add

What is ADD?



Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD/ADHD, is a psychological term currently applied to

anyone who meets the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for impulsivity, hyperactivity and/or

inattention. The diagnostic criteria are subjective and include behavior which might be

caused by a wide variety of factors, ranging from brain defects to allergies to

giftedness. ADD, as currently defined, is a highly subjective description, not a specific

disease.



Confusion and controversy is caused by the tendency of some mental health professionals

to assume that everyone diagnosed with ADD has some mysterious, irreversible brain

defect. This assumption has its roots in the very first group of severely ADD people ever

studied, who suffered from encephalitis, or a swelling of the brain. We also have learned

that birth defects and brain injury from toxic chemicals such as lead often cause

ADD. However, over the last several decades the ADD diagnostic criteria have been so

broadened as to include many people with no brain defects at all. Experts in the fields of

temperament and creativity have objected that perfectly healthy people are being classified

as disordered. Huge numbers of these new types of people being added to the diagnostic

pot have changed the way ADD is viewed in some circles, including people like Thom

Hartmann, who popularized the idea of ADDers being "Hunters in a Farmer's World". On the

other hand, many argue that such people aren't ADD in the first place. Both may be

correct. This website was started with the first viewpoint in mind (hence the title), but as

time passes I find myself more likely to just say that many so-called ADD people are simply

not ADD in the classic sense.



There are two major types of ADD at this time (this aspect of ADD keeps evolving): ADD

with hyperactivity (the traditional type of ADD) and ADD without hyperactivity ("inattentive"

type). Here are the DSM IV diagnostic criteria in a condensed form:



Inattention (must meet six of the following to a degree that is "maladaptive"):



 Often fails to give close attention to details or makes mistakes in schoolwork;

 difficulty sustaining attention in tasks;

 seems not to listen;

 fails to follow instructions or finish work;

 unorganized;

 difficulties with schoolwork or homework;

 loses things like school assignments, books, tools, etc.;

 easily distracted;

 forgetful about daily activities.



ADD with Hyperactivity (must meet six of the following to a degree that is

"maladaptive"):



 fidgety in a squirmy sense;

 doesn't stay seated;

 runs or climbs excessively (or feelings of restlessness in older children);

 difficulty playing quietly;

 often "on the go" or acts if "driven by a motor";

 often talks excessively;

 blurts out answers to questions;

 difficulty waiting in lines or waiting turns;

 often interrupts or intrudes on others.



For a longer version of the DSM IV criteria and quotes on related MBTI temperament traits,

Technically, ADD is not something you can suddenly come down with. "Symptoms" such as

excessive daydreaming or hyperactivity must be present by the age of seven in two or more

settings and cannot be explained by some other psychological condition such as depression

or anxiety. However, there are cases of people acquiring the symptoms of ADD after

experiencing brain trauma.



I will mention the "Lego Test" here. For boys in particular, some professionals say that if a

child can stay highly focused and on-task when it comes to following Lego directions, then

he is not actually ADD. This is, of course, not part of any official diagnostic manual and

others would dispute it.



There is no exclusion for behavior caused by giftedness, normal temperament diversity,

allergies or fatty acid deficiencies. If you meet the criteria, then you are ADD, even if your

behavior is the result of having an IQ of 175 and being confined to a dull school. Behavior

cannot be caused by some other psychological condition, however, such as depression or

anxiety.









Background and History: ADD was first identified and studied in the early 1900's,

although it wasn't called ADD back then. After World War I, researchers noted that

children who had contracted encephalitis displayed a high incidence of hyperactivity,

impulsivity, and conduct disorders. And in the 1940's, some soldiers who had experienced

brain injuries were found to have behavioral disorders.1 It seemed clear that brain damage

could cause hyperactivity. Other forms of brain insult have since been identified as causes

of hyperactivity, including exposure to lead and other environmental toxins, as well as fetal

exposure to drugs and alcohol.



Once brain damage was identified as a cause of hyperactivity in certain patients,

researchers assumed that all hyperactivity was caused by brain damage, even when no

brain damage could be identified. That's why ADD was once called "minimal brain

dysfunction." This is an important point to understand. It is because of this early

association of brain injury and hyperactivity that ADD traits are still assumed by many to

reflect a brain disorder. Researchers made a giant leap in logic: Because brain injury can

lead to hyperactivity, they believed that all hyperactivity was caused by brain injury. We

now know this is not true. In fact, hyperactivity is also associated with giftedness, but

obviously we cannot say that all hyperactive children are gifted any more than we can say

all hyperactive children have suffered brain injury.



More recent studies have shown that ADD is largely genetic. That is, it runs in

families. This has lead some ADD researchers, notably Russell Barkley, to assume that our

population is experiencing large scale random genetic mutations, a rather ridiculous notion

for anyone familiar with population genetics. Anytime more than one percent of the

population carries a gene, geneticists rule out random mutations under the belief that the

gene has been actively selected for. For example, the gene-based disease sickle cell

anemia has been found to help a population by providing resistance to malaria.

In the 1990's a growing number of ADD experts began to view ADD not so much as a

disorder, but instead a natural condition which leaves ADDers at a disadvantage in some

common modern settings, and many positive attributes became associated with ADD, such

as creativity, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial tendencies. This is probably due in part to

the ever expanding world of ADDers. A few decades ago only the most dysfunctional

hyperactive kids were identified as "disordered" and these kids were more likely to suffer

from actual brain injury. Today, the diagnostic criteria are so broad that millions of children

in the U.S. are getting the label. Any underachiever who doesn't seem to pay attention in

school or who has trouble handing in finished homework is fair game for a diagnosis. I

spoke to one teenager who was diagnosed ADD even though her grade point average had

never been below a 3.85 (taking Ritalin allowed her to achieve a 4.0). I also spoke to a

psychiatrist who routinely prescribed Ritalin to "C" students in an effort to improve their

grade point average.









How common is ADD?



The figure for ADD is typically given as 3-5 percent of the population. The real figure is

unknown and estimates vary between 1 and 20 percent or even more. This is largely

because the diagnostic criteria are so subjective: What is considered "clinically significant

impairment" to one person might seem more like normal childhood behavior to someone

else. For example, in one English survey, only 0.09 percent of the children were found to

be ADD. But in an Israeli study, 28 percent of children were rated hyperactive by their

teachers. And in one U.S. study, teachers rated 50 percent of boys as restless, 43 percent

of boys as having "short attention spans" and 43 percent of boys as "inattentive to what

others say." 2



Diagnoses and medication rates can vary greatly within the U.S. Gretchen Lefever, a pediatric psychologist who

became concerned when she was suddenly inundated with ADD referrals, studied 30,000 grade-school students in

two Virginia school districts. Her findings, which were published in "The American Journal of Public Health",

showed that 17% of white boys in the region were given medication for ADD while at school. Other rates were 9%

for African-American boys, 7% for white girls, and 3% for African-American girls.3









Is ADD Real?



Some people have argued that there is no such thing as ADD. Upon reading their

arguments I have found that what most of them are actually saying is that ADD is not a

singular "disease", but rather a collection of behaviors or "symptoms" caused by a wide

range of problems. So, to some extent, it's really a matter of semantics. They compare a

diagnosis of ADD to that of a diagnosis of "fever." Imagine going to the doctor with a

temperature and being told you have been diagnosed with a disease called "Fever," and that

all you can do is take aspirin to lower it. You might question the wisdom of such a simplistic

approach and wonder why the doctor doesn't look for the CAUSE of the fever. Doctors rarely

look for the cause of ADD behaviors. Instead, they assume such behaviors are due to some

mysterious brain defect that for some odd reason a huge number of people seem to have.

Opponents of this simplistic approach argue that the concept of ADD as a singular and

discreet disease is a complete fabrication. They do NOT argue that ADD behaviors are

simply caused by lack of discipline or are figments of people's imagination. They believe

people should be seen as individuals, and their specific problems treated as symptoms. The

actual "condition" causing the behavior could range from brain damage to giftedness to

allergies, and "treatment" would similarly range from stimulant medication to alternative

education to allergy shots, depending on the root of problem.



How is ADD Diagnosed?



ADD should be diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist who is knowledgeable about ADD

as well as giftedness and creativity. Avoid diagnosis by a pediatrician, since pediatricians as

a group are far more likely to simply prescribe medications without properly assessing the

child. Psychiatrists and neurologists are far more likely to prescribe medications before

acquiring a total picture of the patient.



Adults, especially those with the non-hyperactive form of ADD, may have trouble finding a

practitioner knowledgeable in ADD, since until recently ADD was considered a childhood

condition. Women with ADD are often told they suffer from depression and are prescribed

antidepressants which do not work.



Ask the practitioner what his or her ADD assessment entails. A good assessment typically

runs several hours and will include tests for IQ and creativity. Avoid anyone who simply

asks a few question and then prescribes medication to "see what happens." Most people do

better and feel better on stimulants, even those without ADD, so this is a very bad approach

for a professional to follow.









Common Misconceptions About ADD



1. Many people assume ADDers cannot pay attention. This is completely false. In fact,

ADDers are known to "hyperfocus" on anything which captures their attention, to the point

where it is difficult to get their attention. It is true, however, that a higher degree of

interest is necessary before the ADDer can pay attention. ADDers do not tune-out or

daydream on purpose or to be rude. Some people have likened it to having an on-off

switch in the brain. Interest is needed to activate or "turn on" the brain, after which the

ADDer can pay attention. If there is no interest, then the brain is "off" and the ADDer is

likely to do something to try and get it back on. This can include sensation seeking,

daydreaming, or becoming immersed in something the ADDer finds very interesting. It can

also include disruptive behavior. This might be nature's way of making sure that some

people are always on the lookout for something new and interesting - these are our

explorers and discoverers. Ritalin and other stimulants appear to work by artificially

stimulating the brain, allowing the ADDer to tolerate a duller setting than they could

otherwise function well in (e.g. schools).



2. Someone can be ADD and not be hyperactive. Some ADDers, especially girls, are quiet

daydreamers.



3. Oppositional behavior is often confused with ADD. ADD in itself does NOT directly cause

oppositional behavior. It can, however, indirectly result in anger and oppositional behavior

if the ADDer is chronically mistreated, for example, by parents and teachers who continually

blame the child for not "performing" like other children. Such children may give up trying

to please their parents and instead misbehave out of frustration and anger. Otherwise, ADD

kids are often described as enthusiastic and affectionate by understanding parents. In

addition, some people reacting to foods may become hostile as well as hyperactive while

they are reacting to the food.



4. You cannot tell if someone is ADD by their response to stimulants. Most people perform

better and feel better when given stimulants, including those who are not ADD. That's why

so many people drink coffee.









How Do ADD Brains Differ from Average Brains?



Although there is as yet no definitive answer to this question. As a group, ADDers MAY

have less activity in certain parts of their brain while they are asked to perform tedious

math problems or other dull exercises. (I've yet to see any researcher examine what ADD

brains look like while engaged in something they find interesting.) I say MAY because the

quality of research has been generally poor and misleading. For example, in one highly

publicized study that showed less brain activity in ADD children, all of the children on the

study had abruptly been removed from Ritalin 24 hours before the test. It is possible that

their brains had adjusted physically to the Ritalin and were in a state of withdrawal during

the test. I find it interesting that when a different study showed brain differences in people

who use methamphetamine (speed), the researchers concluded that the speed had

damaged their brains. Yet when Ritalin users brains were examined, the researchers

assumed that the brain differences were due to ADD.



When reading studies that purport to explain ADD brain difference, bear in mind that:



1) In most studies, the ADDers studied are SEVERELY dysfunctional and are therefore NOT

representative of the typical child who is routinely diagnosed with ADD.



2) Most of the people studied for ADD also have depression and/or anxiety. Both of these

conditions significantly impact how the brain performs, so the results may indicate more

about depression and anxiety than about ADD.



3) Many children studied also have learning disorders, so the brain differences found may

be due to their learning disorders, and not to ADD. Again, the data is confused.



4) Successful ADDers are excluded from study, because no one is really interested in them.



5) The medication that the children had been taking for ADD may have caused brain

differences.



6) Some brain differences may be temporary and subject to environmental

influences. Glucose activity is impacted by diet and metabolism. Dopamine activity is also

impacted by diet. Even thoughts have a powerful impact on the brain: Brain scans

of obsessive-compulsive folks before and after psychoanalysis showed that training people

to think differently actually changed their brain scan. Brains may also change temporarily

when someone is having an allergic reaction. Doris Rapp, M.D. documented alterations in

EEG tests while children were challenged with allergens. The EEG results corresponded with

dramatic behavior changes in the children, including hyperactivity. (Source: Is this Your

Child? Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults by Doris

Rapp).



7) The brain is very poorly understood and there is no good data pool for normally

functioning people. In other words, scientists have no idea at what point normal brain

diversity ends and abnormalities start because they haven't studied very many normal

brains. Instead, they typically study a very small control group. The control group only

demonstrate what is average, not what is perhaps unusual but otherwise normal. Einstein

had some very unusual brain differences which could have been interpreted as either

defects or differences depending on the bias of the researcher (his overall brain size was

average).



Dopamine: The neurotransmitter dopamine has been implicated in ADD. Dopamine is the

"feel good" chemical in the brain which is responsible for our ability to concentrate as well

as our feelings of happiness. Just about all mood-altering drugs work on dopamine,

including alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, heroin, and cocaine, as do stimulant medications for

ADD. Dopamine activity increases naturally in response to mental or physical stimulation

(this is nature's way of getting us off our butts), which is why ADDers can focus much

better after exercise or during an emergency. In fact, it is said that many of the people

involved in emergency response are ADD, such as firemen and ER physicians.



It is quite possible that some people are born with reduced levels of dopamine

activity. People born with less dopamine may unknowingly spend much of their lives

looking for ways to boost dopamine, either in positive ways like being highly active,

inventive or competitive, or in negative ways by being reckless, gambling, or taking

drugs. Another possibility is that lifestyles affect dopamine activity. For example, the brains

of children raised on high levels of stimulation (e.g. by watching Cartoon Network and

playing video games all day) might "adapt" physically so that high-stimulation becomes a

requirement. Finally, general nutrition is important. Researchers have demonstrated a

correlation of ADD and fatty acid deficiency. Fatty acids are used to build receptors for

neurotransmitters like dopamine as well as neural synapses formed while learning new

things.