Tuesday, March 29, 2005

The Gift of ADHD?

Yes, I'm still a few weeks behind on my Newsweek reading. This one's for Psycho Kitty:
[T]wo new books, "Delivered From Distraction" by Dr. Edward Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey and "The Gift of ADHD" by Lara Honos-Webb, advance the controversial notion that distractibility, poor impulse control and emotional sensitivity have flip sides that are actually strengths—namely creativity, energy and intuition. "A huge proportion of criminals have ADHD," says Hallowell. "So do a lot of successful artists and CEOs. It's how you manage it that determines whether it becomes a gift or a curse."

A positive article, I thought:
Hallowell and Ratey insist that the difficulties can be overcome with a broad treatment program (including medications such as Ritalin) that helps patients learn to capitalize on strengths and compensate for weaknesses. They should know. Not only did they help Grossman turn his life around, they both have ADHD themselves—and both ended up as Harvard psychiatrists.

3 comments:

Moreena said...

I think quite often about all the flip-side positive aspects of liver disease, too. One thing I have noticed about kids who have spent a lot of time in the hospital is that they seem to be exquisitely attuned to the emotional needs of people around them, like little empathy geniuses. It's a very lovely part of Annika's personality.

But back to the article... the hard part for parents, I guess, is figuring out how to steer ADHD kids in the right direction. To let them know that their obstacles can also be their gifts. No pressure, huh?

Psycho Kitty said...

God, I love you!
I'll have to look that one up. I think (okay, obsess) about exactly this type of thing--a lot. One day I might actually succeed in writing about it, but usually I end up blathering on and then deleting it because, well, it's blather. Ooh. Kinda like this comment.
And hey, I emailed you about next month. Let me know. :)

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