Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD, ADHD)

This web page is for adults and teenagers, (and the families, teachers, school counselors and work colleagues who care about them), who are convinced or suspect they have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD or ADHD).  It provides:

• A more practical Understanding of Attention Deficit Disorder than the one now provided in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV. Six different types of ADD are indentified below based on discrete symptoms that are important to diagnose in order to create ADD or ADHD treatment, therapy and counseling strategies that really work but differ in crucial ways for adults and teens. Idenifying and understanding these symptoms is half the battle in finding the best treatment, therapy and counseling strategies for ADD or ADHD.
   
• Access to a self-administered ADD Diagnostic Questionnaire that identifies the six types of Attention Deficit Disorder.
   
• An eye opener on Drugs Used to Control ADD and Natural Products for Restoration of Healthy Neurotransmitter Levels as a Safer Alternative.
   
• A Multifaceted Approach to Treating ADD based on close co-operation of our therapists with the families, teachers, school counselors and work associates of those struggling with ADD that can Lead to Lasting, Long-Term relief
   

Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in adults and teenagers is hard to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to and often overlap with many of those found in better known conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Manic Depressive or Bi-Polar Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Unhealthy Narcissism, Depression, Adjustment Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence, Tic Disorders like Tourette’s Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and weak Impulse Control. A key difference is that while many people struggle with the latter conditions in adulthood, those living with ADD have struggled with it since childhood.

At a Psychotherapy Group in the Village, our therapists in New York City believe a true diagnosis of ADD should be based on the following:

1. A self-administered, behavioral questionnaire completed either by the person who may be struggling with ADD or someone who knows that person intimately.
    
2. An in depth face to face consultation that sheds light on the person’s life history, current life circumstances, and early childhood emotional experiences and memories.
    
3. The results of a brain scan known as Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). During a scan, the person is first asked to relax, then later to concentrate on a specific task. The scans of ADD people light up in particular ways when relaxing and concentrating. It should be strongly emphasized that these patterns merely indicate unique emotional defenses and ways of thinking at the core of the struggle with ADD. They don’t by any stretch of the imagination suggest a neurological disorder or brain abnormality. The more intensely lit brain scans of ADDer’s hint at a neurochemical cyclone of anxiety, withdrawal and, depending upon the type of ADD, compulsive rituals, sporadic temper tantrums, detachment, lethargy and despair.
    

Do you have ADD?

If you do, it’s because you’ve created a clever repertoire of adaptive behaviors designed to protect yourself from severe emotional stresses; behaviors that have fooled a lot of people since your were a child; half turned off ways of responding and relating to your parents and teachers that have infuriated them in the past and often frustrate your bosses, friends and lovers today.

The problem is that while the turn offs work consciously, (i.e., they enable you make a clean mental get away from whoever is demanding something or making you anxious), they never work unconsciously. After you’ve escaped, you always wind up feeling depressed and anxious because you’re forced to live in hiding, kept from showing your real feelings and deprived of the richer life you could live if you expressed yourself openly and spontaneously.

The 91-item self-administered questionnaire we have developed is designed to identify the following six different types of ADD*:

1. Classic ADD: Marked inattentiveness at work, home, social occasions, etc; easily distracted from routine tasks; an extremely disorganized life style; and restlessness hyperactivity or impulsivity at work, home, social occasions, etc.
    
2. Inattentive ADD: On going sluggish or apathetic behavior at home, work, social occasions, etc. along with inattentiveness, distractibility and disorganization, but without the restlessness, hyperactivity and impulsivity in Classic ADD.
    
3. Over-Focused ADD: Excessive worrying and a tendency to be argumentative, erratic or compulsive with frequent negative or oppositional thinking. Often confused with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
    
4. Temporal Lobe ADD: A tendency toward quick temper, rage, generalized anxiety, panic and paranoia. Sometimes confused with Organic Mental Disorders and Paranoid Personality Disorder.
    
5. Limbic ADD: Moodiness, low energy, emotional isolation and feelings of hopelessness. Includes many of the symptoms of moderate to severe depression.
    
6. Ring of Fire ADD: Angry, mean, unpredictable behavior; sensitivity to noise, light, clothing, touch and grandiose thinking. Often confused with Manic Depressive or Bi-Polar Disorder.

*Described by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., in: Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program that Allows you to See and Heal the 6 Different Types of ADD, Berkley Books, New York (2002).

Can someone with Classic or Inattentive ADD complete a long questionnaire like ours? Can an emotionally volatile Temporal Lobe or Ring of Fire ADDer finish it? Can a Limbic ADDer jump-start him or herself into even answering the first dozen statements? And what about teenagers who can barely finish their school work yet teach themselves to use PhotoShop or play Game Cube, PlayStation 2 or Xbox 360 like experts for hours on end?

It all depends on whether you find the items in the questionnaire boring or whether they hold your interest long enough to get you to finish it. If you make the effort to complete it, you’ll get a clearer understanding of the type of ADD you or someone you care about are struggling with, an understanding that can lead to better ways of dealing with it.

Take a close look at the ADD questionnaire, then complete it either for yourself or someone you care about, using your keyboard.

When you’ve finished, press the submit button to have your responses emailed automatically to André A. Moore, Director and Senior Psychotherapist of A Psychotherapy Group in the Village. Once I receive your completed questionnaire, I’ll analyze your responses to make a complete diagnosis, then contact you to schedule an in-depth consultation. Or if you wish you can call or email me first via the details below:

Office: 212 673 4618
Cell: 646 239 9112
email: andremoore@mindspring.com

An Eye Opener on Drugs Used to Control ADD and Natural Products for Restoration of Healthy Neurotransmitter Levels as a Safer Alternative

Most people, including many non-medical psychotherapists, are shocked to learn that virtually all the stimulant drugs used to treat ADD or ADHD are related to illegal street drugs like dextroamphetamine or Dexedrine, methamphetamine or crystal meth, and cocaine. Here is  a description of common ADD drugs:

• Ritalin and Concerta: now most frequently prescribed to control ADD in children, work in a way that’s pharmacologically very similar to cocaine. Their side effects include loss of appetite, insomnia, increased heart rate and blood pressure, abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting, irritability, mood swings, dry mouth, nausea and, in adults, impotence and difficulty achieving orgasm.
   
• Adderall: a new variation of Dexedrine, appears to last longer than Ritalin because a single dose is as effective as two daily doses of Ritalin. Most Americans are unaware that Adderall was ordered off the market by Canadian regulators in February 2005, after it was linked to 20 sudden deaths and a dozen strokes, including some among children.
   
• Attenade: manufactured by Celgene and designed to last longer than Ritalin, is intended to compete with Concerta and Adderall. Although still too new to get information on its side effects, it’s not unreasonable to expect they’ll be the same as those of Ritalin and Concerta.
   
• Strattera: not technically an amphetamine and therefore not classified as a stimulant drug by the FDA, has been marketed by Eli Lilly as a non-stimulant. It has the same side effects as Ritalin, Concerta and Adderall above.

Aside from the fact that these drugs are closely related to Dexedrine, crystal meth and cocaine, the most powerful criticism against them is that at best they can only control ADD in the short term. In many instances, their stimulant effect that results in more concentration wears off over time. And the price for this short-term control is having to live with serious side effects like those described above. Ultimately, drugs like Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, Attenade and Strattera can never provide a cure for ADD. At A Psychotherapy in the Village, we've found the following natural products to be a much safer alternative. For Adults: nutralMetrix multivitamins, multiminerals and isotonic dietary supplements, only after a two to three week period of detoxing from the above stimulant drugs. Also, Zetinol for improved concentration. For Children: BrightSpark Natural Remedy for increased relaxation, increased concentration and reduced impulsivity.

A Multifaceted Approach to Treating ADD based on close co-operation of our therapists with families, school counselors, teachers and work associates of those struggling with ADD that can lead to Lasting, Long-Term Relief

In the ten years we’ve been working with adults and teenagers who struggle with ADD, we’ve found that the following multifaceted approach can lead to lasting, long-term relief without resorting to medications:

For anyone with ADD:

• A deep emotional commitment from the therapist who serves as a mentor to the adult or teenager struggling with ADD in one-to-one psychotherapy sessions. In these sessions the therapist actively mentors a protégé as opposed to merely analyzing a patient. The therapist mirrors, validates and empathizes with the protégé in order to earn his trust and understand him more deeply than anyone including teachers, parents, loved ones, friends, work colleagues and other family members.

For teenagers with ADD:

1. On-going collaboration with parents in order to increase their awareness and understanding of the psychological and family conflicts underlying ADD and help them find ways to empower and inspire their offspring in the struggle to overcome it.
    
2. On-going collaboration with school counselors and psychologists in order to deepen their understanding of the psychological and family conflicts underlying ADD and encourage additional mentoring on school premises.
    
3. On-going collaboration with teachers in order to increase their understanding of the psychological and family conflicts underlying ADD and encourage more effective coaching to improve the student’s academic performance.

For adults with ADD:

• On-going collaboration with spouses, lovers, trusted friends and key work associates in order to increase their understanding of the psychological conflicts underlying ADD and encourage more productive ways of coping with it in both their personal and working lives.

At A Psychotherapy Group in the Village we believe that only this multifaceted approach can lead to lasting, long-term relief of ADD. If you haven't already done so, please take a close look at the ADD questionnaire, then complete it either for yourself or someone you care about.
 

A Psychotherapy Group in the Village 
160 Bleecker Street, 9C East, New York

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