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ADHD or Depression?

CONdition or ADDition?

Under-diagnosed

Often Misdiagnosed Mainly Misunderstood

Judie Gade B.A. (Psychology)

©2002 - 2010

Misdiagnosis

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In this e-book many questions are posed such as: Why is media attention so negative? Why is it that governments fail in their duty of care? Why do medical practitioners fail to refer patients for

assessment? Why aren’t parents of ADHD children questioned about

inheritance consistently? What is it like to be ADHD and a mother? How can someone with so much energy be so draining to

others?

Often ADHD is perceived as a negative set of traits, but often it is the opposite can be said to be true. How can something be so ‘wrong’, when our world depends on ADHD people for the biggest successes this world has ever seen? Our way of life, without ADHD traits being present, would be dull, colourless and boring. Sure we have baggage, it is just that we just have a few extra pockets in ours! Difference is our benefit. So : Reframe , Rethink, Respond Sit back and enjoy the journey ….. It certainly won’t be boring!

Judie Gade is 51, Australian, married, a Psychology graduate from Deakin University in Melbourne, a writer, journalist, ADHD activist, ADHD Life Skills Coach, a mother of two & fiercely proud of being ADHD. Rather than seeing ADHD as a disability, she prefers to call it a difference, one that can be used to advantage given you are in the right environment.

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In 2001, I fielded calls from women and men from all over the Australia,

after a story was aired about women with Attention Deficit Hyper-activity

Disorder (ADHD) on A Current Affair (a prime time, top-rating current affairs

program in Australia). Since then, hundreds of people from Australia and

overseas have contacted me about their struggles and for help. This article I

hope will dispel any misconceptions about ADHD and shed a positive light

on what should be seen as a gift in many cases.

ADHD is primarily an inherited neurological difference that affects a part

of the frontal lobe of the brain. Many specialists are starting to believe, as I

do, that ADHD is natural and not a behavioural problem as many believe.

The different behaviour is a result of the quirky brain we possess, with

behavioural disorders often being co-morbid (added) to the eventual ADHD

diagnosis.

Most stories seem to be concerned with little boys who “bounce off

walls”, destructive little people who are out of control. This is the media

perception, and for some parents it is the way it is. It is not, however, how it

really is on the whole. The kids I have been dealing with need understanding

and compassion for the confusion that they feel, and so do the parents who

may be unknowingly ADHD themselves. Education and learning about

ADHD is part of the key to living as an ADDer (slang term for a person who is

ADHD).

There has been much in the media from so-called experts, especially

about the over diagnosis of ADHD. This has mainly been concerned with

children, nearly always boys and not adults, of which there has barely been

any coverage in the media at all. Unfortunately the same opinions/figures

have been manipulated to involve the adult figures as well, with the public

perception being that these figures are wholly to do with children. Much has

been said about the amount of people being diagnosed compared with 10

years ago, giving rise to the misconception that over-diagnosis is happening.

What is not being said is that the figures of ten to fifteen years ago were

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almost exclusively male and children.

The rise in figures in previous times can be put down to a few factors:

· Girls are now starting to be diagnosed

· Adults are being diagnosed more often

· Awareness of ADHD is higher than 5 to 10 years ago.

When awareness is raised, as in other key health areas (such as breast

cancer etc), more diagnoses are imminent. Public awareness 10 years ago

was low, add to this the adult factor (ADHD kids grow up!), the inherited

factor (if a child is diagnosed you have a 90% chance of a parent being

ADHD too) and the gender factor (yes girls can be ADHD) and you will have

a marked increase in percentages. However, the media passes off the

stimulant prescription statistics as exclusively being children's figures without

mention of the adult numbers being included.

For the sake of sensationalism, ratings and circulation, the media prefers

to omit these facts, giving rise to fear by the public that if medication is the

best option, then they should feel guilty about either taking it or giving it to

their child. Medication has its place; but many people, when put in the right

environment, do quite well without taking stimulants.

I was diagnosed at 40. Many ADDult issues are very different compared

to the general population. Some learn coping mechanisms from years of

struggle, but still “it” is there. This makes life a real problem at times; just to

contend with the little things that most people make appear easy can be

stressful.

Things such as remembering a birthday, paying bills, cleaning the

kitchen, meeting friends for lunch; even remembering to pick up the kids at

school and getting dinner ready on time. Most of the big studies have been

male orientated, to do with children and with no real thought about the

females who are ADHD. So, if this is true, how can they say it is over-

diagnosed when the opposite appears to be the case regarding adults?

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In ADDventurous Women, an Australian and New Zealand online based

support group, the main concern for members is educating the public

about ADHD in a positive manner. The way the general public sees people

with ADHD has been a negative one, which is extremely unfortunate, as

many of these adults are highly intelligent and very talented in their areas of

expertise. The positives about the disorder (although I prefer to say

‘difference’) are many. Personally, I would rather be ADHD than not. With

the children I am in contact with, it is not often that these kids DON’T have a

gift in some area; it is just a matter of finding it and giving the child a break.

The same can also be said of adults.

The public perception is a negative one, but why? The media prefers to

go with the sensationalism, distortion of the facts, showing the negatives

instead of the positives and the truth. Never mind the prejudiced response

from the public, which they have invoked, and the fact that they are the

main source of education for the general populace. No, they would rather

see people fighting it out in the public arena. (In the USA, a group of

Scientologists lead a class action against C.H.A.D.D – Children and Adults

with Attention Deficit Disorders, the largest USA organisation dedicated to

helping people with ADHD succeed - and Novartis the producers of Ritalin, a

leading medication used to treat ADHD. They lost in all states).

These are mainly people who will benefit financially from the uproar

through the sale of books, zealots whose religious sect benefits from the sale

of tapes and videos, via web sites, denouncing the very existence of ADHD.

Some experts, with university degrees, that flaunt an apparent

understanding of ADHD (eg. Neurologists, psychiatrists and psychologists),

prefer to put the blame squarely on parenting skills or an effort to take the

easy way out. This is despite the fact that eighty-four internationally

recognised scientists, researchers, specialists, including some from Australia,

who signed off on a document to say the opposite.

(see: http://www.mindspace.bravepages.com/consensus.htm)

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The only person in the international media spotlight that has come close

to the truth has been Oprah Winfrey. The interviews were tasteful, full of

empathy, humorous and insightful. She also had experts and adults with the

ADHD to interview, people who were highly successful such as actors,

Olympic gold medallists and even a Harvard University Professor of

Psychiatry.

I have been told by various newspapers and media groups that they are

not interested in doing a story, unless someone came forward, preferably a

family or perhaps a noted public figure, before they would even consider

doing a ‘story’. (The newspaper The Weekend Australian, however, did a

wonderful article on adult ADHD that was spot on - Article: Pay Attention)

Forget the truth and the many positive aspects of ADHD, most media just

prefer to give any negative that can be twisted to appear like the truth,

anything to get people watching their programme or reading their paper;

better still if the people interviewed were professionals.

Many people are too scared to come forward because of the threat of

public ridicule and bad reporting by the media, and this is such a shame as

there are thousands of children who could benefit from a more positive self

image; well known Australians willing to come out of the ADD closet and

stand up and be counted would certainly give these kids a glimmer of

hope, and the self confidence they need to be successful individuals in life

and work.

Recently there have been stories on Depression in women being on the

rise. If anything, this is an illness that is being misdiagnosed. Many of the

women who called me were prescribed anti-depressants. Many were

refused a referral by their Family Doctors for ADHD assessment (which is not

covered for adults by Medicare if done by a psychologist), and when they

were referred to a psychiatrist, they encountered someone who did not

believe that ADHD even existed! Some of the women walked out of these

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unsympathetic offices worse than when they went in looking for answers.

This is the first stumbling block that many people face, especially women,

are their trusted practitioners and specialists who are supposedly “in the

know”. Without their referral to a specialist, there can be no assessment by a

psychiatrist. In Australia, an assessment may be made by a psychologist, but

currently they are unable to prescribe medication. Only a psychiatrist,

paediatrician or an especially government registered general practitioner

(M.D.) is able to prescribe medication. However, the initial full diagnosis is

made by a psychiatrist or paediatrician. A psychologist assessment is usually

required as well.

Although the story on A Current Affair was about Mothers with ADHD,

many people identified and the penny dropped: “that’s ME! It finally all

makes sense why I am the way I am!” was the comment I heard from the

people contacting me. Some were so excited they could not get the words

out quick enough to explain the way they felt. Many felt relief at being

finally able to open up to someone who could understand what they had

been trying to tell doctors for years. Some women, already diagnosed,

finally felt that they were not alone, relieved that now they had proof that

there were others just like them who could understand what they were on

about, vindicated in the presence of their partners and family who thought

they were making excuses.

A few concerns came to light from these phone calls. The main one was

the problem getting a referral to a psychiatrist from the family doctor.

Women who called, who had children diagnosed with ADHD, had never

been asked the question with regards to family history. Considering there is a

very strong genetic link, I cannot understand why this had not come up.

Family doctors should be querying the parents if there is a diagnosis by a

specialist of a child, especially if there is a substance abuse or an addiction

problem of some kind evident, or if a parent has been treated for

depression. Better still, the paediatrician should be looking at the parents

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and referring them back to their family doctor, if indications are there, to

obtain a referral to a psychiatrist that is knowledgeable in the ADHD area

(many, if not most, are not).

When I was assessed, after demanding a referral after ‘bouncing off the

walls’ a few times, I was asked all these things. My parents came in as well

(they were in their 70's then). It became evident that ADHD was on both

sides of my family after the specialist spoke to both my parents. It was very

enlightening, and for the first time I really got to know my father. From that

day on, despite our past rather emotional relationship, Dad became my

special friend. Our relationship in his twilight years grew. I now understand his

internal struggles, past self-medication and obsessive traits (he was a

diehard lawn bowler) and what he gave up to be with my mother. We are

so alike and I often wonder what it would have been like for him, if he had

done what his instincts told him he should do, like I have had the opportunity

to do.

Another problem has been the lack of a support network, or the fact

that one of the family members does not believe in the diagnosis. They

prefer to believe that it is a “cop out”. It is not uncommon for a family

member to lose contact with the ADDult due to personality traits, perceived

differences and misunderstandings.

Many women have found themselves on their own, when their partner

has left, for example. There is a high incidence of divorce amongst families

where there is undiagnosed ADHD. It is not unusual for undiagnosed parents

to clash with their children to such an extent that the children prefer to lose

contact with their parent. It is sad, and so preventable, if only these adults

had astute doctors and specialists experienced in recognising ADHD.

Let me explain what it is like to be a woman with ADHD symptoms. We

are not lazy, crazy, space heads, nerds, not worth knowing and something

to be afraid of. We have difficulty in organising our minds when things

appear boring. Our brain effectively bombards our minds with so many

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possibilities, that it almost becomes impossible to choose from the selection.

So where it has been thought that we are not paying attention, really

what can be happening is that we are trying to process the information just

heard. That is, we are paying attention to everything. Instead of a deficit, it is

more an excess of attention. Unfortunately that means we could well miss

pieces of the ensuing conversation, whilst this is going on and it may appear

we are not listening, or ignoring, what we are supposed to be hearing.

In stress situations we can space out, or we can hear one word that can

trigger a whole different mode of thought in our minds. Daily tasks become

overwhelming, and if there is an impulse to do something, like a hobby or

shopping for instance, we find it very difficult to not do the activity “calling

to us” without treatment. There is an addictive side to our personality and

this can come out as an obsession with a hobby that has a creative edge to

it such as painting, writing, ceramics, cross stitch or website design to an

addiction such as food, shopping, alcohol and drugs.

Many adults become 'health nuts', unable to go a day without their

exercise routine. This can be seen as an addiction but is also a method of

self medicating as it helps to raise the Dopamine levels in the brain. When

the exercise is stopped the person experiences a type of withdrawal. It is all

addiction of one form or another, some good, some bad depending how

you look at it.

The first thing that usually ‘goes’ is housework. It is one of the first

questions I ask when counselling someone who has contacted me…..

“How’s your housework?” This normally ends up with a barrage of excuses or

a comment like “I have better things to do with my time”. This really is not the

reason; the reason is that usually you can’t get your head around the

organising or you get distracted by other things when you start doing the

cleaning.

On the flip side, the person can also be an obsessive cleaner, not coping

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at all if there is a thing out of place. Often they will take cleaning to an

extreme, and perhaps have an old toothbrush out cleaning the grout on the

tiles every week! ADHD with an OCD co-morbidity (added on disorder).

Women have many different issues to contend with in their life,

especially if married and with children. Keeping the house clean is a major

obstacle in many cases, organising lunches, school excursions, bill paying

and cooking. Remembering birthdays and Christmas cards, picking the kids

up at school, after school activities, well, it can all get a bit much even when

a person is treated.

Left untreated, this can become an absolute nightmare. By our very

nature we are perfectionists; we expect to do our best and when we

cannot, stress sets in. We are our own worst critic and judge, expecting our

best and rarely achieving it when strong organisation skills are concerned.

Sometimes ADHD can go undetected because the person is very

successful, has personal assistants to deal with boring tasks and has house

cleaners, accountants and all manner of organisers to take control of the

menial things that they find boring. Don't get me wrong, ADHD people can

be fantastic, creative and driven organisers, so long as they don't have to

do the more boring tasks themselves. They can 'see' what needs to be done

and are brilliant brain-stormers, however if they have to do it themselves

(and often they make the mistake of not delegating) there is the risk of them

getting distracted, missing deadlines or not finishing the task at all.

Medication can help enormously, with many adults going back to

school after treatment and even pursuing university to study (such as

myself). It would have been inconceivable to even contemplate sitting in a

lecture for 2 hours and not being able to get out of the chair and move

around, let alone concentrate and remember all that is said. Luckily, if an

assessment has been done, accommodations can be made to help you

succeed at a tertiary level and also for implementation into the workplace.

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If the children are gifted, as many ADDlets are in some area, and the

same can be said of ADDults, the concerns become even more

complicated. Teachers do not see the ADHD traits for the intelligence. These

“Little Einsteins” are forgetful, untidy (or excessively tidy), argumentative, do

not study as it all comes so easy and find everything outside of their interests

as boring.

They may go on the computer and won’t come off, glued to the screen

and being totally oblivious to all that is going on around them. A bomb

could drop and they would not notice it, so intent are they on the particular

activity they are involved in. (how can a child, or an adult for that matter,

be ADHD when they can concentrate so intently, people ponder?)

They make friends, but often cannot keep the friendship going (although

some are very charismatic and just flit from friend to friend without anyone

thinking anything of it).

Some gifted children with ADD can also have a learning or neurological

disability such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, coding problems or auditory processing

problems. Sometimes they are very advanced in all areas of the curriculum

but still cannot organise themselves to hand their work in on time, they

constantly lose or forget things and often have trouble filtering out

background noises.

This is not about just having kids and adults do “okay”, but to be the very

best that they can be. For a gifted person, to achieve mediocrity can put

them in the high risk category for depression or anxiety issues - and even

suicide. Children who are under-stimulated may “act up” or appear quiet

and withdrawn. Adults in the right career can really make their mark,

however if they are in a job that is not making use of their natural abilities

then they may become ill through stress.

One of the behaviours exhibited by ADHD people is risk taking

behaviour. The risk element may not necessarily be at all dangerous. It can

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be related to a business, an idea that they have and believe in that they

pursue relentlessly (there is a fine line to be drawn between obsession and

commitment) or travelling away to live in unfamiliar surroundings without

family support (immigrating to another country).

However, the risk taking can also lead to injury or death (extreme sports,

drug taking, alcohol abuse, shop lifting, unprotected sex resulting in HIV,

doing stupid dares to fit in with their peers or getting into a car hitch hiking

when knowing the dangers are examples).

Experts, the world over, agree that somewhere between 2 and 10% of

any western country’s population would be ADD/ ADHD. A conservative

estimate is 5%. Taking into account Australia’s beginnings as a penal colony,

our gold rush history and immigration policies of the years gone by, and our

rate of youth suicide per capita ~ the second highest in the world~ our

percentage could be significantly higher than this. In fact, an Australian

federal government document on the mental health of our youth in the

school system (ages 6 to 17) indicates that the figure is a national average

of 11.2%. High income areas are at approximately 6%, with low income

areas being as high as 18%. This is the same document that says about 15%

of our youth suffers depression at any one time and from which several

government programmes were based.

Considering that many of our ADHD kids show signs of depression (the

figures for ADHD are about 3/4 of the 15% of depressed kids), wouldn’t it

stand to reason to provide programmes to deal with ADHD? Unfortunately, if

the government tried to educate the public, there would be a rush on the

Medicare and Education systems. Bottom line, it is cheaper to support

depression issues.

Let’s get down to facts. Australia has nearly over 20 million people living

in it. Take 5% of that and you have about 1 million people that could be

ADHD. Let’s halve that because some of these people are only mildly

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affected. That leaves 500,000 people in our country, conservatively, with

ADHD, diagnosed or undiagnosed and needing treatment. It is very

expensive to be assessed. Treatment and assessment would make a huge

dent in the wages of most people and almost impossible to attain if on

unemployment/disability benefits. To me, this amounts to discrimination by

the government.

As I have indicated above, the people that are disadvantaged most are

the low income earners, and those on government benefits. About 50,000

Australian children are now believed to be taking stimulant medication to

help with their traits. How can ADHD be over-diagnosed when this only

attributes to 10% of the total expected, conservative figures? One would

presume that there would be fewer adults than children diagnosed. Besides,

children are normally easier to pick up on regarding their symptoms

(especially if hyperactive) compared to adults. In many cases, these adults

have learnt coping mechanisms so that their traits are less obvious. Yet life is

still difficult, and they strain to cope with the multitude of stresses that being

an ADDult can bring. It is even more so if there are children involved, and

ADHD ones at that!

What came to light, after the A Current Affair story in 2000, was that

many women had sought treatment from their Family Doctors (and I had

over 180 phone calls and e-mails until I stopped counting). Many had been

put on anti-depressants and told that adults do not get this disorder. You

mean that the ADHD fairy comes along at the age of 18 and says “you are

now an adult, you do not have ADHD anymore". POOF, be gone ADHD!

Cope! GROW UP!” Sorry, but this does not make an ounce of sense.

I conducted an informal survey of those people who rang up and

included the first 100 who rang as the figures. One aspect of this that

TOTALLY amazed me, was that only TWO of the 70 women with diagnosed

children (30 had no children) were asked what they were like as children,

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and who among the parents could also be ADHD, ending in a referral to a

specialist for themselves. Many had to bring up the possibility of being ADHD

with the doctors. The possibility that it came from an inherited element is

extremely likely; 90 to 95% probability is a conservative estimate.

Take this into account: How can a parent help the child with their

problems, when the parent cannot handle their own? Compare this to flying

in an airplane; the word from the captain is ‘It is going to crash land’! You

have your toddler with you; what do you do? Put the oxygen mask on your

child first or on yourself? Well, you put it on yourself first, otherwise who will

help the child when you are dead?

The same applies to ADHD mothers and fathers. You need to be able to

help yourself before you can help your child adequately, otherwise your

stress levels go out of control, the marriage/relationship is affected and you

are yelling incessantly at the child who only rebels even more. You are in a

no win situation.

Anti-depressants do not address the root cause of the ADHD person

being depressed, although they can help immensely in some cases.

Unfortunately family doctors are, on the whole, not very astute at treating or

even detecting ADHD. I have spoken to grandmothers who finally realise

that they may be ADHD like a couple of their grandkids, especially after their

own child will exclaim to the grandchild “you are just like Grandma!”

Why wasn’t the question of a possible ADHD diagnosis asked and

explored, especially when the mother or father was obviously stressed to the

point that they needed anti-depressants? Why wasn’t the question asked

when, in extreme cases, the problem between mother and child has come

to a stage where the parents give up their children to community services,

as they cannot control their own moods, let alone help their child?

Mind you, these “mother’s little helpers” (anti-depressants), may only

help stop the mother from stressing so much. It does not help with all the

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other things she has to cope with, such as being disorganised at home,

having her finances in a mess and no motivation or too much motivation. It

just stops them from worrying about it as much.

Take care of the problem (ADHD) and a lot of the time they do not need

the anti-depressants. I have seen women emerge as cleaning machines

within 20 minutes of their first time on stimulants. It is like a fog has lifted,

being able to “see” things that need doing for the first time, and being able

to sort through the steps that you need to take to do the job. Getting a load

of dishes done and the sink clean can be a huge accomplishment, even if

the woman has a university degree!

There is nothing average about being ADHD and it is a thing of extremes.

There is an all or nothing attitude that can have people perceive you as

sometimes lazy or as a human dynamo. ADHD never exists on its own and

often people, especially adults, will be diagnosed as having depression or

anxiety, OCD or maybe a learning disability when it may just be a co-morbid

condition to being ADHD. Often they can be extremely intelligent, if not

gifted, as well.

Due to government constraints and policies, many of these people

cannot get the treatment they deserve, and need, to have a productive

life. With the comments from ill-informed politicians such as Amanda

Vanstone in Australia, who said in parliament in 2003, that children nearly

always grow out of ADHD, and that she knows of no-one who exists with

ADHD after 25 years of age, it is obvious that it is not only the public that

need re-educating but our government representatives as well. Such

comments are not only irresponsible but damaging and ignorant.

Now this is what is so confusing to me, how can a government recognise

ADHD as a disability, yet offer little information about strategies or treatment

options? How can it be blatantly ignored in adulthood by our government?

Is it because of comments by senior pollies that set us backward in

achieving equity in treatment?

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Often it is entirely by accident, or by talking to other ADHD adults, that

you find out about schemes that can help that are government backed;

such as CRS, the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service. If only the

government realised the overall benefits to society, as a whole as well as the

individual, that the impact of promoting the help available could have. It is

investment in human potential and therefore in our country’s resources.

A visiting American ADHD expert visited our government offices asking

questions about this very area. She was appalled to find out that the very

people that are relied upon to help, know little about what is available. She

had to enlighten them about what they should have known. Could it be

that our public servants are not receiving adequate enough training to pass

on the correct information, or perhaps they do not have the lateral thinking

abilities to problem solve that many ADDers have? Perhaps that is a solution,

employ more people who can demonstrate problem solving abilities or

employ those with a degree in health promotion.

Some people are so severely affected by being ADHD that they are on

a disability pension (although Amanda Vanstone would probably have this

revoked as she does not believe in ADHD over 25). More often than not,

these are people cannot afford the best treatment possible, specialist

psychologists, counsellors and coaches, people who can help reframe the

way they think, teach new living and social skills, helping them to gain

confidence in themselves and their often innate abilities.

It is only in recent years, in Australia, that medications used to treat ADHD

are being covered by government subsidies. Treatment without medication,

such as a psychologist/therapist, is almost impossible for the average person,

let alone someone on unemployment or on a pension. The government

offers, for a limited time only, under-informed officials, red-tape obstacles

and access to often under-trained therapists with limited or no adult ADHD

knowledge, to people who just wish to be comfortable in their own skin.

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There are two main stimulants that are prescribed in Australia. One is

dexamphetamine (Dexedrine), and the other methylphenidate (Ritalin,

Concerta and Attenta brand names) which with a health care card is

cheaper. Recently Concerta, the 12 hour equivalent of Ritalin, was placed

on subsidy for adults, but ONLY if an adult has been diagnosed ADHD at 18

years or younger. Why should an adult, who has slipped between medical

cracks, be discriminated against by the government because they could

not be diagnosed by the right age? Accounting for the fact that females

are the least diagnosed, this could be seen as a silent case of patriarchal

bias.

At least, now, low-income earners and those on health care cards can

afford the better medications. With psychologists now being able to claim a

Medicare rebate, hopefully some people will get the care they deserve, all-

be-it momentarily. That is, IF the psychologist is ADHD savvy. Many are not,

so it is still a hit and miss situation when getting the correct help.

If you want to try Neuro-feedback, which studies are showing offers the

best chance of living a life free of medication, well, who can afford 40 hours

of training at over $6000 for the course? The state and federal governments

should seriously consider putting this equipment, and trained staff, in each

school district, or better still each government school. There is portable

equipment available that is cost effective, education based and proven.

I would like to add here that if a person decides to try medication, then it

should be used as a learning tool and not as a crutch. How can a person

learn an appropriate action if they have never experienced the normalcy of

a lineal brain? In other words, if you constantly are thinking outside the

square in all manner of things, how can you think ‘straight’? Medication

allows people to know how it FEELS to think in an organised fashion and to

concentrate without deviation.

From this we learn how to react in different ways, recalling the

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experience thus enabling recall and tapping in to an actual memory, which

otherwise could only be imagined. Experience is preferable. If a person

would prefer an alternative way of experiencing the quietness,

hypnotherapy and yoga are two options worth considering, as both have

had success.

Like an Olympic athlete, we have to train our brains; this often takes

years of work. Sometimes we just have to forgive ourselves for our little

failures (like housework. I still cannot get my head around it unless I have

someone doing it with me. Doing my tax returns yearly is another one.)

Many ADDers have severe allergies as well that need medication….

Asthma, eczema, psoriasis, sinusitis, food allergies such as lactose

intolerance etc. and Fibromyalgia. Often they have bowel problems such as

diverticulitis, lower back problems, ulcers and headaches. Treat the ADHD

and often some symptoms, especially stress related ones, cease to exist.

I had chronic back problems for all my adult life and it was only after

taken Ritalin for a month that I noticed the pain in my lower back had

virtually gone. When I have taken a break from medication the pain came

back. Other women have also noticed the same thing with back pain and

also Fibromyalgia, some experiencing no pain for the first time in decades!

Australia, compared to the United States, is extremely limited regarding

treatment options, and it will be a long time before we actually see an

improvement in the situation. In the meantime, we will just muddle along,

hoping that we have said the right thing, haven’t forgotten to pick up the

kids at school, remember to take out the night’s dinner from the freezer and

to stock up the toilet paper. Life goes on!

With a little understanding from the general public, education of family

doctors, teachers, diagnosed children, parents and correct media reports

(especially by academics without a limited viewpoint), increased

government involvement and acceptance for our “quirks” by the people

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who we come into contact with, then maybe we can just ‘be’, enjoy our

‘selves’ and have happy, stimulating and productive lives – something

everyone has a right to.

I underwent assessment in June and July of 2000. I knew that there was a

problem and I had actually booked in for assessment 4 years prior to be

assessed, but the cost was so great that I could not afford the testing. This is

required for a correct diagnosis; you have to know where your problems are,

your weak areas, so that you can have a plan for yourself. Being the true

ADDer that I am, I procrastinated until I could not cope with the way my life

was heading any further. Perhaps if I had taken up my parent’s offer to pay

for the assessment, I would have been better off. All I know is that my kids

would have been happier, my husband would have had less to deal with

because of my lack of household organisational skills, and yes, I would have

been much happier.

You can't think like an ADDer anymore than an ADDer could think like

you. Their brains work in a totally different way to the norm. In fact it is strong

ADD traits that have been found in world leaders (Sir Winston Churchill, the

Kennedys) and some of the world’s biggest, scientific brains (Edison,

Einstein, Marie Curie). Musical geniuses (Mozart), war hero’s, leading

entrepreneurs (Richard Branson) and of course some of the funniest people

to grace our planet (Robin Williams, Billy Connelly, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher)

have either been diagnosed, or have presented, with ADHD traits.

It is amazing how many of our favourite TV programmes are based on

ADHD type characters such as The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, Friends

(Joey and Phoebe), Just Shoot Me and the cartoon Pepper Ann, to name

only a few. The entertainment arena is a natural one for ADDers to be drawn

too, one where they can think on their feet and use their lateral thinking

abilities and impulsive tendencies to the maximum. On the big and little

screens they appear in total control, however away from it they may not be

as controlled as you might think. Many suffer periods of “crash and burn”

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where their brains can cope with the hyperactivity no more. Suicide

attempts, addictions, depression, multiple marriages and a tendency to

over-react can take over their lives and making front page news in the

process. Their lives can be as dramatic, even more so, than what appears

on screen. Often people will find them draining to be around, erratic, over

the top, over confident and egotistical. Often, no matter how successful

and confident they can appear to be, the opposite can be true.

Many of these celebrities suffer poor self esteem that takes the form of

bragging, a way of building themselves up and reinforcing their self worth.

Often their tactlessness is seen by them as ‘the truth’. What makes this all

seem strange, is that they have strong intuition with regards people they are

dealing with regarding work, however in a social situation they misread

body language, are often 'out of the loop' socially, rarely getting invitations,

and they cannot understand why.

It took me about 4 months after diagnosis to realise that I could sap the

energy out of people and be physically draining in another person's

presence; I was an energy vampire of sorts. An old boss of mine would tell

me to stand 2 metres away as I was “in his personal space”. It didn’t happen

to others in my office. He wasn’t singling me out, he was just protecting

himself. We have laughed about it since, so now I use the ‘hoola hoop’

strategy —when I am talking to people I take a step back and make sure I

have a hoop space around me as my ‘sense of space’ is sometimes lacking.

I had the opportunity to meet with Professor Richard Silberstein from the

Brain Sciences Institute at Swinburne Institute of Technology; I viewed scans

of an ADHD brain and listened to this passionate man explains his theories. In

essence he said that ADHD is a difference, a type of brain that has a

purpose. This is supported by his good friend Thom Hartmann, (author of

ADD A Different Perception and my mentor), who has a theory that ADHD

people had the traits necessary in a Hunters’ society: easily distracted, live in

the moment, lateral thinking, short attention span, quick decision making

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and a risk taking. In fact, without these traits Hunters could easily have been

killed. It is a difference, just like there are different coloured eyes; hair and

skin, there are different ‘coloured’ brains.

No, I don’t find being ADHD negative, not at all. The only negative things I

can see are misinformed people, government officials and political

candidates bleating subjective views and those with no compassion. I have

said many times, the most disabling thing about ADHD is the attitude,

ignorance and misconceptions of others. The sooner people can see that

ADHD is an ADDition and not a CONdition, the happier, healthier and a

more accepting our children will grow to be.

I am in good company and with all the little quirks; I like me just the way I am - especially the new, improved me.

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AFTERWORD

Judie Gade has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Deakin University in

Melbourne, Australia. Majoring in Psychology, she also has the equivalent of a

major in Health Promotion and has minors in Journalism and Children’s

Literature.

For ten years, Judie has written articles on ADHD. She is involved in co-

writing the workbook for an ADHD/Asperger’s Syndrome Psycho-social Skills

manual with Dr. Angel Adams in the England. She has finished the text to a

picture-book on depression and sadness, for 4 to 7 year olds, and is continuing

writing a book on Life Skills for ADHD teens. Concerned with the lack of

educational material for early primary/elementary school-aged child about

mental health and learning differences, from their own perspective, Judie is

researching the development of a series of age-appropriate books for 4 - 7

year old children, with the first aiming to be published in 2011.

Her inspiring and informative articles have been widely distributed globally,

in English and translated into other languages, by ADHD professionals,

government departments, teachers and mental health, education and

school websites. They have been picked up by professional organisations for

their common sense approach and non-medical way of speaking.

Judie started ADDventurous Women in 2001, an on-line support group for

Australian ADHD women which eventually branched out to include New

Zealand. She is a campaigner of ADHD information, determined that the

correct information is promoted to the public, dispelling negative myths, whilst

educating on the positive aspects of ADHD individuals. Over the years, she

has appeared on A Current Affair, The Denise Drysdale Show, 3AW and

community radio stations Southern FM and City FM.

In 2010, with an apparent need for life skills education, Judie is

concentrating her ADHD consulting on educating elite sports people,

individuals/families about their ADHD traits, how to apply strategies and to

have productive, successful lives and careers.

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Judie Gade

MOBILE: 0410-402-404

INTERNATIONAL: +61 410 402 404

EMAIL: addcoach@bigpond.com

She is available for speaking engagements & private consultation.

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WEBSITES ABOUT ADHD

Ed-u-cate http://www.mindspace.bravepages.com

ADDvance ADHD website for women and girls

http://www.addvance.com

About.com http://www.add.about.com

ADDitude magazine

http://www.additudemag.com

ADDA - The largest of all adult ADHD groups in the USA. http://www.add.org

Novartis backed website

http://www.adhdinfo.com

Adult Attention Deficit Disorder U.K. http://www.aadd.org.uk/

C.H.A.D.D.

http://www.chadd.org/