What is ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder

ADD - (Attention Deficit Disorder) is a disorder characterised by problems in maintaining and prioritising attention and concentration.

ADD-ers have problems managing their time (doing everything at the last possible moment) and often experience significant problems maintaining a daily structure and a healthy sleep rhythm. There are also problems in planning and organising their household and financial administration. The ADD-er is easily distracted and exhibits chaotic behaviour; he or she broods a lot and regularly feels overwhelmed. To do the daily grind of chores and tasks is their main challenge.

As opposed to people with ADHD, the ADD-er is not hyperactive. The ADD-er however, is bothered by 'too many thoughts'. In a conversation we can change subjects fast and often. Our thoughts are jumping to and fro.

Because of this, ADD-ers tend to remain in the background and that cause loneliness. Many ADD-ers indicate having not many friends, or none at all.

Fear or panic symptoms surface when the ADD-er feels like losing the control or overview of a situation. Depressive symptoms are also common when the chaos tends to swallow them. For those reasons, ADD-ers have trouble dealing with unexpected changes in their plans. Some sort of mental preparation is necessary. Afterwards there is often the need to relax or discharge the built-up tensions.

Many ADD-ers have, previous to being diagnosed with ADD, been diagnosed as having a Bipolar Disorder or Burnout. Anxiety, depression and panic symptoms are part of the ADD diagnosis. It is also possible that someone is diagnosed for two different problems: ADD is commonly paired with other disorders like dyslexia and dyscalculia. These symptoms usually don't surface until after early childhood.

The ADD-er has usually built op a low self esteem in reaction to concentration problems / inattentiveness. Think about the reactions they get because of repeatedly coming late, forgetting appointments or birthdays and the like. To learn to cope with society's expectations, many ADD-ers hide their problems early in life or learn to compensate. Examples of that can be found on this website.

The ADD-er has wondered for years what makes her or him so different from others. You cannot just 'see' if someone has ADD: it is not an obvious trait. ADHD is usually diagnosed earlier because of the obvious behavioural traits. It is still all too common that a family member is diagnosed with ADHD while the sister or brother with ADD is overlooked until they reach puberty. ADD and ADHD are both hereditary.

Advantages of ADD

You have an additional capability called Hyperfocus
You have lots of empathy and can really reach out to others
You can quickly see things from all possible points of view
You are very creative
You really go for it when you are interested in something,
You like to be challenged
You want to deliver the best possible results
You like to solve puzzles / problems
You cannot rest until you have succeeded
You have a great sense of humour
You have lots of perseverance
You can quickly deal with adversity and criticism
You don't give up when interested in something
You have a very strong intuition
You are very perceptive
You have remarkable insight in how the brain works
You can generate solutions at lightening speed
You have a unique vision, a point of view that not many others share

Disadvantages of ADD

- You have trouble concentrating on something for a prolonged period of time
- You have little interest in carrying out instructions
- You are either visibly hyperactive or invisible
- You are bothered by too many thoughts at the same time
- You appear, or are, disorganised / or you have learned to hide this
- You rather won't waste time on details - but -
- When you are interested, you spend all of your time on details
- You are often disappointed in people
- You have trouble listening to people.
- Your thoughts wander off. It is very hard for you to carry out assignments
- You are forgetful and/or lose things
- You interrupt others You tend to complete other people's sentences
- You hate to have to wait for something
- You are always doing two things at the same time
- You forget birthdays
- People think you are selfish and inconsiderate.
- You are always daydreaming (re-charging your batteries)
- You can suddenly feel depressed
- You're looking for adrenaline rushes (i.e. speeding in traffic)
- When your train of thought is disturbed, you can come across as irritated
- You regularly feel that you can barely live up to expectations
- You have to be careful to not to take on more tasks than you can manage
- You are insecure about things you say because you don't want to hurt others
- You are sensitive to alcohol and drug addiction
- You like to retreat
- You are overly sensitive to criticism
- You have always felt that you were different
- You regularly feel out of place
- You regularly feel lonely and misunderstood
- You can be chaotic and overly perfectionist.

The ADD brain

A neurotransmitter is a molecule that is engaged in transferring signals between nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. Dopamine is an important neurtransmitter in regard to ADD/ADHD.

In ADD, there is a shortage of dopamine which leads to lowered brain activity in the prefrontal cortex. Because of this deficit, ADD-ers are easily distracted and very sensitive to drug addictions. There are several medications that block dopamine transport so that balance can be restored. A healthy menu and exercise are also important to optimise their well-functioning.

Dopamine-increasing drugs or activities help concentrating. For this reason, an ADD-er can concentrate wonderfully well in exercising certain creative talents and, once their interest is captured, they can be almost obsessed for long periods. This is known as Hyperfocus. The ADD-er has the feeling of possessing some sort of ultra-concentration and can perform remarkably well.

Strenuous or crisis situations can also increase the dopamine level, improving the flow of information in the brain and allowing us to better concentrate on whatever we are doing. You will therefore find many ADD-ers in the police force, fire fighters and similar areas. The downside of all this is that it costs a lot of energy.

The ADD-er usually falls asleep late because of their need for analysis, discharging and relaxation. To order and categorise the large number of new sensations, experiences, emotions and thoughts costs time. Another factor is that there are less distracting external impulses at night. Problems falling asleep and waking up will significantly make planning and organisation tasks more difficult.

Because of the hereditary aspect there is often more than one ADD-er, or a combination of ADD-ers and ADHD-ers in one family. Every one of them with their own peculiarities, personal needs and wishes. It can be an arduous task to manage all that.

By: Karin Windt – 2004 – Levente.nl (acknowledge source when quoting)
Karin is the instigator and en president of the Dutch ADD Foundation / Stichting ADD Nederland. Karin has ADD. Translated by Maike Dulk 2006.