Comments on: Sorry, Virginia, But I Have Bad News

By: Mapping Clinical Manifestations of Psychiatric Disorders to the Underlying Neurophysiological Lattice: Towards a Vocabulary of the Ecology of Mind | Jeff's A.D.D. Mind

Sun, 16 May 2010 12:28:21 +0000

[...] between mind and brain.) Too often we confuse our metaphor for reality (See I, Human: Part I. See this and this where I discuss the issues/dangers of metaphor). Metaphor can illuminate but it can also [...]

By: Scott Hutson

Scott Hutson — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:06:15 +0000

Thank you, Betsy!

I am flattered. I have always definded the words “Brilliant Scott” as an oxymoron. Thats another subject though, relating to self confidence. I am in a moment of serenity right now! Thanks again for this!

Scott.

By: betsy davenport, phd

betsy davenport, phd — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:35:35 +0000

Scott,
That sounds lovely. But my first reading of it was “Ambrosia Serenity.”

You often mock yourself about how you use words, but I am here to tell you, things like your “Amnesia Serentiy” are brilliant. Unusual, yes — that’s part of what makes them brilliant.

By: Scott Hutson

Scott Hutson — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:18:53 +0000

Betsy,

Good description about amnesia. I wish I could find a way to induce amnesia, for scheduled moments, as a way of clearing the 100′s of “Things I Need to do.” I would call it..”Amnesia Serenity”.

Scott.

By: betsy davenport, phd

betsy davenport, phd — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:08:35 +0000

Jeff,
Your piece is — among many other things — a clear discussion of some of the limits that language (a product of both Brain and Mind) places on how we can understand AD/HD and other things.

I find it fascinating to consider how the inextricable relationship between language and thought both enhances and diminishes the potential of each.

The reason people remember only so far back into childhood is that without symbolic language in the form of words, there is no way not just to report a memory, but to codify it for storage. This makes me wonder about the leaky memory of people with AD/HD; is there sufficient “distraction” that something is not really codified/labeled/filed at all?

A related phenomenon is this: after starting medication years ago, I found it a revelation that when I did not remember doing something (e.g., moving clothes from washer to dryer), I could safely conclude I had not done it. This led me to open the washer, and not the dryer, first. Prior to that, I had no reliable clue about what I did or didn’t do. (Not all the time, not everything, I wasn’t amnestic, etcetera.)

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:33:56 +0000

Gina,

There’s also the Tooth Fairy; the troll that lives under the bridge; Smith’s “Invisible Hand” and more!

And thank you…glad you liked the piece. I’m waiting for Hallowell himself to chime in.

By: Gina Pera

Gina Pera — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:03:04 +0000

This has poor implications for the Easter Bunny.

Nice piece, Jeff.

Gina

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:47:17 +0000

Doc Parker,

If YOU think the post is good, well, then I know I hit all the right buttons!

The problem with describing A.D.H.D. is akin to the problem of negative space. When we view objects we normally just “view the objects.” But an artist sees what isn’t there, namely, that space between objects. So in trying to describe the workings of the mind by looking at the brain, in a sense, it is like trying to describe negative space.

By: Dr Charles Parker

Dr Charles Parker — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:50:58 +0000

Jeff,
Weighty subjects, well mapped. The effort to codify ADHD issues with only descriptive tags is without a doubt the greatest challenge to precise targeting for treatment options. As you so well point out – ADHD is so much more, and often not appreciated as a functional phenomenon, present on various contexts of reality.

Thanks for this excellent post!
cp