An Inattentive Physician Shares His Story

Written by Cynthia Hammer, MSW

This summer I interviewed 24 men with inattentive ADHD.  I found one of the men, Dr. David Sachar, by reading a free booklet he posted online, Achieving Success with ADHD: Secrets from an Afflicted Professor of Medicine  . What I found fascinating is Dr. Sachar’s significant professional achievements before he learned about his inattentive ADHD at age 65.  Therapy before his diagnosis helped him create several good habits, but it was only after his diagnosis of ADHD that it all came together. Below is my edited version of Dr. Sachar’s introduction to his booklet.  

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 I carefully chose the booklet’s title. I didn’t choose Conquering ADHD or Overcoming ADHD  because ADHD can’t be conquered or overcome.  It’s not going away. The title couldn’t be Achieving Success Despite ADHD  because we can’t spite it or deny it or avoid it.  It can’t be Living with ADHD as ADHD isn’t fatal so it isn’t a big deal. People with ADHD are going to live even though we want more than that. The title I chose is Achieving Success with ADHD. If we’re going to succeed, we have to do it with ADHD.  We’re can’t get rid of it, so we have to achieve success with it. My booklet describes how to do this. At least, it’s how I did it. And if I did it, anybody can.

 I say that because my case was a bad one. It forced me to pull all-nighters; it sent me into panics and tailspins; it gnawed away at my marriage. I believe, immodestly, that I achieved success. I’m not going to describe my successes here, but you can read them in my booklet. I  describe the tricks and tactics I employed, all based on behavioral modification. I can testify that behavioral modification works; but it rarely, if ever, works by itself for someone with ADHD. It certainly didn’t for me. In fact, for behavioral modification to even begin to make a dent in my ADHD, it needed the help of the M-word. No, I don’t mean “Modification” or “Motivation”; I mean “Medication.”

ADHD is a brain disorder, not a manifestation of weak will or original sin. Certain brain pathways are not properly activated by the necessary chemicals. Behavioral modification finds alternate pathways, but pharmacology provides the right chemicals in the right amounts so the brain pathways are normalized.

 From my 20s to my 40s, I flew off the handle, shouting at my kids, being hyper-defensive with my wife, and destroying  myself with anxieties at work. It was worse than just ADHD. Neurosis was stirred heavily into the brew. Three courses of psychotherapy provided insights into distorted family values, impaired self-image, insecurities, inferiorities, and yadda-yadda-yadda. After talk therapy with the best practitioners in the business, I was less of a monster and my wife and kids tolerated me a lot more. But I still drove like a maniac, still forgot things when I left the house, still was late for appointments, still agonized over details, and still couldn’t organize or finish jobs in a timely fashion. In other words, I still had ADHD.

Since I was frequently smashing the car and didn’t think I needed driver’s education, I went to see an ADHD expert who specialized in psychopharmacology. He administered a 10-item questionnaire and promptly confirmed my diagnosis.  To control my impulsivity, so maddeningly and expensively exhibited behind the wheel, he prescribed Strattera®. Terrific! I stopped having auto accidents.  My wife was no longer fearful of driving with me, and I quickly learned how to cope with the bladder side effects of the medication. Great! My impulsivity was better but my obsessive-compulsive behavior was still rampaging. The next step, a prescription for Celexa®. No more fussing, fixating, ruminating, and perseverating, but I still had trouble focusing and concentrating.

No problem. Just sprinkle in Concerta®…and bingo! Like Mary Poppins, I was practically perfect in every way. But not all the way perfect as I was still distracted and couldn’t get my act together. In other words, I still had ADHD. What to do? My answer: cognitive behavioral therapy. I entered treatment with Mary Solanto, Ph.D. A dozen sessions with her completed the missing links—the tricks and tactics I describe in my booklet.

 “Tricks and tactics,” by the way, is not demeaning as these “tricks and tactics” were life-saving for me. I believe they can be life-savers for fellow sufferers with ADHD as well. My booklet is not divided into chapters but into “problems,” with a short section devoted to each of the most common problems experienced by people with ADHD. I provide a few “Simple Rules” to solve each problem area.   I hope it helps………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Dr. David Sachar