of the stigma of being labeled with such a disorder. "ADHD symptoms are mostly positive. Once you learn to control the negative aspects, anything short of ruling the world is yours for the taking."
   Many experts agree. The list of famous and accomplished people suspected of having ADHD is impressive, including Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, presidents Kennedy and Clinton, comic Robin Williams, and Henry Ford.
   Controlling the negative symptoms of ADHD—impulsiveness, low tolerance for boredom, easy distractibility—through the use of cognitive therapy as well as medication such as Ritalin, may be all that stands between those who never seem to live up to their vast potential and the next Nobel laureate.
   "Their cognitive style is qualitatively different from most people's," said Dr. Hallowell. "What at first may seem impaired, with patience and encouragement may become gifted. In places where most of us are blind, they can, if not see, at least they feel the light, and they can produce answers apparently out of the dark."
   For ADHD sufferer Albert Einstein, such abilities helped him overcome the stigma of being a failure in high school. For many "ADDults" back in school after less-than-stellar performances in high school, the combination of Ritalin and the help of BCC's Office of Students with Disabilities may finally unleash the unfulfilled potential that may give the world it's next Einstein.

HomeImagine MediaHumor Factory
PhotoContact