Working Memory - The Gift I Forgot I Gave

I mentioned "working memory" in a previous blog post, so I'll just expand a little bit with an example from my own life.

So, I'm standing at work and my cell phone goes off. I've got a text message from my wife.

"Thank you! I love it! How thoughtful!"

Now, any husband will tell you this is great...if you can remember what you did.

Eventually, through judicious questioning, I find out what it is (this happened a couple of years ago, so I've forgotten again what it was).

Anyway, simply forgetting was not necessarily the adult ADHD thing.

The fact that I forgot a couple of minutes after I did it was. I was doing some things on the computer one night, ordered something as a surprise for my wife, gloated for a second, and started doing something else...which essentially erased the immediate memory of "the wonderful deed I had done".

That's the way it is sometimes. I am doing something, for a perfectly good reason, and a minute later don't know that I did it, or, if I remember doing it, I don't remember why I did it.

My brain moves on to the next thing, and each action and event erases, at least in working memory. Working memory is what you use to get things done, particularly in a sequence or group.

It's a bit like putting several things in a basket until you need them. For most people, working memory can hold at least a small pile of "stuff"...directions, lists, sequences, groups...etc. However, person with adult ADHD, or a child as well, working memory is more like a conveyor belt than a basket.

We usually get either the first item or the last, or the most important (and people with ADHD are often very poor at assigning priorities). Sometimes, I'm not even sure why I remembered one thing and not another.

Here's an example of adult ADHD at work. I actually started another sentence, thought of a comment which needed to be added above. Added the comment, and "Poof" the sentence I was going to add, along with the idea behind it, is completely gone. Well, there's still tomorrow. I can add it then...if I remember what it was.

The Pagagraph About ADHD That Caught My Attention

I was reading an article in Time magazine back in 2009 and read a paragraph that really hit home to me, a 68 year old man with ADHD.

The article, "Better Learning Through Fidgeting", by John Cloud, covered a study on how fidgeting affected, or might be involved in the learning processes of ADHD kids.

The idea seemed to be that ADHD kids SHOULD be allowed to fidget as this helped them focus on their work. In some way, it stimulates their ability to absorb and retain data.

However, it was a description given by one of the researchers which got to me as the reporter was passing on information from Mark Rappaport, a professor at the University of Central Florida:

"...many teachers don't understand how ADHD kids process information. 'If you go into a typical classroom', he [Mark Rappaport] tells me, 'You might hear, "Take out the book. Turn to page 23. Do items 1 through 8, but don't do 5." And you've just given them four or five directions. The child with working memory problems has dropped three of them, and so he's like, "Page 23 - what am I supposed to do?"'

As I read that paragraph, at age 64, I was almost overwhelmed with a flood of memories which came out of my days as a student, as an accountant and fiscal consultant, my years in the U.S. Army, my time as a truck driver, and my days as an optician...days in which I lived in fear of "dropping the ball" as I was given string after string of instructions and information...most of which I could not remember.

I faked my way through everything, and, as often happened, I seemed to spend as much time covering up my mistakes as I did doing the work I was supposed to do.

Just one little paragraph, but it encapsulated a portion of my life over a 60-year period.

10 Mythis About Adult ADHD

While it is hard to deal with life when you are an adult with ADHD, one hardship is having to function in a world full of myths about adult ADHD. The following article outlines some of the more common of these misunderstandings about Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults:

Adult ADD & ADHD - Top 10 Myths
By Jean Meriam

Adult ADD/ADHD is gaining recognition amongst professionals and society at large. It is perceived by many to be a new disorder, discovered or made up by psychiatrists in the last decade. Like most things we perceive of as being new, adult ADD and ADHD are subject to skepticism and myths. There is suspicion on many fronts that adult ADD/ADHD and even childhood ADD/ADHD is a made up disorder created by psychiatrists in association with pharmaceutical companies to sell a new type of drug. While skepticism and awareness are healthy ideals, in the case of adult ADD/ADHD this skepticism does not seem warranted. The symptoms are very real and wreak havoc in the lives of those with the disorder.

Adult ADD/ADHD has been present with us for much longer than many people aware. It is not a new disorder, but one that has only recently gained recognition amongst and been labeled by professionals. Most adults who have been diagnosed with the disorder are those who should have been diagnosed in childhood but were not. And while the symptoms and signs of adult ADD/ADHD are real to its sufferers and treatment has been proven to alleviate these symptoms the myths continue. So what are some of the most common myths surrounding the diagnosis do adult ADD and ADHD?

1. ADD/ADHD is a disorder of children. Adults can not have ADD/ADHD.

While it is more likely to be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD as a child, adults can and do suffer from the symptoms of adult ADD/ADHD. Most people who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD as adults already had the disorder as children, but were either not diagnosed or misdiagnosed.

2. Adults with ADD/ADHD simply need to lead more disciplined organized lives.

Adults with ADD/ADHD have tried to lead more disciplined and organized lives, but have failed. The medical disorder makes it difficult to impossible for adult sufferers to maintain the focus required to stay organized and on track.

3. ADHD symptoms can be overcome without intervention.

Some adults with ADD/ADHD find enough self help treatments to live an organized disciplined life. They create to do lists, take advantage of calendars and timers,and find other ways to organize their live. For many adults with ADD/ADHD these methods do not help and they need to seek help from physicians, personal organizers and counsellors.

4. ADHD is a made up disorder.

With the large number of children currently diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, parents and others are beginning to question whether ADD is even a real disorder. The symptoms that those diagnosed with the disorder endure and the effect these symptoms have on the lives of those with the disorder are very real.

5. People who seek medication for ADHD are really just drug seekers.

Ritalin has been and continues to be abused by adults who use the drug for a quick high. Some have compared its effect as almost cocaine like in adults who do not need the stimulant medication. Ritalin, though, is not usually prescribed to adults with ADD/ADHD. Longer lasting medications with a slower build up such as Concerta and Adderall are prescribed to adults. The effect of these medications are less intense than those of Ritalin so are not attractive to abusers.

6. Medication can cure ADHD.

Medications can help with the symptoms of adult ADD/ADHD but are not a cure for the disorder.

7. You're not hyperactive so you don't have ADD.

Only adults diagnosed with ADHD deal with the hyperactivity component of the disorder. This symptom shows itself in signs such as restlessness and risk taking. Adults without hyperactivity are diagnosed with ADD rather than ADHD. These adults share almost all the same symptoms as those with ADHD, but are not as likely to be hyperactive and restless.

8. Children with ADD/ADHD always outgrow the disorder.

While many children do outgrow their ADD/ADHD symptoms a large number carry the disorder with them into adulthood. SOme who seem to have outgrown the disorder may simply have found useful coping methods that help them live their lives without professional intervention.

9. You can not lead a normal life with ADD

Most adults with ADD/ADHD function very well. Medical and other professional interventions have helped some, while many work with their ADD/ADHD personalities to create lives that are very compatible with the disorder.

10. Medications help all cases of adult ADHD

Medication is helpful in approximately 58% of cases. Some adults find a combination of medication along with ongoing support from a counsellor or other professional to be more helpful. Others find the side effects of medications to be intolerable and function better with the with the help of professional cognitive treatment, or self help methods.

For further information about the signs and symptoms of ADD/ADHD in adults, the full list of symptoms is shown in this article [http://hubpages.com/hub/Adult-ADHD-and-ADD-Symptoms-and-Signs]

Jean Meriam is a freelance writer from Canada, with a background in psychology and health. To read more adult ADD/ADHD article by this author, please view her profile at [http://hubpages.com/profile/JeanMeriam]

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