reading

I have been reading about inattentive ADHD obsessively. It turns out that's one of the things we do. When we're interested, go at it whole hog. Unfortunately we don't have much in the way of organizational skills, so while we're going at it, we're not necessarily doing anything with it.

I started reading about ADHD on Tuesday rigth after therapy and I've been reading about it ever since, on the internet because i haven't had time to get to a bookstore. From Thursday through Saturday (today's Sunday) I was at a conference in DC for my job with the College Board, listening to different lectures on teaching techniques and learning styles. I'll get to this in a while.

It turns out, there's not so much about inattentive ADHD. ADHD can be deinfed by both inattention and hyperactivity/compulsivity symptoms. There are three types of ADHD: 1) combined type (where you show both types of symptoms) 2)predominantely hyperactive/impulsive type and 3) inattentive type. There's shitload on what to do about the hyperactive/impulsive symptoms which primarily affect boys. Same old song. Think about the amount of money that's gone into treating erectile dysfunciton compared to...anything to do with women.

Perhaps I am being too harsh, but only a bit. What I'm learning is that part of the reason there is so little on inattentive-type ADHD is that we're hard to pick out. Not identifiable by outbursts and disruption, we sit quietly and stare into space, seem bright but just unmotivated. The smarter we are, the better we're able to slink by. Our grades are low but not low enough to warrant intervention from the school, just low enough that people think we're not applying ourselves. We're pegged as depressed, which in fact, we are, becuause we're constatntly letting ourselves down.

So here is what I've found in the reading that's interesting, that resonated, that sounds like me and makes me think i can use words like "we", since these are descriptions applying to a group of as yet unidentified (to me) space cadette ladies who I am starting to think of as my sisters.

I plug "inattentive adhd" into Google. Here are some excerpts from the information I've found, the links from which they come, and in red, the things that resonate with me most.

Inattentive-type ADHD is characterized by difficulty focusing for extended periods of time; distractability; lack of organization; and, hypo- rather than hyper-activity. It is more likely to occur in girls, and is far less likely to be diagnosed.

Kids with inattentive-type ADHD don't get in troubled for disrupting the class, but they may not fare any better in school than their hyperactive counter-parts.
Their lack of focus is turned inward.
They daydream, rather than talking to the kids sitting next to them.
Proper diagnosis of inattentive-type ADHD is important to a child's academic and social success.

Learning disabilities are more likely to accompany inattentive-type ADHD, symptoms are less likely to reduce with age, and because inattentive-types are so often turned inward, they have a harder time initiating friendships. [Me again. This is where I start to get sad].

Don't be fooled by the "hyperactivity" part of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Not all ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity. If your child has trouble paying attention in class and at home, and gets easily distracted from the task at hand, she may have an inattentive form of ADHD. [Me again: There is no information here saying what to DO if your child has the inattentive form of ADHD].
http://www.4-adhd.com/adhd/inattentive-type-adhd-often-misdiagnosed-misunderstood.htm

On the same site....

...Here is another piece that describes someone I think could be a sister space cadette (http://www.4-adhd.com/girls-add-differences.html): Sarah had been an honor roll student in elementary school. When she entered middle school, her grades began to slide, but since she was “a good kid,” her parents and teachers thought she just needed to get organized. Sarah’s self-esteem took a real beating in high school, when she received her first F.

Happily for pretend Sarah she gets diagnosed and she gets help but it doesn't say what that help was.

On the same site there is a more useful piece that describes ADHD in girls in more detail but doesn't focus specfically on inattentive type. It has some advice for what parents should do if their kid has adhd and this is at least some progress: http://www.4-adhd.com/girls-with-adhd.html. But then again on the same site is a link (not an ad) to a school that the editorial copy specializes in girls with ADD and learning differenes. I went to look at the school and don't see anything about ADD on the site.


This paragraph from Wikipedia(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHD_predominantly_inattentive) makes me want to cry: The more intelligent inattentive children may realize on some level that they are somehow different internally from their peers; however, they are unfortunately also likely to accept and internalize the continuous negative feedback, creating a negative self-image that becomes self-reinforcing. If these children progress into adulthood undiagnosed or untreated, their inattentiveness, ongoing frustrations, and poor self-image frequently create numerous and severe problems maintaining healthy relationships, succeeding in postsecondary schooling, or succeeding in the workplace. These problems can compound frustrations and low self-esteem, and will often lead to the development of secondary pathologies including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance abuse.[2]. Again, here the strategies for dealnig with it, which include medication and behavior modification (it says medication alone will not work) are aimed at parents dealing with kids with ADHD. At 35, I'm past the point where my parents can help.


More sadness:

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1626.html

The self-esteem of girls with ADHD also appears to be more impaired than that of boys with ADHD (which may explain why the survey found that girls were three times more likely to report taking antidepressants prior to being diagnosed). It’s not surprising, then, that the condition can take a toll on a female’s emotional health and general well-being. According to Dr. Quinn, girls with ADHD tend to have more mood disorders, anxiety, and self-esteem problems than non-ADHD girls. “They might get an A on a report, but because they had to work three times as hard to get it, they see themselves as not being as smart as other people,” she says.