You may have heard (if you even care) that Britney Spears failed a court-ordered drug test. TMZ is now reporting that Britney will "play the ADD card" in court tomorrow and say that she failed the drug test because of Adderall, a prescribed stimulant medication used to treat ADD.
Hmmm...
This is becoming a disturbing trend in Hollywood. All sorts of celebrities, from Britney to Paris, are getting into trouble and blaming it on Attention Deficit Disorder.
And while adults with ADD can be impulsive and sometimes even thrill-seeking, I just don't buy the "ADD made me do it" excuse that so many of them are relying on. If these stars really do have ADD, and really do see doctors and take medication as prescribed, then they should be significantly more in control of themselves and their behavior.
(Besides, I'm inclined to think that Britney is actually bipolar. Now I am not a doctor, I can't make diagnoses, and I have never met Britney Spears. I'm just sayin'... if forced to guess, that's what my money would be on.)
It seems that "I have ADD" is the new "I'm going to rehab." Celebrities believe that it magically absolves them of any wrong doing. Those of us ADDers who live in the real world know it doesn't work that way.
What do you think? Might Britney actually have ADD, or is she just "playing the ADD card?"
Probably both.
What's a little disturbing is that she would get a pass because of it. I find that one of the problems having ADD is that it is not easy to conform to the rules and expectations of the "real world." I do not have an acute form of ADD; but I could expect that one who is under medication and has other problems could have a problem conforming.
The "real world" comment is interesting. I tend to think that everyone has their perceived "real world." I mean, some of the things you blog about happening in your life would never happen in my "real world" (and probably visa versa). I have no doubt - because of her celebrity and connections - that Britney is in her "real world." I think one of the challenges of managing ADD is meeting others expectations. And in her case, many peoples expectations are unrealistic given Britney's current lifestyle, history and current social culture.
One of the things I have learned is that others tend to compassionate which further enables me to continue in my negative ADD ways and not meet expectations. My example - I was working in an office environment and was always coming in 10 - 15 minutes late (I had many excuses but none of them were really good ones). The first manager I had would give me occasional warnings but never "drew the line"; my second threatened to fire me if I came in late again. Guess which one made more of an impact? Coming in on time wasn't important to me (still isn't); but keeping my job was VERY important.
If the report is correct, I think the best thing the judge could do for Britney is enforce the rules and help her see what's important to her.
Posted by: Doug E | Friday, November 16, 2007 at 10:04 AM