ADHD is typically characterized by impulsivity, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity – characteristics that make it hard for those with this trait to reach their highest potential. Dr. Hallowell, a psychiatrist specializing in ADHD, considers ADHD to be a trait, not a disability. When managed effectively, those with ADHD have accomplished extraordinary successes, but if undiagnosed or untreated, ADHD can wreck lives.
Dr. Hallowell says that having ADHD is like having a Ferrari engine for a brain, but with bicycle brakes.
Undiagnosed and unaddressed ADHD can all but destroy a person.
The prisons are full of people with undiagnosed ADHD, as are the halls of the unemployed, the addicted, the impoverished, and the depressed. It is particularly alarming that at least 80% of adults who have ADHD do not know that they have this potentially devastating condition. Hence there is a magnificent opportunity for the clinician to intervene dramatically in the lives of people who have ADHD.
Recent studies indicate that the use of medication to help manage ADHD is on the rise, however, many people with ADHD prefer a holistic, alternative approach and are already familiar with Dr. Hallowell and his NY Times best selling book, Delivered from Distraction.
