Troubled Teens Resources

Attention Deficit Disorder always gets a bad rap. That is probably not conducive to overcoming it. When only emphasizing all the myriad problems attending an ADD diagnosis, we fail to see how we can bend ADD to work for us. The troubled teen indeed seems always to have this disorder, and yes, that does often crescendo into drinking, dangerous behavior and teen age drug abuse. But, if it were managed well from the beginning, it also has the potential to be equally empowering.

As with all conditions, a constellation of underlying factors determine the severity or disruptiveness of ADD, but even so, the following 5 pointers by Jennifer Koretsky are worth noting. The remaining 5 points can be read by following the link below.

1. Compassion
People with ADD have a tremendous power to connect with other people. But it goes a step further than that. We also have an advanced ability to empathize with others, and to see many different perspectives.

2. Creativity
I’ve never met an ADDer who wasn’t creative! Writers, painters, musicians, film makers, designers, sculptors, comedians - the list goes on! Artistic talents are abundant. Composers Mozart and Beethoven are believed to have had ADD.

3. Drive
When an ADDer is bored with a task, completing it can seem like torture. But give an ADDer an interesting project to work on and watch out! When we want to succeed, and we have the necessary tools to do so, there is no stopping us!

4. Problem Solving Ability
ADDers thrive on solving problems and puzzles. Give us an interesting problem to solve and we won’t be able to drop it until we’ve found the solution! Important historical inventors such as Thomas Edison and Thomas Jefferson are believed to have had ADD.
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