I have never been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) but I have many of the symptoms.
My brother and my son both have been diagnosed with ADD as well as my sisters oldest daughter. There are others in the family who have it too.
My father was physically abused by his step-father. Looking back on his life both my brother and I are sure that he had ADD. He suffered with it most of his life and was an angry man most of his life. In those days they had not discovered ADD but later after ADD had been discovered they analyzed some of the figures in history and diagnosed them as being ADD or ADHD.
Sir Winston Churchill’s symptoms did not emerge until his mother died. After that he publicly display many of the symptoms. In the early days, they believed that the trauma of losing his mother caused the ADD to appear.
In those days ADD/ADHD was managed with caffeine and alcohol. Churchill was known for his excessive use of alcohol.
In the article I read many years ago, it was suggested that Bill Gates shows signs of ADHD as well.
My objective in this blog is to try to uncover some of the reasons for my behavior and thinking and feelings. I also want to understand this thing we call ADD or ADHD. There are millions of opinions to sort through.
As ADDers we think differently than those labelled “Normal.” I was told recently that some of our struggles are trying to deal with our culture trying to force to be “Normal.” Every cullture has its set of Normals. We as members of that culture are expected to conform to those norms. With ADD it is more challenging to fit those norms. Our thought processing is different than what is considered norm. It is different but not necessarily wrong, just different.
Part of my quest is to understand why I think and react certain ways. Is it normal for me even though my thoughts and feelings do not necessarily comply with “Normal.”
We live in a society that assigns certain responsibilities to each of us. That is life. How we adapt to that can make or break us.
Being ADD sometimes makes that more challenging. If we want to get ahead in life and accomplish our dreams and goals, we need to find a way to accomplish that. For those of us with ADD, we may need to use a different approach.
Being ADD is not our fault. If we continue to blame someone else for our condition we are trapped. There is little hope for us.
It was not our fault but how we deal with it is our responsibility. I can wallow in the pain and agony it causes or I can look for ways to compensate for my symptoms and move toward what I want to accomplish. Often I will need to take a different approach than someone who is “normal.”
Stay tuned. We will see where this journey takes us.