Yafa Crane Luria
Teacher | Author | Positive Discipline Trainer
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One of the things you start to notice, as you read about the different types of ADHD, is that different types can share some symptoms and still be very different overall. This is why self-diagnosis can only take a person so far. What is the difference, for example, between Over-focused anger and Temporal Lobe anger and Ring of Fire anger?

You’ll also notice that the meds for some of these are more powerful. Notice below that Dr. Amen uses an anti-convulsant for this type of ADHD I’m talking about in this post, rather than a stimulant.

Temporal Lobe ADHD

Symptoms: Core symptoms of Classic ADD, as well as learning, memory, and behavioral problems, such as quick anger, aggression, and mild paranoia.

Cause: Abnormalities in the temporal lobe; decreased activity in prefrontal cortex.

Treatment: Amino acid GABA (gamma-aminobutryic acid) to calm neural activity and inhibit nerve cells from over-firing or firing erratically; magnesium to help with anxiety and irritability; anti-convulsant medications to help with mood stability; gingko or vinpocetine to help with learning and memory problems.

What I’ve noticed in clients with Temporal Lobe ADHD

For me, the part that stands out the most in people with Temporal Lobe ADHD is the paranoia, although mild. These are often people who feel victimized, like all the bad things that happen wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for something another person has done. They see themselves as targets of circumstance.

It’s hard to teach or guide people who feel interrogated much of the time, misunderstood, maligned, or hyper vigilant. It’s hard for them to differentiate when a person is trying to help them and when a person is putting them down. Help can be perceived as an insult or as criticism, an acknowledgement of their own feelings of weakness.

If you notice this in yourself or in your child, it’s not something to be ignored. This kind of paranoia can lead to broken relationships, job loss, and low self-esteem. From my experience, ADHD coaching isn’t enough. Therapy should also be a part of the treatment plan.

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Take this assessment to get some idea of your or your child’s type of ADD/ADHD. This is not a substitute for medication, seeing an Medical Doctor or Naturopathic Doctor, or getting the therapeutic or coaching help that you or your family might need.

(My information comes from ADDitude Magazine, Smart Kids with LD, Amen Clinics, and from my own experience as a former teacher and school counselor, and current ADHD Coach and Strategist.

xo, Yafa

Copyright 2017 Yafa Crane Luria All Rights Reserved

About Yafa Crane Luria

Yafa Crane Luria is a 30-year veteran teacher and school counselor, a Positive Discipline Trainer, and the author of the Mom’s Choice Award®-Winning book: How To Train Your Parents in 6 ½ Days and the Amazon Kindle Best Seller: Getting Schooled: 102 Practical Tips for Parents, Teachers, Counselors, and Students about Living and Learning with ADHD. She was diagnosed with ADHD (then called “Minimal Brain Dysfunction”) in 1980, one of the first to be diagnosed as an adult. Yafa specializes in helping ADHD families who have tried everything and are still frustrated by their child’s or teen’s Blocked but Brilliant brain. Fun fact: Yafa’s nickname as a child was “Mountain Goat” because she climbed on EVERYTHING! She can be reached at her website: BlockedToBrilliant.com

To read about the other types of ADHD view all posts by Yafa Crane Luria here.

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