VOLUME 8, NO.11                                  NOVEMBER 20, 2003

 

NJ ADD/AD/HD ADULT NEWSLETTER

ADD ADULT SELF HELP SUPPORT GROUP

FOR ADD/ADHD ADULTS

AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

 

MEETING: The next meeting of the ADD adult self help support group will be on November 20, 2003 at 7:30 pm at Monmouth Medical Center, Room 214 Stanley, Long Branch, NJ.  Go to the reception desk in the main lobby and get directions.  The topic will be: NEUROFEEDBACK AND BIOFEEDBACK FOR ADHD.

 

            THIS IS THE FIRST MEETING WHERE WE WILL HAVE A DISCUSSION & DEMONSTRATION OF NEUROFEEDBACK.  WE HOPE TO HAVE TWO SYSTEMS AVAILABLE AND A LIVELY DISCUSSION.  THE SECOND HALF OF THE MEETING WILL BE OUR REGULAR ADHD SUPPORT GROUP MEETING. 

 

RESEARCH: Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. in Addvance Online News, 2003, 2#4, reviewed an article in Psychological Review, 2000, 107(3): 41-429, by Taylor, S.E., Klein, L.C. etal. , Female Responses to Stress: Tend and Befriend, Not Fight or Flight.  I was unable to get the complete article online, but found several summaries including Dr.Nadeau’s.  The theory is that women, including those with ADHD, may respond to stress differently than men.  Under stress women are theorized to take care of their offspring and to befriend other females.  They suggest that the hormone oxytocin inhibits or dampens the flight or flight response and enables females to take care of offspring and family.

Comments: Although I haven’t seen further research on this theory, it is very appealing and seems to fit many of my experiences with ADD women.  An implication of this theory is that to help women cope with the stress of ADHD, there needs to be affiliation where they can befriend.  This would suggest support groups, mentors, women’s therapy groups, and women supporting women in general.  Once some of the stigma of ADHD has been managed, women do seem to group together for support. Men will do this also but tend to become loners under stress.

 

FREE MEDICATION PROGRAMS: NAMI, a national support group for individuals with mental health diagnoses, has a New Jersey branch that has published a list of pharmaceutical companies that may offer free medications with your doctor’s consent and proof of financial status.  The telephone number for NAMI of New Jersey is 732-940-0991.  There’s also an email: naminj@optonline.net.  Here are the names of some of the companies:

                Abbot Labs. 1-800-922-3255                                        Ciba-Geigy 908-277-5849

                Bristol-Meyers Squibb 1-800-736-0003                         Glaxo Inc. 1-800-452-9677

                Burroughs-Wellcome 1-800-722-9292                 Hoffman-LaRouche 1-800-526-6367

                Johnson & Johnson 1-800-447-3437                 Eli Lilly & Co. 317-276-2950 (Prozac)

                                                                                                                                (Strattera)

                Smithkline Beecham 1-800-866-6273 (Paxil)                Wyeth-Ayerst Lab.1-800-568-9938

                                                                                                                                (Effexor )

                Novartis 1-800-257-3273 (Ritalin LA, Focalin                Parke-Davis 201-540-2000

                Pfizer 1-800-869-9979 (Zoloft)                                   Schering-Plough 1-800-822-7000A

 

BOOK: For those members who enjoy Thom Hartmann, I would recommend his book, THE EDISON GENE.  Here Thom discusses his theory that the ADHD gene was critical for the development of humanity for 40,000 years.  His views are certainly more appealing than the medical pathology views.  ENJOY!!!

                                                                        PEACE!!!   Bob

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