If you think having attention deficit disorder (ADD) is rough to deal with as a child, try being an adult with ADD.

For starters most adults with the disorder never get diagnosed. Turns out that fewer than 20% of ADHD/ADD adults are ever accurately diagnosed or treated (Barkley & Brown, 2008; Ginsberg et al., 2014),

It is hard enough to have ADD, not realizing that you have it is even worse. I know, as I did not discover I was ADD until I was in my doctoral program studying to become a neuropsychologist. Up to that time I spent my life studying much longer and harder than my peers. I struggled so meet deadlines, and saying whatever popped into my head in the moment. It may sound strange, but it was such a relief to discover that I had this fairly common neurological disorder to explain my odd behavior!

On the one hand I knew it had nothing to do with IQ. I had had my IQ tested, and I was quite satisfied with my score. By the way, it’s very common to find individuals with ADHD/ADD, who have very high IQs. That has certainly been my experience over the years having tested thousands of people for ADD. The vast majority had exceptionally high IQs.The research shows us quite clearly that there are other things associated with ADD as well. In the articles to follow this one I will explore several of those connections.

What happens to the individual who goes undiagnosed throughout life is that they are vulnerable to ongoing social, academic, and occupational difficulties, as well as being more at risk for developing anxiety, depression, or substance use disorders as a way of coping with that anxiety.

The question is, why does this happen? When it comes to the impact on one’s personality, generally, but not always, ADD individuals tend to be easily bored, more sensitive to distractions, and they can seem rather intense. The good news is that they are also more likely to be creative. In that sense, they make great entrepreneurs.

Growing up with ADD or ADHD is tricky for most people. They always feel “different “ from most everyone else. In fact, it turns out that they are different. Their brains are structurally and functionally different. Not necessarily in a bad way, although admittedly, it can be fairly inconvenient.

For the longest time, we didn’t really understand these differences. Today we do have a scientific explanation for the neurological basis of ADHD and ADD. And recently in my own work, I have been able to make the connection between what appears to be sociopathy and ADD or ADHD. When I say sociopathy, I am referring to someone that tends to march to the beat of a different drummer, always looking for exceptions to the rules or just straight up bending the rules when they seem inconvenient. Shortcuts, workarounds, and reinterpretation of the rules is quite common for the ADD individual.

My take on this issue is that it is part of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I say that because individuals suffering from ADHD or ADD are often told by parents, teachers, employers, spouses, and friends that they did not fit the common mold, the implication being that there is something wrong with them, and not the mold. Overtime, they give up trying to fit in or conform, because they can’t, and they accept that there is clearly something wrong with them.

It never seems to be about the system, and its rigidity, or the assumptions, many of which are inaccurate when it comes to the manner in which people learn and grow. The Assumption is always that the gifted child, the ADD child, and certainly the intellectually impaired child is the problem, not the system.

But when it comes to ADD, it is sad to me that individuals with so many strengths are viewed in such a negative way by our society and our school systems. It seems odd to call a condition a disorder when the condition comes with so many positive features. For example, people with an ADHD-style nervous system tend to be great problem-solvers. They wade into problems that have stumped everyone else and jump to the answer. Maybe not the conventional answer, but an answer that actually works nonetheless. They are not hampered by analysis paralysis.

They have what Paul Wender called “relentless determination.” What he means by this is that they never give up once they have zeroed in on a specific problem. When they get hooked they often become single-minded when it comes to solving the problem.

Stay tuned for our next article on why people with ADD don’t function well in world that uses linear thinking. Linear thinking refers to the idea that a causes B. We know that causality is much more complicated and linear thinking prevents us from solving problems that are actually quite solvable.

If you suspect that you have an attention deficit, or you know someone who does reach out to me.I can help. My name is Dr. Renae Norton. I am a wellness researcher and writer and look forward to hearing from you. contact me directly at 513-205-6543 or Office@mindweightwellnesspro.com