Dark Bilious Vapors

Newsweek has this interesting article called The Gift of ADHD.

I find it most facinating having had "loads" of personal experience with ADD, and several family members professionally diagnosed with this condition -- though I'll leave them "nameless" to prevent too much personalized info put out via this Blog, but I'll tell ya...it's not ME.

I've attended numerous seminars and done much reading on the topic. But, in my experience, most or many people with this condition are very bright people (some just fail to translate their natural abilities into successfully making their place in the world.) But I'd have to say, all the family members I have with ADD are the successful, creative and lucky ones who found ways to channel these talents into a fulfilling careers and lives.

Anne Underwood (Newsweek) writes in her article:

"Sam Grossman grew up thinking he was stupid, lazy and irresponsible—"a screw-up," as he puts it. Struggling with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), he constantly disappointed his parents and teachers alike. So how, at the age of 24, did he end up as a partner in a Massachusetts real-estate firm? He credits an unlikely source. "The key to my success," he says, was his ADHD.

For struggling parents, ADHD—which affects roughly 3 to 7 percent of Americans—may not seem like the key to anything other than frustration. But two new books, "Delivered From Distraction" by Dr. Edward Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey and "The Gift of ADHD" by Lara Honos-Webb, advance the controversial notion that distractibility, poor impulse control and emotional sensitivity have flip sides that are actually strengths—namely creativity, energy and intuition. "A huge proportion of criminals have ADHD," says Hallowell. "So do a lot of successful artists and CEOs. It's how you manage it that determines whether it becomes a gift or a curse."

Karen on 03.12.05 @ 06:02 AM CST