Monthly Archives: March 2008
Good Question…
All too often I am reminded (again) that the line of distinction between myself and my patients is really much thinner and less well-defined than the plexiglas divider between the nursing station and the rest of the unit. Here is one of those moments of insight, encountered recently during a mental health assessment: Me: “Do you see things other people don’t see, or hear things other people don’t hear?” Patient: (looking perplexed) “How would I know?” Indeed. If you know you’re having a delusion, it’s not a delusion any more, … Continue reading
Living in the Now
My friend Mark recently wrote a post that spotlighted some of the frustration experienced by those of us with ADHD and the people in our lives. This is my response to his post. “The problem is remembering to live in the now.” ~Mark That is what the “chronically normal,” as Dr. Fred Frese calls them (referring to people who do not have psych diagnoses), would have us believe, because that is how they perceive the universe and therefore is what they conceive of as Right. To someone with ADHD, however, … Continue reading
Quote of the Week
“When I was in 3rd grade they said I was a genius but I told them, ‘I can’t be a genius, I can’t fit inside a lamp.’”
Five-Year Plan
“Where do you see yourself five years from now?” The interviewer carefully aligns his Schaeffer pen with the top of the leather binder on the desk in front of him and leans back expectantly, lacing his fingers loosely together as he waits for my reply. This is the interview question I have always hated above all others. It implies that a competent person must have a carefully thought out long-term plan; therefore to prove my competency I must now present my nonexistent five-year plan for evaluation. I only had to … Continue reading