ADHDFamilies

Psychiatrist John Ratey claims exercise is “the single most important tool people have to optimize brain function.” Dr. Ratey is a Harvard University professor and an expert on ADHD.

His thoughts:

If you get your body in shape, your mind will follow.

Dr. Ratey details his findings in working with exercise and the brain in his new book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain“ which was published in January by Little, Brown.

In this article by L.A. Times reporter Shari Roan, Dr. Ratey answers several in-depth questions on the topic, which I found very informative.

My opinion:

Though it is not mentioned in the article mentioned, I’m pretty sure the good Dr. is talking about treatment in older teens and adults. My personal experience with small children with ADHD suggests that there really is no amount of exercise that is going to help these children calm down all that much, though in less extreme cases it might do a lot of good.

As for someone with a combination of Bipolar disorder and ADHD, I can attest that a child with these conditions both present at one time is something like a perpetual-motion machine. One they get moving, getting them to stop can be nearly impossible, regardless of your efforts. It’s almost as if the act of moving is the fuel that keeps them going… Right up until the point when the child falls asleep from sheer exhaustion, which may take up to 36 hours. (Yes, I have lived this, with and without medication.)

Have you ever wondered if dogs suffered from ADHD?  Well, now you don’t have to.  Apparently there is a medication on the market to help your pooch handle his impulsive behavior.

This is a spoof!  Please don’t take this seriously.  I died laughing when I saw it so I thought I’d share!

It’s not often that I see a book on ADHD or Bipolar Disorder that I think is worth mentioning to my readers.  In this case I feel I need to make an exception.  Manic: A Memoir, by former Los Angeles Entertainment lawyer Terri Cheney is getting rave reviews not only from the mental health oriented communities, but from mainstream reviewers as well.

The orange County Register calls this book “Amazing and powerful…[MANIC] forces the reader into Cheney’s bipolar world, into her deep and fearful depressions mixed with her giddy, high-flying manic moods”

As someone who has not only lived with a family member affected by Bipolar Disorder, but also as someone who was misdiagnosed with the disorder himself, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this book.  Bipolar disorder is misunderstood by most who never see how terrible the effects of mania can be, both to the affected person and to those that are close to them.  This book givs a look inside the condition, from the perspective of someone who actually lives with it.

I’ll be ordering my copy on the 1st.  What about you?

A study published in the March 3rd Online Issue of the American journal of Psychiatry gives results that may not be too favored by proponents of a drug-free treatment regimen for ADHD. The study analyzed data on 112 young men who had been diagnosed 10 years earlier, when they were 6 to 17 years old. Almost 3/4 of the group had been treated with stimulants and 22 were still taking stimulants to control ADHD symptoms at the time of the study.

The findings were that it was no more likely for people that have been treated with these medications to start using illegal or controlled substances later in life.

This is something I could have told you from my own experiences, but hey, it’s nice to be validated.

Business and life coach Linda Walker thinks that “…many ADHDers are perfectly suited for entrepreneurship.”   She feels that we “…tend to be “Big Picture” thinkers who are great visionaries, very important qualities in leadership.” Linda details her statements in her blog post entitled ADHD Adults Shouldn’t Be Entrepreneurs?

I agree with Linda.  In most of the positions I’ve held in my life I have quickly become both the “Idea Guy” and the “Problem Solver” for the company I was working for.  Having ADHD allowed me to think up concepts with great enthusiasm, to get caught up in the moment and simply explore the flow of a project.  This is a valuable commodity in an IT firm, especially one who works with predominantly creative people.

In the position of problem solver having ADHD helped as well.  The challenge of each new problem was something that I craved.  Day-to-day routine is a killer for me.  having the ability to focus 100% of my attention on just one thing, knowing that someone was depending on my skills to solve the bottleneck and get the project back on schedule was both incredibly satisfying and mentally challenging.  ADHD allowed me to hypofocus, which meant the issue got solved more quickly than it would have by someone who was easily distracted.

It’s nice to see that there is someone out there who sees the positive side of a condition that most feel is debilitating.  for my money those people can go back to their 9 to 5’s.  I’ll happily keep working my own side of the road, doing things my way and reaping the benefits.

All in 4 hours a day ;)