Three years ago I was feeling really scatter brained and unfocused. I would have my keys one moment, set them down and not remember where I put them. I would start cooking, and get distracted only to remember I had something on the stove when I smelled something burning. I decided to meet with a psychiatrist and find out what was going on with me. I was diagnosed with adult ADD (attention deficit disorder).
The most common symptoms of ADD are failing to pay close attention, making careless errors, and failure to sustain attention. ADD affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain. An article titled ADD-Unmasking attention Difficulties written by Dr. Russell Griffiths states that the prefrontal cortex inhibits impulses, initiates behavior and controls working memory (Griffiths). When this area of the brain is underactive it limits the ability to screen out unnecessary information, and the person pays attention to everything, which makes staying on task very difficult.
There is also information out there written by Dr. Thomas E. Brown that addresses that ADD affects the executive processes of the brain. Dr. Brown created his own model called the “Executive functions impaired in ADD/ADHD model. It lists six different executive functions that are impaired. One of the six functions affected is memory, precisely the act of utilizing working memory and accessing recall (Brown, n.d.). When the working memory is affected in the pre-frontal cortex, people can remember things that happened long ago, but have difficulty remembering where they put something, what someone just said or what they were about to say.
Learning about this and getting a diagnosis makes me feel better about myself as a person. Prior to this I felt dumb, lazy, and flakey. My school was suffering. My husband was frustrated with my inability to focus on things, locking myself out of the house, burning dinner, and losing things. Knowing that it’s a problem I can’t control is helpful. Understanding the working parts of my brain and the roles it plays in this disorder stops me from feeling sorry for my self. Instead, I do what I need to do to manage it. Right now I manage it with a stimulant prescription. I notice the difference and lack of focus when I don’t take it. The stimulant medicines strengthen the area of the brain that is affected by releasing dopamine. Underactive cortexes may have less dopamine neurons or are less able to use these messengers (Griffiths). The stimulants regulate the underactive pre-frontal cortex, aiding in focus, attention, and memory. Stimulants are not for everyone, but they work for me in controlling my ADD.
References
Brown, T. E. (n.d.). Executive functions impaired in ADD/ADHD. Retrieved October 17, 2015, from www.drthomasebrown.com
Griffiths, R. (). ADD-unmasking attention difficulties. LearningRX. Retrieved from http://www.learningrx.com/add.htm
I could only imagine the frustration you felt before knowing you were diagnosed with ADD. I, along with several others, felt at some point I had ADD as well. It’s extremely hard for me to focus and I forget where I leave things all the time. If I’m doing my homework I somehow always get distracted. However, I have panic disorder and have suffered from social anxiety and my anxiety creates many issues for me when it comes to remembering things I have to do, or even everyday tasks I have a routine for. Because I easily get overwhelmed my mind tends to shut down at a certain point and I lose concentration easily. I either procrastinate or my mind is racing to the point where I can’t grasp what it is I have to do. I can somehow relate to you, and you made a very important point. Learning about how parts of your brain are affected by ADD helped you to manage a little better. Same goes for me and I believe for anyone with a mental disorder. It can be extremely frustrating but knowing what goes on internally and it affects your mind can somehow but you at ease
I found this blog to be very interesting, as ADD is seen in my family, and I have always wondered if I, too, have this condition. My boyfriend has it, and it is very obvious at times. I can have almost a whole conversation with him and ask him what I just said, and he sometimes can’t recall it. I guess what I was saying wasn’t of great interest to him and he was utilizing his selective attention. As Daniel pointed out in his comment above, ADD is characterized by an inability to focus on one particular thing, and in order to do so, it should be of interest to that person. This reminds me of my blog post I did about autism and selective attention. But, these individuals choose to selectively attend to certain things, but can become overwhelmed when confronted with too much information…similar to those who have ADD. I find that my symptoms of what I think could be ADD vary from day to day…some days I am more focused than others. Maybe that’s why I drink so much coffee, since stimulants are proven to be an effective treatment in those with ADD. Thanks for sharing your story!
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your post. I have been dealing with ADD and dyslexia since I was a child, so it was nice to learn a little about the cognitive processes involved. I have been taking prescription medication for years now, and it helps me a lot too.
Reading your post reminded me of a TEDx Talks video titled, “ADHD as a Difference in Cognition, Not a Disorder” that I watched a while back explaining some of the advantages of ADD and ADHD. I know it sounds strange to suggest that there are advantages to a disorder, but the speaker Stephen Tonti makes a few great points that definitely pertain to my case of ADD. Many people think of ADD as a disorder that prevents people from being able to focus, but as you mentioned in your post, it actually just makes it difficult for an individual to focus on one particular thing since unnecessary information is less likely to be screened out.
Tonti explains that the presented information would need to be extremely interesting to the person in order for him or her to focus full attention on it. Once the individual is actually focused on that one piece of information, ADD and ADHD can actually cause a kind of “hyper focus” that allows the person to focus more than someone without the disorder may focus (TEDx Talks, 2013). I notice this a lot with my case, especially when it comes to school work. You may find the video interesting or even motivating. If you would like to see it, refer to the link below.
Reference
TEDx Talks. (2013, April 10). ADHD as a difference in cognition, not a disorder: Stephen Tonti at TEDxCMU [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6o2_UFSEY
I’m sorry that you have to go through these struggles on a daily basis. I am glad that you did seek help with what was the cause for you to lose lack of focus on daily activities. I can relate on how difficult it can be for you. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD last year. ADHD is when children tend to be overly active, trouble focusing and behavior (cdc.gov). They usually are very impulsive (cdc.gov).
For a really long time I was wondering why she would lose focus at school, have the lack of attention, she constantly would move around all day and several times I would have to tell her “Aamira please sit down”. I ignored her behaviors until it began to affect her school work and her primary doctor suggested I complete the paper work along with her teacher to see if she was in the range for ADHD. There are three types of ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Presentation, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation, and. Combined Presentation (cdc.gov). Predominantly Inattentive Presentation is when the child shows the inability to complete a task or pay attention at all and Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation is when the child is very fidgety, talkative, restless, and impulsive (cdc.gov). Combined Presentation is the combination between both Inattentive as well as being impulsive. My daughter was diagnosed with Inattentive Presentation ADHD, she takes Adderall in order to help her focus and I can honestly say it has help out a lot with her schooling and it helps with keeping her calm even once she comes home.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html
I actually wish I could leave a comment in response to Shadi’s comment on this blog. I would just like to remind everyone that we are undergraduate Psychology students, and we do not have nearly enough knowledge or training to speculate upon whether or not we think that there is a disorder that people are commonly misdiagnosed with. I think it’s somewhat insulting to people who have more knowledge and have put much more time into a specialty. Also, I think it’s completely unfair to make a statement about experiencing the same symptoms, or “scenarios” as someone else and not having a diagnosis. Although the symptoms pointed out here may seem vague, it doesn’t mean that it’s the full extent of the experience. If the author of this blog felt badly enough to seek evaluation, it probably meant that her symptoms were interfering with daily functioning, the basis of a mental health ailment. As psychology students, when it comes to controversial topics such as ADD and the treatment thereof, I think it’s very important that we look past the black and white letters on a page, such as this blog. Psychology is a legitimate science with fact based evidence, and although many variables are conceptual and hard to measure, opinions as sole forms of evidence are not sufficient.
I know that people have concerns about ADD and its treatment; for this reason alone, I’m impressed with what you have shared in this blog. It’s a real issue. My mom suffers from severe ADHD, and of myself and my two brothers, two of us suffer from ADD. My mother has been a Physician’s Assistant for 25 years and is now in medical school to become a D.O., at 53 years old. With that being said, I watch my mother struggle vigorously with ADD when she is trying to study. It takes everything in her power to focus, no matter how badly she tries. With that being said, ADD is obviously not some made up “cop out” for her, and she is well aware that she has it.
So, with that, I say keep on keeping on, without the shame of society. I sense that you have felt bad about this before, but please don’t beat yourself up. You’re obviously going to a great school to get a great education..ADD is just a part of you, not who you are (cheesy, I know, but true!).
I know that I experience a lot of those scenarios as well, but I am not diagnosed with ADD. Sometimes I wonder if I have it and tend to self-diagnose myself when I become forgetful with things. After we learned about short term and working memory though I felt a little bit better about myself. While I do believe that ADD is a legitimate condition and that some people do need to take proper steps to cope with it to lead a normal life, I do think that there are some functions of STM and WM that might make some people that don’t actually have ADD feel like they do.
When I learned that our STM only holds about 7 items for about 15-30 seconds I realized why I sometimes forget to bring my tables extra ketchup after other guests have asked my for a round of drinks, and another told me what they wanted for their appetizer, just before my manager is calling for people to run food (I’m currently a server at a restaurant). These tasks also need the usage of my working memory, if they get there. Our WM has a limited capacity system for temporary storage and manipulation for complex tasks such as comprehension, learning and reasoning (Goldstein, 2011). I have to use reasoning to map out my steps and decide what is most important. I use my phonological loop that holds verbal and audio information to remember what people asked for (if I can remember). But when I have to add more tasks to my list, some of the information is disrupted, causing me to forget the extra ketchup.
So next time you feel like you have ADD, or your sever keeps forgetting your ketchup, consider the process of short term and working memory!
Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive Psychology Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Although I am not diagnosed for attention deficit disorder, I feel as though I have many qualities that I am able to relate to. I am always laying items down and forgetting where I put things. I am also very good at making careless errors. If my friends are telling a story, I listen in the beginning and then tend to zone out and think of other things, missing a good amount of their story. I will realize when they are almost done with their story that I had not been paying attention when i should have and shift my attention back to them to listen to the end of the story. I try to play it off, but by then I have already missed key points to their story and am lost in the type of way i should respond to their story. I tend to have to say “what” a lot because i hear them, I may even be looking at them, but I am not fully listening. Its like I am stuck in my own world of thoughts or something in the background distracts me.
I am glad you were able to better understand ADD, after you were diagnosed and did some research on it. I feel that after reading your blog on your experience and infer on how it impacts the brain, I too better understand. Like i said, I am not diagnosed, but this blog has helped explain some reasons to why I have a hard time paying attention to things and people. This gives me a better understanding as to why I can not always give my full attention to people or things.