Posted by hyperfocus on February 13, 2013, at 15:07:59
In reply to Re: ADD » hyperfocus, posted by SLS on February 10, 2013, at 18:13:57
Dementia at least in my layman's understanding corresponds to a global degradation of cognitive ability. ADD derives from an underlying understimulation from cognitive and sensory inputs, not impairments in cognitive ability. I think they key difference is that people with ADD still retain full cognitive ability at some tasks like counting or telling time. I guess like in myself and rj's case, we don't have any problems researching video games on the 'net for instance. A person with dementia would have many impairments in doing this.
It's true that ADD has a significant psychological component and also shares neuroreceptors implicated in depression. Successfully treating depression will always improve ADD and conversely ADD drugs can have significant positive effects on depression. It's also true that cognitive ability generally degrades significantly from severe depression. But in many cases depression alone doesn't explain the inability to do certain things. It was always strange to me that whenever I experienced periods of euthymia my mind still wandered wildly and I still found focusing on single tasks for more than a few minutes very difficult -- a behavior which was unchanged from my regular severely depressed self. The consequences of this behavior were much less irrational and emotionally distressing in my mind during these times, but it took me a long time to realize that I had an underlying inattention condition that severe depression deprived me of the ability to just manage with, along with other things.
Both conditions are linked but for treatment purposes, medication and especially learning the skills to cope with ADD can make a world of difference to a person with both ADD and depression. Successful diagnosis and treatment of ADD can even open up activities and opportunities that a person had thought closed to them or that they weren't suited for. This as well obviously can have positive effects on depression.
C-PTSD: social phobia, major depression, dissociation. 20 yrs duration.
Asperger's Syndrome.
Currently: 150mg amitriptyline single dose at night. 75mg Lyrica occasionally.
Significantly improving.
poster:hyperfocus
thread:1036953
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130205/msgs/1038017.html