Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (idea)

I recommend that anyone checking out this node who has more than a passing interest in Attention Deficit Disorder check out Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception by Thomas Hartmann (ISBN 1-887424-14-8).

The main thrust of the book is this: ADD is neither a deficit nor a disorder. It is merely a difference in the way the mind works. The ADD mind is referred to as the "hunter" mind, as opposed to the more prevalent "farmer" mind. Ritalin and other pharmaceutical straitjackets simply force the ADD hunter brain to operate like a farmer brain as opposed to recognizing the inherent strengths of the ADD mind. I won't go so far as to regurgitate the book in its entirety, but I will make one observation: more than 3 million Americans are on Ritalin to medicate them into behaving like "farmers".

I'm very passionate about this topic seeing as, at the age of 29, I've recently been diagnosed with ADD. This explains many of the difficulties I had as I was growing up, coping with the archaic school system that we have here in the West. I've recently begun a new form of therapy for ADD: EEG Neurofeedback. This has been training my brain to increase the levels of "focused-awareness" brain waves while decreasing the power of the "distracted-awareness" brain waves. I am happier, more effective, and working better than I ever have as a result. Furthermore, I am not cursed with having to take my Ritalin every morning, doomed to a life of having my brain chemistry monkeyed with.