Let's see haw Jane responds to this:
Wednesday September 3 6:42 PM EDT
More Adults Diagnosed with ADD
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Psychiatrists are now treating a flood of adults
for attention deficit disorder (ADD), a syndrome often thought of as a 
disorder of childhood. 
According to a report in The New York Times, this year alone over 
729,000 American adults will be prescribed Ritalin, the drug most 
commonly used to combat the inattention and frenetic pace characteristic 
of ADD. That's nearly triple the number of prescriptions for the drug 
written for adults in 1992. 
"Years ago, few people were aware of what ADD was when it came to
adults," Harvard University psychiatrist Dr. Charles Popper told the 
Times. Popper, who is also editor of the Journal of Child and Adolescent 
Psychopharmacology, said that with increasing visibility "there should 
be more understanding." 
That understanding could help ADD sufferers nationwide. A 26-year-old
New York stockbroker told the Times his mind "just moves too fast. No 
one can keep up. People I speak to are talking about one thing and my 
mind has already moved on to the next subject. I feel like a leopard in 
a lion's cage." 
Such feelings and behaviors have cost those with ADD both personal 
relationships and careers. Unrestrained ADD can result in disorganized, 
fractured lives, as individuals drift from place to place and job to 
job. 
According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, ADD symptoms may include the 
following: 
-- failure to pay close attention to details, along with frequent
errors. 
-- inability to maintain attention on one task or play activity. 
-- frequent loss or misplacement of tools necessary to complete tasks. 
-- frequent episodes of forgetfulness or 'drifting off.' 
-- problems with planning and organizing activities. 
-- restless movements like fidgeting, and squirming in one's seat. 
-- acting 'driven' and constantly 'on the go.' 
-- excessive talking, or interrupting. 
Experts note that many of these behaviors must occur over the long term
(with some symptoms beginning in early childhood), and seriously impair 
daily functioning, before an ADD diagnosis is reached. 
Once diagnosed, most adult ADD patients turn to Ritalin, a drug thought
to increase levels of the brain chemical dopamine. Many researchers 
believe a shortage of dopamine is behind ADD behaviors. 
Sally Furbish believes she suffered from undiagnosed ADD for years.
After beginning Ritalin therapy more than six years ago, the relatively 
chaotic pace of her former life has calmed down. Furbish, who is now a 
special education teacher in Gainesville, Georgia, told the Times that 
her ADD diagnosis "gave me my life back. I still have trouble planning, 
but I'm making much more progress than I had before I knew what was 
wrong." 
Dr. Martha Denckla, a learning disabilities expert at Baltimore's
Kennedy Kreiger Institute, says Ritalin is not a "miracle cure."
Individuals still must 'program' themselves to overcome the ADD-caused
weaknesses which can disrupt their lives. Ritalin "can't teach someone 
how to organize himself or make lists," she said. 
Not everyone embraces the idea that ADD is, in fact, a specific
disorder. Controversy continues within the psychiatric community as to 
whether the symptoms exhibited by those diagnosed with ADD constitute a 
real disorder, or are merely a collection of relatively 'normal' 
personality traits. 
About 4% of adults are estimated to have ADD, according to literature
provided by CH.A.D.D., the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit 
Disorders organization based in Plantation, Florida. 
While the cause of ADD is still unknown, studies have suggested that the 
disorder is inherited, that is, that it is based in the genes. SOURCE: 
The New York Times (September 2, 1997:A1, D4)
                ===>The Voice of Reason<===
                     mark.probert@juno.com
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 * CMPQwk #1.4 * UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY
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