ADD and the brain

[xxanxx]

Just cruising around the net when I came upon this page:
http://www.amenclinic.com/ac/resources/addbrain.asp
WOW! I didn't realize that ADD caused that much of your brain to lag that much in activity. I wonder if this is a representation of severe ADD? Very interesting.... Does anyone know any good reasources for ADD info, specifically related to types of medication? I have searched on here as well as google, and am working my way through the results at the moment.
Also, that ADD test they have at:
http://www.amenclinic.com/ac/addtests/default.asp
is very useful if trying to score meds, as I have an appointment on the 18th of this month, and the ADD thing I had to fill out is nearly idenctical the the online one.
Another thing, does anyone know how prevelant ADD is in adults? I am an 18 year old male, and my parents said they always suspected that I might have some form of ADD. Now that I am (somewhat) grown up it seems to be increasing a great deal. My syptoms have gotten a lot worse just over the past few years. I would be greatly interested in any other input!
PEACE LOVE UNITY

 

[mayAy0]

I had some questions on ADD too and went to one of the testing sites. Evedently it said that if you smoke a lot of marijuana than it gives you some symptoms of ADD. Guess that explains alot in my case! heh

 

[zorn]

Looking at the Amen Clinic's homepage, it seems like a pretty sketchy organization dedicated to selling this guy's mental help books/products. I wouldn't necessarily trust what you read there...
Keep in mind that SPECT scans like they show are no more meaningful than those "before" and "after" photos you see in shitty advertisements -- unless the scans are chosen carefully and honestly.
I'm not saying this isn't accurate -- I don't know -- but I would approach it with some skepticism.
I don't have numbers, but ADHD often goes away as adulthood approaches... but there are people in who it remains. Very few if any cases actually begin in adulthood.

 

[xxanxx]

I don't have numbers, but ADHD often goes away as adulthood approaches... but there are people in who it remains. Very few if any cases actually begin in adulthood.
Interesting. I have had sysptoms since third grade, but it seems to be getting worse.
Could it possibly be some other type of disorder? My doctor was talking to me about the possibility of Opositional Defiant Disorder and a few others, along with manic depression. I really don't think I am a manic depressant, but I don't really know.
I think it has always been present, but it seems to be building more and more. I have heard that smoking pot can aggrivate ADD and ADHD. I have been a pothead for a while so maybye this has something to do with it?
Any contradictions with ADD and opiates? I haven't been smoking lately, but have been doing a lot of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine. It seems to help but I am not sure. Any thoughts?

 

[AbraMontague]

The current estimates range from 30% to 50% for the number of adolescents that continue to have impairing ADHD symptoms in adulthood. ADHD is considered a biological brain disorder so drug use doesn't cause it. Pot can make it harder to study and pay attention and thus exacerabate your symptoms. Also, all of the current diagnostic scales require that some symptoms were apparent as a child. You can be diagnosed as an adult but you must have had some problems with it as a child. It can seem to suddenly appear in early adulthood because the transition to full responsibility and the lack of supervision/assistance can be too much for someone with untreated ADHD. But again, with a little digging, some symptoms can be found going all the way back to childhood (by asking parents, teachers, siblings).
I think that SPECT imaging is starting to be used by more and more researchers (not necessarily in the field of ADHD, but other brain disorders). As a diagnostic tool, its still unclear whether mental disorders are best diagnosed like physical disorders. I read Dr. Amen's 400 page book and saw lots of those SPECT pictures throughout it. They probably overdramatize the differences in brain activity. In Dr. Amen's defense, he does have a TON of experience with SPECT imaging (probably the pioneer of using it to investigate mental disorders). Still, a major problem with this technique is that anyone with a brain image like <ADHD spect image> should theoritically have ADHD. However, according to the DSM-IV and the American Psychological Association, if that person does not have significant impairment from symptoms in at least two different areas of his life, they do not have ADHD.
As for comorbid disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder is very common in people who have ADHD. Bipolar disorder is rare in childhood and adolescence. It doesn't commonly coexist with ADHD and although there is a lot of symptom overlap between the two disorders in the DSM-IV, they typically aren't hard to differentiate. The bipolar/adhd in adolescence area is getting a lot of attention lately, but none of the findings mean a whole lot right now. Many of the recent studies conclusion's are conflicting. And like I said, there is a lot of symptom overlap between the two disorders in the DSM, so a checklist isn't enough for an accurate diagnosis. In other words, a bipolar specialist would probably see your symptoms as bipolar while an ADHD specialist would see symptoms of ADHD (given the absence of really obvious symptoms of mania.)

 

[zorn]

Good info, Abra, but I disagree on one point:

ADHD is considered a biological brain disorder so drug use doesn't cause it.Focusing on whether something is a biological/physical brain disorder or a psychological disorder is counterproductive IMO. Psychological disorders have physical correlates, and vice versa. The way you think, the psychological influences upon you, and the habits you develop can have a huge effect on a mental disorder, be it ADD or depression. Witness for example that cognitive-behavioral therapy -- which is basically retraining the way you think -- is often more effective than any medication at treating some mental disorders.
So it's erroneous to say that drug use cannot trigger, exacerbate, or even 'cause' ADHD. It well might. And not just drug use, but simply life choices and events might as well. I have a close friend with ADHD, which has gotten much worse in recent years. It seems fairly clear to me the reason for this is because he went to a difficult university, where he no longer received praise for his work, causing him to lose some motivation to work and to have an even harder time concentrating on it.

 

[AbraMontague]

Sorry, I should have said many researchers still believe that it is a biological brain disorder. It is implied in the current DSM because some impairment must have started before age 7.
A whole lot is unclear about ADHD in general. The range of potential questions about ADHD borders on philosophic. It could just represent the extreme end of the spectrum of another psychological disorder or a personality type. Lots of research is needed and even current research presents conflicting opinions.
I guess what I was trying to say was that smoking pot usually doesn't cause ADHD. It is harder to concentrate and work if you smoke regularly, so a normal person might show symptoms of ADHD, and someone with the disorder would have exacerbated symptoms. That will all go away if you stop smoking though, and thus isn't ADHD.

 

[BOGBUBBLE]

theres many books on adult add. ive got it bad apparently, been on amphetamines since the 4th grade, and will be for the rest of my life....

 

[Thisiznotrobby]

I've had ADD all my life (I'm 1 8) been on amph's since 4th grade. My ADD seemed to kind of get better, or at least managable as I got older until I started smoking pot. Since I've started smoking my ADD is worse then it was when I was little, which was already hell, so for me atleast, weed increases the effects of ADD but I'm so fuckin hooked on weed that I cant stop.so....ya

 

[Jabberwocky]

Great topic, but I think it would be better served in the Medical Q&A forum. Moving accordingly.
SG