Telling someone you have "ADD" or "ADHD" often places an immediate stigma that causes instability in work or personal relationships. It often leads to one to losing his or her job or friendships.

I do not agree with psychological professionals who say that ADD is a mental illness. Placing an "illness" status on ADD gives people a reason to make excuses and behave like a victim. ADD is not a disease. It is not a malfunctioning of the brain. (read Thom Hartmann's books on ADD.) Our predisposition, our genetic makeup, determines somewhat of the way we think and act. Distractibility is an obvious condition of ADD, but oftentimes, attention can be hyperfocused. To say that there is attention deficit is inaccurate. The book, Driven to Distraction, written by Edward Hallowell, M.D. and John Ratey, M.D., described it more as "attention inconsistency", which is more descriptive of the way the brain NORMALLY functions for people with ADD or ADHD. Some struggle with it every day, especially if they have had no support or strategies to live with it.

This site exists for those who want an alternative to the popular methods of dealing with ADD, i.e., with medication. Although i do not disagree with using medication to alleviate symptoms, i do not encourage medication as a primary means of therapy. Rather, we must find and embrace the beauty of being "different" from most people and use what we can to make the most of our lives.

I hope that this forum will encourage, support and comfort those who struggle with distractibility, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity and help others understand the disorder in a positive way.

Anyone who slanders or creates a negative atmosphere will be kicked out. On the other hand, constructive criticism-- which may at first seem negative-- is welcome, as we all need a critical perspective in order to grow as individuals.

-Kiai

p.s.: Messages are screened to keep SPAM out. No message will be prejudged.