ADD - the next step of human evolution

Is ADD, Attention Deficiet Disorder, the next step of human evolution?

For starters, what is it exactly? ADD is when a person cannot concentrate on a single topic for any extended lengths of time. However, recently, I have been thinking about ADD, and how it's much too inclusive of likely very different "problems".

First, some people with ADD simply cannot concentrate on specific things. This may be because of an imbalance in the brain. Often these people are termed ADHD. This is pretty much correct, as the person's thoughts can be said to drift more than they do hyper-stimulate. For this, the prescribed Ritalin is likely a correct and useful treatment.

But it's the hyper-stimulated ones that need to be paid more attention to. A number of us with ADD can indeed concentrate on specifics and problems. In fact, we tend to think at a rate superceding others - making creative leaps and bounds that others can barely imagine. We are designated ADD because we cannot concentrate due to our amount of creativity. We are Leonardo Da Vinci's - moving from one topic to another as we try to keep up with our own thoughts.

In fact, when in Grade 6 I was tested to see if I was "gifted" (the school principal thought that perhaps I was "missed" during the Grade 3 testings). I, apparently, turned out to be - though I think now that the truth is I was mis-diagnosed again. I am positive that I have ADD of the second kind I described. The reason I seemed to be smarter at a young age was because my ideas and thoughts at the time gravitated towards science and research and theories - and so it appeared that I was gifted, rather than appearing like what the Grade 3 test indicated - that I was easily distractable.

However, since I don't take ritalin, I have had to come to gripes with my "problem" - and let me tell you, it is no problem. In fact, it is a blessing. For when I concentrate on a subject, I can accomplish amazing things. I write 10 page essays in two and a half hours, I make theories that older theorists in the actual fields consider to be well thought out and stimulating, and I have captured more than a few people on my spiritual and philosophical views.

And then I look to others who share my fate - and I see that we have so much in common. We know and try to understand so much, and come up with ideas that amazing. And now I am starting to see the truth.

ADD is our next step of evolution. We become more active, more aware, and more mentally active - three things that are both better for our species, and which are also attractive when looking for love.

The problem - schooling and diagnosis. Right now, the school system does not encourage those with ADD to become more than what they are. It encourages them to escape from reality for being too harsh on them. Schooling needs to become more pro-active, more challenging students to research something on their own, rather than force them to succeed or fail. Diagnosis too is a problem - where many of those with the second type of ADD are ignorantly placed into the first category.

The first category cannot be forgotten though. It is the second line of evolution. It is a path that is also possible for the human race. They too are more active. Perhaps through better diagnosis and training, they could become like the second category - or possibly even something more (for their hyper-stimulation is to a point even greater than that of the second category).

In any case, the answer should be clear. Further study of ADD is needed - not just in diagnosis, but in schooling and training.

haha keep telling yourself that

ADD people actually do have smaller brains on average and their inability to focus stems from that fact. You're just lucky like some other ADDs to have some good neural pathways along with your defects so you're good at some areas and bad at things ADD detracts from. Sorry, it has nothing to do with ADD lol

ADD is, in some ways, a lot like autism. Both (especially the latter) can be devastating, but they manifest themselves in so many different ways. A friend of mine (junior in highschool) is autistic and while he has a little trouble with the teachers' authority, the only other noticable aspect of it his that he is a musical genius.

It's sort of like my OCD. Not a big deal, but it helps all over the place. A little bit is often a really good thing.

LOL

Just a coincidence, but the Amish don't have any autistic kids, and they don't take polluted vaccines from Trillion Dollar Pharmaceutical companies that care dirt about people.

ADD is a fictional illness, characterizing normal behaviors as abnormal. Even those normal behaviors go away when you quit feeding kids twinkies and soda pop in school alone, and feed them good food. Just watch "Supersize me," for a clue.

ADD isn't a "fictional" condition. There are actual cases, the hidden "gems" amoung the millions of misdiagnosed. They rarely have normal lives, and have severe learning disabilities also along with the condition.

They(Amish) have "lower" rates of Autism, not a complete absense of the condition.

They also have a higher prevalence of genetic disorders as a whole due to smaller genepool and have thus become a hotbed of Genetics Research.

www.genomenewsnetwork.org...

I sort of agree with you on the Diet problem, fix this and a good portion of the "diet related" cases will disappear leaving the truely afflicted ones easier to spot.

Originally posted by RedDragon
haha keep telling yourself that

ADD people actually do have smaller brains on average and their inability to focus stems from that fact. You're just lucky like some other ADDs to have some good neural pathways along with your defects so you're good at some areas and bad at things ADD detracts from. Sorry, it has nothing to do with ADD lol

On the contrary i have in the past had 4 friends diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD. They were all extremely intelligent. In fact the 2 of them that continued to attend my school were #1 and #2 in my graduating class. But i would like to add that before either of them were prescribed ritalin, or their current medication they were...average. They didnt appear any smarter than the rest of the student body. But i noticed around junior high that when ( at different times) they were prescribed ritalin and the like after a few months they suddenly rocketed to the top of the class. From that point on both of my friends level of intelligence seemed to skyrocket. One of them who is my best friend can sleep through class, study for an hour and ace a test. I have always believed it was the medicine that did it, because i am in college now and when someone who is not diagnosed with ADD takes ritalin while they study the night before the test they can easily get an A. Maybe we should all start taking ritalin

Im 40 years old and just 5 months agaio I finly started taking meds for ADHD and the difference is (well) strange . wile in manny ways im more like (normal?) people and have slowed down some.
Like Uber I could notonly focas my Adhd but use the hyper even farther to my adavange .
Heres an excample that few could do at 35 when I did it.
I had a chevy wagon and decided to put a new moter (Out of the box moter ) Assumbley required .
I was afraid of rain as i was working out side so for 36 hours straght just stoping longenough for a bite to eat and drink I finished installing it.
needless to say this kind of feat was never a problem as I could go as much as 3 days without sleep when nessery .
But on the other hand Ill never know what 8 hours of Straght sleep feals like . (even with the meds its only slowed me down closer to normal .
and finly last but not least the thing i like the best is the insite into the problems im dealing with when repairing mechines .
I not only can repair them but figerout why it went wrong and redesing it on the fly . i rarly have to plan any project more then 3 steps ahead as I go along it just fills in by its self and mistakes are rare.
at times I thought about being (normal) but most normal people rarly look outside the box they live in . For me there is no box.

I wonder if these stories will start making a change in people. Yes, when ADD is out of control, it can be limiting to people. But when you can bring yourself in to focus on a task (either through personal training, or through ritalin if your need is great enough), then your power is astonishing to say the least. The ability to think, to abstract, and to adapt is massively increased.

I'd like to hear some other stories where ADD or ADHD helped - because I'm sure there's many.

While I suspect that alot of creative and inventive people had personality disorders like ADD but have never been diagnosed. Creativity and madness often walk a fine line with each other. So you can pick good points out of any disability, it doesn't make the person "better" than a "normal" person just advanced on one level.

However I suspect ADD and other behavorial conditions are the result in many cases from the chemical filled suger rich, nutrient poor, over processed gunk we consume mistakenly called food.

Kids drinking 1.5 liter cokes for lunch do nothing for their concentration and learning. As well as pumping them full of female hormones in the meat products.

Originally posted by SkipShipman
ADD is a fictional illness, characterizing normal behaviors as abnormal.

It is far from a fictional illness. I would suggest that you do a bit of research on the matter.

However, ADD is a often misdiagnosed disease and I feel that Ritilin is by far the most over prescribed drug ever.

I just saw this post & I have to say bravo. It's been said that I have ADHD, but I've never gotten a Doctors opinion on it, & I'm not planning on it.

I get hyper-active as Hell, & don't feel like I can ever slow down sometimes. Since I work in the food-service industry, this comes in extremely handy for Me (I deliver pizzas, hustle, hustle, hustle....make that moolah). ~Evil Grin~

I've learned how to harness all of the bad parts of what it's supposed to be, & turned it around into something I use on a daily basis. Along with this, I'm a genius with an IQ of 230. I've learned how to make Myself faster, smarter, & quicker than the other guy.

Adding to this, I've been studying the Art of War My entire life, had a lot of different life experiences, which are all adding up to Me becoming a Cop, after getting thru Police Academy next Fall.

Most kids who have been diagnosed with adhd or add have no problem sitting in front of a tv playing a video game for three hours straight. Schools get paid for every kid that is on any form of meds including add or adhd. Also if you stop from drinking diet sodas with nutrasweet and other chemicals that affect us physically, in my opinion ADD would go away. Also my husband and I run a martial arts school and we have had students go off of their medication after training with us. This is an activity that helps them gain focus. If this illness really exists, it is certainly over diagnosed and sometimes an excuse for poor behavior.

Originally posted by ChristyZ
Schools get paid for every kid that is on any form of meds including add or adhd. Also if you stop from drinking diet sodas with nutrasweet and other chemicals that affect us physically, in my opinion ADD would go away.

Schools get paid for kids on medication? I'd like to hear more about that, can you provide any proof of this statement?

As far as NutraSweet "and other chemicals that affect us physically" being removed from a child's diet to make ADD "go away", that's magical thinking. My step-son has ADD and his diet consists of mostly raw veggies, roasted nuts and lots of water. He doesn't have a taste for sweets at all.

His diet of fairly healthy foods hasn't "cured" him of his ADD, but does have him in better physical shape. He is very bright, but lacks the focus to remain on task for any appreciable amount of time, so school can be a struggle. He takes a very low dose of Concerta a day to help him get through. We tried the first two months of school without him on it, but he was too disruptive in class so we put him back on.

He also suffers from a condition called Asperger's Syndrome, which, in a nutshell, makes social interaction a bit difficult, and alters his sense of taste which explains his diet, but he's doing quite well. He's very high-functioning so he comes across as being slightly "odd" rather than totally stand-offish.

As far as the original topic, that's an interesting idea. I know there are times when I'll ask him a question and his answer will seem wrong at first. However, if I ask him to explain he takes me through his thought process to get his answer and it turns out he's taking many "what-ifs?" into account before he gives it. It's always an adventure.

I read somewhere (I will try to find the link) that suggested that ADD etc could be coursed by watching T.V. at a young age, especially under three years. It has something to do with the brain being unable to process the quick moving images.

I will look for this article. I think it's a theory worth investigating.

I also agree that its fictional, to an extent. Yes it does cause the brain to work differently, but so does everything else. Im schizophrenic, and I refuse to take medication, all I feel is that people with thinking disorders need to learn to work with it, not get rid of it, its who you are , and you shouldnt have to change for the world. but thats just my opinion.

Here's the link. Interesting reading.

www.whitedot.org...

Originally posted by RedDragon
haha keep telling yourself that

ADD people actually do have smaller brains on average and their inability to focus stems from that fact...

omg

we're back to comparing brain sizes , yeah, let the elehants do the thinking, seeing as they're much better equipped for the job. d'uh.

for starters: there's an awful lot of syndromes associated with sensual deprivation, seen eg. in zoo animals...

i would take a thorough look at that, BEFORE going out to tell people you don't even know, that they're simply biologically deficient, because such techniques work both ways, k?

PS: i'd wager future generations will hate us with a passion, throwing everyone into the lobotomy bin for years and drugging everyone who can't handle it or is instinctively freedom-loving. this ADD ADHD, whatever BS was non-existant a few decades ago, now they're what 25%? no known cause required, right? it's in the genes, just like everything else , welcome to the brave new world. enjoy.

Interesting thread...

Here are just a few of the food additives we ingest every day that are known to cause hyperactivity, and in most cases are highly carcinogenic and mutagenic as well...


102 - tartrazine (colour) - [drinks, cakes, snacks, ice-cream, confectionery]
- asthma; hyperactivity; aspirin sensitivity

110 - sunset yellow (colour) - [drinks, packet soups, dessert, biscuits, confectionery, ice-cream]
- hyperactivity; allergies; aspirin sensitivity

120 - cochineal (colour) - [cakes, confectionery, ice-cream]
- hyperactivity

122 - azorubine (colour) - [packet soups, sauces, jams, desserts (jellies)]
- asthma; hyperactivity; asprin sensitivity

133 - brilliant blue (colour) - [tinned peas, bacon-flavoured snacks]
- hyperactivity

150 - caramel (colour) - [drinks, sauces, soups, cakes, pickles, vinegar]
- hyperactivity

210 - benzoic acid (preservative) - [confectionery, cheeses, baked goods] - asthma; hyperactivity; (reacts with 222)

220 - sulphur dioxide (preservative) - [beer, wine, soft drinks, dried fruit, cordials]
- asthma; hyperactivity

222 - sodium bisulphite (preservative) - [wine, beer, soft drinks, juices, cordials]
- asthma; destroys vitamin B1; hyperactivity

250 - sodium nitrite (preservative) - [cured meats, some cheeses]
- hyperactivity; adverse reactions in children; potentially carcinogenic.

320 - Butylated hydroxyanisole (antioxidant) - [fried snacks, soft drinks, edible oils, margarine, chewing gum]
- hyperactivity; asthma; adverse reactions; allergies; increases cholesterol levels

621 - monosodium glutamate (MSG) (flavour enhancer) - [prepacked meals, snacks, Chinese cooking]
- hyperactivity; asthma; adverse reactions; allergies; aspirin sensitivity.

Originally posted by Katolu
[
Schools get paid for kids on medication? I'd like to hear more about that, can you provide any proof of this statement?

No I don't have any proof of this but I can find it if I wanted to. I don't know if it is State or Federal Funding but I have been told by several people including administrators and my sister who works with special needs children in her school district.

As far as NutraSweet "and other chemicals that affect us physically" being removed from a child's diet to make ADD "go away", that's magical thinking. My step-son has ADD and his diet consists of mostly raw veggies, roasted nuts and lots of water. He doesn't have a taste for sweets at all.

Well, yes it may be magical thinking but I have seen this magically work, including other food additives and thank you Druid for listing some of them.

His diet of fairly healthy foods hasn't "cured" him of his ADD, but does have him in better physical shape. He is very bright, but lacks the focus to remain on task for any appreciable amount of time, so school can be a struggle. He takes a very low dose of Concerta a day to help him get through. We tried the first two months of school without him on it, but he was too disruptive in class so we put him back on.

I didn't say that all ADD cases are not real, just that too many parents, teachers and medical doctors are too quick to diagnose children with this.



He also suffers from a condition called Asperger's Syndrome, which, in a nutshell, makes social interaction a bit difficult, and alters his sense of taste which explains his diet, but he's doing quite well. He's very high-functioning so he comes across as being slightly "odd" rather than totally stand-offish.

To what extent is his social action difficult? The reason I am asking is that with our martial arts program, we accept children of all abilities. We have children that are add, bi-polar, autistic. They train with our family class and everyone loves them and accepts them in. The students we train, have improved so much and even some with medical supervision have been able to reduce or go off meds. One nine year old child who started martial arts with us, ended up climbing the kicking bag and sitting on the top of it for the first week of class. I would go over and take his hand to usher him down and back in the line up while my husband was teaching so not to disrupt class. He did this almost every day, little by little his focus improved and by the third week he didn't climb the bag any longer. He is now ready for his red belt and is one of our top students. This is also one that has gone off of his medication. In our school, our motto is.....There are no benches or sidelines in karate and there are no last kids picked....Everyone plays. Since our emphasis is on respect, not one child is made fun of or ridiculed if they need extra time to learn. I'ts wonderful for those children who can not socially be part of organized team sports. Just an idea for you if you could find a good TRADITIONAL school in your area. Not a MdDojo as we call it that's goal is to pump out hundreds of black belts a year.

As far as the original topic, that's an interesting idea. I know there are times when I'll ask him a question and his answer will seem wrong at first. However, if I ask him to explain he takes me through his thought process to get his answer and it turns out he's taking many "what-ifs?" into account before he gives it. It's always an adventure.

Originally posted by Uber Fr0g
On the contrary i have in the past had 4 friends diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD. They were all extremely intelligent. In fact the 2 of them that continued to attend my school were #1 and #2 in my graduating class. But i would like to add that before either of them were prescribed ritalin, or their current medication they were...average.

Yet two were on performance enhancing drugs? Most 'average' kids would do better at tests after studing with the help of some uppers.

The medical community are starting to discover that brain size doesn't make that much of a difference in intelligence [a relative concept].. however the portions of the brain size and it's connections could affect different capabilities. Some schizophrenics apparently have a smaller frontal lobe while some [severe?] autistics have an enlarged frontal lobe.. can't remember the specifics on dpressives/ bipolar though aside from chemical imbalance. It seems many who have disorder/mental illness have higher rates of creativity than normal.. and higher rates of suicide [the gifted can be cursed as well]. It's suspected that Einstein had aspergers.. he had three times the synapses more than the average brain and probably had dispraxia [he apparently had to hire help to get dressed etc.. poor co-ordination]. I have met many autistics that are savants yet completely helpless with the most menial tasks [rainmain cleshe]. My theory is that they may be a transitional [or merely a deformity] and that the brain has not adapted itself sufficently to the new biological changes. Regardless of 'disorder/mental illness'.. anyone with a talent or flair for something could potentially be an evolutionary improvement on the species.. geniuses have always existed and whoever figured out how to rub two sticks together to create fire would've been considered one as well.