Six Types of ADD ADHD

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The Six Types of ADHD

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The Different Types, or Styles, of ADHD

In this section we will discover the Different Types of ADHD:
- "Inattentive Type": Trouble Paying Attention just like Winnie the Pooh
- "Classic ADHD": Tiggers like to bounce, and may have ADHD...
- "Over-Focused ADHD": Rabbit tends his garden, but is not "flexible"
- "ADHD with Anxiety": Piglet is nervous and worries...
- "ADHD and Depression": Eeyore is always so sad...
- And The Very Hard Cases of ADHD.
Learn about the best treatment strategies for each of these types of ADHD.

Research on Types of ADHD: What We Know

Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to the fact that there are different types, or styles, of ADHD. In the past we referred to Attention Deficit Disorder: Inattentive Type, or Impulsive/Hyperactive Type, or a Combined Type. Today the diagnostic differences are a bit less clear, but the reality doesn't change.

dr amen add adhd picture Dr. Daniel Amen has written a great book on the subject, titled "Healing ADHD:The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD" where he uses his SPECT scans of patient's brain activity to help in making his six classifications. His classifications include these "Types" ...

Classic ADD - Inattentive, distractible, disorganized. Perhaps hyperactive, restless and impulsive.
Inattentive ADD - Inattentive, and disorganized.
Over-focused ADD - Trouble shifting attention, frequently stuck in loops of negative thoughts, obsessive, excessive worry, inflexible, oppositional and argumentative.
Temporal Lobe ADD - Inattentive and irritable, aggressive, dark thoughts, mood instability, very impulsive. May break rules, fight, be defiant, and very disobedient. Poor handwriting and trouble learning are common.
Limbic System ADD - Inattentive, chronic low-grade depression, negative, low energy, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
Ring of Fire ADD - Inattentive, extremely distractible, angry, irritable, overly sensitive to the environment, hyper-verbal, extremely oppositional, possible cyclic moodiness.

Our classifications are a bit different, and are based more on our clinical observation and experiences. They are based on the classic children's stories of Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood so that they are easier for children and families to discuss and understand.

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(1) Types of ADHD Decision Tree,
(2) Specific Treatment Strategies for ADHD,
(3) Our ADHD Behavior Rating Scales for Parents.
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Use these links to jump right to the type of ADHD that you are interested in learning about, or scroll down to see all of the different types of ADHD. Our Specific Treatment Strategies for each type of ADHD are also included.

Tigger Type ADD - Inattentive, impulsive, hyperactive, restless, bouncy.
Winnie the Pooh Type ADD - Inattentive, distractible, disorganized. Nice, but lives in a cloud.
Eeyore Type ADD - Inattentive, with chronic low-grade depression.
Piglet Type ADD - Trouble shifting attention, excessive worry, easily startled.
Rabbit Type ADD - Trouble shifting attention, inflexible, argumentative.
Troubled Type ADD - Irritable, aggressive, impulsive, defiant, disobedient. Learning problems.

The Different Types of ADHD: in Detail...

Tiggers Like to Bounce... Bouncin' is What Tiggers Do Best!

We call this type of ADHD "Tigger Type." Classic ADHD is characterized by Inattention, Impulsivity, Hyperactivity, Restlessness, and Disorganization. This type of ADHD reminds us of Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh stories. Dr. Daniel Amen refers to this type of ADHD as "Classic ADHD" for good reasons. When you think about someone who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, this is the classic picture that you think of.

Those with this type of ADHD are often seen as:

Being easily distracted

Has a LOT of energy, and is perhaps Hyperactive

Can't sit still very long

Is fidgety Talks a LOT, and can be LOUD

Is very impulsive, does not think before he acts

Has trouble waiting his turn in line, or in games and more...

Tigger Type ADHD results from UNDERACTIVITY in the Prefrontal Cortex, both when at rest, and when performing concentration tasks.

This type of ADHD is most often seen in males.

Treatment Strategies for "Classic ADHD"

We recommend our Eating Program to start with. We believe that it is important to use the eating program even if you are using other interventions, such as medications, biofeedback training, or a combination of the nutraceuticals ATTEND, EXTRESS, and MEMORIN.

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We recommend at least a 30 to 60 day trial with these Nutraceuticals..

ATTEND for ADHD symptoms; 4 capsules per day in divided doses. ATTEND contains L-Tyrosine, which increases dopamine production. ATTEND also contains GABA, DL-Phenylalyne, Ginko, Pycnogenol and Grape Seed Extracts, 5-HTP, pregnenolone, DMAE, and more. See the ATTEND ingredients list here.
EXTRESS for symptoms of impulsivity, temper, restlessness; 4 capsules per day in divided doses. The EXTRESS contains GABA, DL-PA, 5-HTP, and St. John's Wort.
MEMORIN for increased focus and concentration to task. 2 capsules per day in divided doses.The MEMORIN contains more ginko, plus lots of Phosphatidyl Serine and other phosphatidyls, and more pregnenolone.

An adult would take these in divided doses. A child could take less. Consult your health care professional.

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Order this Specific Treatment Strategy for "Classic ADHD" or "Tigger ADHD" with enough ATTEND, Extress, and Memorin for 30 days.

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(3) Our ADHD Behavior Rating Scales for Parents.
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Inattentive ADD: Just Like Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD. In other works we have called this "Space Cadet" style ADHD. Dr. Daniel Amen refers to this as "Inattentive ADD". These are people that suffer from "brain fog" as they go through their day.

Although Pooh is very lovable and kind, he is also inattentive, sluggish, slow-moving, unmotivated. He is a classic daydreamer.

People with this type of ADHD are often seen as being:

Easily distracted
Having short attention spans to a task that is not interesting, or is hard
Daydreams when others are talking to him/her
A person who cannot find anything that they have just put down somewhere...
A person who is always late
Is easily bored

This type of ADHD is caused by the prefrontal cortex of the brain actually slowing down (instead of speeding up activity) when placed under a work load, like reading or doing homework. This part of the brain looks normal when "at rest" but actually looks like it is starting to fall asleep when asked to "go to work." This makes it very hard to pay attention to school work, get homework done, listen to the teacher, clean your room, and so on.

We have actually observed this hundreds of times with subjects on an EEG. When at rest, the brainwave activity is pretty normal. But once the subject is asked to read, or to do a math worksheet, the subject's brainwave activity begins to look like the subject is falling asleep. This sure makes school hard for these students!

Winnie the Pooh style inattention is seen mostly in girls. It responds well to stimulants, such as Ritalin and Adderall, but other interventions work well also.

Treatment Strategies for "Inattentive" or Winnie the Pooh style ADHD

We recommend our Eating Program to start with. In addition, we recommend for Inattentive, or Winnie the Pooh style ADHD the following:

ATTEND for ADHD symptoms, 4 capsules per day. ATTEND contains L-Tyrosine, as Dr. Amen recommends in his protocols. It also contains the neurotransmitter GABA, the amino acid DL-Phenylalyne, Ginko to increase blood flow in the brain, the powerful anti-oxidants Pycnogenol and Grape Seed Extracts, 5-HTP, the memory enhancer pregnenolone, and great brain food DMAE, and more. See the full ATTEND ingredients list and description.
MEMORIN for increased focus and concentration to task, 2 capsules per day. MEMORIN contains more Ginko, plus lots of Phosphatidyl Serine and other phosphatidyls, and more of the memory enhancer pregnenolone.

A child could take half of this, although many children will take up to four Attend per day. Consult your health care professional.

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Order this Specific Treatment Strategy for "Inattentive ADHD" for 30 days.

Over-Focused ADHD: Rabbit Tends to His Garden... and don't bother him.

The least flexible character in all of the stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin has got to be Rabbit. Oh, he can get a lot of things done, and he's the one character who will be prepared when winter comes, but he has a very hard time shifting from one activity to another. He is absolutely "task oriented" and is focused to whatever that task might be.

The person with "Over-Focused ADHD" is much the same. He has trouble shifting attention from one activity to another, and he frequently "gets stuck" in loops of negative thoughts. He can be obsessive, and very inflexible. He can also be oppositional and argumentative to parents.

He may be like a "bull dog" and not give up until he gets his way, or until his worn-out parents finally say, "yes," to his 100th request for something. His parents are often worn-out, worn-down, fed-up, and ready to break. Parenting a child like this is hard.

Someone with "Over-Focused ADHD" is like Rabbit, in that he:

May worry a LOT, even over things that don't really matter much
Can be very oppositional to parents
May like to argue
May be somewhat compulsive about the way things ought to be done
Will have a very hard time shifting from one activity to another
Always wants to have his way

The cause of this type of ADHD is an over-active Anterior Cingulate Gyrus. This part of the brain is over-active all of the time. And, to make things worse, when a "work load" is put on the brain, such as school work or a chore to be completed, there is the common ADHD symptom of decreased activity level in the Pre-Frontal Cortex.

In this type of ADHD some stimulants, and too much use of L-Tyrosine to increase dopamine production can actually make the problem of over-focus worse. So be careful.

Recommended Treatment Strategies for Over-Focused ADHD

For best results, try our Eating Program to start with. In addition, some experts recommend 300 mg of St. John's Wort per day for children (600 mg per day for adults), 5-HTP, and B Vitamins.

We recommend for Over-Focused, or Rabbit style ADHD the following for adults. Children can take less.

ATTEND for ADHD symptoms, take 2 capsules per day. ATTEND contains GABA (for more self-control), DL-Phenylalyne, Ginko, Pycnogenol and Grape Seed Extracts, 5-HTP, the memory enhancer pregnenolone, DMAE, and more.
EXTRESS for symptoms of impulsivity, temper, restlessness, and anxiety take 4 capsules per day. EXTRESS contains more GABA, DL-PA, 5-HTP, and also has the mood stabilizer St. John's Wort.
DEPREX for symptoms of worry, take 2 capsules per day. DEPREX contains more GABA, as well as lots more DL-Phenylalyne, 5-HTP, and just 2 capsules of DEPREX contain 320 mg of St. John's Wort.

This is an excellent Specific Treatment Strategy for Over-Focused ADHD.

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Order this Specific Treatment Strategy for "OVER FOCUSED" ADHD for 30 days.

Piglet is a great friend, but sure scares easily...

Piglet is that small, almost frail character from the Hundred Acre Wood. He is a great friend, and very loyal. But he is always worried, nervous, and easily startles. Sometimes he is so nervous that he stutters. So it is with some kids with ADHD.

This style of ADHD is very similar to the Rabbit style, except that with "Piglet style" the child's mid-brain is so over-aroused that the child is hyper-vigilant and very easily startled. He may be talking all of the time, and is probably touching everything in the room. And, this child is nervous or worried, or anxious. He has trouble shifting attention from one activity to another, and he frequently "gets stuck" in loops of negative thoughts. He can be obsessive, and very inflexible.

In this type of ADHD some stimulants, and too much use of L-Tyrosine to increase dopamine production can actually make the problem of over-focus worse. So be careful.

Treatment Strategies for Piglet style ADHD

For best results, try our Eating Program to start with.

In addition, we recommend for Anxious, Piglet style ADHD the following for adults. Children can take less.

ATTEND for ADHD symptoms, take 2 capsules per day. ATTEND contains the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, plus DL-Phenylalyne, Ginko, Pycnogenol and Grape Seed Extracts, 5-HTP (precursor to triptophan), the memory enhancer pregnenolone, DMAE, and more.
EXTRESS for symptoms of impulsivity, temper, restlessness, and anxiety take 4 or more capsules per day. EXTRESS contains a lot of GABA, DL-PA, 5-HTP, plus the mood stabilizer St. John's Wort.

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Order 1-2 bottles of ATTEND
Order 1-2 bottles of EXTRESS

Order this Specific Treatment Strategy for "Anxious ADHD" for 30 days.

"Thanks for Noticin' Me" says Eeyore...

He walks slowly. He looks sad. He doesn't accomplish much. He's just glad to be noticed. This is Eeyore, the stuffed donkey who is so often in need of his tail being pinned back on. This type of ADHD looks very much like a combination of ADHD and Depression. Some have suggested that up to 25% of children with ADHD are also depressed or suffer from a mild depression called Dysthymic disorder.

Those with this type, or style of ADHD are often:

Inattentive;
Have a chronic sadness or low-grade depression;
The seem to be negative, or apathetic;
They have low energy levels;
They just do not seem to care. They often feel worthless, or helpless, or hopeless.

This type of ADHD is called "Limbic System ADHD" by Daniel Amen. And for good reason. SPECT scans show that when the brain is at rest, there is increased activity deep in the limbic system, in parts of the brain called the thalamus and hypothalamus. There is also a decreased level of activity in the underside of the pre-frontal cortex.

When the brain is placed under a work load, as during a homework assignment, nothing changes. The over-active limbic system remains over-active, and the under-active pre-frontal cortex remains under-active.

Treatment Strategies for Limbic System, or Eeyore style ADHD

For best results, try our Eating Program to start with.

In addition, experts recommend up to 600 mg per day of DL-Phenylalyne for adults (300 mg per day for children), 5-HTP as the powerful precursor to Triptophan, B Vitamins, and the mood stabilizer St. John's Wort (up to 600 mg per day for adults).

We recommend for Limbic System, or Eeyore style ADHD the following for adults. Children can take less.

ATTEND for ADHD symptoms, take 2 capsules per day. ATTEND contains GABA, DL-Phenylalyne, Ginko, Pycnogenol and Grape Seed Extracts, 5-HTP, pregnenolone, DMAE, and more.
EXTRESS for symptoms of impulsivity, temper, restlessness, and anxiety take 2 capsules per day. EXTRESS contains GABA, DL-PA, 5-HTP, and St. John's Wort.
DEPREX for symptoms of worry and depression, take 2 capsules per day. DEPREX contains more GABA, and just 2 capsules of DEPREX contain 320 mg of St. John's Wort and 420 mg of DL-Phenylalyne.

Buy ATTEND Now!

Order 1-2 bottles of ATTEND
Order 1-2 bottles of EXTRESS
Order 1-2 bottles of DEPREX

Order this Specific Treatment Strategy for "LIMBIC SYSTEM ADHD" for 30 days.

Other, More Difficult Kinds of ADHD

There are other kinds, or types, of ADHD that you should be aware of. There are no Winne the Pooh characters for these difficult types, as the creator of these children's stories would never have created a character with these challenging, difficult traits. These distinct types of ADHD can be very severe. They require significant treatment, and great patience on the part of the parents.

The Temporal Lobes and ADHD

Some people with ADHD can be very hard to live with. They can have gigantic mood swings, get very angry for almost no reason, and be nearly impossible to live with on a daily basis. The key to look for with this type of ADHD is anger outbursts for little or no reason...

People with decreased activity in the left temporal lobes can especially have problems with temper outbursts, aggressive behaviors, and even violence toward animals or other people.

Temporal Lobe ADHD is characterized by:

Inattention, just like in other kinds of ADHD because during concentration there is a decrease in activity in the pre-frontal cortex;
Being easily irritated or frustrated;
Aggressive behaviors;
Dark moods, big mood swings;
Impulsivity;
Breaking rules, in trouble a lot, in fights a lot;
Defiant toward authority, disobedient toward parents and others;
Can't get along with others, can be anti-social or just in trouble a lot;
Often has terrible handwriting and problems learning;
You expect him to be arrested at any time...

Individuals with this type of ADHD are often treated with a combination of stimulants, like Ritalin, and anti-convulsants.

For someone who wanted to try an alternative treatment approach, or an additional treatment approach, we would recommend using these ingredients, proceeding with caution.

GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) to act as an anticonvulsant and anti-anxiety agent,
Phosphatidyl Serine (and other phosphatidyls), DMAE, Pregnenolone, and Ginko as memory enhancers to help with the learning problems
and these people sometimes are helped by Ibuprofen in small doses.
NO St. John's Wort or Hypericum, as it could make things worse.

Our Specific Treatment Strategy would greatly simplify things.

ATTEND, 2 capsules per day. Two capsules of the ATTEND contain GABA (33mg), and DL-PA (16mg) for mood stabilization, plus L-Tyrosine (67mg), Ginko (33mg), Phosphatidyl Serine (0.5mg) and other phosphatidyls (200mg) and DMAE (33mg) and Pregnenolone (8mg) for learning enhancement. There are over 70 total ingredients in ATTEND to help with learning, performance, and mood.
NEURAN, 4 capsules per day. Four capsules of NEURAN contain GABA (240mg), and DL-PA (32mg) for mood stabilization. Children might take less. Consult your healthcare professional.

As you can see, using the Neuran along with the Attend can enhance the mood stabilization components without adding either St. John's Wort or Hypericum, which can make the problem worse. These two products together can also enhance learning and memory, and therefore school performance or work performance.

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Order 2 bottles of NEURAN

Order this Specific Treatment Strategy for the really hard types of ADHD for 30 days.