ADHD Roller Coaster: "Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?"

Isn’t it great when psychiatrists publish websites or blogs that help you decide if they might be the right (or very wrong) choice for you? Isn’t it really great when their guest comments on other blogs provide an entirely different picture of their approach than you would get by reading the pro forma info on their websites?  Buyer beware!

Readers nationwide often write to me asking for referrals to psychiatrists or therapists in their area who are competent in treating ADHD.  I do my best to help, still emphasizing the importance of patients being pro-active. No matter how good the expert, it’s important to take a team approach. I routinely recommend a Google search for the professional’s website or blog to learn more about approach, training, and so forth. Even Yelp.com reviews might provide some inkling of a physician’s or therapist’s reputation.

Never have I seen such a clear case of “truth in advertising” about a psychiatrist’s approach to ADHD, however, than this blog post from a David Allen, MD (it’s unclear where he is practicing now but he received his medical degree at UCSF, a local medical school that will receive future attention in my blog).

To partially quote Allen’s manifesto at the top of his blog: Read the rest of this entry »

Last month I ran a guest post, One Man’s Rugged Reality of ADD, by Dylan Rosen. As the outpouring of supportive comments demonstrates, this first-person account of late-diagnosis ADD touched many minds and hearts among ADHD Roller Coaster blog readers. The ensuing comments are all well worth reading, but the one from “Brandy” stood out for me in particular, because this late-diagnosis adult and mother faced some hard realities that many might prefer to avoid.

I often hear from parents in distress and even angry about the school pointing out the red flags of ADHD in their child. They never saw the signs, these parents say; how dare the school suggest such a thing!  Of course it’s true that schools or teachers sometimes overstep their bounds and/or mis-perceive behavior as ADHD-related. In my experience as a longtime advocate, however, I more typically hear stories of schools denying the reality of ADHD. The first question I ask of the parents who write to me with such concerns: “Is it possible that you or your co-parent have ADHD, too? And maybe that’s why you didn’t realize that ADHD might be an issue for your child at school?” This question sometimes comes as a shock, and isn’t always well-received.  That’s why I so admired the compassionately courageous path of inquiry followed by Brandy, below, as explained in her comment on Dylan’s story: Read the rest of this entry »

At least weekly since my book was published, I receive an e-mail asking when the audio version will be available. Thank goodness I can finally say NOW.

Seeking a unique gift for yourself or loved ones this holiday season? How about a comprehensive spoken-word guide to understanding the broad strokes and small nuances of ADHD as well as its treatment strategies (step-by-step medication guidelines, the types of therapy to seek/avoid, and more), with three chapters devoted to the effect on relationships when ADHD goes unrecognized. And lots of first-person stories, advice from top experts, and much more. Perfect for listening to on those long commutes, working out at the gym, taking a walk……

Tantor Audio published the audio version this month (featuring an award-winning narrator), and you can access it in several formats (downloadable Mp3 files, two CDs with Mp3 files, and a case of 12 CDs) and through several outlets:

• Tantor Audio’s website: (NOTE: All Tantor selections are 50% off this December.) To download the free chapter (my author introduction), register with Tantor and click back to the book’s page and click on the link at the top of the page.  You can also listen to a sample on the book’s page; look below the cover image.
• Amazon.com
• Barnes&Noble.com

Reading last week’s first-person essay (“The Rugged Reality of ADD”, by Dylan) and the many comments reminds me to tell you about The Resilience Through the Lifespan Project, conducted by Mark Katz, Ph.D., whom I wrote about recently here. I hope that you will consider participating in this important endeavor. Here are the details.

In his book, On Playing a Poor Hand Well, San Diego psychologist and ADHD expert Mark Katz explored two questions:

1. Why is that so many people who were exposed to multiple risks and adversities in their childhood years never developed the problems some might have anticipated, and have gone on to lead meaningful and productive lives?

2. Why is it that so many people who succumbed to those same risks and adversities in their childhood years—struggling for years with different kinds of behavioral, learning and life adjustment problems—staged a complete turnabout years later, and today are also leading meaningful and productive lives?

In more recent years, Dr. Katz has spent much less time on the first question and much more time on the second. And in particular, the question, why is it that so many children who fail in school later go on to succeed in life?

Here’s where Dr. Katz needs your help. He wants to learn more about the turning point experiences, and second, third and fourth chance opportunities of people who struggled throughout their school lives, but who today feel their lives and meaningful and productive.

 If you feel this describes the course of your life, you can help by participating in the Resilience Through the Lifespan Project. To participate, simply open this MS-Word file containing the Resilience Project Survey, answer the questions as best you can, and then e-mail the document to Email Mark Katz . If you’d like to learn more about the project first, just send an e-mail or call him (619-276-6912).

A new friend has graciously agreed to share his Success Story story with ADHD Roller Coaster readers:

The Rugged Reality of ADD, by Dylan Rosen

Do not read this if you are looking for a “Happy ADD Story.” I do not have the gold medals of Michael Phelps or the arm of Terry Bradshaw. My life has been a struggle from the time I walked into first grade to my current age of 30. If you want something real and authentic to someone’s experience with ADD, however, I hope you will read on.

My silent struggle

When I was in elementary school, my ADD symptoms were as classic as the Rolling Stones were to Rock ‘n Roll. However, I did very well. Teachers always said I was bright.

I did well in middle school too, even making the president’s list one marking period.

As I moved from middle school to high school, a couple things changed. My grades went from A’s and B’s to C’s and D’s. My relationships changed too. I grew apart from old friends and was not able to make new ones. I viewed myself as a loner, a recluse. My confidence was slipping, and I had begun to experience the awful taste of depression.

The pressure from my school’s academic standards became unbearable. I did not do well under that pressure, coupled with the negativity I always received at home. My parents expected high academic performance from me. After bringing home a poor interim report one semester, I was threatened to be sent to technical school, which frightened me. Going to trade school, growing up where I lived, was a sign of absolute failure. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick note to share with you this important article on Vitamin B12 in The New York Times.

I lived for many decades not knowing I had borderline pernicious anemia. Finally, a smart physician directed me to supplement B12 with injections. So every week (or when I remember), I stab myself with the required ccs of the red stuff.

But you needn’t have such an obvious condition to question if your B12 stores are all they should be, especially if you eat a mostly vegetarian diet, you take an antacid, or your meals are haphazard.

Other signs of B12 deficiency include muscle weakness,  fatigue, shakiness, unsteady gait, incontinence, low blood pressure, depression and other mood disorders, and cognitive problems like poor memory. Remember that the nervous system (including brain cells) relies on an adequate supply of key vitamins and minerals. Moreover, some medications will increase your need for these nutrients. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick note to let you know that my book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?, is available as a download from Amazon.com for Kindle devices and Kindle applications for iPads, iPhones, PCs, and so forth.  Just click on the book title above to go directly to the product page.

Please tell your friends in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom that the Kindle is available on Amazon.com in those countries. (This is the English version.)

Thank you for spreading the word.

If you’re attending the 23rd Annual International CHADD Conference in Orlando next week, please say hello!

I will be teaching a pre-conference institute (“Relationships and ADHD”) with psychologist Arthur Robin) on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Plus, I will offer a general conference presentation (“Adult ADHD Symptoms or Poor Coping Strategies: Success Strategies for Singles and Couples”) on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Friday night’s gala, “An Evening of Hope, Humor and Honors,” features Totally ADD & Loving It?! stars Rick Green and Patrick McKenna with Umesh Jain, MD, PhD., in a must-see stage experience inspired by their ground-breaking documentary.

To see a quick overview of the jam-packed conference program, click here.

After the conference? We’re going to Disney World!

Don’t let Dr. Mark Katz’s gentle demeanor and kind eyes fool you. For more years than he probably cares to count, this psychologist and clinic director has been one of the strongest and most steadfast advocates and professionals the ADHD community has seen.

Gina and Dr. Katz

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of re-visiting his San Diego center, Learning Development Services, founded in 1970 and serving as the nucleus of professional care and community support for San Diego county residents affected by ADHD and learning disabilities.

Mark had invited me to speak with his Adult ADHD discussion group, which meets weekly (check the tab for “adults” at the website).  It starts at 6:30 pm and is free. How Mark manages this each week I’ll never know, but I do hope attendees appreciate the amount of energy and dedication this requires. This is a great group, and I so appreciated their generous reception of my talk.  Please note that the center has services for children and parents, too.

If you are a CHADD member, you’ve seen Mark’s department in each issue of Attention magazine: “Promising Practices,” where he covers new educational and therapeutic models. For example, the October issue featured his story on “A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Model for Adults with ADHD.” Contributors to the magazine are unpaid volunteers, and   Mark has contributed this column faithfully for many years.

Mark is also the author of a wonderful book: On Playing a Poor Hand Well: Insights from the Lives of Those Who Have Overcome Childhood Risks and Adversities. One 30-something software engineer who is a regular attendee of our Silicon Valley Adult ADHD group has read dozens of book on ADHD and related subjects, and he told me that that this book is one of his favorites. Look for more about Mark in a future post, with information about the “Resilience Through the Lifespan Project.”

I welcome your comments. Please scroll down; no codes or registration required.

After advising caution regarding generic medications for ADHD here and here, I’m now hearing that Concerta is recently available in a generic form in the United States. (A generic has been available in Canada for some time, but it is a different type of generic.) The question: Does this generic perform as reliably as Concerta? Maybe. In fact, it might be the exact same medication.

Original Concerta, 54 mg

The details are hard to come by in a field swimming with lingo: co-licensed product, single-source generic, authorized generic, bioequivalent and clinically equivalent. My conversations with pharmacists and the manufacturer’s scientific liaison leave me thirsting for straight talk with no tricky qualifiers. Internet searches and first-person reports in online forums are made murky by the apparently marked difference between Canada’s generic Concerta and that in the U.S.. (Forum participants seldom specify where they live, presumably because most don’t realize there is a difference between the two countries’ generic versions of Concerta.)

The U.S. generic for Concerta is  methylphenidate hydrochloride extended-release tablets.  It is a co-licensed product by exclusive agreement — that is, a deal between the original manufacturer (Ortho-McNeil) and the pharmaceutical marketing arm of Watson Laboratories. Read the rest of this entry »