You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!: The Classic Self-Help Book for Adults With Attention Deficit Disorder by Kate Kelly, Peggy Ramundo Read Free Book Online Page B

emotion in ADD. We do know that ADDers often say they live on emotional roller coasters. Feeling states fluctuate, with extreme alterations in the highs and lows over hours or even minutes.
    Maintaining emotions on an even keel is an intricate process involving fine adjustments by different parts of the brain and nervous system. For an ADDer, this process seems to be dysregulated. He walks precariously on his high wire never knowing how he’ll feel at a given moment. The people in his life may tiptoe around him, fearing his next bad mood.
    Intense INTENSITY
    People often describe ADDadults as intense . Feelings are amplified and blasted out with little restraint. When an ADDer is angry, he might yell or throw things. When he’s happy, he often captivates people with dazzling displays of positive energy.
    Low moods feel like the end of the world. Many of us have passionate natures, artistic temperaments that react quickly and to an extreme. Our tendency to boast and exaggeratemay result from experiencing the world so intensely. If we always see the world in vivid living color, we’ll describe it that way to others. It isn’t a planned exaggeration but a valid reflection of our perceptions.
    A Short Fuse
    When something pushes an ADD adult’s temperamental buttons, impulsivity often kicks in. It may take little to set off his explosive temper or turn him into an irritablegrouch. The outburst that results can be as baffling to him as it is frightening to the people around him. After the explosion that seems to come from nowhere, he often feels ashamed. He can’t understand why he made such a big deal out of nothing.
    His anger usually disappears as quickly as it appeared, but the anger he elicits in other people doesn’t go away quite as fast. They shake their headsat his childish reaction to a burned piece of toast. He could just get another piece. Instead, he fusses and fumes. Since setbacks throw him off balance so easily, he starts complaining when he should be trying to solve the problem.
    The IDP Dynamic—Irritability,
Dissatisfaction or Pessimism
    The moodiness in ADD can be expressed as generalized irritability. There may not be dramatic explosionsof temper but rather a continual grumpiness. Unfortunately, the irritable ADDer misses out on the highs, instead experiencing chronic dissatisfaction. He seldom expresses positive thoughts or feelings and travels through life exuding an aura of pessimism. Through no fault of his own, he views his world through gray-colored glasses.
    Another manifestation of this generalized irritability has lessto do with pessimism than with a feeling of being constantly annoyed by other people and events. The ADDer may be sarcastic,rude or abrupt with others because they have overstimulated him or interrupted his train of thought.
    Affective Disorders?
    The symptoms of affective disorders (such as bipolar disorder, dysthymia and depression) and those of ADD can be remarkably similar. Mental healthprofessionals sometimes have difficulty distinguishing among these disorders.
    Sometimes the various affective disorders and ADD occur together in the same individual. Dysregulated emotions can also appear to be symptoms of, say, depression when they’re not. The symptoms can mask underlying attentional problems. It isn’t uncommon for a mental health professional to make a diagnosis of depressionand totally miss the ADD.
    The depressionlike symptoms of ADD adults might be part of the neurological dysregulation that causes the disorder. They might be part of an emotional response to repeated failure. Likely, the moodiness of many ADDers is a little of both. Differentiating ADD from other affective disorders can be difficult but very important. The emotional piece of ADD is often just thetip of the iceberg of other problems that must be addressed.
    Bottomless Pit of Needs and Desires
    “I want … I need … I must have …”
    On any given day, parents everywhere hear these immortal words!