Adult ADHD has a serious downside. It effects every aspect of your life. Even worse, you cannot get rid of it. However, just because you are stuck with it forever that doesn’t mean you can’t reduce its impact on your life and this is where Sidney Parker Holt’s ADD Simplified: Strategies for Minimizing the Effects of Adult ADD and ADHD can help. Holt provides field-tested techniques for handling aspects of daily living that can, quite frankly, drive you nuts. He offers suggestions on such tasks as organizing documents, to-do lists, electronics accessories, handling money, avoiding morning stress, and more. He discusses the need to establish a bedtime ritual, the (negative) effects of social networks and, my favorite, why you should take a nap each day.

Holt’s book is written in a deceptively simple ADHD style: the suggestions are easy to understand (no need for lengthy rumination) and to the point. At times you think he’s sitting next to you, offering suggestions. In the chapter on how to avoid morning stress he writes:

I’m not trying to sound like a strict stepmother, but TV in the morning does not help. Watching TV while you’re having breakfast is not only unhealthy, it also takes more time and does not promote family bonding. Just leave the TV off; you’ll catch the news later.

For the paperwork-challenged (the very definition of ADHD!), he suggests using colored folders based on a color scheme that assigns a meaning to each color. For example,

…blue folders for documents related to the house, white folders for documents related to official paperwork (taxes), a green folder for all medical documents….

Open shelving with colored boxes

But Holt warns that using more than five different colors increases the likelihood that you’ll forget the meaning of each color (“Hmmm…the canary yellow folder is for….?”) The color coding doesn’t have to end with the use of file folders. Holt has an open-shelved filing cabinet (available at your friendly Ikea store) for which he purchased colored fabric boxes (also from Ikea) for the open shelves. Particular items are “assigned” to particular colors/boxes. Color coding also works in the virtual world. Software applications, such as Microsoft Outlook and Google Mail (Gmail), allow you to color code your emails so that, for example, priority emails may have their subject line in red.

One color that some of us have difficulty with is U.S. dollar green (those from other countries will need to make the proper color substitution). The problem manifests itself in the purchase of unnecessary items. Holt suggests a three-step process, kind of like stop, drop and roll, to control that urge. For example, before buying that 42 inch wide screen television (after all, it IS larger than your current 40 inch wide screen), stop yourself right there. Are you being impulsive? Perhaps. So wait a week and then examine your “need” for that purchase. You still think you need it? If yes, then wait AGAIN and see if that need still exists. It is likely that the need may fade away. If it doesn’t fade away, then you’ll like this sage advice:

Read at least two positive and two negative reviews before you decide whether to purchase the item.

Like all books that offer suggestions for the ADHDer, some suggestions may not be applicable to your lifestyle (“Do I really need a Leatherman tool?”) and some you may not agree with at all (“I won’t replace my physical books with e-book versions…I like taking a pen and scribbling in the margins of a book”). Still, there are so many good ideas on reducing clutter, creating organization, using various types of to-do lists and more, that you’re bound to find a dozen or more suggestions that will fit your lifestyle and that you’ll want to incorporate into your daily life to minimize the effects of your own ADHD.

NOTE: Discussion about this review is taking place on Facebook.

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You Have A.D.D. And You Can Succeed:
A Rebuttal By “Paradigm Of Thought” – Part II

The Counterpoints Raised by my opponent.

My opponent took the liberty of editing my original post, so I in the same spirit have taken the liberty to edit his. These editions have by no means taken away from his argument.

Counterpoint One

There is only one bulletin in my opponent’s Counterpoint that still remains untouched from my concessions listed above, and that is his counterpoint on Hyperactivity.

“Hyperfocusing can be an advantage IF you can turn it on or off at will. If you cannot do that… It is like being a marathon runner but not being able to use your running skills when you need it most.”

Counter-Counterpoint One

Just like a long distance runner, any advantage a person has must be trained to fit into their goals. Hyper-Focusing is no different. The trick is finding when you Hyper-Focus, and repetitiously simulating the stimuli in which you Hyper-Focus in. Eventually after much repetition one can learn to Hyper-Focus at will. I utilize this to write blogs and papers (I can sit at a desk for hours writing papers on boring subjects). Another technique is to keep it interesting, I often will use humor in my blog and post in order to keep my brain in Hyper-Focus mode.

Counterpoint Two

1. “This is the power of positive thinking argument. If we think it…it will be so. Unfortunately, while this type of thinking may make us feel better… because they ARE Willy Loman, we never hear their stories. We only hear the success stories.”
2. “You note that society inculcates us with the idea that we have a learning disorder. My argument against this is based, in part, on an anecdote. Though it does not constitute scientific data I think it illustrates a possible shortcoming in the “magical properties” theory of ADHD.”

The rest of this point is given in anecdotal form of a personal story of failure, my opponent also continues to point out:

1. “Does this high IQ child need to know that she has a high IQ in order to be intelligent? Or is she intelligent even if she is unaware of her IQ? The answer would seem to be the latter… Shouldn’t the positive qualities of ADHD be evident in the very same way.”

Counter-Counterpoint Two

1. My “power of positive thinking” argument, as you refer to it as, has not only some logical backing, but some scientific backing as well. As study in the University of Pittsburg by one Dr. Michael F. Scheier shows: optimists handle stress better, take disappointment better, and tend to be more tenacious in attaining their goals (Goleman, 1987). These are all traits that are important in success. The fact is that, while positive thinking won’t cure cancer, it certainly affects how we approach situations, and how well we deal with failure. I think about this fact every time I try to pick a girl up from the bar.
2. In this argument, my opponent gives an anecdote that is no doubt both amusing, and informational on how failure tends to happen. In turn I will give an anecdote, not on my life, but the life of my boss.
   1. My boss began a gutter company some years back with a couple of his friends. This business started out looking like it would be promising, but in two years shut its doors for several reasons: corrupt contractors, corrupt business partners, and a lack of experience in the field. It was twenty years later before he got the opportunity to scrap up and form an Architectural Sheet Metal Company again. This time he had more experience, more wisdom, and a list of prior failures that would help him succeed. Two years into this company, I asked him what he would do if he found out the company wouldn’t last a week. He said, “I would show up to work tomorrow, because I don’t have the sense to give up.” Right now this company is about to have another record-breaking year in a recession (which is next to impossible). This company has received three Excellence In Construction awards from the Better Business Bureau, and it is the only Non-Union Sheet Metal Company in our area to gain contracts from The Builder’s Association. Oh… Did I mention that he and his most of his executive staff test positive for A.D.D.?
3. This argument completely hinges on the idea that success in an A.D.D.er is only valid if the A.D.D.er did not know about his A.D.D. until after the success is made. So an A.D.D.er is not successful if he knows he has A.D.D.? Forgive me, but I find that kind of hard to swallow. As I pointed out in my first fact listed above, social sciences are subjective. A person’s awareness of the hurdles that they must jump plays no small role in how well the person jumps his hurdles. Being aware of an issue gives a person an edge on fixing the issue. Plus the argument is not whether a person can succeed if they have A.D.D. and aren’t aware of it. It is whether a person can succeed with A.D.D. in general.

As a side note, I want to say Bravo to my opponent for trying to make a small business, it took a lot of guts to risk livelihood for a small business. My opponent mentioned in his anecdote that I might try to say the reason why he failed was because he didn’t quite think positively enough. No, there were probably other reasons. I will say that his attitude played no small part in why he did not pick up and try again, as most successful business must do in order to succeed (See Donald Trump in, The Art Of The Comeback.). As I pointed out in fact number 4 listed above, success is a learning process, and in all learning processes, the actions toward success must be repeated over and over.

Counterpoint Three

1. “…statistically you are the outlier. Longitudinal data shows an abundance of horror stories and NOT success stories.”

Counter-Counterpoint Three

1. My opponent sustains that statistically I am the outlier. I have to agree with him, and not because I have A.D.D. According to the Better Business Bureau and the Small Business Administration 50% of small businesses fail within the first year, and that number doesn’t get better until after the fifth year. Regime changes, market changes, poor credit, lack of income etc. These are all daunting facts of why businesses fail. However seeing as this business has made it over the five year hump, and assuming it will be there when I take over, I doubt it will go anywhere unless I am particularly stupid about it (which only time will tell).

Counterpoint Four

1. You wrote:  ‘The fact is ADD or ADHD is no more disenfranchising than being “normal.”‘ If only this were true then this would be borne out by the numerous studies that have been done. Sorry to say, there is no data to support this assertion. There is too much data showing how undiagnosed ADHDers have believed whole heartedly that they could succeed and yet, despite all their efforts, they have still failed. The magic just didn’t work. Further, since they were undiagnosed they didn’t yet know that they should use ADHD as a crutch.

Counter-Counterpoint Four

1. My opponent stands fast on the idea that A.D.D. is in fact more disenfranchising. I must point out that this argument hinges on his first premise, that a person with A.D.D. must not know beforehand that he has A.D.D. As I’ve mentioned numerous times knowing what you are facing is important. There are traits in A.D.D. that can hinder success (As I mentioned in my first post). But a person’s success if they know they have A.D.D. does not magically go away because he knew it, this is counter intuitive. I also can fall back my second premise. That successful people often don’t bother being tested for A.D.D. Why? Because their already successful, and don’t need to know what is wrong with them. Also because of the long running stigma is Psychology, an older individual who is successful will never visit a Psychologist for an old world fear of being thought of as insane. The fact is this argument does not hold water under scrutiny.

To Drive The Point Home.

As a final argument, I have decided to instead include a list of Modern people who test positive for A.D.D. :

1. “Magic” Johnson – Professional Athlete – Rich and Famous.
2. Robin Williams – Comedian and Actor – Rich and Famous.
3. Henry Winkler – Actor: “The Fonz” – Rich and Famous.
4. Stevie Wonder – Musician – Rich and Famous.
5. Jack Nicholson – Actor – Rich and Famous.
6. Lindsay Wagner – Actress – Rich and Famous.
7. Tom Cruise – Actor – Rich and Famous.
8. Dustin Hoffman – Actor – Rich and Famous.
9. Stephen Spielberg – Director – Rich and Famous.
10. Michael Phelps – Olympic Swimmer – Rich and Famous.
11. Ari Emanuel – Entrepreneur – Rich.
12. Matt Morgan – Professional Wrestler – Rich and Famous.
13. Howie Mandel – Actor, Comedian, and Game show host – Rich and Famous.
14. Paul Orfalea – Entrepreneur – Rich.
15. David Neeleman – Entrepreneur – Rich.
16. Danielle Fisher – Mountain Climber – Famous.
17. Jim Carey – Actor – Rich and Famous.
18. Prince Charles – Next in line for the English Throne – Filthy Rich and Famous.
19. Greg Louganis – Olympic Gold Medal Winner (Diving) – Rich and Famous.
20. Ozzy Osbourne – Singer/Songwriter – Rich and Famous.

I’m going to stop here, because I could literally go on for days.

Conclusion

The original argument was whether a person with A.D.D. can succeed or not. We find, because of inconclusive success data that it is impossible to determine exactly how many A.D.D. success stories there are. Furthermore, throughout the course of my argument, we find success has very little to do with A.D.D. And a whole lot to do with a person’s attitude toward success, as well as their attitude toward failure. I have shown numerous success stories of those who have A.D.D. and at least in one case how his attitude effected his success.  I have not once made a claim that because of A.D.D. we are destined to succeed, that would frivolous and asinine. My claim is that A.D.D. does not stand in the way of our success, rather our attitude toward it does.

Either Way, You’re Right.

Too often do I find people use A.D.D. or some other circumstance as a crutch or worse yet as a soap box. I find that the same people who have failures, are the people who seem to think A.D.D. is the thing that stopped. No, the only thing stopping you from success is you, nothing more. I quoted Henry Ford in the beginning of my argument for a good reason. Because how you approach a situation is just as important as what you do when the situation comes. There is a reason the most successful people in the world preach positive thinking practices, and attitude. Because it works. Not on any magical level, just because it modifies how you perceive things, how you react to situations, and your actions thereof.

I am a man of learning and research, and I have found through my own endevours, the experiences of the people around me, and the research into success that success has nothing to do with what you were born having. But in the end how you use what you have. So next time you say to yourself “I can’t, I have A.D.D.” I’m going to have to say, “You’re right.”

Goleman, Daniel (1987, February 3). Research Affirms The Power Of Positive Thinking The New York Times pp. C1.

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On Feb. 21, 2010 I received the email below from Paradigm. What follows is the first part of his response.

[START OF EMAIL]
Thank you for your time and patience. Being an A.D.H.D.er on the path to success sometimes leaves me with very little time. But I have finished my response to your rebuttal on your page, and as per your request, I will give it to you in the file form to post it on your blog. As you no doubt understand I expect it to be posted verbatim as if I was writing it on my blog. I hope it is to your satisfaction, it took over six hours of Hyper-Focus to finish. I look forward to your response.
[END OF EMAIL]

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You Have A.D.D. And You Can Succeed:
A Rebuttal By “Paradigm Of Thought” – Part I

Introduction.

“Whether You Believe You Can, Or You Believe You Can’t. Either Way You’re Right” – Henry Ford.

I am a man of learning and research. I have spent much of my adult life trying to understand and comprehend the world around me. What I have found is that there are many Myths of Modern Culture that seem to supplant their way into our minds. Since discovering these myths I have made it my personal mission to attempt to redeem and correct them.

Earlier this week I stumbled onto this blog. In Jeff’s A.D.D. Mind, Jeff very eloquently parrots a myth that I have become quite aware of over the years. That people with A.D.D. are destined to failure. This is a common myth perpetuated probably because of the performance in school that A.D.D.ers often have. We expect that the performance in high school is an indicator of how well the person will perform in the business world, and even in their personal lives.

But if one were to objectively look at school, and then turn their eye to the professional world, the differences are often night and day. For example feelings are saved in school with the inventions of the “No Child Left Behind Act.” In business a person’s personal feelings are often ignored in lieu of their work performance. In school everybody is given a fair chance, often times in business the chances much more unfair, and favoritism in the form of the “Good ol’ boy” system is far too often a factor in the decision making process.

In seeing his argument I made a lengthy post found on the fourth page of comments in the original blog (see link above). This incited a lengthy rebuttal, which in turn challenged me to a lengthy counter rebuttal. The premise of this debate goes as follows.

The Argument: Can the traits of A.D.D. be used or overcome for the purpose of success, or is the diagnosis of A.D.D. a damnation for failure?

Just The Facts

Like my opponent, I will set my argument using a few base facts.

Fact Number 1: Social Sciences, unlike physical sciences, are far more subjective because it deals with an inherently subjective premise (Considering people are subjective themselves). All social sciences are subject to subjectivity. This subjectivity can be the discipline in which the researches subscribes to, the school of thought he holds, to the awareness of the subjects in question.

Fact Number 2: People who succeed have no reason to find out what’s wrong with them, because, as far as we can tell, there isn’t anything wrong. It could very well be that there are many undiagnosed A.D.D. Entrepreneurs who never bothered to ask why they didn’t succeed, because they did succeed. This is an appeal to the incompletion of the social studies of success in A.D.D. This is not the fault of the researchers, rather a fault in the data. Many older Entrepreneurs will not see therapists, or have opportunities to be diagnosed, so many of the successful A.D.D.ers will never be diagnosed, and this will of course skew the data. This is of course another effect of the subjectivity of social sciences.

Fact Number 3: Success is almost totally contingent on how a person approaches a situation. If a person approaches a situation expecting to fail his actions will reflect this expectation. And via versa.

Fact Number 4: Success is a learning process. And as in all learning, it must be tried with failure, before successful. Learning how to accept failure and try again is absolutely necessary for attaining ultimate success. If a person fails and gives up trying, they will never succeed. And considering that in all realms of success there is a fair risk of failure no matter who you are, this is too often what prevents us from success.

So Where Are You Going With This?

Fact Number 1 Revisited: My opponent contends that the success of an A.D.D.er is only valid if prior to the diagnosis or recognition of the disorder. This is ignoring one of the basic principles of success: Knowing Your Limitations. Any weight trainer can tell you, if you ignore your limitations you will end up unsuccessful in any work out. This stands true in business and a person’s personal life. This also ignores the fact set in Fact Number 2.

Fact Number 2 Revisited: If a person who succeeded never bothered to become diagnosed, because they succeeded, there is no way to know whether they are A.D.D. or not. Now, admittingly this fact is based upon deduction and assuming on my part, but there is no arguing the fact that there are many A.D.D.ers who go through their life happy and healthy without any sort of diagnosis. Knowing this there is most certainly successful people who never became diagnosed, and why would they? To them there is nothing wrong.

Fact Number 3 Revisited: From my first post I made sure to point out that I do not believe that A.D.D. will automatically allow a person to succeed (This is my first statement in the original post). Success is contingent upon attitude, not some magical or divine property given by a disorder.

Fact Number 4 Revisited: My opponent sustains that one failure comes out to total failure. What this fails to recognize is that a person, regardless of a diagnosed disorder, is most certainly going to meet roadblocks, hurdles, and yes failure on the path to success. The key trait in success is not how much a person succeeds, but how well a person picks up after they fail. Success, as I mentioned is a learned traits. And like all learning it requires repeatition and failure in order to learn (In a neurological point of view, an Axon must attempt to connect with a Dendrite up to a hundred times in order to make a clear connection).

First, My Concessions.

This is the part the  most responsible debaters dread. But sometimes you have to concede arguments in order to maintain the credibility in order to continue debating. In his argument my opponent made a couple points that force me to concede the following.

The National Commission on Entrepreneurship… I may have been a little overzealous, and skimmed a little more than I should have in this statements. Upon rechecking my sources I could not find the referenced source.

Many Historical Figures… My opponent was quick to point out that I cannot read history backwards. Because I regrettably do not have a time machine I cannot give a BSM IV to these famous figures, nor can I hook them to an EEG and find out whether or not they are Attention Deficit. Though it is important to point out that these figures shared traits such as having numerous and incomplete projects, were considered callous and caustic by their peers, and often would not pay attention to certain details (All diagnostic criteria of A.D.D.

The Average I.Q.: This is the one that was totally blown out of the water. Upon double checking myself I found that there was no average intellectual difference between people with A.D.D. and people without.

I hope these concessions will be taken in the spirit that they are given. But these concessions by no means take away from argument. So let’s do what I originally (And capriciously) suggested we do, and forget these arguments.

[END OF PART I]

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[...] there are those who “claim that adults with ADHD are more intelligent, more creative, more ‘lateral’ in their thinking, more optimistic, more entrepreneurial, and better able to handle crises than those without the disorder. Similar advocates of adult ADHD have gone so far as to assert that the disorder conveys some positive benefit. [...] none of these claims have any scientific support at this time.” They go on to note that research looking at adults with ADHD and at longitudinal studies that follow children into adulthood “provid[e] no support for the view that ADHD produces positive benefits in adults with the disorder.” (pg. 2)

The very first comment to the post, written by Tara McGillicuddy,  encapsulates the general feeling amongst a number of ADHDers out in the blogosphere.² She wrote:

I disagree on the NO positive benefits of having ADD/ADHD. I also think that many people with ADHD are more creative than those with out ADHD. No, I don’t think it’s gift from up above…It’s because many of us with ADHD have been forced to be creative to cure boredom, find a different way to do things, fix our messes, etc.

On February 17, 2010 there was a lengthy comment to that post that has prompted this lengthy response. The particular comment, from Paradigm of Thought, appears on the fourth page of comments. In my response below, I’ve selected a number of points from Paradigm’s comment and provided my counterpoints.

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My Response

I want to establish two facts that serve as the basis of my response.

Fact Number One: The effects of gravity were with us long before Newton and then Einstein defined and redefined our understanding of gravity. We did not live in a gravity-less world with everything floating around prior to our understanding of gravity. Gravity exerted its effect whether we had an explanation for it or not.

Fact Number Two: Those of us who are reading this blog (and other blogs, of course), writing responses and posts, and so forth, are NOT your typical ADDer. Assuming a normal distribution of intelligence with no significant skewing (I know, big assumption), those of us who are reading and writing these posts are probably two or more standard deviations above the midpoint. The evidence for fact number two is, admittedly, based on anecdotal data but I would say it is safe to assume that anyone who is an ADDer and is successful in life (for now we can dispense with defining “success” ) would be in the upper range of the bell curve.³

So…where am I going with these “facts”?

Fact Number One Revisited: Gravity exerts its effects whether we are aware of it or not. The same should apply to ADHD. The “advantages” conferred by ADHD should be discernible and measurable prior to any individual’s awareness of the ADHD. Let me reemphasize this point because it shreds the “ADHD as an Advantage” argument. IF like gravity, ADHD performed its magic regardless of our awareness of its existence, then we should see a nearly one-to-one correspondence between those who are wildly successful and those who have ADHD.⁴ Instead, what we see is NOT a near one-to-one correspondence but, instead, a handful of anecdotes about those who are wildly successful and who happen to have ADHD.⁵

If ADHD were truly the causal factor we like to think it is then the number of successful people who do NOT have ADHD should be quite small. Instead, we see the exact opposite. We see no statistical evidence to show that ADHD confers any life benefits.⁶ In fact, it shows that everyone with ADHD, to varying degrees, has been negatively impacted by it.⁷ HOWEVER, once we are aware of our ADHD, there is the potential for us to mitigate its effects.

Fact Number Two Revisited: ADHDers who are reading, writing and responding to blog posts are not your typical ADHDer. Admittedly this “fact” is based on a bit of deduction and assumption on my part. But again, if we assume a normal distribution of intelligence among ADHDers (much like the general population), it is likely that those of us who are participating in these discussions, those of us with ADHD who have been successful, are atypical ADHDers.

The Points Raised by Paradigm of Thought

I’ve taken the liberty of editing the points raised by Paradigm of Thought. I believe that, even in edited form, I have kept true to the spirit of the point that was raised.

Point Number 1:

“…National Commission on Entrepreneurship seems to be under the impression that there is high percentage of successful Entrepreneurs who have ADD and ADHD. …historically successful figures who are believed to have had ADHD (Like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford). …the distinct advantages of ADHD (such as Hyperfocusing, the ability to switch tasks, and higher IQ ratings).”

Counterpoint Number 1:

1. I was not able to find any studies by the commission that shows the high percentage of entrepreneurs with ADHD. I am sure they exist so please provide references.⁸

2. We cannot read history backwards and assume that Franklin, Edison and Ford were ADHDers. The characteristics of high intelligence and ADHD have a number of similarities that can cause someone to confuse one for the other.⁹

3. Hyperfocusing can be an advantage IF you can turn it on or off at will. If you cannot do that – and for many ADHDers that’s a difficult thing to do – then there is no advantage to it. It is like being a marathon runner but not being able to use your running skills when you need it most. It’s a wonderful skill – hyperfocus and running – but useless if you cannot turn it on when needed.

4. There is no data showing a causal relationship between ADHD and IQ. It is nice to believe there is because we, the readers of this blog, may be more intelligent than other ADHDers. However, ADHD does not confer intelligence.

Point Number 2:

“The reason people with ADD and ADHD may not succeed is because, simply, our attitudes have been adjusted for us. Society says we have a learning disorder, so we never try because “We Can’t.” We go through this self destructive cycle, and instead of taking responsibility, we blame the disorder. People with ADD and ADHD don’t succeed for the same reason that people WITHOUT it don’t. Because in the end they don’t want to.”

Counterpoint Number 2: I’m going to address this in reverse order.

1. You end this paragraph with the point that people don’t succeed “[B]ecause in the end they don’t want to.” This is the power of positive thinking argument. If we think it…it will be so. Unfortunately, while this type of thinking may make us feel better (and I admit I employ it myself in a number of circumstances), there are many more Willy Lomans out there than we like to admit. However, because they ARE Willy Loman, we never hear their stories. We only hear the success stories.¹⁰

2. You note that society inculcates us with the idea that we have a learning disorder. My argument against this is based, in part, on an anecdote. Though it does not constitute scientific data I think it illustrates a possible shortcoming in the “magical properties” theory of ADHD.

In 1998 I had gone into the technology business with a good friend who also had the entrepreneurial wanderlust. At that time we were on the bleeding edge of new technologies. Voice Over IP (VOIP) was a brand new technology and 3Com was one of the first to provide VOIP equipment. We jumped on that bandwagon. Website hosting was growing at an enormous rate and there was still room for more players. We jumped on that bandwagon. We purchased Palm Pilots at the then outrageous price of $500 each! And yes, we jumped on that bandwagon. After a few years the business collapsed. We were at each others throats having some nasty arguments. Years later when I was self-diagnosed as ADD and discussed this with my former business partner, we realized that he was also ADD. Our only regret is that we wish we knew THEN that we had ADD because we would have been able to work around it (with it? through it?) and build a successful business. INSTEAD, the business collapsed in part BECAUSE of the ADD. There were NO particular benefits as a result of the ADD. The supposed Latent Entrepreneurial characteristics of ADD seemed to be absent. (See: http://www.windeaters.co.nz/publications/innovation_entrepreneurship/Adhd2_web.pdf on ADD as Latent Entrepreneurial Personality Type (LEPT) ) In fact, the ADD was detrimental to both our business and personal/social well-being. Shouldn’t the effects of LEPT have made its presence known? We were both entrepreneurial. We were both risk-takers to varying degrees. Shouldn’t it have worked its magic the same way gravity works its magic whether we are aware of its existence or not?

You may be thinking that the counter argument to the above is that we did not think positively (or not positively enough). However, shouldn’t the magical properties of ADHD be evident, not only in the case described above, but in the majority of Adult ADHDers? Instead, what we find is that lives with UNdiagnosed ADHD are often in ruins and improvement comes with knowledge, specifically, the knowledge of their ADHD. It as at that point that they know what the multi-headed hydra looks like and how to handle it.

Let’s shift our focus to something that we quite often refer to as a gift, namely IQ. Imagine you have a daughter that is extraordinarily bright. Does this high IQ child need to know that she has a high IQ in order to be intelligent? Or is she intelligent even if she is unaware of her IQ? The answer would seem to be the latter. Others may “discover” that she has a gift of a high IQ but she does not need to know that in order to exhibit the characteristics of someone who has a high IQ. Shouldn’t the positive qualities of ADHD be evident in the very same way? If ADHD conferred positive qualities wouldn’t those qualities be evident even BEFORE a diagnosis of ADHD?

Point Number Three: “Taking away all hope because of a disorder is far too convenient for me. So instead, I’ve learned to set workable tasks and realistic goals. I’ve learned the power of discipline and work. For that, I am a successful member of society, I am the next in line to take over my company, I am working diligently and training for the business aspects of said company. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let a diagnosis ruin me for life. I have ADHD, and I’m determined to succeed.”

Counterpoint Number Three:

1. My only response is, quite sincerely, BRAVO!! You know what your challenges are and you’ve set “workable tasks and realistic goals” and you have succeeded in life. However, statistically you are the outlier. Longitudinal data shows an abundance of horror stories and NOT success stories.

Point Number Four: “The fact is ADD or ADHD is no more disenfranchising than being “normal.” And if the world stopped using it as a crutch maybe people would realize that. Most of the problem is that we’re told we can’t succeed, so we don’t try. In the end, the only way we are damned to not succeed, is to never attempt to.”

Counterpoint Number Four:

1. You wrote:  ‘The fact is ADD or ADHD is no more disenfranchising than being “normal.”‘ If only this were true then this would be borne out by the numerous studies that have been done. Sorry to say, there is no data to support this assertion. There is too much data showing how undiagnosed ADHDers have believed whole heartedly that they could succeed and yet, despite all their efforts, they have still failed. The magic just didn’t work. Further, since they were undiagnosed they didn’t yet know that they should use ADHD as a crutch.

Conclusion:

Too often we assume that our “positive” life circumstances are the result of some magical ingredient that we possess. Sometimes we call that magical ingredient “entrepreneurship” or “positive thinking” or ADHD. If they are magical ingredients with magical properties they should make their presence known even if we do not know we have it. (Again, think about someone with a high IQ. That gift makes its presence known to others even if the person with the gift does not know that she has it. ) Further, we have a tendency to explain our success by using post hoc reasoning even though there is no logical causal mechanism tying X to Y. If success occurs after positive thinking, we assume that success occurs BECAUSE of positive thinking. Substitute the terms ADHD or any other suitable term. The reasoning seems logical but if one cannot explain how X causes Y then there is no basis for the assertion.

In the specific case of ADHD we find, based on all of the current evidence (again, see Barkley, et al.), that there are NO magical properties associated with it. Success in life for an ADHDer, if such success is found, occurs often IN SPITE OF and NOT BECAUSE OF ADHD.

Bottom line: I am much happier thinking that ADHD confers some special gift¹¹ but I never, ever, let myself think that my successes in life were a result of some ADHD pixie dust. I ALWAYS know that EVERY success was a struggle, that EVERY success was IN SPITE OF ADHD. The amount of effort required for success has been diminishing over time because I have come to know how my enemy thinks. But I know that my enemy will never be vanquished. It will be haunting me till my very last breath. No amount of positive thinking will change that reality. It may make that reality easier to deal with but it is not a true picture of the ADHD world that we inhabit.

1. Admittedly, a small number of the comments examined the issues surrounding different styles of pulled pork. However, even that discussion became a tiny bit contentious.
2. See, for example, the very successful blog ADDER World and in the associated social networking community.
3. Yes…this argument is a bit circular but…bear with me.
4. I’m defining “wildly successful” as that part of society that is in the upper 5% of the socioeconomic range and which should map very precisely with the Adult ADHD population since that population also comprises approximately 5% of the adult population.
5. Dr. Handelman, not my favorite character in the ADHD world, trots out Jay Mandarino as “proof” that ADHD is some sort of gift and is the source of Mandarino’s wildly successful entrepreneurship. That’s a sample size of one. Could you imagine ANY scientist making ANY claim based on a sample size of one?
6. I must emphasize that we are looking at aggregated data and not the life trajectories of this or that individual. You, or a Dr. Hallowell, for example, would be a statistical blip in comparison to the majority of ADHDers in terms of life success.
7. This is examined in greater detail in Barkley, et al., ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says. I will shortly be completing my review of this book and will go into greater detail concerning this subject.
8. In one of my  snarkier moments I wrote, “Look little Johnny. Look at what’s in the box from Aunt Pandora. It’s A.D.D. You’re gonna be an entrepreneur!” From: Unwrapping the Sales Manure
9. Dr. Handelman noted that “Sometimes children who are very intelligent (referred to as gifted) can be diagnosed incorrectly with ADD or ADHD.”
10. There has been some writing on the subject of business failures though these books never become big sellers even though they can teach us much more than the “success” stories. See: Examining the Costly Lessons from Business Failures. I would also recommend taking a look at this brief interview with Barbara Ehrenreich who sees positive thinking as a type of delusion. Our inability to hear the Willy Lomans is because it is extraordinarily rare that we hear “negative evidence.” (That’s Nassim Taleb’s term.) We shouldn’t forget that it is always the victor, not the vanquished, who writes history.
11. See this post where I attribute this type of thinking to the flat earth concept

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The authors of ADHD in Adults: What The Science Says note that there are those who “claim that adults with ADHD are more intelligent, more creative, more ‘lateral’ in their thinking, more optimistic, more entrepreneurial, and better able to handle crises than those without the disorder. Similar advocates of adult ADHD have gone so far as to assert that the disorder conveys some positive benefit. [...] none of these claims have any scientific support at this time.” They go on to note that research looking at adults with ADHD and at longitudinal studies that follow children into adulthood “provid[e] no support for the view that ADHD produces positive benefits in adults with the disorder.” (pg. 2)

Let’s make sure we understand their point – there are NO positive benefits to having A.D.H.D. Anyone who says otherwise is full of beans and is simply trying to sell books/CDs/seminar tickets/subscriptions and other products. The carnival barkers who shout “A.D.H.D. Is A Gift From God” may have good intentions. However, by dispensing this poppycock as “science,” they are deceiving the public and their intended audience – adult A.D.H.D.ers and parents of A.D.H.D.ers. (One might also say they are deceiving themselves!) Further, they are doing their audience a great disservice and, in fact, are setting them up for failure and heartbreaking disappointment.

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Imagine that you have a child born with a severe leg muscle atrophy. Your child may learn to crawl but never walk. What would you say to a doctor that tells you, “That leg muscle atrophy is the greatest thing. It’s like a gift waiting to be unwrapped!” Would you rap the doctor across the face? Would you ask if he received his medical diploma in a Cracker Jacks box? Would you get angry because the doctor is minimizing the severity of the problem? So, what would you say to a doctor who lists all of the “problems” associated with Adult A.D.H.D. while, at another time, tells you it is a gift waiting to be unwrapped?

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Dr. Hallowell lists the following “magical” properties of Adult A.D.H.D. I wonder how any of these things confer special benefits:

• A sense of underachievement, of not meeting one’s goals (regardless of how much one has actually accomplished).
• Difficulty getting organized.
• Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started.
• Many projects going simultaneously; trouble with follow through.
• A tendency to say what comes to mind without necessarily considering the timing or appropriateness of the remark.
• A frequent search for high stimulation.
• An intolerance of boredom.
• Easy distractibility;
• Often creative, intuitive, highly intelligent [See note below]¹
• Trouble in going through established channels and following “proper” procedure.
• Impatient; low tolerance of frustration.
• Impulsive, either verbally or in action, as an impulsive spending of money.
• Changing plans, enacting new schemes or career plans and the like; hot-tempered.
• A tendency to worry needlessly, endlessly; a tendency to scan the horizon looking for something to worry about, alternating with attention to or disregard for actual dangers.
• A sense of insecurity.
• Mood swings, mood lability, especially when disengaged from a person or a project.
• Physical or cognitive restlessness.
• A tendency toward addictive behavior.
• Chronic problems with self-esteem.
• Inaccurate self-observation.
• Family history of AD/HD or manic depressive illness or depression or substance abuse or other disorders of impulse control or mood.

1. Interesting how this one slipped in here…as if one was the “cause” of the other. Let’s start singing: “One of these things is not like the others. One of these things, doesn’t belong.”

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Vacation Panic Warning Signs: Vacation Panic appears in two distinct phases.

Phase I – Pre-Vacation Vacation Panic

This occurs during the lead up to the actual vacation itself and may continue during the trip to the vacation spot. It usually disappears, albeit temporarily, after one has arrived at the vacation spot.

Phase II – During-Vacation Vacation Panic

This occurs during the vacation and during the return trip.

Pre-Vacation Vacation Panic Warning Signs

1. You want to cancel your vacation.
2. You search through piles of paper looking for that important “something.”
3. You search through piles of bills to figure out what must be paid before you leave.
4. You decide that NOW is the time to finish every unfinished project.

During-Vacation Vacation Panic Warning Signs

1. You believe when you return home that your utility company (electric, telephone, etc.) has turned off service because you forgot to pay a bill BEFORE you went away.
2. You believe you will be fired as soon as you return to work because you forgot something important that needed to be done BEFORE you went on vacation.
3. You believe you will NEVER remember the details needed to finish X (“X” could be an important sale you were working on, an important client project, an important task for school, home etc.).

Dealing with “Vacation Panic”

Dealing with Vacation Panic requires two important changes.

Change 1: Purge your mind of that fantasy you have associated with “vacation.” It’s not carelessly lying on a white sand beach with cool, clear blue waters off in the background. It’s not gently floating in a gondola in Venice with the setting sun in the background. Get real. It’s you with two sets of baggage: one set for your clothes and the other set for all of your problems and issues. You can temporarily “forget” to bring that second set of baggage but it will show up at your doorstep, or cabana, anyway.

Change 2: Now that you know you can not escape yourself because you can not leave behind that second set of baggage, embrace that reality. Plan your vacation knowing that you have as much psychological baggage to bring along as you do regular baggage.

Real-Life Scenario: Handling Vacation Panic
This is how I handle vacation panic. You may have to adjust things for your own situation. Remember: YMMV and DNWFE.

1. I book a hotel with Internet access.
2. I bring my laptop and whatever bills need to be paid.
3. I tell my wife that I will be spending about one hour each evening with the laptop to pay bills online and check my email.
   • This activity takes care of the “I forgot to pay a bill” panic and also the, “What important project did I forget about” panic since you can stay in touch with work via email.
4. If any vacation panic should appear while we are visiting, say, Colonial Williamsburg, I stamp it out knowing that, in the evening, I can check bills and emails.
5. For the mental “stuff” that overflows and results in mini-panics that can not be handled by the laptop (‘I better call my neighbor in the morning for I am sure that coffee pot is still on!!’), I have with me a regular notebook and pen that acts as a temporary mental garbage pail. I just toss all of these thoughts inside knowing that they are recorded somewhere and can be dealt with at a later time.¹

That’s it! It’s real simple to do and it took me only 3 1/2 years of on-again/off-again therapy in addition to reading about A.D.D. and taking Wellbutrin and endless talks with my wife and my old business partner (who is also A.D.D.) to be able to handle vacation panic. But it CAN be done! Be patient! You can make changes. It takes perseverance and that’s something A.D.D.ers have in abundance.

1. See Jennifer Koretsky on journaling and how to handle mental clutter.

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The symptoms that define ADHD — impulsivity, inattentiveness and/or hyperactivity — make finances a trial for many who have the disorder. Problems with planning and organizing stymie their attempts to deal with even simple money tasks, like bill paying, while lack of impulse control can result in big credit card debts, over-limit fees and bounced checks.

Source: How the Brain Busts the Budget

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There’s gotta be a better way to keep an eye on these things without having to become an accountant.

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