Think about it for a moment and consider that people, like you and me, with ADHD, we are seemingly held to higher standards. I don’t mean higher standards in that we are better than anyone else. I mean that if you have ADHD you are expected to do more to improve yourself. Our responsibility to ‘self-improvement’ is much higher than the average. First we must strive to attain what normal people attain, and then we must compete to be even better. Due to public opinion of ADHD we are constantly proving ourselves. Even so, it’s not the general public that concerns me, it’s the attitude and behavior of ‘a few’ who take it to the next level and are quite offensive towards anyone with labeled imperfections.

Adult ADHD can be Sexy? Really?

We ADDers have a unique way of thinking things through. We have a rare way of putting things together, of finding similarities between things or ideas that at first seem dissimilar or at least unlikely to be joined as an interesting concept. When the ADDer demonstrates how two vastly different notions can be connected the result can illuminate the possiblility of a completely new idea.

For ADDers being creative is more about the process of finding associations between things and ideas that come at them day to day at a frenetic pace in order to make sense of the fast paced life around them. ADDers are famous for thinking outside the box when they are asked for solutions to a problem or a new approach to an old idea or way of doing something. And yet, too often this wonderful trait to see, create and do things in unique new ways is disregarded in today’s world, even when it is obvious they work incredibly well.

The reception of my memoir One Boy’s Struggle by people with ADHD and without ADHD alike, and professionals, has been phenomenal.

As most anyone knows, who has been reading my blog, you know I did not originally intend to publish. It all started as a therapeutic effort on my part to get my thoughts and experiences out of my head and on paper, something I could read back to myself and make sense of it all. Well, while I was making sense of my life I started to include all the things I believed would have helped me had it been known that I had ADD (ADHD), and while I did that, it was then that I decided, or rather, it came to me that I needed to share my life with you. It was not an easy decision, but I know it was the right decision. 

I guess when you are insane famous a little photo can get a lot of attention, especially if you are considered the perfect role model. Truth is, nobody is perfect and nobody should be expected to be perfect. That being said, I read a couple recent blog posts about Michael’s situation and how his actions do, or better yet, do not relate to ADHD. Can you really separate the actions of someone with ADHD from ADHD itself? That’s a very good question. Check out these two articles which take a moment to put this whole shebang in perspective:

Dr. Rory Stern’s take

And another very interesting, no BS article by Jennifer Koretsky

What do you think of Michael’s recent actions concerning smoking marijuana? Related to ADHD? Or just a 23 year old experimenting? Or…

~Bryan

“Single-Minded Focus”

Michael Phelps won the Gold Medal in his first swim in Beijing! There seems to be some confusion and wonder at how and why Michael Phelps was able to overcome so many odds to not break under so much mental pressure. Michael is described in countless articles to have laser like focus on his swimming and single mindedness on being the best. His concentration has even been described as other-worldly. Yes, Michael has the body makeup of a perfect swimming machine, but in competition it is always the mental aspect which allows someone to step above the rest – in Michael’s case, way above the rest – domination.