Those aren't ADD symptoms... that's a bipolar disorder, something completely different. But it does go to show that ADD has become a catch-all for a lot of different things that aren't ADD.
Are you saying that ADD doesn't exist? If so, we disagree. Or are you saying that it is over-diagnosed and a trojan horse for laziness and abuse? If so, we agree.
In this persons case, the lateness to meetings was resolved with meeting software (they would always remember that there was supposed to be a meeting and when, but not in a timely manner). The variation in performance was resolved by constantly changing their tasks. Any task you gave this person would be mastered within months, and would begin to decline soon thereafter, until they'd get lost staring blankly at the screen.
Management decision: Set them to learn new (widely varied) tasks, train others to do them and take them over, and go onto new tasks. Worked fine.
Now...why would this only show up relatively recently? Well, for starters, we were designed to go chase bunnies, not to sit at a desk for years, performing repetitive functions, operating on a schedule. Lots of ADD traits would not be notable, or would be actually helpful in other environments.
Right. It's a fad. Like the general "neuralgias" and "distempers" of bygone eras for which magical elixers were sold.
But it's more than that too. It's in the same line as Margeret Sanger and the racial and social purifiers. The offical eugenists who sterilized the "addled" and the negroid. It shows that official society has tolerance only for a an extremely curtailed set of behavioual patterns. A very boring and dull set, by the way. Not a very productive set, what "they" would allow.
An unhealthy attitude "they" have.
And they are just the people who buy into this claptrap, or the ones who go along with it. "They" are us.
But not me.
Another type of depression is bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness. Not nearly as prevalent as other forms of depressive disorders, bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes: severe highs (mania) and lows (depression). Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. When in the depressed cycle, an individual can have any or all of the symptoms of a depressive disorder. When in the manic cycle, the individual may be overactive, overtalkative, and have a great deal of energy. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, the individual in a manic phase may feel elated, full of grand schemes that might range from unwise business decisions to romantic sprees. Mania, left untreated, may worsen to a psychotic state.
SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND MANIA
Not everyone who is depressed or manic experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. Severity of symptoms varies with individuals and also varies over time.
Depression
Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
Restlessness, irritability
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain
Mania
Abnormal or excessive elation
Unusual irritability
Decreased need for sleep
Grandiose notions
Increased talking
Racing thoughts
Increased sexual desire
Markedly increased energy
Poor judgment
Inappropriate social behavior
What lepton described is not bipolar disorder, but it sure sounds that "spacey" behavior described in the article. The above definition of bipolar disorder and symptoms was from the National Institute of Mental Health(NIMH). Here's the URL:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm#ptdep3
My little brother was a poster child for ADHD and this was back in the mid 60's before the disorder was well known.
Everything he did was X50. He didn't walk into a room - he burst into a room. He talked loudly and quickly and was in 10 different directions at once. He was one of 4 and while I am moderately ADD (self diagnosed in my adulthood) none of the rest of the kids in the family was anything like our brother.
It has followed him into adulthood - I wish I could take any non believer of this disorder and make them spend a day with him.