The ADD Answer - Dr. Frank G. Lawlis
www.SADD.nl - Foundation for the predominantly inattentive type - Attention Deficit Disorder

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ADD People are Super People (in disguise)

Dr. Frank Lawlis: ADD Netherlands Foundation

As I have received the welcome feedback on my book, The ADD Answer, I am always amazed at the continued stigma to those who have been diagnosed with this disorder. The label has become associated with bad behavior and even an affliction. I want to speak out that although ADD is a real problem with brain dysfunction, it is not an impediment to being a human being and may be a instigator for superness.

As most people realize, ADD is usually diagnosed from problems related to concentration and focus, often related to being easily distracted and disorganized. The point I wish to make is that all people have problems with concentration and focus many times in their lives that could be diagnosed as ADD based on these simple criteria. We get stressed from work, getting gifts for Christmas, being late, our marriage relationships, suffering from grief, etc. When I was a sophomore in college, my father died and I was devastated to the point that only through the grace of God, the Chairman of the chemistry department, and being very, very lucky did I escape being kicked out of school.

By the results in my clinic as well as every other clinic I have consulted with, ADD is misdiagnosed 67 percent of the time, probably because of the poor accuracy from these symptoms. But at least 99 percent of all of my patients suffer from anxiety so much that it is clearly a major factor in the problems related to ADD. Even if they are diagnosed with the brain mechanisms of ADD correctly, anxiety becomes even a bigger issue than the ADD.

The brain dysfunction that appears to be the critical smoking gun for the diagnosis of ADD is the slowing of activity in the frontal lobes. These areas are considered to be the executive functions, which makes sense that if you had problems there you would be easily distracted and disorganized. To validate these diagnostic claims, when these areas are stimulated with medicine or other methods, such as musical rhythms and acoustical frequencies, the person has immediate results in better performance. The typical frequency of the ADD brain in these areas is often labeled as the “theta” frequencies.
I am not sure if you can believe this, but the frequency range for creativity is also this theta range, and many of the activities that business executives go through for “thinking outside the box” for innovative endeavors are those that bring their brains to this creative range. Thomas Edison had many methods to bring his brain into this range for the development of his inventions.
In fact most, of not all, of our inventors would likely be classified as ADD, at least in their academic behaviors. Most dropped out or were kicked out, like Albert Einstein. My thesis is that even though the brain dynamics associated with ADD need to be managed for more efficiency in school and work; this special brain should not be labeled as a negative trait or evil attribute. It should be embraced.

Being clearly ADD myself, I do appreciate my capacities to use my creative skills. They have been among my best sources of happiness.
But before I conclude that People with ADD should consider themselves without need for help, the real objective is not to abolish their ADD talents but to add the control for broader capacities. Like the executive trying to learn creativity through lowering their brain frequencies, the person with ADD needs to learn to increase his or her brain frequencies and gain administrative capacities. It like driving a stick-shift car and learn to use the transmission gears for their best use. You use the lower gears to gain power and lose speed, and the higher gears to gain speed, but lose power.
ADD is not a pledge that limits you from life. It can be a major source for creativity and wisdom. It is not a stigma of loser, but it can be strength when used for its purposes. The challenge for all of us is to maximize our potentials.

The great news is that we can do marvelous things with our brains. It is plastic and the interwoven nerve connections can change in minutes, making the future especially bright for all of us who have brain challenges. By broadening our skills we can become greater than average and excel because of this extra creative capacity. Like Superman, we have to learn to control what we have and grow into what we can be.

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By: Frank Lawlis – 2006 – SADD.NL (acknowledge source when quoting)

Frank Lawlis, Ph.D., is a renowned psychologist, researcher, counselor, and an innovator in the field of behavioral medicine with more than thirty-five years' experience working with parents and children with ADD. He has been named director of The Angel Foundation Research Institute for Neuroplasticity and he is a fellow of the American Psychological Association. In addition to being the primary contributing psychologist for the Dr. Phil television show, he is editor at large for Dr. Phil McGraw's newsletter, The Next Level.