Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder -  Adults

The first step to dealing with the difficulties of ADHD is - understanding that there is a "bigger picture" containing many issues that together, provide a diagnosis.

Sadly, the ADHD phenomenon is considered a mental health condition by many professionals. ADHD does affect cognitive abilities, sensitivity and behavior, but in accordance with "Intelligence integration" the different difficulties are caused not by mental illness, but by various bodily systems generating great tension during their function instead of allowing themselves to function with ease. As a result of so much tension, the human body cannot function effortlessly and the burden of tension created causes concentration and learning difficulties etc. As more tension is generated by the body while functioning, the level of difficulty while functioning will grow and ADHD symptoms will start to appear and take over different functions. Luckily, we can alter the causes of such tension without medication to a point where they lessen or disappear.

ADHD Definition and Symptoms

According to the 1994, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Ed. IV, (DSM-IV) ADHD is a Disruptive Behavior Disorder characterized by the presence of a set of chronic and impairing behavior patterns that display abnormal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, or a combination of the two.

Symptom Checklist for ADHD Adults

A professional uses this symptom checklist to make a diagnosis of ADHD.

Criteria: Inattention or Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Behavior has persisted for at least six months and to such a degree that it is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level. Must present six or more of the following traits:

1. Inattention

·         Often fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.

·         Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.

·         Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.

·         Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions).

·         Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities.

·         Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as schoolwork or homework).

·         Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities (toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools).

·         Often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.

·         Often forgetful in daily activities.

2. Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Hyperactivity

·         Often fidgets with hands/ feet or squirms in seat.

·         Often leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected.

·         Often runs about/climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults, may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness).

·         Often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly.

·         Is often "on the go" or acts as if "running on batteries".

·         Often talks excessively.

3. Impulsivity

·         Often blurts out answers before questions have been completed.

·         Often has difficulty awaiting a turn.

·         Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games).

By looking at the existing definitions in DSM-IV and at symptoms recognized with ADHD IN ADULTS through the findings of the Intelligence Integration method, we can discover and match an obvious physical cause

(a malfunctioning physical system), as the cause for great physical tension and other functional and behavioral qualities recognized with ADHD.

Example:

·         Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.

·         Often leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected.

·         Is often "on the go" or acts as if "running on batteries".

·         Often interrupts or intrudes others (e.g., butts into conversations or games).

During the day, if a bodily system such as one of the senses, gross motor, fine motor or eye motor abilities, generates a large amount of physical tension during activity ( e.g. difficulties in cross limbs ability in the gross motor skills, e.g. fine motor difficulty using fingers, e.g. focus difficulties during reading or work tasks, e.g. strong stimuli from the senses etc). This physical tension builds up in muscles and causes a "tied up" sensation, discomfort and disrupts breathing sequences.  This complex brings on the need to regularize breathing on the one hand, and on the other, the need to release the tension that has built up from activity - through movement. The tension accumulates and creates concentration difficulties.

All of the above mentioned difficulties create good physical basis for the ADD-ADHD symptoms. 

Since the feeling of tension is much more noticeable while sitting than while active, the need to move ,so as not to feel strain, or to move limbs in order to regulate breathing intensifies, While using gross motor skills the body will automatically try to breath, in most cases that is the reason for involuntary movements. When there is no more patience as a result of high levels of physical tension, it is common to interrupt others. 

Can we, by observing an adult and recognizing the exact symptoms mentioned, conclude that what we are seeing is hyperactivity? Definitely not. All the other symptoms have exact physical reasons as well.

In the many years of the method existing, we have encountered many adults who were diagnosed with ADHD. With help of a unique diagnosis system, we haven’t run into a single adult that the cause of tension during activity wasn't a malfunctioning physical system that was causing symptoms identified with ADHD.

While running the training program according to Intelligence Integration in order to train the body and brain to change a physical state, the brain started developing a neural network, and the physical ability was developed and advance/corrected. As a result of reparation, the physical causes of tension mostly disappeared, and with them the different symptoms of ADHD.

The systems that need examination in order to determine whether the Tension (Tension Deficit Disorder and ADHD) is caused by physical difficulty are:

·         Gross motor skills, cross limbs ability

·         Fine motor skills, mainly the ability to separate movement between fingers and both hands, both hands at once and each separately.

·         Controlled, exact and conscious eye muscle movement.

·         The entire sensory system (hyper/hypo sensitivity).

·         Conscious use of the respiratory system while performing motor, sensorial, emotional and cognitive tasks and while resting.

·         Grapho motor ability in both hands separately and simultaneously.

·         The ability to integrate between motor skills and breathing, thinking and controlling emotions.

The physical system that needs examination in order to diagnose it as the cause of ADHD, and ways of diagnosis and training, are all clearly described and explained in the Intelligence Integration book by Moshe Elbaum.

In most cases, the physical practice needed to alter the condition from ADHD to normative function shouldn’t take more than a few months.

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