ADD & Education
QUESTION:
Hilal (23 year-old man) from State College, PAMy name is Hilal, and I am a student at PennState University. I have been reading about ADD for a very long time and I suspect that I have that disorder. I have been known to be very intelligent in my childhood, and all my teachers thought I would become a prodigy of some sort. My memory had no limits (for example, I memorized the location of every country in the world at a very early age, and other things like memorizing whole books), but once I reached the fifth and sixth class, my grades dropped markedly. I didn't know why that happened. I was unable to pay attention in class and cannot remember anything the teacher said or any of our assigned homework, so I was severely beaten most of the time. I tested my IQ at your website in the racially un-biased IQ test and the results were similar to previous results I obtained from other IQ tests (range between 130-140.)
Is it possible that I might be able to overcome this obstacle and achieve my full potential at school? Do you think with medication I might be able to have a normal fulfilling life?
ANSWER:
Jef Gazley, M.S., LMFT, LPC, LISAC, DCC
Dear Hilal,
Attention deficit disorder is a highly treatable disease and when someone gets on the right medication it totally changes their life around for the better. It is also very typical for very intelligent people to have the disorder. It is also very typical for people to do well in school until they "hit the wall" around the 4th to the 6th grade when grades often fall off. Attention Deficit Disorder is a neurological and central nervous system disorder that affects the prefrontal lobe of the brain. Essentially when someone concentrates that part of the brain shorts out and is unavailable to the individual. This can cause distraction, hyperactivity, attention span problems, time management problems, insomnia, depression, irritability, and disorganization. It is readily treated with a psycho-stimulant such as Ritalin and Adderall and an antidepressant. However, it is a widely misunderstood illness and so it is important to find a psychiatrist who specializes in this disorder.
This disorder seem to have a hereditary basis and therefore other members of your family may be or have in the past suffered from similar symptoms. Both of these conditions can occur in the same individual as well. Many researchers are just beginning to theorize that it may be that these symptoms result from the same problem. ADD, OCD, anxiety, Tourette's syndrome may be just different manifestations of the same problem and be a family of disorders.
I would suggest reading the book "Healing ADD" by Amen and to get a complete workup by a competent psychiatrist. However, ADD is probably the most misunderstood diagnosis today even by most health care professionals so I would make sure to ask if the doctor specializes in this disorder. I will include a test by Amen.
Good luck. Jef Gazley, M.S. www.asktheinternettherapist.com
Jef Gazley, M.S.
This question was answered by Jef Gazley M.S. Jef has practiced psychotherapy for twenty-five years, specializing in Love Addiction, Hypnotherapy, Relationship Management, Dysfunctional Families, Co-Dependency, Professional Coaching, and Trauma Issues. He is a trained counselor in EMDR, NET, TFT, and Applied Kinesiology. He is dedicated to guiding individuals to achieving a life long commitment to mental health and relationship mastery. His private practice locations are Scottsdale and Tempe, Arizona. You can also visit Jef at the internettherapist, the first audiovisual mental health online counseling center on the net.For more information visit: http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com/