Hola… my name is Hansell and I like to write as ‘el hermano de Grettel’. Welcome to the 1st season of Neuro-Diversity. Today we are going to dive in what do we know about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD for short.

ADHD is a neurofunctional disorder, not a psychological condition (like procrastination behavior), in other words is a dysfunction or abnormality of the brain 🧠; or at least, according to current understanding. Obviously this base in what we know and we believe we know about what a normal brain is. What I mean by this is that medicine compares what we call a typical brain with a normal brain with an normal brain; probably without fully understanding their place in our evolution process as a specie.

Who knows maybe in a near future from now we will discover something new that could challenge this believes. Nevertheless when we trust our Neuroscientist and the Psychiatry community we need to see this type of brain as dysfunctional.

Why?!; because is unable to work properly; (or at least for many of the 21st century needs).

Base on this we can say; that science and medicine are beginning to understand how this neuro-dysfunction works; first there is an imbalance in the neurotransmitters, like dopamine and norepinephrine.

Dopamine is mainly a neurotransmitter. Among its many functions, dopamine acts as a messenger, facilitating the transmission of signals within the brain. It is associated with feelings of pleasure, reward, motivation, and motor control

This functions are important for the most basic aspects of life, like learning 🤓 and getting things done ✅.

Norepinephrine is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone (when is outside of the brain); it’s responsible to manage stress levels, plays a role in mood regulation and alertness. If it is imbalance can trigger depression and attention disorder.

So, we can say that ADHD is a neurodisfuntion disorder that creates difficulties with ‘attention’, ‘impulses control’, ‘working memory’ and ‘create hyper-activity’.

[Note: the meaning or understanding of ‘disorder’ is as follows:
* Is a state of confusion, disrupt the systematic functioning.
* Is a condition or state that significantly impair a persons functioning, causing distress or impair in social, academic, occupational areas, relationship and other.]

In the story of my life ADHD has been both a curse and a blessing.

For example in the early years of my life when I was with my wife, I had the tendency to look other attractive womens specially when I was driving 😅. I did this without even being aware… 🤷🏼‍♀️ This DID NOT make her too happy 😤🤬. In my defense I was gone! My body was driving but my mind was somewhere else. Today I finally understand that this and many other situations had to do with the shortness of my working memory. Today I can laugh at this but having an angry wife, without knowing why wasn’t fun either 😬.

On the other hand having ADHD has made me a ‘go getter’… 😎 When my brain is in the hyper-focus mode works like a hunting Falcon in a tunnel vision, where everything else is just a distraction or like a white noice in the distant back ground.

This is so funny because at the same time I can get lost in time, making me late or unable to complete or fish things. I am not sure how I could explain this to a typical brain, maybe if I compare it to being in love… 🤔 and you lose site of everything else. -By the way did you know that a brain in love resemble the biochemistry of a brain in madness. (This is non related to ADHD, but I think is fascinating).

The ADHD is capable of focusing or hyper focuse, but only in what is attract it to. If you are a Neurodivergent you need to be aware of this. -Vale!, make the most of your brain 🧠.

Moving forward, Thom Hartmann author of ‘The Edison Gene: ADHD and the Gift of the Hunter Child’, presentes the idea that ADHD brains are the action brain, the brain of the Hunter.
For this idea to make sense we need to see human as a species, not as random individuals. We are a species with the need to work together for the benefit of the klan and survival of offspring.

When you think about it and see it from this angle, ADHD is no longer a disorder, but a special brain for the action. The risk taker, the ‘go, the do first and think later type’. A simple and clear example of this could be the life of Winston Churchill, the England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Prime Minister during WWII, who was not afraid to take action, and made decision in moments of paralysis to many, he was able to move forward in times of confusion.

There is so much more I will like to share with you as the strength for this tape of brain. Like is the CREATIVITY. Did you know that the great Agatha Christie was ADHD/Dyslexic and Professor Albert Einstein, who was ADHD, Dyslexic and also Autistic… 🌈

If you ask me, if I believe ADHD brains are really dysfunctional, I will have to say ‘no’, today I honestly believe is the brain of change and improvement!