Oh, here we go: ADHD can cause loss of 20 or more workdays per year

[devilgrrl]

ADHD can cause loss of 20 or more workdays per year

WASHINGTON (AP) — When "Fidgety Philip" grows up, the problems of attention deficit disorder can multiply into loss of nearly a month's work per year.

Long seen as a problem for children, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was first described in 1845 by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman, who wrote "The Story of Fidgety Philip."

More recently, it has been recognized as continuing into adulthood for some people, and new research seeks to estimate the effect of ADHD on workers.

<snip>

It might be cost-effective for employers to screen workers for ADHD and provide treatment, the researchers suggest.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-27-adhd-work_N.htm?csp=34


Yep... uh huh.... right... sure.... ADHD, it plagues the work place.... need to test for that.... uh huh... yep...

[madaboutharry]

1. I have always been bothered by this term.

Maybe the people with ADHD are actually the "normal" people. Maybe the rest of us are the ones who have a problem.

[ShortnFiery]

12. I'm of the opinion that any diagnosis of ADHD must also include ...

positron emission tomography (PET) analysis.

Forgive me, I won't get too nerdy but the biological underpinnings of ADHD is said to be "under activity" in the frontal lobes of the cortex.

I believe that over the past two decades there has been A MASSIVE over-diagnosis of ADHD - when it may be traced to other factors or behavioral problems. It sounds glib, but most parents would "sign-on" to the fact that the lion's share 10 year old boys could come close to meeting the criteria of ADHD. :wow:

Many reviews suggest that Psychologists/Psychiatrists need to consider the use of PET analysis before making an ADHD diagnosis. :shrug:

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/pediatrics/hcp/ADHDPETScan.cfm

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/news/20041129/brain-changes-seen-in-kids-with-adhd

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/53841

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/457770

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I'm sorry. Could you repeat that for me?

[villager]

3. "If you won't take our pharmaceutical drug regimen, you can't work here!"

...and it will show up on your "credit report" so you can't work anywhere else either!

[jobycom]

4. I wonder how many hours my boss loses to DU.

:shrug:

[Fumesucker]

5. It will be more cost-effective to screen for ADHD

And simply not hire people with that affliction..

I wish I was being sarcastic..

[devilgrrl]

6. I wish that was a valid reason not hire people

:sarcasm:

[jobycom]

14. That would violate the ADA.

And screening for it before hiring would be pretty clear proof that it was hiring factor.

I'm more concerned with the mentality that it's an employer's right to screen. To me, an employer should only worry about results. If the employee does what the employer hired them for, what's it matter if they are ADHD or anything else?

Not to mention, if an employer screens for and finds ADHD in an employee, it would be harder for that employer to fire them, since the employer would have helped build the case that the employee fits under ADA protection.

[Fumesucker]

16. Lots of pre employment tests include something close to an MMPI nowadays..

I'd be quite surprised if ADHD weren't something that is at least detectable with an MMPI.

[devilgrrl]

18. Do they test for Sociopathology?

They should.

[ShortnFiery]

23. Too funny. The Antisocial Personality scores "perfect mental health" on the MMPI.

That's an excellent question. People without conscious not only breeze by with flying "normal" outcomes on the screening tests, to include the lie detector, but they are IRONICALLY the people you would NOT want within your organization. I think we need better screening tests. ;)

[Deja Q]

33. Don't they end up being diplomats or executives?

:yoiks:


(Just joking, it's a corny joke anyway...)

[RufusTFirefly]

35. Whaddya mean? Sociopathy is a prerequisite for becoming a successful CEO!

Or perhaps that is what you meant.

[Fox Mulder]

31. That would be an asinine thing to do.

Then some of us would never get hired for a job. Ever.

[Deja Q]

32. Many companies do screen for all sorts of conditions...

People think peeing in a cup for an illicit drug they take by choice is wrong and all the other claptrap...

How about filling in 100~500 circles with only a #2 pencil to determine if a person has a PDD one was born with? Or other mental illnesses, which were not asked for by choice.

Now we ARE different, we can be misperceived, but we are not lazy, nor addled, and most of us WANT to contribute and are not often utilized to the best of our potential, and some of us are smart enough to know where we're not perfect and try harder to compensate.

That's the difference.

[Hydra]

7. Hahaha

I love how they always think in terms of "productive hours"- is it about getting the job done, or the illusion that you've squeezed every penny out?

:evilgrin:

[devilgrrl]

8. Oh, I know. What a joke!

:nuke:

[Zywiec]

13. If you took your car to a mechanic and were paying by the hour

would you be just as happy with a 40 hour oil change as one that took 40 minutes? I'm mean as long as the job gets done, right?

I understand there exists a balance between getting the job done and also being able to pay employees and the electric bill

[Hydra]

19. Thank you for making my point

The way most wageslave employment places work, you'll end up with a 40 hour oil change because there is no incentive to work faster. The employees would have to be stupid to work faster considering that they are getting underpaid. Yet the corp myth of "lost hours" persists.

Meanwhile, if you paid the person by the job, you would probably get the 40 min oil change.

The Corps spend all this money on studies to shut workers out rather than spending it to reward productive employees/departments. Idiots.

[Lorien]

9. Unfortunately (dispite what Rush Limbaugh says) ADD is a very real disorder

and it's absolute hell for those of us who live with it. Every woman on one side of my family is afflicted. My aunts have had extensive brain imaging done and we know exactly which parts of our brains are overactive and which are under stimulated. Drugs like Adderal can help-but there are always nasty side effects. I'd give a decade off my life to be ADD free. :-(

If anyone wants to learn more, or take a test, here's a great site by the world's foremost authority on the condition (he has several specials on PBS): http://www.amenclinics.com/ac/waystohelp.php?refWays=adhd

[Mojorabbit]

21. I am kind of partial to having ADD

and am attracted to men that have it. Never boring and think outside of the box. It runs in my family.Some members of my family have had to go on meds to tone it down so they can function in this society but are all managing very well.

[devilgrrl]

26. Are you suggesting that you're unqualified to work because of your ADD?

I ask because I think this "study" is a heaping pile of crap and I'd love to know how they come up with such a conclusion.

[Lorien]

27. At a job like Air Traffic control, yes

It's very difficult to do jobs that require prolonged periods of concentration when you have ADD. The job that I do now is much more challenging since my adult onset ADD became a real problem for me 14 years ago. The brain is an organ like any other organ in the body. One wouldn't expect a person with heart disease or lung cancer to be the best qualified person to work at a job that required them to move heavy furniture. A person with ADD has trouble staying focused and organized, so they have to find ways of compensating for those shortcomings with lifestyle changes and medication, or find a job that fits the abilities that they do have.

[truedelphi]

10. Combine ADHD with the cell phones every employee carries w/ them

And I imagine few workers are working at all!

[DS1]

11. Actually, I wouldn't mind a trial dose of whatever they use against it

:shrug:

[ShortnFiery]

15. Oh, I don't think so. We already are suffering the violence of a Meth-head nation.

Add prescription amphetamines scripted out to EVERYBODY who gets slightly "distracted" ...

Our society could just create one big nation of BARTER TOWNS: Everyone is hyped, violent and paranoid. (side effects to increased and long term stimulant use/abuse).

Let's NOT go there?!? :scared:

[Fumesucker]

17. What about the violence of "alcoholic nation"?

Seriously, why does alcohol always get a pass when it comes to inducing violent behavior?

The vernacular is replete with phrases that acknowledge alcohol related violence and yet no one ever wants to talk about it.

[ShortnFiery]

20. As a former addiction counselor to a battalion of infantry, you won't get any argument from me

on that front. Absolutely, alcohol has destroyed many lives.

It's more insidious though: Continuing alcohol abuse/addiction is like committing suicide on "the installment plan." Many people drink all day and every day. Before they get hit with their first DUI, they've probably been driving drunk for years, i.e., see state dependent learning. It only has captured society's attention because of all the vehicular homicides by drunk drivers.

With Crack and Meth, on the other hand: These drugs will ruin your life in short order. From the first use until "you're dead - or bottomed out" is usually less than 5-10 years. The downward spiral is sharper and faster with amphetamines.

[benny594]

25. we need more real help for all who are addicted

[Fumesucker]

29. I wasn't even talking about addiction...

Just the violence portion of alcohol intoxication.

Mean drunk..

Barroom brawl..

Ten feet tall and bulletproof..

You don't have to be an alcoholic to become violent when drunk.

[Mountainman]

34. "Add prescription amphetamines" ? What are you saying here?

Drugs used to treat adult ADHD are prescription amphetamines?

[bicentennial_baby]

22. Same here

[ShortnFiery]

24. The potential for addiction with amphetamines is high. I hope to God they don't begin RX these

medications universally. If so, welcome to "A PARANOID NATION." Damn, that's the last thing we need - rampant use of amphetamines in the USA. :crazy:

On Edit:

I've helped people who are "coming down" from week long binges on cocaine. It's not a pretty sight.

The abuse of amphetamines used to treat ADHD can send us down the same road: a very UGLY road.

http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/article.asp?ContentID=amphetamines

As the effects of amphetamines begin to wear off, a person may experience a range of symptoms including uncontrolled violence, tension, radical mood swings, depression and total exhaustion.

Regular use of amphetamines may result in chronic sleeping problems, anxiety and tension, high blood pressure and a rapid and irregular heartbeat.

[Lorien]

28. I've had problems with insomnia and irregular heartbeat with them

but I sure don't find them addictive. Not a pleasant drug, imho. But they will allow you to have a productive day from time to time if the side effects don't drive you nuts.

[Deja Q]

30. They do work, but the body builds up a tolerance so rapidly...

Which helps fuel the addiction too.

Fortunately it's all controlled and monitored, and most doctors worth a penny would start VERY slowly...