Grumpy Outed: ADD and Depression For A Lifetime

Image by Brain Toad Photography via FlickHoliday Case Report

Grumpy was one of the Seven Dwarfs in the classic Disney film Snow White [1937]. This week I met his alter ego. In fact, Grumpy arrived at my office in Va Beach, and we found a new role for him at ~  a real ~ 50 years old.

The Original Grumpy

As you may recall, the original Grumpy was named Grumpy because his attitude was short tempered, and negative about almost everything, – but clearly, in the end, showed a soft heart and saved the day to protect Snow White from the Wicked Queen.

Like the Disney character, our modern/office Grumpy’s attitude covered some uncomfortable life long challenges that often go overlooked under the limited perspective: “that’s just the way he is.”  My positive findings: On the contrary, he can significantly, dramatically, change in a week.

True History, Actual Case Report

At over 50 years old, this Grumpy is married, loves his craftsman job, worked hard for years in military service, and after all of these years of working within character, his wife just doesn’t want him to be grumpy any more. She lives on the downstream side of his pervasive negativity and easy irritation. He gets angry too easily, especially when working in his craft, and in spite of his comic costume remains distant, isolated and unable to deal with groups or family. He has an underlying warm heart, but on careful questioning had difficulty separating himself from his character, from the Grumpy character, and quite surprisingly, he had difficulty even seeing his intelligence, humorous characterization, and abiding good will.

Said simply, he presented as caught in character, Grumpy-stuck, with a wish to break out.

We laughed together in this first interview with a psychiatrist, as he elaborated on the role Grumpy has played in his life. Just a few anecdotes indicate that he has 3 Grumpy baseball hats and wears a Grumpy hat everyday, and has between 12 and 15 Grumpy tee shirts, which go with the whole outfit. In my office he presented as short, very robust and muscular in stature, mustache, with Grumpy hat, Grumpy tee shirt and a delightful humorous attitude that belied his actual hopeless feeling of finding himself completely stuck in the Grumpy role. He recounted with great pleasure meeting Grumpy at Disneyland, and missed him on one occasion when Grumpy didn't show on a trip with grandkids to Disneyland.

He clearly thought that seeing a psychiatrist would provide no answers, some further humiliation, – and it’s clear he feared further retribution for his “character disorder.” In short, he presented with a pessimistic attitude about recovery as many of these clients do. [See more Grumpy details in my book New ADHD Medication Rules – Brain Science & Common Sense – with examples and testimonials here.]

The findings are what you might expect: He had defensively taken on the Grumpy role as he has suffered for years with an underlying treatable depression based partly upon his limited achievements in high school, wherein he was no longer able to keep up, – after leading the class in grade school. In the military, he performed outstandingly well as a leader, rose through the ranks taking on the difficult jobs, and reached an officer status from admission as enlisted.

His ADHD presentation was less than obvious: He wasn’t Inattentive or Hyperactive, he was ADHD Avoidant, procrastinating on the unpredictable, mastering the predictable, and suffering with abundant Cognitive Anxiety – an abiding ‘obsessional’ attempt to correct his own uncontrolled self-critical attitude. Grumpy has for years been grumpy largely with himself, and makes a joke of his attitude to soften the blow for others.

The Interesting “Happy” Science Findings

Antidepressants recently started by another physician made him more Grumpy, as selective-serotonin agents [SSRI like Prozac] characteristically down-regulate dopamine and aggravate underlying ADHD. [See multiple references with peer reviewed notes on my website below for more on this common problem.] With a greater sense of futility that last door, that last opportunity at self realization, was swinging shut for the rest of his life.  His thoughts: “Psychiatry doesn’t work, I shouldn’t have gone in the first place, no one can deal with Grumpy, I might as well go off by myself to watch the remaining years go slowly by.”

Psychiatry doesn't work for the wrong diagnosis leading to the wrong treatment.

The simple solution: This intervention strategy is not at all complicated – treat the untreated Adult ADHD and the abiding depression simultaneously.  His cognitive, ADHD mind, will be relieved of obsessional worry, and his depression will dissolve in less than one week.

“Character disorders with depression” result more from biology than is often appreciated – more on Clint Eastwood's ‘Stranger' in High Plains Drifter, and the vet in Gran Torino, and this Grumpy guy – why men and women simply don't get in for psych review.

The good news: this Grumpy guy will be wearing his Grumpy outfits with a different sense of humor and self discovery… he’s been a great guy all along. He probably still blushes when kissed by Snow White. Together we enjoyed considering how the rest of his life might work out as Happy, that other cool dwarf.

Best wishes to you here in the States for a ‘Happy' Thanksgiving –