Brain Storming

You’ve probably heard the term mental-health parity. But do you know what it means? Many people do not.

It’s important, because  recent healthcare reforms have called for mental-health parity. That is, reform provisions are designed to address the disparity between the limits insurance coverage sets for medical conditions involving the body  versus much more limited coverage for “mental health” conditions involving the brain.

Hey, but last I looked, the brain is part of the body!  Change happens slowly, it seems.

Mental health advocacy groups such as CHADD, the national non-profit serving the ADHD community, have long lobbied that medical conditions affecting the brain should be treated no differently than medical conditions affecting the heart, limbs, lungs, and so on. (Click here to review CHADD’s updates on this topic over the past few years.) Read the rest of this entry »

“….And you want it because it releases dopamine,” explains the short video below.

“Things are important and valuable only if they activate your dopamine…..

“Being unfocused and easily distracted means you’re low on dopamine.”

Bottom line: If you don’t have “enough” dopamine, or your dopamine is activated only by over-the-top pleasures (or anticipation of pleasures)? Caution ahead.

For generations, the “foolishness” has suddenly struck middle-age members of an extended family in Colombia’s Antioquia region.  It starts with mild forgetfulness but soon reduces its victims to infantile incapacitation.

People here have long attributed La Bobera to a host of superstitions: a mythic priest’s revenge or touching a mysterious tree. Scientists now know it is a genetic mutation, concentrated by the intermarriage that’s not unusual in this rather isolated area. The malady is a type of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

It’s called the “Paisa Mutation” because this clan of 5,000 are called Paisas. They are descended primarily from a group of 16th Century Spanish immigrants. By studying this mutation, researchers hope to learn more about other forms of Alzheimer’s and its treatment. Pam Belluck shares the dramatic details on the disease and its discovery, along with hopes for treatment, in a recent story in The New York Times.

This isn’t the first time genetic discovery has taken place in the Paisa population. In fact, researchers studying this unique group of people have learned much about ADHD from them, too. For example, a genetic link between ADHD and conduct disorder/oppositional defiance disorder was discovered by studying selected Paisa families (multi-generational). Read the rest of this entry »

Since I posted this blog entry on recent research from neuroscientist Nora Volkow and colleagues, more detailed stories interpreting the study’s findings have become available. In particular, this report from MedPage today targets clinicians. That site also includes an audio interview with Dr. Volkow, below (despite a strong Spanish accent, Dr. Volkow does a good job of making complex concepts understandable to the layperson, in my opinion).

Two videos went “viral” among my Facebook friends this week. I share them with you here because who living in these rancorous times couldn’t use a little sweet-natured humor.

More germane to this blog’s brain-based focus, however, I was struck by how each video demonstrated qualities of empathy. Yes, I know. Recently, some politicians have publicly scorned empathy – perhaps because they mistakenly equate it with weakness. Yet, as a third video explains, leading neuroscientists say that our society depends on empathy. In other words, the smart money is on nourishing empathy, not castigating it.

First, consider the dancing baby. Unable to stand without support and obviously unschooled in “isolation” moves (moving head side to side), that baby Beyonce wannabee still gets down. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of presenting my talk on “You, Me, and A.D.D” to the Santa Rosa Chapter of CHADD. What a fun crowd! About 60 adults with ADHD and/or their partners turned out. That’s a lot of people for a small town! Coordinator Pauline Laurent is doing a great job creating awareness in Sonoma County.

As I made motored up Highway 101, anxiety swelled. A public speaker I’m not — or at least I thought I wasn’t. Being the much-youngest of seven in a very verbal Italian family, it was hard to get a word in edgewise. And my journalism career has mostly been spent behind a desk and on the phone. Would I lose my train of thought and start jabbering? Would they like the cartoons or my sense of humor? Would the adults with ADHD be defensive that my talk focused more on the challenges posed by ADHD — and what to do about them?

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, Adult ADHD can affect driving behavior, too. In fact, Chapter 5 of the book Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? explores exactly how the ADHD Roller Coaster hits the road. An excerpt follows this great animation from “A.D.D. Man!” Buckle your seatbelts and watch out for Road Rage Ralph and Sally Soccer Mom.

Chapter 5:

Driving While Distracted:
The Roller Coaster Hits the Road

My husband’s driving has improved since
taking medication. He no longer “punishes”
drivers who pass him—by flashing his lights,
making rude gestures, and yelling. I’d be so
embarrassed, I’d slink down in the seat.

– Elizabeth

Carol, married 15 years, says her husband is the absolute best driver ever: “At night, Ken notices little animals on the side of the road and has stopped for moose and deer that I never would have seen.”

Read the rest of this entry »

In his lectures, neuropsychiatrist Daniel Amen often says that, before one of his children marries, he wants to examine a brain scan of the spousal candidate. Why? Because brain deficits aren’t always obvious. Sometimes mental illness reveals itself only over time, and with stress. In fact, we often initially misperceive a person’s brain deficits as positive qualities. Much to our peril.

For example, consider the “decisive decision-maker.” Golly, you think to yourself, someone so cocksure and confident must know the score, right? You know that you could never act so confident unless you had the goods, right?

Read the rest of this entry »