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I would like to present a different side to this. I have Adult ADD, I had it as a child but it was never diagnosed. My brother was severely adhd and my problems were mild compared to his.

There is no way I can make anyone understand how it effects my life. I have come to see it as a blessing as well as a curse. While it is very hard for me to finish projects, along the way I have learned to knit, crochet, embroider, sew, make soap, tap dance....you name it, I've probably done it.

The longest I've ever stayed at one job was 4 years, usually 1 or less. I work at a job very hard, get everything running smoothly, become bored and move on.

I don't take medication - I don't know if there is anything that would help, but I've learned to adapt pretty well.

I'm sure there are some kids who are on the medication needlessly, but there are also very genuine cases of this disorder.

Trust me, not everyone here thinks that parents of ADHD kids are lazy or nondisciplinarian. I've had may share of problems with ADHD with my oldest son, and I have a tendency myself to flit from one thing to another. If you've not had a child with this problem, you don't know how it can affect your family. But there are some here who have gone down this road and share your experiances.

Thanks for sharing, don't let the judgemental get you down.

I can identify with everything you said.

My experience as an ADD kid (although I was only diagnosed very recently) was that my father provided a strong family environment with structure and discipline, and that's what enabled me to thrive. It has only been since he died (during my 2nd year at MIT) that my ADD symptoms have gotten so unmanageable as to be paralyzing at times. I've considered explanations such as depression and prolonged grief, but I have concluded that it is mostly the lack of his presence as a stabilizing force in my life.

In retrospect, I strongly suspect he had ADD as well, in which case he had obviously found ways to overcome it. As such, I have to believe that any adult learning to deal with his own ADD would be a great benefit to his ADD kids. Who better to appreciate the challenges?

I have come to see it as a blessing as well as a curse.

Another name for it is multitasking. Some people have the ability to focus on one thing at a time, in fact that might be all they can do is focus on one thing at a time, their kids have no problem sitting with hands folded following the teacher's every word, they don't day dream, they don't look out the window, they don't care what the kid behind them is telling them, or what the fly on the wall is doing, or wondering what they will do after school, or paying attention to what the kids in the back of the room are doing.

I have adult ADD. A girlfriend who was therapist identified it in both of us. All of the ADD evaluations showed that I had 80-90% of the characteristics listed. Even though I graduated from UT-Austin with Honors, I've always had problems finishing projects (until the last minute) and I'm easily bored. I think that ADD or ADHD only became a problem as we've shunted our kids off to well-ordered schools for 12-16 years of their lives. Those whose brains can adapt to the mind-numbing dullness of a teacher having to repeat things over and over for the slower students will do well. Others, who would have been great leaders and 'doers' are labeled as problem children because they don't fit into a very recent, modern prison/baby-sitter call socialized education.

I tried Ritalin for a couple of months. It helped, but my kids said it made me "cranky." So my friend the therapist suggested Welbutrin, an anti-depressent that has mild stimulative effects--unlike SSRI's like Prozac. I've taken it for five years. It helps--not dramatically, but if I don't take it for a couple of days I definitely notice the difference.