Harold Said:

Depression,is there a way out?

We Answered:

Look the article over I posted in the link below and see if it describes the way you live your life. From what you described above, I think you'll see yourself like looking in a mirror.

Here is part of the article:

Advantageous characteristics:

• Many creative talents, usually underdeveloped until the diagnosis is made

• Original, out-of-the-box thinking

• Tendency toward an unusual way of looking at life, a zany sense of humor, an unpredictable approach to anything and everything

• Remarkable persistence and resilience, if not stubbornness

• Warm-hearted and generous behavior

• Highly intuitive style

Disadvantageous characteristics:

• Difficulty in turning their great ideas into significant actions

• Difficulty in explaining themselves to others

• Chronic underachievement. They may be floundering in school or at work, or they may achieve at a high level (getting good grades or being president of the company does not rule out the diagnosis of ADHD), but they know they could be achieving at a higher level if only they could "find the key."

• Mood often angry or down in the dumps due to frustration

• Major problems in handling money and making sensible financial plans

• Poor tolerance of frustration

• Inconsistent performance despite great effort. People with ADHD do great one hour and lousy the next, or great one day and lousy the next, regardless of effort and time in preparation. They go from the penthouse to the outhouse in no time at all!

• History of being labeled "lazy" or "a spaceshot" or "an attitude problem" by teachers or employers who do not understand what is really going on (i.e., having ADD)

• Trouble with organization. Kids with ADD organize by stuffing book bags and closets. Adults organize by putting everything into piles. The piles metastasize, soon covering most available space.

• Trouble with time management. People with ADD are terrible at estimating in advance how long a task will take. They typically procrastinate and develop a pattern of getting things done at the last minute.

• Search for high stimulation. People with ADD often are drawn to danger or excitement as a means of focusing. They will drive 100 mph in order to think clearly, for example.

• Tendency to be a maverick (This can be an advantage or a disadvantage!)

• Impatience. People with ADD can't stand waiting in lines or waiting for others to get to the point.

• Chronic wandering of the mind, or what is called distractibility. Tendency to tune out or drift away in the middle of a page or a conversation. Tendency to change subjects abruptly.

• Alternately highly empathic and highly unempathic, depending upon the level of attention and engagement

• Poor ability to appreciate own strengths or perceive own shortcomings

• Tendency to self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs, or with addictive activities such as gambling, shopping, sexualizing, eating, or risk-taking

• Trouble staying put with one activity until it is done

• Tendency to change channels, change plans, change direction, for no apparent reason

• Failure to learn from mistakes. People with ADD will often use the same strategy that failed them before.

• Easily forgetful of their own failings and those of others. They are quick to forgive, in part because they are quick to forget.

• Difficulty in reading social cues, which can lead to difficulty in making and keeping friends

• Tendency to get lost in own thoughts, no matter what else might be going on