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"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."
-Robin Williams
Hopefully, this Web site will become a compilation of information and resources about adult Attention Deficit Disorder. This isn't about how to deal with it as much as how to understand what ADD is, though I imagine I will touch on both. Let me know if there is something you would like to see that is not here, or if you have good resources.
In This Sidebar:
Scroll down to see
1. Labels: A list of categories into which the posts are sorted. Click to see posts of interest.
2. Contents: A list of all the posts sorted by date
3. About me: About the author of the blog and how to contact her.
4. A note about the title: Why I chose to name the blog "A Little Spark of Madness."
5. Resources: Possibly the best part, where to look to find more about ADD. Information always helps.
1. Labels: A list of categories into which the posts are sorted. Click to see posts of interest.
2. Contents: A list of all the posts sorted by date
3. About me: About the author of the blog and how to contact her.
4. A note about the title: Why I chose to name the blog "A Little Spark of Madness."
5. Resources: Possibly the best part, where to look to find more about ADD. Information always helps.
Labels
- Books (3)
- comic relief (2)
- Coping (10)
- Decision Series (2)
- Diagnosis (4)
- Getting Tested (2)
- Getting Things Done (2)
- Medicine (6)
- Meta (1)
- News for Thought (5)
- Newspaper Articles (6)
- Personal Stories (3)
- Science (5)
- stereotypes (1)
- stigma (3)
- Symptoms (4)
About Me
- Curious
- I am a young professional who was diagnosed with ADD in my last semester of college. I am trying to figure out what that means for me. I have always been successful both in school, where I am graduating Magna Cum Laude, and at work, where I work in high-stress environments, on deadline, and love it. I do display other symptoms: forgetfulness, losing things, disorganization, and tuning out during conversations. More than anything, dealing with being diagnosed has meant figuring out what the label means.
A Note About the Title
It has recently occurred to me that the title might be construed in a variety of unintended ways. I chose the Robin Williams quote because he is someone who either has been diagnosed with or displays many symptoms of ADD. I did not choose it because I wanted to be disparaging towards ADD. On the other hand, I also did not choose it to celebrate ADD. While I am uncertain about medication or really any kind of treatment as a blanket response to ADD, and while I do believe there are ways that I have benefited from some of the symptoms, I do not believe that ADD is another word for giftedness or that it should be celebrated in that way. In other words, I do not believe in ADD being taboo. I think it is important that people talk about ADD and all other issues surrounding mental health. But I also do not think that ADD should be looked at only positively as a gift while failing to recognize the struggles that come with it. "You are only given a little spark of madness. You musn't lose it," seems to me to encapsulate a complicated relationship with something like ADD. And that's what I want this blog to be about.
Resources: Books, Web Sites, Works Cited
- Hallowell, Edward M. and Ratey, John J. Delivered from Distraction--Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder. Ballantine Books. New York. 2005.
- Hallowell, Edward M. and Ratey, John J. Driven to Distraction--Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood through Adulthood. Simon and Schuster. New York. 1994.
- Freides, David Developmental Disorders: A Neuropsychological Approach.Blackwell Publishers Inc. Oxford. 2001.
- My Little Corner of the Web: An ADD portal of sorts.A bit confusing, but full of good stuff: www.bobseay.com/littlecorner/
- Attention Deficit Disorder Resources: Really straightforward portal to readings, articles, FAQs, and resources. http://www.addresources.org/ In their own words the site is described as " national non–profit organization, provides quality information, resources, and support to help those with ADHD achieve their full potential"
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