ADD in INTPs

[Sparrow]

I'm an INTP with ADD, how common is it for INTPs to have ADD? Thoughts?

I got diagnosed today . . .

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Sorry, I don't know if I believe ADD is a real thing. I know that some people really claim it is... but I have trouble concentrating too. But Adderol doesn't help me very much. It's kinda fun though.

You may find that Adderol doesn't do much for you either. Keep in mind that you can always sell the pills to your fellow classmates, as a study-aid.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Remember being bored shitless does not count as a.d.d.

If you don't actually have the disorder the drugs will mess you up. Though, if you can get special consideration for your education, run with it.


ADD/ADHD is seriously over diagnosed.

 

[flow]

I also don't believe in ADD. Plenty of kids simply are energetic and easily distracted by nature.. not a real condition.

 

[Anthile]

As long as there are meds that sell well, there will be something for which the meds are needed for.

 

[tashi]

http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=4942
Read the last several comments, it's related =)

 

[bovinity]

It's frontal lobe dysfunction i.e. a person with it has trouble filtering out stimuli unrelated to the task they are trying to perform. That's why it's so easy for someone with it to get lost on the internet clicking link after link, totally forgetting what they originally went on the internet for in the first place.

I do have it too, yeah.

 

[tashi]

Yup, me too =P

 

[Da Blob]

I'm an INTP with ADD, how common is it for INTPs to have ADD? Thoughts?

I got diagnosed today . . .

Too common,
http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=2711&highlight=adhd

PM me if you wish, I know a little bit about it......

 

[Ungomma]

Too common,
http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=2711&highlight=adhd

PM me if you wish, I know a little bit about it......

I'd like to hear also.

I live in Russia and none of the proven ADD medication (Ritalin, Adderal, Dexedrine, &c) is available here, so I'm struggling to come up with a nootropic/AD regimen that will be at least somewhat effective. Raising dopamine didn't help much so far. Will take blood test next week for hormones to exclude any underlying hormonal disfunctions.

 

[Darby]

Sorry, I don't know if I believe ADD is a real thing. I know that some people really claim it is... but I have trouble concentrating too.

I didn't really believe in ADD either for a very long time, and my mom always said my dad had severe ADHD and i didnt believe her, till he came back from cali and i talked to him....he would wake me up at 7am and talk to me till 4am. I know it sounds like an exageration, but i swear it's not

 

[Adymus]

I also don't believe in ADD. Plenty of kids simply are energetic and easily distracted by nature.. not a real condition.

I call it ESxP.

 

[Ashenstar]

My friends have accused me of being/having ADD from things like

Me: "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH food here is great BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH the cake BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH ..... OOOH A BUTTERFLY!!!"

Me: "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH the museum BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH exhibit BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH .. hey do you hear that noise?"
Friend: "What noise.. what the hell are you talking about?"
Me: "That.. squealing noise..don't you hear it?"
Friend: "No, ...geeze... ADD much?"

However I have never been cared enough to investigate it. So whatever, I don't have ADD.

 

[420MuNkEy]

I was diagnosed with ADHD (H for mental hyperactivity, rather than physical) a while ago and prescribed 40mg of Adderall XR daily. I can no longer tell if the drug is actually helping or if I have just become dependent on it (despite having detoxed many times to 'see'). So, oddly enough, based on personal experience, I'm left without an opinion on whether or not it's a real condition or just medicating a personality.

"My nephew has HDADD: Hi-Definition Attention Deficit Disorder. He can barely pay attention, but when he does it’s unbelievably clear." - Steven Wright



*Edit (to avoid double posting)*

I'd like to hear also.

I live in Russia and none of the proven ADD medication (Ritalin, Adderal, Dexedrine, &c) is available here, so I'm struggling to come up with a nootropic/AD regimen that will be at least somewhat effective. Raising dopamine didn't help much so far. Will take blood test next week for hormones to exclude any underlying hormonal disfunctions.

Adderall is mostly just D-Amphetamine (it's got a small percent of regular amphetamine salt, but I'm not sure on the exact ratio). I'd be really surprised if you couldn't get that in Russia.

 

[Da Blob]

Beware All DO NO ATTEMPT TO SELF-MEDICATE!!! It is a horrible trap that those who do not have access to prescriptive drugs will resort to 'medication' of other sorts. Methamphetamine is almost, seemingly, instantly addicting to those with ADD...

I once had a list of online resources for ADD/ADHD which I have misplaced(?) I will reconstruct one (And then I will find the original List....!)
In the meantime here is a good place to start....

http://www.chadd.org/

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Da Blob, I know that we are biased sources for deciding if we should medicate ourselves, especially when it comes to addiction playing a role, but aren't we still the best sources to decide? Personal responsibility and everything? Besides, a lot of people who would prescribe things may not really know what is going on with us. Especially in the era of so many kids being over-medicated with ritalin and other shit!

We also have to address the fact that humans have a drive to step away from their normal mindstate. It's our natural drive to be drugged. At least adderol is a fairly harmless drug to hand out?

I think I have to quote Terence McKenna.

This is why every labour contract on this planet – at least, in Western civilisation – contains a provision that all workers shall be allowed to use drugs twice a day at designated times; but the drug shall be caffeine. Now, the reason why caffeine is so welcome in the workplace is because the last three hours of the workday are utterly unproductive unless you goose everybody with two cups of coffee, and then they can go back to the word processor, the widget-tightening machine, or whatever they’re doing, and mindlessly and happily carry on. If it were to be suggested that there be a pot break twice a day [laughter], you know, you would think that civilisation was striking the iceberg or something! And alcohol… our society is an alcohol, red meat, sugar and tobacco culture. And all of these are forms of speed, basically, in the way that we use them. I mean, yes, you can tranquillise yourself on alcohol, but you’re pushing toward levels where a lifetime of tranquillising yourself on alcohol will be a short lifetime, if you use it that way.

I think he wrote this before the explosion of adderol prescriptions. I think he would have included it in his list.

(Anyway, most of my post was just pointing out Weirdness or Lack of common sense in our society's drug preferences.)

 

[420MuNkEy]

Beware All DO NO ATTEMPT TO SELF-MEDICATE!!! It is a horrible trap that those who do not have access to prescriptive drugs will resort to 'medication' of other sorts. Methamphetamine is almost, seemingly, instantly addicting to those with ADD...

I once had a list of online resources for ADD/ADHD which I have misplaced(?) I will reconstruct one (And then I will find the original List....!)
In the meantime here is a good place to start....

http://www.chadd.org/

TheGoodDrugsGuide.com used to be a great online resource, but a few years back they swayed from their unbiased and purely informative approach to a 'drugs are bad, get treatment' approach. Ever since then they've been okay at best

Also, I'm not sure if you were using Methamphetamine interchangeably with all amphetamines, but for the purpose of clarity I feel I should state that they are not the same. The majority of the adverse health effects are practically exclusive to meth, one example would be neurotoxicity, which only becomes a problem with regular (pharmaceutical) amphetamines after prolonged abuse.

 

[Cogwulf]

Beware All DO NO ATTEMPT TO SELF-MEDICATE!!! It is a horrible trap that those who do not have access to prescriptive drugs will resort to 'medication' of other sorts. Methamphetamine is almost, seemingly, instantly addicting to those with ADD...

I once had a list of online resources for ADD/ADHD which I have misplaced(?) I will reconstruct one (And then I will find the original List....!)
In the meantime here is a good place to start....

http://www.chadd.org/

I have read before about research into ADHD suggesting it is caused by an unusually low response to dopamine in the brain (or possibly low levels of dopamine itself, I can't quite remember). The low response to dopamine causes the person to have a constant need for new stimuli in order to keep the dopamine in their brain at what is a comfortable level for them. Drugs such as methamphetamine probably cause much faster addiction in ADHD sufferers because the effect of these drugs on dopamine would have a much more pronounced effect on them than on non-sufferers.

 

[Da Blob]

NO, No I am not implying that drugs are bad or even that illicit drugs are bad. The problem with self medication is a matter of dosage and some nasty side effects like addiction and/or incarceration. Drugs are the chemical foundation of mental activity after all...
Every drug has a USE or ABUSE boundary, that is very difficult for a user of a particular drug to detect. In fact the initial challenge of treatment is often simply to get a client to listen and then believe you when you state "Dude, You have crossed that line between Use and Abuse" The denial sometimes is almost akin to a physical barrier in some cases.
This is particularly true with ADD and Meth. Meth does have therapeutic value for the treatment of ADD. This is readily apparent to those that have experienced both. However, the proper medical dosage is a tiny fraction of the dosage usually self-administered for the purposes of "dealing with the world' or recreational purposes...

 

[Agent Intellect]

I have read before about research into ADHD suggesting it is caused by an unusually low response to dopamine in the brain (or possibly low levels of dopamine itself, I can't quite remember). The low response to dopamine causes the person to have a constant need for new stimuli in order to keep the dopamine in their brain at what is a comfortable level for them. Drugs such as methamphetamine probably cause much faster addiction in ADHD sufferers because the effect of these drugs on dopamine would have a much more pronounced effect on them than on non-sufferers.

It certainly wouldn't be low levels of dopamine, otherwise they would have a difficult time moving. From what I understand, ADHD is usually a result of unusual development in the basal ganglia, specifically the caudate nucleus (which are areas with high dopamine receptor neurons) which are involved in executive functioning in the brain (inhibition, planning, self monitoring etc).

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Every drug has a USE or ABUSE boundary, that is very difficult for a user of a particular drug to detect. In fact the initial challenge of treatment is often simply to get a client to listen and then believe you when you state "Dude, You have crossed that line between Use and Abuse" The denial sometimes is almost akin to a physical barrier in some cases.

Heh... I was at a biotech networking thing yesterday and someone said: "The only difference between [a prescription-appropriate] drug and a poison is dosage. One of the drugs we use- in other circles, it's called rat poison."

also I was looking at the Good Drug Guide.
http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/ad...iction/porn-addiction-signs-and-treatment.htm
teehee

 

[Da Blob]

Da Blob, I know that we are biased sources for deciding if we should medicate ourselves, especially when it comes to addiction playing a role, but aren't we still the best sources to decide? Personal responsibility and everything? Besides, a lot of people who would prescribe things may not really know what is going on with us. Especially in the era of so many kids being over-medicated with ritalin and other shit!

Well this is kind of off topic (perhaps) . However, I do agree that any medication should always be taken voluntarily and the issue of medicating children with psychotropic drugs raising a lot of ethical issues (at least in my mind...)

This is an interesting site (check out some of the ISSUES)
This particular issue deals with forced medication...
http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/issues/pharmacotherapy.html

 

[merzbau]

Heh... I was at a biotech networking thing yesterday and someone said: "The only difference between [a prescription-appropriate] drug and a poison is dosage. One of the drugs we use- in other circles, it's called rat poison."

a number of tranquillisers, such as rohypnol and fluoxetine (prozac) contain fluorine, which is indeed used as a commercial rodenticide.

 

[Tunesimah]

I'm pretty weary of labels and whatnot, but I got to find something that works.

So I'm in the process of getting diagnosed with ADD through my university. If I was in the right situation, in the perfect job which tapped my creativity had plenty of resources to help me organize and plan my life... I don't think my ADD would be viewed as a problem. But with the teacher education courses I'm taking and all the organization and planning that's required in being a teacher...and all the time management that I fail at consistently... I don't see myself making it with my ability as it is right now.

I've avoided playing the game for so long, if I can get any accommodations or at all... I'm going to run with it.

But yes from the symptoms I'm a near perfect example of ADHD-Inattentive. I also maybe have Dyspraxia and fairly high functioning Aspergers and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo... and maybe a bunch of other buzz words...

 

[Murphy1d]

I read "Driven to Distraction" by Hallowell and Ratey (as I'm sure many of you have) and didn't see so much of myself in it as I did my older sister.

This past Easter I was visiting and experimented with "comfortable silence." My sister couldn't last more than 20 seconds before she had to interject a thought or question or anecdote. And I tested for more than an hour.

I'm not saying that it is a disorder, but I am saying that some brains are wired to need constant broad-range stimuli.

 

[Da Blob]

Bah Humbug! The primary reason that ADHD or ADD is labeled a mental disorder is because it causes 'distress' to the client. This distress is not self-generated, it is a by product of a society that does not tolerate those of us who are 'different'. The distress is caused by being a 'social outcast' and not fitting into or conforming to a system that was not designed to accommodate gifted people (with ADD)

Construction of an ADD-friendly environment can contribute a great deal to the productivity of a person with ADD. I personally think that visiting a community that just had ADD members would be quite an interesting, uplifting experience...

I have heard some very good reports back from those who have employed ADD Coaches- but i would be cautious and find one with multiple references and personal recommendations...

Just a few of many sites...

http://www.thelearningconnections.net/pdfs/Mental Abilities of ADHD - December 2007.pdf

http://adderworld.com/blog1/2008/01/05/are-you-able-to-utilize-your-add-adhd-talents-and-traits/

http://www.addcoachinggroup.com/

http://www.e-healtharticles.com/Detailed/188.html

 

[milkyway2]

yep i dont believe in ADD.

 

[Zero]

I'm another on the "Don't believe it" boat.

I could go in and get tested and they'd probably say I had ADD. It's well known to be over diagnosed. No one has linked that to the way people are taught and kept in cages all day. And then, on the other sides of things, we're way over stimulated. Something's gotta give.

I wouldn't mind being on those "smart pills".

Exercise and sunlight can actually do a hell of a lot for people. It's like a lost relic.

 

[Kuu]

I wouldn't mind being on those "smart pills".

If you do, be sure to send me some. I wouldn't mind as well. (Kuu has considered getting diagnosed on purpose)

 

[Zero]

I had a friend who told me about them. They sounded awesome. But he wouldn't give me any.

Does it cost money to get diagnosed?

 

[420MuNkEy]

I had a friend who told me about them. They sounded awesome. But he wouldn't give me any.

Does it cost money to get diagnosed?

You need to go to a doctor, so probably whatever you normally pay (assuming you have insurance).

I was given this same advice before I got diagnosed, and ignored it, but I'd think carefully before messing around with stimulants. It's a sneaky sort of addiction. You can quite easily become very dependent on them (often without even realizing it) just to be able to function. Having used them for a few years now, I'm only just beginning to see how I've become increasingly dependent on them. There's also a bunch of little (though noticeable) side effects that are infrequently noted (sensations and whatnot). Don't get me wrong, the effects you seek are there. I just didn't write about them because I assume you are already aware of them.

I'm neither for nor against their use. My intent is only to inform.

 

[Murphy1d]

My father mentioned that when he was in college (60's) they used to take Ritalin to stay awake on long trips.

Which didn't make sense at first, but then I realized later that in some people certain drugs can have a reverse effect than "the norm." In the case of hyperactive patients, the normally stimulating effect has a calming effect. I've heard the same said about cocaine (probably why people call Ritalin "Kiddie Cocaine").

Never tried it, never will.

 

[Moocow]

I'm not a doctor (yet) but in my opinion, "ADD/ADHD" just looks like the result of kids being bombarded with information, action, and media. Why focus on the homework when you have an ENTIRE WORLD of information on the internet, broadcasting to you on TV, radio, video games, your mp3 player, etc?
Combined with the fact that INTPs seem to generally be future-oriented, I think we just have a lot of trouble trying to ground ourselves in the present moment to get work done. The distracting environment given to us by technology and media just gives us that much more indecisiveness.
At least that's how it feels to me a lot of the time. I have to force myself to close the browser, Steam and Winamp if I'm ever going to get my essay finished. Speaking of which...

 

[Cogwulf]

I'm not a doctor (yet) but in my opinion, "ADD/ADHD" just looks like the result of kids being bombarded with information, action, and media. Why focus on the homework when you have an ENTIRE WORLD of information on the internet, broadcasting to you on TV, radio, video games, your mp3 player, etc?

That isn't ADD, it's when someone is unable to focus on anything for longer than a minute. Although I think it is often misdiagnosed when children just don't find school interesting.

 

[Enne]

Hm . . . I did get tested at one point; it was more of an exasperated attempt to get me to 'care' about something normal. High school was mindnumbing and didn't prepare me well for college (corrected: I didn't prepare well - if I was really 'so smart' I could've done some self study instead of gluttoning on anime). That aside, I didn't like how things were gradually escalating to a laundry list of everything I found difficult; it sounded like pathologizing being alive (and bad at things). Personally I think that this and several other "new" disorders are a combination of modern society's tendency towards a lack of personal responsibility (parents towards children especially where the ADHD is concerned), and that sort of "I want it all, easy, and now" that comes with a lot of younger people, where no on can accept that they have areas of weakness, areas that will take WORK to overcome.

Also, I have to agree that the information influx is playing a bad angle. Education is currently being based off of a 100 year old model that doesn't really speak to the need to specialize, and FAST in a world where the total body of human knowledge is doubling exponentially. I did some reading when ADD first started floating around my suspicions, and found that a lot of studies done on modern high schoolers found that almost ALL of them were understimulated across the board. My parents raised us to encounter subjects earlier than the average age for encountering, and I think that the same should be applied to kids in general.

Personally, when I was tested, there was an IQ component. For those of you who are curious, the diagnosis basically comes from a lot of self answered questionnaires, so if you're interested in submitting to pharmaceuticals, you CAN fake your way into a diagnosis. My IQ scores were pretty high all around, despite nerves and several areas of personal weakness, but my processing speed was the highest score. I tested better in complex math than simple, and the psych said that I was one of two people to ever finish the processing tests of the people he'd tested over a ~7 year period. Basically, there is the definite possilbility that a lot of people are just bored, studying things they are naturally weak in (I think someone mentioned going into elementary education personally I think it's a bad choice for someone whose mind isn't naturally squared off and regimented), or just working too slow. I've experimented with working problems faster, and learnt how to speed read, and it's helped my concentration tenfold (fiftyfold? Can you say fiftyfold?)

Anyways, I also have to agree that just getting your mind to be still, while takes time and practice, is a worthwhile skill. Also, exercise is good for just shutting your brain off (especially if you're out of shape :P) The other thing I would recommend is having a spacial manipulative (some clay, a colorful logic puzzle or color coded information or something), that you can work while you think.

 

[crashman]

From my experience on ADD/ADHD. They are dreamer. According to the test result on MBTI - test, many ADD/ADHD score INFP for the first test. They score low for IQ test which require time because they have hard reading on the question itself.