Here’s Why ADHD May Have Been An Evolutionary Advantage

If you've ever learned something by playing a game, observing someone else, or watching a TED talk, you're doing it the way humans have for the majority of our history.

Rather than learning in a classroom, our hunting and gathering ancestors played, observed each other and, occasionally, got a lesson from family or friends. If you were lucky enough to have a personality that was well-suited to this style of learning, it not only meant you acquired new skills quicker — it probably also meant you lived longer.

Does ADHD make you cleverer?

Does ADHD make you cleverer?

People with ADHD are often considered "stupid" and perform poorly at school, but evidence suggests that they might be brighter than average, they just can't achieve their potential.

ADHD, and it’s related-disorder, ADD exist in a haze of stigma, misunderstanding and over-diagnosis. Most importantly, though, is the way that these highly prevalent conditions are viewed as an “excuse” for poorly performing children and, increasingly, adults.

Second Generic Version of ADHD Drug Concerta Found to Have Problems

US regulatory officials say they have identified not one but two supposed generic copies of the attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) treatment drug Concerta that have failed to demonstrate required levels of equivalency.
Background

Losing Is Good for You

AS children return to school this fall and sign up for a new year’s worth of extracurricular activities, parents should keep one question in mind. Whether your kid loves Little League or gymnastics, ask the program organizers this: “Which kids get awards?” If the answer is, “Everybody gets a trophy,” find another program.

Know the Warning Signs of Suicide

How do you remember the Warning Signs of Suicide?
Here's an easy-to-remember mnemonic:

IS PATH WARM?

I Ideation
S Substance Abuse

P Purposelessness
A Anxiety
T Trapped
H Hopelessness

W Withdrawal
A Anger
R Recklessness
M Mood Changes

A person in acute risk for suicidal behavior most often will show:

Warning Signs of Acute Risk:
Threatening to hurt or kill him or herself, or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself; and or,
Looking for ways to kill him/herself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means; and/or, talking or writing about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary.

These might be remembered as expressed or communicated ideation. If observed, seek help as soon as possible by contacting a mental health professional or calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a referral.

Additional Warning Signs:

• Increased substance (alcohol or drug) use
• No reason for living; no sense of purpose in life
• Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep or sleeping all of the time
• Feeling trapped - like there's no way out
• Hopelessness
• Withdrawal from friends, family and society
• Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
• Dramatic mood changes

If observed, seek help as soon as possible by contacting a mental health professional or calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a referral.

These warning signs were compiled by a task force of expert clinical-researchers and 'translated' for the general public. The origin of IS PATH WARM?

Why Teenagers Act Crazy

Photo

CreditGary Panter 

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Continue reading the main story

Continue reading the main story

ADOLESCENCE is practically synonymous in our culture with risk taking, emotional drama and all forms of outlandish behavior. Until very recently, the widely accepted explanation for adolescent angst has been psychological. Developmentally, teenagers face a number of social and emotional challenges, like starting to separate from their parents, getting accepted into a peer group and figuring out who they really are. It doesn’t take a psychoanalyst to realize that these are anxiety-provoking transitions.

This Is Your Brain on Drugs

The gray matter of the nucleus accumbens, the walnut-shaped pleasure center of the brain, was glowing like a flame, showing a notable increase in density. “It could mean that there’s some sort of drug learning taking place,” speculated Jodi Gilman, at her computer screen at the Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Center for Addiction Medicine. Was the brain adapting to marijuana exposure, rewiring the reward system to demand the drug?

Finding Strength in Vulnerability

In my last post, I discussed one reason some people reject a mental health diagnosis – because the diagnosis attacks an important way they see themselves and they reject the diagnosis to protect their own identity. Today, I want to discuss another reason a mental health diagnosis is rejected – our cultural relationship to vulnerability. We are taught to deny and fear exposure of our weaknesses to others. Since the extreme states that result in a mental health diagnosis carry a natural vulnerability, someone who is newly diagnosed might reject the diagnosis so that they can continue to see themselves, and still be seen by their friends and family, as strong people. Unfortunately, this denial can interfere with having an honest relationship with the situation, and can prevent the newly diagnosed person from seeking out and accepting the care they need to properly manage their mental health diagnosis.

ADHD Often Lurks In Other Illnesses, But Frequently Left Untreated

ADHD Often Lurks In Other Illnesses, But Frequently Left Untreated

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) hides.

ADHD lurks in medical fields other than psychiatry, and it wears masks. Rarely will a patient or doctor see the symptom or the diagnosis as a manifestation of ADHD. And less often will either consider evaluation and treatment of ADHD as a pathway to health.

Redefining Race Relations: It Begins at Home

In the United States, race relations has had its challenges across history. Although strides have been made over the course of history, we continue to battle racism and injustice in the 21st century. The recent incident in Ferguson, Missouri has re-energized efforts to address race relations, racism, and discrimination. If you’ve been avoiding media or hiding from technology, CNN has provided information on their website detailing the events and current status.

15 Rules To Foster Good Behavior In Children

15 rules that parents can use to help children learn to behave well (most of the time).

1. Play (and work) with them often.
This is the best way to teach children cooperation and self-restraint. The best way to help children learn to cooperate, when there is work that needs to be done, is to work with them.

To Know Suicide Depression Can Be Treated, but It Takes Competence

WHEN the American artist Ralph Barton killed himself in 1931 he left behind a suicide note explaining why, in the midst of a seemingly good and full life, he had chosen to die.

“Everyone who has known me and who hears of this,” he wrote, “will have a different hypothesis to offer to explain why I did it.”