[Ben Lahnger]

Originally Posted by GeishaGirl

Ben, my best friend has been diagnosed and is "taking" pills. I don't know what kind, and I put taking in quotes because I'm not so sure she takes them all the time.

I have another friend who was diagnosed, but is not medicated. Her, I'm not so sure if it's ADHD, or she just doesn't give a rats ass. She can concentrate plenty on everything, never had bad grades, pretty much normal. Her only thing is that she's impulsive. If she wants it, she takes it, consequences be damned.

For instance, she recently became attracted to her boss at work, and started sleeping with him. This was completly impulsive and at no regard for her job, his job, his family (a wife and two little girls), or her friends job, because her friend knew about it. We were having a long discussion about what should be done and her friend stated that she has ADHD and that's what made her do it. I'm thinking no. It's hormones and no damn sense.

Geisha ADD and ADHD are complex conditions that do not manifest the same way in all people. Not all sufferers share the same symptoms. And sometimes the symptoms can actually indicate a different disorder or none at all. To quote "Adult ADD" (see my post above) - "We all have some degree of disorganization, inattentiveness, or impulsiveness. Don't be too quick to assume you have a disorder."

Robert Resnick, president of the American Psychological Association says "What concerns me is when a fifteen-minute interview in a doctor's office leads to an attention deficit diagnosis." In Resnick's office, clinicians spend about six hours screening a client for ADD.

Your friend who demonstrates the impulsiveness is probably not ADD/ADHD, unless there are other corroborating symptoms to look at. Poor impulse-control is pretty common in our society today, and could simply be attributable to a character defect or bad manners or another condition. As far as the diagnosis she recieved is concerned; if the condition so prominently affects her that she engages in risky behavior like that office affair on a regular basis, and the clinician did not suggest medication for treating the condition, then she should get a second opinion. But I'm with you; unless there are other symptoms, it's probably hormones ... and stupid behavior.

By the way, just so you know, the only books, clinicians and support resources I use all preach that you should not use ADD as a crutch or an excuse.