by Ralph David Samuel, The Cat's Elbow SS:

Thom Hartman often writes about living, working and adapting during a life of ADHD behaviors. He is a welcome positive voice for the benefits afforded by ADHD to many entrepreneurs and investigative minds. It both pushes some people beyond conventional boundaries and can provide some important tools for innovation and creativity.

However, the effects of ADHD neuro-divergence are not uniform. I have seen young ADHD high school geniuses who absorbed knowledge and intuitive understanding of relationships among divergent sources of information as they swam through their stimulus-rich environment as fish absorb oxygen. Some managed to convert this genius into longer-term, successful outcomes. Others hit a wall, as their diagnosis devolved into something truly obstructive, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar, or similar thought or mood disorders that regardless of DSM distinction often clinically result in a “failed genius syndrome.” Whatever and however some are able to adapt to ADHD while others fail, points toward neurological etiologies with psychological symptoms, yet treatment is largely left to psychiatry and understanding of the processes remains elusive. So much science depends upon devices for imaging and measurement. We must hope that we will have the tools needed to effectively treat a variety of brain disorders.

In the meantime, I am glad for those like Thom who collect success stories and report positive outcomes for ADHD people. There is so much good to look for, we must continue to expand the opportunities.