Attention Deficit Disorder: The Good and the Bad

ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) can be both a blessing and a curse. ADD in general is characterized by a moderate list of symptoms ranging from a lack of concentration to impulsive behavior. The reason that ADD is considered a blessing and a curse is because most often it is discovered that people diagnosed with the disorder are bestowed an expansive and creative mind allowing them to "think outside the box" so to speak and have bursts of energy that are reminiscent of a manic stage in people found to have bi-polar disorder. However, even though these qualities are quite admirable they do come at a price. Adults and children with ADD have extremely difficult times sitting still and focusing on tasks in an educational environment such as schools or colleges. This is because their minds are moving at lightning speeds from one subject to another from bordem and a lack of intense stimulus. Depression and manic depression also ride on the coat tales of ADD.
Several well conducted studies have shown that children with ADD/ADHD are more likely than others to become depressed at some time during their development. In fact, their risk for developing depression is as much as 3 times greater than for other children and the risk for adults with the condition is even greater. Here are some statistics for children and young adults with ADD.

A classroom with 30 students will have between 1 and 3 children with ADHD. This typically affects 3% to 5% of children overall. Boys are diagnosed with ADHD 3 times more often than girls.

Emotional development in children with ADHD is 30% slower than in their non-ADD peers. This means that a child that is 10 years old will have the emotional development of a 7 year old, a 20 year old will have the emotional maturity of a 14 year old.

One fourth of children with ADHD have serious learning disabilities such as: oral expression, listening skills, reading comprehension and/or math.

65% of children with ADHD exhibit problems in defiance or problems with authority figures. This can include verbal hostility and temper tantrums.

75% of boys diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have hyperactivity. 60% of girls diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have hyperactivity.

50% of children with ADHD experience sleep problems. Teenagers with ADHD have almost four times as many traffic citations as non-ADD/ADHD drivers. They have four times as many car accidents and are seven times more likely to have a second accident.

21% of teens with ADHD skip school on a regular basis, and 35% drop out of before finishing high school.

45% of children with ADHD have been suspended from school at least once. 30% of children with ADHD have either repeated a year in school.

Many people with ADD become depressed from what they describe as a "lack of achievement" in contemporary social and work settings. Because of their lack of concentration they typically are considered to be sub-standard achievers in school and the work place. Almost any disruption of any kind can redirect their focus to something other than the tasks at hand.

Since ADD/ADHD is a common behavioral disorder acknowledged by physicians it can be detected in early childhood development most typically before the age of seven. ADD was first identified as a disorder in 1902 and for many years doctors believed it was a form of serious brain damage. Since then that theory has been proven wrong, but the exact cause of the disorder is still not known. What scientists do know is that the disorder is closely related to the size and density of certain brain structures and the way that chemical reactions take place in the brain. Scientists have discovered in the brain of a person with ADD that they have a smaller cortex which is considered to be very important for thought and action. This diminished size is normally seen to occur in what's known as the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is a very important part of the brain, playing a role in many key functions including impulse control, socialization, reason, and judgment. Scientists believe this is the reason why many children "drift off", have sudden outbursts, and make poor decisions. Other research into the disorder has focused on different nerve tissues in the brain, it appears that the tissue is smaller or thinner than a person without the disorder of the same age. Along with physical differences in brain structure researchers believe that like depression and bi-polar disorder people with ADD have chemical differences as well. Some studies on children have shown that these children have low amounts of dopamine which is a neurotransmitter in the brain. Neurotransmitters are basically messengers that carry information to and from nerve cells. Since dopamine plays a key role in the functioning of the cortex, not having enough of it is thought to have a strong impact on cognitive processes such as attention and focusing, the very same problem people with ADD struggle with.

There are many treatment options available for ADD/ADHD, some treatment options include inpatient cognitive therapy while other treatments use medications which are thought to be more effective. ADD medications that are stimulants act by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain. These medications are known as methylphenidate (Ritalin, Metadate, Concerta), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), combination amphetamine salts (Adderall), dextromethamphetamine (Desoxyn), and lisdexamphetamine (Vyvance). Atomoxetine (Strattera) is a non-stimulant medication designed for the symptoms of the disorder, but is often found to be ineffective when compared to stimulants. Some anti-depressants have shown signs of effectiveness also such as burpropion (Wellbutrin) and others, however bupropion is different than other anti-depressants in that it is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor whereas most other anti- depressants are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. In my own personal experiences I have only seen effective results from Wellbutrin and Adderall XR for my concentration woes.

Many important people today have battled with ADD/ADHD a time or two. Provided below is a list of people that have either openly admitted to having the disorder or professionals have deemed them to most likely have had it in hindsight.

Ansel Adams-Photographer
Ann Bancroft-Actress
Alexander Graham Bell-Inventor
Hans Christian Anderson-Author
Beethoven-Composer
Harry Belafonte-Actor and singer
Terry Bradshaw-Football quarterback--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
George Burns-Actor
Jim Carey-Comedian--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Cher-Actor and singer
Winston Churchill-Author
Bill Cosby-Actor and comedian--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Tom Cruise-Actor--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Kirk Douglas-Actor--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Walt Disney-Entertainment founder
John Denver-Muscician
Leonardo da Vinci-Inventor and artist
Salvador Dali-Artist
Thomas Edison-Inventor
Albert Einstein-Physicist
Dwight D. Eisenhower-President
Malcolm Forbes-Forbes magazine
Henry Ford-Ford automobiles
Benjamin Franklin-Politician
Danny Glover-Actor--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Whoopi Goldberg-Actress--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Ernest Hemingway-Author
Dustin Hoffman-Actor--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
"Magic" Johnson-NBA player--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Michael Jordon-NBA player--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
John F. Kennedy-President
John Lennon-Muscician
Carl Lewis-Olympic gold medalist--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Abraham Lincoln-President
Napoleon Bonaparte-Emporer
Issac Newton-Scientist
Nostradamus-Prophet
Nolan Ryan-Baseball player
Ozzy Ozbourne-Muscician--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
General George Patton-Military
Pete Rose-Baseball player--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Babe Ruth-Baseball player--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Will Smith-Actor--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Steven Spielberg-Filmaker--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Sylvester Stallone-Actor--Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Robin Williams-Actor --Confirmed ADD or ADHD
Orville Wright-Airplane developer

http://www.adhdrelief.com/famous.html
http://add.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/nonstimulants.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention-deficit_hyperactivity_disorder