From Tim May:
: Any trendy new diagnosis always gets some recruits...dyslexia, ADD (*), the : abuse excuse, etc. : : (* Like any trendy thing, it gets renamed to keep its panache. ADD has been : renamed to something with four letters, which I now forget (must be ADD).) : : We've had some nutballs and losers (luser spelling: loosers) on this list. : People who claim the reason they can't make a coherent argument or hold a : steady job is because of something some psychobabbler told them was their : excuse. ............................................................................. You're just a bit subtle, Tim. It is true that ineffectual psychotherapists and their victim patients often conspire together to maintain that presentation of the patient as being an invalid, a victim of circumstance, for whatever benefits that confers on them both. But sometimes these patients are children, who wouldn't know how to cooperate in such deceptions. And although several loons have cycled through the list, PM is not a loon, and he said he definitely could not maintain his attention without medicine for ADD. Not knowing PM very well, I couldn't very well argue with him over whether it was more the problem of an error in his self-assessment and true interest, and less a medical condition labelled ADD. (he insisted that he loves what he does) It can be hard to identify deceptions, lies, and self-deceptions. There's so many things - people, drugs, etc - which can prevent one from self-discovery and admission, or things which act as inducements towards continuing such weaknesses. For certain adults, I expect that it is a lack of courage and desire for self-reliance which are the main obstacles standing in the way of getting over their excuse for acting like 'losers'. But there are some legitimite problems - nervous, attentional difficulties - which people can develop and which, aside from the trendy names given to them, could be improved with serious therapeutic attention. You'd have to work to know yourself well, to determine which the real problem is. l again offer this web site which has information on ways to help oneself towards strengthening one's physical system to get over attentional and similar problems: http://www.handle.org. It is here in Seattle, but there is now a therapist located in New York City, and clinicians also travel to other states and will performa evaluations there (there's a schedule of events listing any travels to cities in the U.S.) .. Blanc