Jill Weiss (1997) Attention Deficit Disorder: A Narcissistic Defense?

Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to examine the phenomena of ADD and question what has become accepted knowledge about it. It is suggested that there has been much that has been overlooked in the effort to treat a questionable entity with chemicals and behavioral therapy. By looking at ADD from a different slant, we may uncover much that has been ignored. Conceptualizing ADD as a complex defense against living in the moment, akin to but not the same as dissociation, may lead us to find some common mechanisms used by diverse people to protect themselves from overstimulation from the outside world.