He knew his wife would be angry with him since this was the third job he had lost in their three-year marriage. As a child, Bill had taken Ritalin for troubles in school, but was taken off the medication when he was a teen. His doctor told him all kids outgrow the problems he was having. That was bad advice. At the age of 32, Bill still suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder.
ADD is a neurological problem that affects at least five percent of the population.
The main symptoms are a short attention span, distractibility, impulsiveness and hyperactivity or restlessness. Until recently most professionals thought that children outgrew this disorder during their teen years. While it's true that the hyperactive component lessens over time, the other symptoms of impulsivity, distractibility and short attention span remain for most of these children into adulthood. When ADD is left untreated it significantly affects relationships, self-esteem and work. In this column I want to explore the impact of ADD on the workplace.