Articles by Gina Pera

Update — The upcoming Seattle Adult ADHD workshop I announced here is already half-filled!

Do you want to jump-start your ADHD-related knowledge and success strategies in a beautiful setting with knowledgeable, compassionate experts and attendees?  This is the place to be Sunday, September 12, 11 am to 7 pm. on Mercer Island, outside Seattle.

I am so looking forward to my trip and meeting you!   These images depict the venue: Mercer Island’s beautiful new Community Center, above Lake Washington. You can sign up now at Brown Paper Tickets .   (If you order your lunch with your ticket, you can specify your choice for $14. There will be more limited optioss available for purchase that day, for $16.

If you have friends in the Seattle area who might like to know about this event, please consider forwarding this post.  Thanks! Gina

Salvador Dali's "Raphaelesque Head Exploding" (click to see larger image)

What does it feel like to have ADHD in a world that doesn’t always “meet you halfway” and can in fact feel devoid of empathy?

What does it feel like to never meet anyone’s expectations or to be constantly admonished for what you’ve done wrong but seldom praised for what you have worked so hard — five times as hard as most people — to do right?

This guest essay below (in the black type) from L. Friesen should give you an idea.

But first some background. For  many years, I’ve read the online “rants” from the partners of adults with ADHD.  A rant is a post wherein the writer releases long-simmering frustration. Typically, the most tortured rants come from those who are living with adults “in denial” — that is, those who cannot or will not see the adverse impact of their ADHD symptoms on everyone involved. Sometimes these adults with ADHD are so lost in their own symptoms they blame everyone else around them for their problems.  It is not a pretty picture.

Yet there exists a parallel phenomenon among adults with ADHD who must deal on a daily basis with people who are “in denial” about ADHD and the challenges they, these adults with ADHD, are up against. The denial sword cuts both ways.

Even though I do facilitate a face-to-face group for adults with ADHD (and receive many e-mails from readers of my book who themselves have ADHD), I’ve not been privy to rants from adults with ADHD (excluding those who flame me as being a Pharma Shill or other anti-psychiatry expletives). Perhaps the adults in our local group are simply polite or else their friends and loved ones are more enlightened about ADHD. I’m not sure, but I intend to ask at the next meeting.

Recently, I received this e-mail from L. Friesen, a woman who had read some of my posts on an ADHD discussion forum:

Months ago I wrote to you about wanting to send you something I was writing. I realised that I was having difficulty articulating what I felt needed to be said. It’s taken months of going back and forth with it and it’s evolved from where I first started.

It’s not all that polished and I apologise for that. I find there are few in the helping area that I truly respect and you write with a sensitivity that is often very touching.  I’m curious about your response to what I wrote.

My response: a  visceral kick to the gut. I’ve always felt empathy for the challenges of adults with ADHD, including the pervasive misperceptions and myths about it, because I made a point to educate myself. But still this essay’s raw and heartfelt emotion stayed with me for days.  My gratitude goes to the writer for allowing me to share it with you, whether her words resonate for your personal experience or help you to understand the people with ADHD in your life.  Now to the essay:

I’ve observed that prefacing what you’re going to say with “I’m just venting” means you are declaring immunity from criticism for being irrational or unfair. You can be irresponsible about the casualties that read what you spew or be as bigoted as you want.

I’m invoking this “right” for myself. You will simply have to put up with my impertinence because as you already know venting is not something allowed to those who are neurologically questionable. For us it is called “making excuses” or, gotta love this one, “being negative.” I don’t care to be objective because it’s my life and my experience, which isn’t an objective experience. I’m out of control, I’m breaking the rules. This is my “oppositional defiance” and not a legitimate “vent.” Legitimacy is only for the normal. So on with my vent in all its offensive glory. Read the rest of this entry »

Got Adult ADHD?  Love someone who does (maybe even someone “in denial”)? Perhaps you are a therapist or physician who would like to learn more about Adult ADHD, especially as it can affect relationships.  If you can get yourself to  Ellicott City, MD, on Sept. 24 at 6:00 pm,  you are in luck!

Banish thoughts of sitting in folding chairs in a drab lecture hall.  Instead, picture delicious hot appetizers, cocktails and wine,  an abundant surplus of good-humored company, and an entertaining-and-informed speaker at this second annual soiree sponsored by CHADD of  Greater Baltimore. (While I’m a fan of all CHADD chapters — God bless their volunteering hearts –  I must tell you: This is an extremely fun group.)  Click here to learn more and purchase tickets through BrownPaperTickets. (And don’t procrastinate! Because the event could sell out.)

Last year, I had the good fortune to be the featured speaker  (the photo to right shows the lovely ballroom setting), and if I weren’t 3,000 miles away, you can bet I’d be in the audience this time.   This year’s speaker is psychologist Ari Tuckman, author of More Attention, Less Deficit.  The title of his talk: “Make Love, Not War: A Light-Hearted Look at Making ADHD Relationships Work.”

Not only will you gain an opportunity to

• relax, mingle, and network with interesting people in the local ADHD community (including professionals),
• learn about Adult ADHD strategies for individuals and couples,
• enjoy that rare feeling of being in ballroom full of people who can relate to your challenges,
• have a fun night out in a beautiful setting with fun people. and
• meet and learn from Dr. Tuckman.

But you will also be supporting CHADD of Greater Baltimore‘s wide-ranging outreach. That includes local support groups and training (the chapter runs four parent support groups around the Beltway and one adult group in Linthicum, MD. Visit the link to learn more.) The chapter also contributes to national CHADD‘s Presidential Council initiatives, such as Parent to Parent and Teacher to Teacher training held online and in communities nationwide.

All this for the mere price of a co-pay with a therapist who might just waste your time when it comes to helping with ADHD.  There is no risk here. There is only a great opportunity  to learn and gain support in a beautiful setting with warm-hearted, good-humored people. — AND support these hard-working volunteers’ efforts to help others.  (It might even be tax-deductible!)

The New York Times Silicon Valley technology reporter Matt Richtel won a Pulitzer Prize for his series “Driving While Distracted.” Good for him. Too bad his continued glaring, and even intentional, omission of ADHD in his subsequent reporting on similar topics has earned him a spot in The ADHD Roller Coaster Hall of Shame. (Yes. I know. He’ll be really upset to learn this.)

For any good reporter who dips the tiniest toe into the research, the evidence is clear about ADHD deficits’  adverse effect on driving safety. Moreover, I have written to Richtel numerous times over the years explaining the substantial research in this area, as highlighted in my book chapter on the topic:  “Driving to Destruction.”  (Yes, many people with ADHD drive very well;  when it comes to research, though, we’re talking significant trends within a group, not individuals.) I have also invited him to sit in on our Silicon Valley Adult ADHD Salon in Palo Alto, so he could talk to his fellow  Valleyites about their experience with ADHD.  No response. None at all. Read the rest of this entry »

Before my friend Jack was diagnosed with ADHD, he used to call himself “Sluggo the Wonder Boy.”  Highly educated, hard-working, and his heart set on big achievements, Jack still had problems around being, well, sluggish.

For example, when he sat in a chair, within five minutes he invariably slumped and slid  until his head was on the back of the chair and his legs were stretched out, eyes half-closed unless something thoroughly grabbed his attention. It was a miracle of physics that he didn’t slide right onto the floor. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was chronically sleep deprived, but he slept well and regularly.

Only after ADHD was diagnosed and he began taking stimulant medication did he start sitting in a more erect and alert manner.  Moreover, his pupils became fully visible. Finally, I could see that his eyes were a lovely shade of brown. Who knew?

Does Jack have a different type of ADHD?  A sluggish type? I can’t say. But I can offer you this guest column from Robert F. Eme, Ph.D., on the possibility of a new type of ADHD that focuses on something called Sluggish Cognitive Tempo. Read the rest of this entry »

I really thought we were done with stories like this, especially on the blog of a well-known medical school. Ah, but this is Stanford, in my backyard, and if you seek evaluation or treatment for ADHD there, well, good luck to you.

In many ways, I consider the Bay Area, in general, the Third World of ADHD medical treatment. Yes, there are a few excellent clinicians in private practice. And the University of California, Berkeley has as its Psychology Department Chair an internationally renown ADHD researcher, Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D.  But the two university medical schools that serve as Silicon Valley bookends? For all their Nobel laureates, Stanford and UCSF simply can’t hold a candle to Harvard or the University of Pennsylvania when it comes to ADHD research or expertise, and this lack filters out into the community.   Still, even I was surprised today to read this post in Stanford School of Medicine’s blog, Scope: “Blogger Asks, To Ritalin or not to Ritalin?” It is in response to a blog post by an adult who was treated for ADHD as a child and is now a behavioral therapist. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a cartoon floating around among my Facebook friends. One character says: “Come to bed, honey.” And the other character, at the computer keyboard, says, “I can’t. Someone is saying something wrong on the Internet, and I must correct it!”

For 10 years, I’ve resembled that character, rat-a-tat-tatting at my keyboard to counter fallacious information about ADHD on the Internet. The latest just this morning, which as both an ADHD advocate and responsible journalist, was too hard to resist.  (If you’d like to skip my preamble, scroll to the end of this post to get to a recent CNN article and my response to it.)

And yes, it’s been a  personal mission, though it hasn’t kept me up late at night and I aimed for surgical strikes, not omnipresence.   As a writer and editor with a long-held reputation for fairness and accuracy, though, I’ve found this new “medium” of the Internet by turns extremely exciting yet unsettling. Read the rest of this entry »

Lots of ADHD in the News for July and early August. Environmental groups call for ban of pesticides linked to ADHD. Western diet linked to ADHD. Lots of links, but what are the facts?

Please remember as you read some of these reports: Association is not causation. A “risk factor” is something that is associated with a condition. Whether that factor causes the condition or results from the condition, that is often the question that remains to be answered.

For example, in the first news story below, note that there is a link between the Western diet and ADHD.  As the study’s researcher rightly points out (far down in the story):

“This is a cross-sectional study so we cannot be sure whether a poor diet leads to ADHD or whether ADHD leads to poor dietary choices and cravings,” Dr Oddy said.

NUTRITION:

Western Diet Link to ADD, Australian Study Finds

ScienceDaily, July 29

A new study from Perth’s Tlethon Institute for Child Health Research shows an association between ADHD and a “Western-style” diet in adolescents. Read the rest of this entry »

Seattle-based ADHD specialist Don Baker, MA, LMHC

Adult ADHD workshops are few and far between on the West Coast, especially those that include a focus on relationship issues. To remedy this situation, well-known Seattle ADHD specialist Don Baker, MA, LMHC, and I have scheduled a one-day workshop.

It takes place Sunday, September 12, 11-7 pm, on beautiful Mercer Island, right above Lake Washington. And,  we’d love to see you there.  Couples. Singles (with or without ADHD). Therapists. As  Don puts it, “A full day for the couples, uncoupled, and don’t want to be coupled.” In other words, all are welcome.

We’re still working out the day’s details, but it’s sure to be illuminating and entertaining. I for one immensely enjoy these opportunities to meet with singles and couples affected by ADHD, hear your stories, and share the knowledge I’ve gained over 10 years of study and advocacy.  And I know I’ll learn a lot from Don, too, having greatly enjoyed his presentations at last year’s ADD Resources Conference and hearing such stellar reports about his Adult ADHD groups.

Capacity truly is limited, so if you’d like to join us, please sign up now at brownpapertickets.

See you on the 12th!

Don and Gina

If you live within broadcast range of Atlanta’s public TV station WPBA, be sure to catch an airing of  ADD & Loving It?! (View film trailer below.) Better yet, let this PBS station and others know that you support such programming by pledging during the airing.

This funny-factual documentary about ADHD will first air on WPBA  (PBA 30) Sunday, August 8th, at 1:00 PM and August 9th at 3:30 AM. (It will repeat later in the month, so check the schedule.)

Please share news of this with your friends in the Atlanta area. (And, it’s a perfect “primer” on ADHD for the CHADD’s 22th International Conference, held in Atlanta this November.) You can forward this page as an e-mail or use the “share” link below to post to your Facebook page, Twitter, etc. Word is spreading…one PBS station at a time!

Now that you’ve learned the basics of pursuing an evaluation for ADHD (in this post below), are you still wondering if it’s the right thing for you to do?  Here’s a wise idea: Take a screening test — a set of preliminary questions that can say that yep, you’re a worthy candidate for a full professional evaluation.

Here is one of the best interactive guides I’ve seen, featuring well-known Canadian ADHD expert Umesh Jain MD, PhD, MEd., Just click on the image above, and you’ll be taken  to  The Virtual Doctor Interactive Test at the website for TotallyADD.  Once you’ve finished the quiz, definitely take a look around the site. You don’t even need to have ADHD to appreciate the high-quality videos created by the team in charge, including two professional entertainers who are….TotallyADD. Read the rest of this entry »

Techno-wizard and ADHD Blog-Veteran Jeff at Jeff’s ADD Mind has really been pushing the media envelope lately — movies, magazines, and more — and has now re-designed the entire site with a slick new look and easy navigation system.  It’s jam-packed with fun, philosophy, and irony (the precursors of healthy neurotransmitters!).  Among my favorites:

• Jeff’s ADD Mind Magazine Rack: including the ADHD Handyman, the National Enquirer, and more. Remember: When News Breaks, Jeff Spoofs It!!
• Jeff’s ADD Mind Movie Theater: including “The Gift of ADHD” and commentary from the new “He Said, She Said” series — a collaboration with Zoe Kessler, who writes the funny, savvy column ADHD from A to Zoë .
• Hey You! A guide for first-time visitors (don’t be alarmed by the photo there of Jeff; he might look like a mafia don, but he’s all heart). Read the rest of this entry »

A big heartfelt thanks to all the readers who have created a bestseller out of my book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Almost at its two-year anniversary, it’s taking two bestselling #1 spots this week on Amazon:

#1 – Attention Deficit Disorder:

#1  Couples and Family Therapy:

This is perhaps the #1 question about Adult ADHD. To answer it, in part: I offer this adapted excerpt  from my book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?.

This post includes the current DSM criteria for ADHD as well as the criteria proposed by Dr. Russell Barkley and colleagues for the upcoming DSM revision (you know it’s “not just for kids” when one diagnostic point involves driving!).

Please use the handy links above and below (see the “share” tool) to spread the word about how an evaluation for ADHD should be performed.

The Adult ADHD Diagnose-o-Meter

There is no single test to evaluate for ADHD. No computer test. No fill-in- the-blank test. No blood test or genetic test. These practical facts are commonly wielded by the anti-psychiatry fringe element as proof that ADHD does not exist.  A-hem, just for the record, neither can you measure headaches, backaches, or many other maladies with a quiz, a blood test, or a genetic test.

More importantly, “You also cannot measure a person’s pain or suffering in life by clinical tests,” notes psychologist Thomas E. Brown, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders.

It’s important to remember that ADHD symptoms essentially represent an extreme on a normal continuum of behavior that varies in the population, much like IQ, weight, or height. That’s why its diagnosis is not a cut-and-dried matter. To ascertain if a person is “over the line” on this continuum, the evaluating professional must gauge the severity of the symptoms and impairment. Read the rest of this entry »

When I talk about “optimizing medication” in my presentations on Adult ADHD, some faces in the audience look puzzled. That’s not surprising, given the stories I’ve heard for years of careless prescribing patterns that result not only in unnecesary side effects but also sub-sub-optimal positive effects.   Often, I’d vent my frustration via e-mail to Dr. Charles Parker.

Now, I can’t take credit for Dr. Parker deciding to produce a long-awaited comprehensive guide, ADHD Medication Rules: The Meds For Paying Attention, but no one is more thrilled than I am to have this as a resource.  (It’s an e-book, complete with hyperlinks and search function. Very handy!)  Readers of his Corepsychblog have long appreciated his breadth and depth of knowledge (in posts as well as video and audio and podcasts), and now they can benefit from his comprehensive strategy for the medical treatment of ADHD. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve probably heard the term mental-health parity. But do you know what it means? Many people do not.

It’s important, because  recent healthcare reforms have called for mental-health parity. That is, reform provisions are designed to address the disparity between the limits insurance coverage sets for medical conditions involving the body  versus much more limited coverage for “mental health” conditions involving the brain.

Hey, but last I looked, the brain is part of the body!  Change happens slowly, it seems.

Mental health advocacy groups such as CHADD, the national non-profit serving the ADHD community, have long lobbied that medical conditions affecting the brain should be treated no differently than medical conditions affecting the heart, limbs, lungs, and so on. (Click here to review CHADD’s updates on this topic over the past few years.) Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have your grade-school report cards handy?  These artifacts can be useful when it comes to being evaluated for Adult ADHD because the diagnosis requires evidence of symptoms in childhood. Case in point: the childhood reports (below)  for San Diego-based psychotherapist and ADHD specialist Lew Mills, who has graciously agreed to share them here.

Such records aren’t mandatory, however, so when I hear from readers whose physicians demand such, I suspect these clinicians simply don’t want to (or don’t know how to) conduct a proper evaluation. In other words, it might be a stalling tactic. A wearing-you-down obstacle to diagnosis. Read the rest of this entry »

“….And you want it because it releases dopamine,” explains the short video below.

“Things are important and valuable only if they activate your dopamine…..

“Being unfocused and easily distracted means you’re low on dopamine.”

Bottom line: If you don’t have “enough” dopamine, or your dopamine is activated only by over-the-top pleasures (or anticipation of pleasures)? Caution ahead.

Given the volume of e-mail I receive asking where to purchase my award-winning book,  Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?, I figure it’s time to summarize it in one spot.

PLUS — A NEWS FLASH: Barnes and Noble brick-and-mortar stores now carry the book. Please pass along this news to your therapist, your physician, and your FB/Twitter friends who want a comprehensive guide to Adult ADHD (especially as it affects relationships) but also want to physically rifle through the pages before purchasing.  You can use the handy bookmark/share link below.

To summarize, you can purchase the book at these outlets:

• the book’s website, where it comes with free shipping and free PDF of the book — uploadable to some electronic readers and useful for printing out pertinent pages for a loved one, clinician, etc.
• Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble.com
• Barnes & Noble stores. To locate a store near you, click here.

Library patrons can search this library catalog to find the closest library that carries Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? (Just enter your ZIP code.) If your library doesn’t carry the book yet, please request that they order it. You’ll also be helping others who are on a tight budget.

1. Here’s a handy flyer that contains all the information your  librarian will need, including Library Journal’s stamp of approval (“…a unique compendium of information on the topic for lay readers.”)
2. Print it out or just send in the URL via your library’s online request form.

Thank you!

Know some geeks who can’t sleep?  Please share this post with them. It might help.

Our monthly Adult ADHD Salon in Palo Alto ran late Wednesday night, as usual. (Call me a nerd, but this group is the social highlight of my month; we have fascinating conversations and it’s always great to cheer progress reports.)  So, I was a little fuzzy-headed the next morning when I read this story in our local paper: “The Quantified Self: Taking quantum leap in self-examination.”

It caught my attention, because one immense challenge with ADHD is self-monitoring. This can be a real liability when you are trying to figure out how you landed in certain circumstances, how you come across to others,  or even what you ate for breakfast and if you’re following through on a routine you’ve set for yourself.

Leave it to Silicon Valley’s geeks then (including the ones who might have ADHD but don’t know it) to come up with an entire self-monitoring movement where, as the story explains: Read the rest of this entry »

For generations, the “foolishness” has suddenly struck middle-age members of an extended family in Colombia’s Antioquia region.  It starts with mild forgetfulness but soon reduces its victims to infantile incapacitation.

People here have long attributed La Bobera to a host of superstitions: a mythic priest’s revenge or touching a mysterious tree. Scientists now know it is a genetic mutation, concentrated by the intermarriage that’s not unusual in this rather isolated area. The malady is a type of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

It’s called the “Paisa Mutation” because this clan of 5,000 are called Paisas. They are descended primarily from a group of 16th Century Spanish immigrants. By studying this mutation, researchers hope to learn more about other forms of Alzheimer’s and its treatment. Pam Belluck shares the dramatic details on the disease and its discovery, along with hopes for treatment, in a recent story in The New York Times.

This isn’t the first time genetic discovery has taken place in the Paisa population. In fact, researchers studying this unique group of people have learned much about ADHD from them, too. For example, a genetic link between ADHD and conduct disorder/oppositional defiance disorder was discovered by studying selected Paisa families (multi-generational). Read the rest of this entry »

Myths about ADHD are persistent and pervasive. That’s why I created a nonsense-busting appendix in my book (Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?) called “But I Heard That” …. More Background for the Unconvinced.

Myth #1 is excerpted here, Myth #2 is here, and now here is #3:

“…The Symptoms Are Basic Human Behaviors”

Taken singly, ADHD symptoms do resemble typical human behaviors—because they are. “ADHD is a matter of severity, an exaggeration of normal human behaviors,” explains physician, author, and ADHD expert Patricia Quinn.

Furthermore, you can have a little ADHD or a lot or be somewhere in the middle.  Debunking his second big myth about ADHD (that everyone has it), University of Pennsylvania psychologist J. Russell Ramsay puts it this way: “Saying that everyone who has some trouble with organization and procrastination has ADHD stands akin to claiming that because everyone periodically feels sad or nervous, that everyone has depression or anxiety disorders.”

In fact, careful research that measured people with ADHD against a control group revealed that control group members might display only one or two symptoms among the current list of 18 possible symptoms, demonstrating that “everyone” does not have ADHD.

I welcome your comments; no registration required.

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Part I of “All About Medications for ADHD” focused on common questions and answers provided by ADHD specialist Ted Mandelkorn, MD, of Puget Sound Behavioral Health, a Seattle-based clinic that treats teens, children and adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and related conditions.

In Part II, below, Dr. Mandelkorn details the categories of medications along with dosing, pros, cons, and potential side effects.  The more you know about your choices, the better you can choose a knowledgeable prescribing physician and work with that physician for the best possible treatment outcome for yourself or your loved one.

A PHYSICIAN’S PERSPECTIVE

Theodore Mandelkorn, MD

2010

PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF MEDICATIONS Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard to overstate it: Please be a smart mental healthcare consumer when it comes to ADHD medical treatment.

That means not simply assuming that your prescribing physician, no matter how much ADHD expertise is professed, truly knows what’s what.  Learn the basics so you can “Trust but Verify.”

Ted Mandelkorn, MD

For all the information flooding the Internet  now about Adult ADHD, it’s still hard to find a solid overview of the medications used to treat it. So, I contacted Ted Mandelkorn, M.D. (pictured right).  Had he updated the excellent handout from a lecture I’d attended years ago? Indeed he had. Even better: He gave me permission to share it with ADHD Roller Coaster readers.  The first installment is below. Part II will follow shortly.

An “early adapter” of ADHD expertise and treatment, Dr. Mandelkorn is the parent of a child with ADHD and has ADHD himself. He trained in pediatrics and adolescent medicine, and he was a mental health fellow under Dr. Michael Rothenberg at the University of Washington. He has been in practice for 35 years, since 2001 at his clinic, Puget Sound Behavioral Medicine.

A PHYSICIAN’S PERSPECTIVE

Theodore Mandelkorn, MD

2010

PART ONE

• INTRODUCTION
• WHO SHOULD TAKE MEDICATIONS, AND WHY?
• WHAT IMPROVEMENT SHOULD BE SEEN?
• WHO SHOULD PRESCRIBE MEDICATIONS?
• MEDICAL TRIALS
• WHAT IS THE CORRECT MEDICATION?
• WHAT IS THE CORRECT DOSAGE?
• WHAT ABOUT “NATURAL” THERAPIES?
• SUMMARY

Read the rest of this entry »

Isn’t it great when others express your own secret struggles? Especially when they do it in a clever, entertaining way?  Isn’t it liberating? Even amusing?

If you wrestle with procrastination and/or all the myriad issues involved in “getting ready,” you will no doubt enjoy these two short animations (below) by Levni Yilmaz.

Lev has also created a book of drawings on similar themes, Tales of Mere Existence, and the book comes with the DVD collection of his films — what  a a deal. Learn more about Lev and his work at his website.

Thanks to my friend Sara for bringing Lev’s work to my attention!

A quick post to let you know—because it hasn’t been publicized—that Is It You, Me, or  Adult A.D.D.? is available for immediate download as a full PDF.  Why is this useful?  Lots of reasons.  I’m letting you know right now because the PDF might not be available soon.

Yes, you probably don’t want to read the entire PDF from your monitor.  After all, it’s a big book, one my friend and Huffington Post blogger Michael Laskoff calls “almost ridiculously comprehensive.” (Check out Michael’s archive on Huffington Post for many thought-provoking posts on Adult ADHD and other topics.) Read the rest of this entry »

Who knew that wearing my new t-shirt to the farmer’s market would cause such a fuss?  Instead of my usual sharing of brief assessments about sugar-snap peas or shitake mushrooms with other shoppers, I was drawn into a “debate” about ADHD.

Sure, I’m accustomed to ranting ADHD-denyers on the rough-and-tumble Internet, but not while strolling amid the produce vendors on a sunny Saturday morning.  Still, it was good to know that my verbal “gaslight-proof” skills match my written ones.

First, what does “gaslight” mean?  It harkens to the 1944 film Gaslight, wherein Charles Boyer’s character cravenly manipulates Ingrid Bergman’s character  to believe that she is insane. In psychological terms, “gaslighters” say and do things to make their victims question their perceptions, their knowledge, and their beliefs – all in an attempt to fulfill the gaslighter’s egocentric needs (financial gain, need to control others or to force others to conform to the gaslighter’s beliefs and perceptions, etc.).

Second, this wasn’t just any t-shirt. It was a strikingly good-looking t-shirt created for a Stride for ADHD Pride.  My friend Natalie Knochenhauer, founder of the Philadelphia non-profit ADHD Aware, does all such things with style and substance. Read the rest of this entry »

Compared to a new ride called the Life Force Crusher, the ADHD Roller Coaster pales in comparison.  Consider the Crusher’s features:

• Six disorienting vertical loops,
• 150-feet of highly unstable barrel rolls,
• a portion in the middle where the ride just suddenly stops for no reason and refuses to start again until riders apologize,
• an unexpected 310-foot drop at the very end.

And that’s not all!

“This heart-racing, gut-wrenching 90 mph free fall into unhealthy codependence and trust issues will have even the most extreme thrill-seekers begging for it to be over,” reads a Six Flags press release announcing the new coaster, which promises to require more attention and patience than any one man should reasonably be expected to have. “Can you survive the Agonizing Vortex of Unflagging Acrimony?”

If living with ADHD—your own or your partner’s—has grown exceedingly dull, this could be the ride for you! Click here to read more.

Welcome to a new department here at the ADHD Roller Coaster blog: ADHD in the News Monthly Roundup.   In this spot,  you”ll find  links and summaries to key ADHD-related news stories, starting now with the March 2010 headlines. (Please note: Some sources might require registration or a fee.)

Topics include: Vision therapy for ADHD, Adderall abuse on college campuses, sensory integration disorder, George Will’s opinion on the new DSM, requiring health insurance policies to cover mental health treatment, and  more.

As always, your comments welcome!

The Washington Post:

Parity law requires mental health benefits comparable to physical care benefits

Summary: An estimated 140 million Americans, most of them covered by employer-provided group insurance plans, are the beneficiaries of a new federal law designed to guarantee mental-health parity in insurance coverage.  In other words, the brain is finally being acknowledged as a physical body part!

Excerpt:

Denise Camp was resigned to the double standard that had long applied to her medical bills, forcing her to skimp on other expenses so she could pay for mental health treatment. While visits to her internist for physical problems required a $20 co-pay, her weekly therapy sessions with a social worker cost $50 and trips to the psychiatrist who prescribed her medication were $75. A similar disparity applied to medicines: Drugs to treat the crippling depression that ended her engineering career cost her twice what she paid for an antibiotic. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Science Daily:

Mouse Model Reveals a Cause of ADHD

Summary: To better understand the mechanisms of ADHD, particularly the dopamine pathway, scientists created genetically modified mice.

Excerpt:

Although it’s typically considered an adolescent curse, ADHD actually affects about five percent of adults as well. New research in a mouse model of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder suggests that the root of the psychiatric disorder might be the over-activity of a protein that regulates dopaminergic pathways. The work suggests a path toward new treatments for symptoms including inattentiveness, over-activity and impulsivity. Read the rest of this entry »

I knew something was up when a greater-than-usual  number of “help, please!” e-mails appeared in my in-box this morning.

Then my friend Doreen gave me the heads up on Facebook: MSN.com had featured a “When Your Lover Has ADHD” tag on its Valentine’s-themed homepage.  It linked to an interview I’d done last year with Health.com: “When Someone You Love Has ADHD: Frequently Asked Questions About Helping Your Partner and Yourself.”  It begins this way:

When journalist Gina Pera married a man with undiagnosed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) she embarked on a wild ride that took her from frustration and confusion to understanding and advocacy. Today she runs support groups for people with ADHD and their partners, and her book Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? was published in 2008.

“Wild ride” indeed. But our marriage started out more on the rainy side. (That’s us at our outdoor wedding in 1998.  Despite the huge two-person umbrella, my husband still managed to position the dripline right over me. Fortunately, that kind of center-of-the-universe tendency is a relic of the past — or neither one of us, not to mention our marriage, would have survived!) Here’s a sample of the questions:

Q: How did you realize that your husband had ADHD?

Q: In the title of your book, you used the outdated term “ADD.” Why that instead of ADHD? Read the rest of this entry »

To save money, many people with ADHD take generic medications. Most have received assurances from  their physicians that “bioequivalence” with the brand-name version is required and assured. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Increasingly, patients who do notice a significant difference between brand-name and generic are making their voices heard.

The ADHD Roller Coaster covered this topic a few months ago, after I read an outrageous Consumer Reports press release that  even warned consumers away from brand-name medications for ADHD as being too costly and unnecessary.  I countered with this blog post on the potential dangers of generic medications for treating ADHD and co-existing conditions.

With other readers, I left comments at the Consumer Reports blog post (“Parents: Don’t rush Children to Adderall, Concerta, Strattera”).

Today’s New York Times article (“Not All Drugs Are the Same After All”) today backs up my points on generics. Some snippets: Read the rest of this entry »

Dear readers,

Each time you shop at Amazon, Amazon will make a donation to keep this ADHD Roller Coaster blog and The ADHD Partner blog rolling along — at NO extra cost to you!

It’s simple: Just begin all your Amazon shopping expeditions from this link (just book mark it).

http://tinyurl.com/y8wu2st

If you do that, Amazon will send a tiny percentage of all purchases my way.  Books. DVDs. Appliances. You name it!

As most of you know, my ADHD volunteerism  is reaching the decade mark soon. And every little bit helps towards maintaining three blogs, hosting websites, donating copies of the book to those in need, speaking to groups about Adult ADHD, and more.

Thanks so much and happiest of holidays!

Gina

Pressured by Congress to crack down  on performance-enhancing drugs and “false claims of A.D.D.,”  Major League Baseball is pleased to report that the number of exemptions for ADHD medications are tapering off.  Is this really news worth celebrating?  I’m not so sure.

In 2007, the number of players receiving exemptions for ADHD rose to 108, from 28 in 2006.  That figure strikes me as reasonable, not alarming, given increasing public awareness during that time period.

After all, the players receiving exemptions represent about 9 percent of total players, which number  1,200 or so.  Extremely conservative estimates place the percentage of adults with ADHD in the general population at about 4 percent, but experts acknowledge that using more realistic criteria bumps the figure as high as 16 percent.

Yet, as reported in a previous post (“Anti-Doper Doc Dopey about ADHD?”), this spike created quite the rhubarb among sports officials, including non-savvy ADHD physicians. (“This is incredible. This is quite spectacular. There seems to be an epidemic of ADD in major league baseball,” said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of the committee that determines the banned-substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency.)

This recent article in The New York Times article (“Number of M.L.B. Players Given Drug Exemptions Up Slightly“) explains the latest report on all medication exemptions.

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Consider this your personal invitation to join us next weekend (11/14/09) at ADD Resources’ Eighth Annual Fall Conference in Bellevue, Washington.  The theme this year is ADHD: Acceptance is Empowering.

Knowledge is power, too, and this is a wonderfully cost-effective opportunity to both expand your knowledge of ADHD and familiarize yourself with the ADHD community in the Pacific Northwest.

Nationally known ADHD expert and psychologist Ari Tuckman (author of the new book More Attention, Less Deficit) will travel from Pennsylvania to present the morning keynote address: “Control What You Can, Let Go of the Rest.” Judging by the overflow capacity at Dr. Tuckman’s recent presentation at the CHADD conference in Cleveland, you won’t want to miss this candid, practical, and engaging expert! Read the rest of this entry »

This week: A guest post from ADHD coach Cynthia Hammer, founder and former executive director of Seattle-based non-profit ADD Resources (click here to visit her blog, “Pinnacle Coaching”).

I’ve always enjoyed Cynthia’s personal essays (look for more to come), and we both appreciate the thoughtful perspectives of Judith Warner, who writes the “Domestic Disturbances” column for The New York Times.
——————-

Do you ever get discouraged about all the bad and inaccurate press about ADHD? That it is a condition that doesn’t exist? That those of us who have ADHD are seeking the easy way out by taking medicine or that we parents give dangerous medicine to children for a made-up condition?

I just finished reading an article by Judith Warner, a columnist for The New York Times who planned to write a book on these kinds of topics, but she kept putting off writing the book—and she finally realized why. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

By popular demand, the full version of the Ohio Players singing their 1975 hit (and the ADHD Roller Coaster theme song), Love Roller Coaster, and a cover from The Red Hot Chili Peppers (with Beevis and Butthead).

“Your love is like a roller coaster, baby baby. I wanna ride….ooo hoo hoo hoo.” (The headline’s poetic license courtesy of my husband.)

What’s an ADHD Roller Coaster blog without a theme song, especially one you can dance to? Click below to play my top pick: Love Roller Coaster from the Ohio Players. Read the rest of this entry »

I will be joining ADHD specialist Dr. Alan Graham of ADDvisor.com for a free teleconference on “ADHD and Success Strategies for Couples.”

Date: Wednesday, October 14.
Time: 8:30 pm EDT.
To Pre-register: click here.

Only Harry Potter fans have awaited a book as I’ve awaited Dr. Charles Parker’s forthcoming book on ADHD medication treatment strategies. Nothing has frustrated me more in ten years of advocacy than hearing meds-gone-awry stories. A solid getting-the-meds-right guide for patients and clinicians is long overdue.

With the full book still in the editing stage, Dr. Parker has made this abbreviated e-book available free: Predictable Solutions for the 10 Most Common Challenges with ADHD Medications. To download the book, visit this page on Dr. Parker’s Corepsychblog webite.

A sampling of challenges addressed in this booklet:

• Problem #1: Overlooking Targets – Beyond Diagnostic Labels
• Problem #2: Neglecting the Evidence of Metabolic Rate
• Problem #3: Multiple Diagnoses, Emotional Baggage, and ADHD
• Problem #5: Overlooking Bipolar with ADHD
• Problem #7: Overlooking the Therapeutic Window

Read it and reap!

Since I posted this blog entry on recent research from neuroscientist Nora Volkow and colleagues, more detailed stories interpreting the study’s findings have become available. In particular, this report from MedPage today targets clinicians. That site also includes an audio interview with Dr. Volkow, below (despite a strong Spanish accent, Dr. Volkow does a good job of making complex concepts understandable to the layperson, in my opinion).

Two videos went “viral” among my Facebook friends this week. I share them with you here because who living in these rancorous times couldn’t use a little sweet-natured humor.

More germane to this blog’s brain-based focus, however, I was struck by how each video demonstrated qualities of empathy. Yes, I know. Recently, some politicians have publicly scorned empathy – perhaps because they mistakenly equate it with weakness. Yet, as a third video explains, leading neuroscientists say that our society depends on empathy. In other words, the smart money is on nourishing empathy, not castigating it.

First, consider the dancing baby. Unable to stand without support and obviously unschooled in “isolation” moves (moving head side to side), that baby Beyonce wannabee still gets down. Read the rest of this entry »

Quick! Catch this excellently informative and entertaining documentary on ADHD before it goes offline 9/25/09.

In case you’re wondering about the headline (Action! Camera! Lights!), it’s an homage to “Fire! Ready! Aim!” — a tongue-in-cheek description of ADHD-related impulsivity.

Rick Green and Patrick McKenna

About the film: Canadian comedy legend Patrick McKenna is after the truth. “Everything you think you know about A.D.D. is wrong.” In this one hour documentary he talks to researchers, specialists and doctors about A.D.D. and A.D.H.D.. He also chats with ordinary Canadians & Americans who are directly dealing with the challenges of this common problem. Interwoven with these insights, Patrick shares his own life story and his struggle with undiagnosed and untreated A.D.H.D, and now his success taking it on Adult A.D.D..

Read more at the website, including a transcript of the film. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI-TV for airing this well-balanced segment during ADHD Awareness Week, and thanks to Dancing with the Stars star Karina Smirnoff and the amazing Kavanaugh family for sharing their stories. (Oh, I make a small cameo appearance, drawn from a 30-minute interview with Health producer Dawn Heefner. Astute, intelligent questions all!)

PHILADELPHIA, PA.; September 22, 2009 (WPVI) — Attention deficit disorders are common among children. But few people know that they affect anywhere from 4 to 16% of American adults too – though most don’t know it. But identifying the disorder can be a big step in learning how to live a good life with AD/HD.

Karina Smirnoff moves across the dance floor in “Dancing With the Stars” with a precision that shows hours & hours of practice.

That’s not easy for someone with attention deficit disorder – ADD….

Continue reading at KPVI’s website, and PLEASE leave a note of appreciation there for this story.

Okay, the headlines this week may not come as news to us. But, following the recent ADHD Hall of Shame entry, science-based reportage comes as welcome relief. The following news sources, among others, report the latest study by NIDA Director Nora Volkow and colleagues showing that, well, ADHD is real. Read all about it.

Here’s a sampling of the breaking headlines, followed by the press release from the researcher:

• BBC News: ADHD Brain Chemistry Clue Found
  US researchers have pinned down new differences in the brain chemistry of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They found ADHD patients lack key proteins which allow them to experience a sense of reward and motivation. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick note to let you know that Amazon has just re-discounted Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder.  The regular price is $21.95, and the discounted price is $14.36.

We never know when this “sale” will happen — and when it will stop. So, if you’d like to buy an extra copy for gifting or sharing with your therapist or physician, now’s a good time. Just click on the title above to be taken to Amazon.com.

If you live in Anaheim, Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Princeton, the ADHD Roller Coaster is coming to your town! Well, actually, it’s just me, Gina Pera, but I’ll be talking about the ADHD Roller Coaster. Next week, join us at the CHADD Regional Conference in Anaheim, August 22, where I’ll talk about how Adult ADHD affects parenting. In honor of ADHD Awareness week in September, I’ll be visiting East Coast three cities: Read the rest of this entry »

Introducing: The ADHD Hall of Shame, a new ADHD Roller Coaster department.

Inaugural inductees: HBO show host Bill Maher and his guests Arianna Huffington, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). Two liberals and two conservatives who could agree on one thing only: It’s okay to bash ADHD.

“Paddling a child is inhumane but drugging a child is the way to go?” began an indignant Kingston (R-GA), implying that there’s nothing about ADHD that a good whupping won’t cure. Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe we so often associate ADHD challenges with schoolwork, paperwork, and housework that we don’t often think of ADHD putting a kink in, um, bedroom fun. Or, that activity that we assume most people can do “in their sleep”: sleep.

Ah, but what you don’t know can hurt you. It can hurt your love life. And it can hurt your ability to get to bed on time, go to sleep, and stay asleep, not to mention leaving you prone to gasping for air (sleep apnea) or dancing the cucharacha with your restless legs all night.

I invite you to visit my blog on ADHD and Relationships to learn a bit more on those two subjects and, best of all, read the many insightful comments from readers that follow. (While you’re there, please sign up to follow this monthly blog so you’ll be notified of new posts.) I guarantee you’ll find some kindred spirits.

1. ADHD and Sex: No Shame, No Blame

“Gina, sex is difficult for people with ADHD; it’s tough to stay focused!” says a female Facebook friend, responding to my query on this topic. Read the rest of this entry »

New study on ADHD and adults

To watch a short interview on NBC’s The Today Show with preeminent ADHD research scientist Dr. Russell Barkley, click on the link above. He introduces the studies examining long-term outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD. For details on this groundbreaking research by Dr. Barkley and colleague Dr. Mariellen Fischer, read ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says. (Click on the title to learn more about it on Amazon.com.)

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An ADHD Roller Coaster salute goes to The New York Times Silicon Valley-based reporter Matt Richtel (photo, right) for his ongoing coverage of the risks associated with driving while using cell phones and texting (see selected headlines and links below).

As you read these important stories, please keep in mind: These risks ratchet up even higher when untreated ADHD takes the wheel. That’s why I devote a chapter to this topic in Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder. (Read an excerpt of that chapter here and, while you’re at it, catch the video of “Attention Deficit Disorder Man!”)

• “Senators Seek a Ban on Texting and Driving”

excerpt: “Studies show this is far more dangerous than talking on a phone while driving or driving while drunk, which is astounding,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, one of four Democratic senators to introduce the proposal. Read the rest of this entry »

Live a few decades not knowing that you have ADHD, and chances are you’re lugging around not only emotional baggage but also physical baggage — sleep debt, adrenal exhaustion, off-kilter hormones, allergies, and more. Yet, in our specialist-dominated healthcare “system,” finding a physician who can assemble all the puzzle pieces is a challenge.

When’s the last time your personal physician, not to mention ADHD-treating psychiatrist, closely scrutinized lab results for your complete blood panel, adrenal function, or hormones and could properly answer your questions about, say, potential gluten sensitivity? Yet, if you’re suffering from any of these allied health challenges, your brain function could be suffering in ways that will never be sufficiently addressed by psychotropic medications alone.

A few years ago, I scoured the Internet for a “big picture” physician who was sharing information (on a blog or website) not only about ADHD and its commonly co-occurring conditions but also the many other biomarkers that affect brain health. Fortunately, I found CorePsychBlog , written by physician, author, neuroscientist, and psychiatric consultant Dr. Charles Parker (pictured, above right). (Regular readers of this blog have seen Dr. Parker’s comments. For the record, he and I have never met and have no business association.) Pick your media preference: written posts, radio shows, or videos. CorePsychBlog is packed with information. So packed that I’ve picked out a few highlights to get you started (in a follow-up post, I’ll share links to some of Dr. Parker’s highly informative videos): Read the rest of this entry »

Like me, you’ve probably consulted Consumer Reports when it comes to purchasing appliances. But would you trust them for advice on medically treating your ADHD? Given their latest press release, I certainly hope not!

It starts with this (and just gets worse): Read the rest of this entry »

Update 1/23/09:  At least 203 public libraries, including two in Australia and one in Germany, now carry Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Thanks to everyone who asked your local library to carry it.   If you’d like your library branch to order the book, click here access a flyer with all the information your librarian will need.

Ten years ago, I chanced upon a new book at our local library: Neuropsychiatrist Daniel Amen’s Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness. It did change my life, my husband’s life, and our marriage. And it set me on a path to help others change their lives by creating more awareness of Adult ADHD.

When my book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder, was published, one of my top priorities was making the book available in public libraries. (I don’t know about your library system, but ours seems to go out of its way to stock books by the ADHD dissenters and deniers.) I’m grateful that fans of the book share this goal, as explained in this recent note from Jack in Canada, and hope you will join us:

Dear Gina

I had put in a suggestion in the library’s on-line system for your book, but I thought I would do it personally. So I went to the main branch downtown and spoke to one of the librarians. Read the rest of this entry »

High intelligence does not protect you from the effects of ADHD, a recent study indicates. Unfortunately, too many people mistakenly assume that high IQ rules out ADHD entirely.

Psychologist Thomas E. Brown, a prominent ADHD expert and assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, has previously conducted several studies to learn more about high IQ individuals with ADHD. The latest effort is now available from the online edition of the Journal of Attention Disorders (for a fee to non-subscribers) and will be published in the September print edition.

The scoop, according to the press release from the Yale University Office of Public Affairs: Read the rest of this entry »

While I was enjoying the tremendously fun crowds at CADDAC’s ADHD conference in Toronto, my book was whooping it up in New York City….winning four national awards!

Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? , by Gina Pera (that’s me), was twice-named a winner in both the Independent Book Publishers Association’s (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Awards and ForeWord Magazine‘s Book of the Year Awards.

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards:

1. Silver for best psychology book
2. Silver Bill Fisher Award for Best First book (non-fiction)

ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards:

1. Gold for best psychology book
2. Silver for best book on family and relationship

What’s most exciting about these honors is the potential Read the rest of this entry »

“If there is one mental health disorder that has captured the attention of the American public over the last few decades, it is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Some people joke about it; others take it seriously. But one thing is certain: People know about ADHD, and increasingly educators, parents and adults are learning effective ways to manage the disorder. But this hasn’t always been the case.”

So begins an opinion piece in Roll Call, one of two newspapers written for and distributed to every U.S. Congressional office. The authors are two college students: Courtney Gifford, the reigning Miss Wyoming, and Blake Taylor, author of ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table.

The piece continues: Read the rest of this entry »

This week, I’m preparing a presentation for the CADDAC conference on ADHD in Toronto May 30-31. Here’s the description from the program:

“When The Acorn Falls Close to the Tree: Parenting when Both Parent and Child Have ADHD”

Your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, you’ve learned that this condition is highly genetic, and now you wonder: Could ADHD also be an issue for you and/or your partner? Even well into adulthood, ADHD can present challenges in staying organized, managing time (and mood), and maintaining the routines that stabilize and nourish a family. Learn how unrecognized ADHD symptoms in a parent can affect parenting skills and focus on strategies for success.

My desk is awash in copies of studies and articles on how ADHD in a parent affects the child. It doesn’t take a brain scientist to know that when a parent has difficult ADHD challenges in organization, initiation, motivation, and mood regulation, it doesn’t bode well for the child — especially if the child has ADHD and similar challenges. But here I am at my desk, trying to parse the studies in this area. Along with anecdotes and years of observations, it’s good to have data. Read the rest of this entry »

For years, ADHD experts have recognized the link between untreated ADHD and obesity. As for many weight-control experts and gastric-bypass surgeons, well, they must have missed the memo. Is it territorial jealousy? Willful ignorance? “ADHD Denial”?

Let’s be charitable and call it one more casualty of our highly specialized medical system. That is, most GI docs aren’t connected to most brain docs aren’t connected to most hormone docs, and down the line. (As for some sleep docs’ determination to ignore ADHD’s role in sleep challenges, that’s for another post.)

In February, a new study came from two Toronto-based clinicians and researchers seeking to bridge this cross-disciplinary knowledge. Physician Lance Levy and psychologist John Fleming set out to determine whether attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pharmacological treatment of severely obese subjects with newly diagnosed ADHD would result in sustained weight loss. (In short, yes it did.) Read the rest of this entry »

I am eagerly anticipating CADDAC’s first-ever Two-Day ADHD Conference & Comedy Night — ADHD: ALL IN THE FAMILY. (That’s right, a comedy night fund-raiser…what a great idea!)

Featured Speaker: Dr. Russell Barkley
This is a great opportunity to learn from Dr. Russell Barkley, an internationally recognized authority on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adults. Read the rest of this entry »

These days, I feel like Gilda Ratner’s character Emily Litella. No, it’s not because I’m mishearing “Youth in Asia” for “euthanasia” or “presidential erections” instead of “presidential elections.” Instead, I’m listening to news and analysis about the federal “stimulus package” but in my mind I keep hearing “stimulants package.”

Now that’s an odd thing, you might say. But consider this: Only one in 10 adults with ADHD in the U.S. are thought to be diagnosed, and only one-tenth of those adults are pursuing treatment. We also know that adults with unaddressed ADHD symptoms earn less, are more likely to be underemployed and unemployed, and are more likely to file bankruptcy and for divorce. In other words, many of these adults — 10-30 million Americans in all — stand at the very edge of our widening financial abyss. And their partners and children stand with them. Read the rest of this entry »

If you live in the United Kingdom, and you or someone you love have ADHD, you know that the non-profit organization ADDISS is a peerless source of education and support. The name stands for The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service.

ADDISS’ Ninth International Conference on ADHD: The Spirit of ADHD:
Resilience, Hope, Opportunity, Success takes place in London March 31-April 1, 2009.

I am looking forward to speaking about “You and Me and Adult ADHD: Success Strategies for Couples” at the conference as well as at a free public lecture on March 31. Read the rest of this entry »

Physician and neuro-imaging specialist Douglas Bremner explains on his blog why driving down your cholesterol score with statins might not be such a bright idea (Do Statins Make You Stupid?) or a sexy one (Statins Interfere with Orgasm, Live Update from the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting, March 5, 2009). He writes regularly about medical issues at his blog, an offshoot of his book Before You Take that Pill: Why the Drug Industry May Be Bad for Your Health.

What does this have to do with ADHD? Maybe nothing. But I can’t help but suspect that adults with untreated ADHD have a higher risk of being prescribed statins. Here’s why. Read the rest of this entry »

Is ADHD a modern “invention,” created by computers, fast food, or even…Big Pharma? Recorded history says no. In fact, a recently discovered medical text from 1798 describes, in some detail, disorders of attention, including the observation that some are likely hereditary.

Physician Alexander Crichton (pictured right, at his Cambridge University graduation) provided the first known medical description of disorders of attention in his three-volume medical textbook. Moreover, “he certainly deserves credit for being the first to describe adults with attention disorders,” says ADHD expert Russell Barkley, Ph.D., writing a commentary about Crichton’s work and its modern relevancies in the February issue of The ADHD Report, a newsletter that follows research and trends in the field of attention disorders.

Until the discovery of Crichton’s three-volume textbook (by the two Washington University researchers who wrote a paper introducing it), most medical historians acknowledged physician George Still as providing the first description of symptoms of what we today call ADHD, in children.

Specifically, in his lectures before the Royal Society of Medicine and later writing for the medical journal Lancet in 1902, Still Read the rest of this entry »

Tom was trapped: stuck on a 13-hour road trip with his wife — and his marriage on the rocks.

“Something’s wrong,” Liz started, and Tom’s heart sunk.

The Newmarket couple was heading from Ontario to visit family in New Brunswick. She wanted to have it out with him — then and there.

Tom knew, hurtling down the highway, there would be no escape. He had to face facts. Read the rest of this entry »

Myths about ADHD are persistent and pervasive. That’s why I created a nonsense-busting chapter in the book called “But I Heard That…: More Background for the Unconvinced.”

Myth #1 is excerpted here, and now here’s #2:

“ADHD is just an excuse for irresponsibility.”

Psychologist and ADHD expert J. Russell Ramsay has heard that line so many times he’s named it one of his top three myths about ADHD (the other two follow in future myth-munching posts).

As the associate director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program, he’s noticed that clients often expend much-higher-than-average time and effort trying to meet their responsibilities—typically “twice the effort for half the result.” Instead of seeking an easy way out, he argues, “They want to gain a measure of predictable cause-and-effect in their lives.” Read the rest of this entry »

Jeff discovered he has ADHD at about age 46 –”not the best of times to find that out,” he notes, “certainly not after 46 years of having bad habits solidify.”

Still, he dedicated himself to understanding the full depths of what it means to have ADHD, including learning to recognize problematic behaviors while they were occurring and modifying them for more desirable results.

Fortunately for his readers, Jeff has for several years shared his personal and philosophical musings on ADHD at his blog, Jeff’s A.D.D. Mind. I discovered it while writing my book and, frankly, feeling overwhelmed with the-then omnipresent rosy talk of ADHD’s gifts. The individuals and families I knew who were affected by ADHD were truly struggling; sure, they needed assurance and encouragement, but didn’t they also need realistic information and strategies? (My husband didn’t ease my worries about the book’s reception by jokingly offering to move us to a missile silo in Nebraska.) Jeff’s honest, thoughtful essays validated my approach at a critical juncture. Thanks Jeff! Here is one of my favorites from his archives:

The A.D.D.er Cannot Understand Life
Because the A.D.D.er Cannot Understand Time

Jeff

To make sense out of life, one must also be able to make sense of time; that is, understanding one requires understanding the other. In our everyday world, they are inseparable: Life requires time, and time has meaning because of life. The life of the human being is understood to be “a life” because it occurs in time over time. Read the rest of this entry »

This morning, a journalist asked me to name three top challenges that ADHD poses to relationships. My first thought: “Finding the keys, the cell phone, and the wallet.” But that sounds so trivial, doesn’t it? Yes it does, until you’ve been pulled into an ADHD partner’s adrenaline-spiking, to-the-death search on a daily basis. And, in truth, other issues do loom much larger — like remembering to re-charge the cell phone. Another minor issue? Not when your child or partner is counting on you to stay in touch.

Now, I’d be the last person to suggest we can rely solely on organizational tools to resolve ADHD-related issues, especially as they affect relationships. But sometimes we get so caught up in the whirling vortex of bigger problems that we miss simple solutions to the smaller ones. For example, what could be easier than placing your keys, watch, gizmos-to-be-recharged, and whatnot in a tidy valet like this one (pictured right). Read the rest of this entry »

The best part of having a blog is being able to share with you wonderful essays written by other people. After all, my journalistic background is as an editor — the person who assembles and polishes the entire magazine or newspaper. Recognizing talent is what I do best!

My friend Lew Mills, PhD, MFT is a San Diego-based psychotherapist with remarkably thoughtful perspectives on ADHD. Having it himself and having children with ADHD, Lew knows of what he speaks. I’ve always enjoyed his writing, and I’m pleased that he’s allowed me to share this one — about why being “special” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Think Different Differently

by Lew Mills, PhD, MFT

What is the most universal appeal in commercial advertising?

OK, yes, sex. Sure, I’d like to believe that the model in the beer ad is really flirting specifically with me. But really, our culture’s most beckoning appeal is to be “different.” The Apple Computer campaign, advocating that you “think different”, exploits it directly. Read the rest of this entry »

Just a quick note to thank everyone who has so generously received my book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder (August 31, 2008, 1201 Alarm Press).

I noticed that today it is #3 on Amazon in the category of books on Adult ADHD (of which there many!) and #10 on books about couples and family therapy (of which there are hundreds!). Moreover, the reviews you’ve posted on Amazon have deeply touched my heart. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and reactions — and especially to reach out to other potential readers with a message of hope and optimism. Read the rest of this entry »

A physician with the World Anti-Doping Agency contends that ADD (as he calls it) is being overdiagnosed in major-league baseball. More importantly, it is over treated with medication. On what does he base this? The fact that he has rarely diagnosed the condition throughout his career.

Fail to see the logic? Me, too.

Just when I think this blog can move on to topics other than ADHD medical treatment, another flagrant show of ADHD ignorance makes the headlines. Being a big believer in speaking truth to misperception, I just can’t let it pass.

Besides, it’s pretty good timing. You know those physicians-in-denial-about-ADHD that Dr. Charles Parker wrote about last time? This physician serves as a good example. Read the rest of this entry »

We hear quite a bit about people who are “in denial” about their ADHD. But there’s a flip side to this phenomenon: An adult with ADHD dealing with denial in friends and loved ones who simply refuse to “believe” in ADHD or that this adult has it.

I just reviewed my friend and fellow blogger Bryan Hutchinson’s list of his 11 most popular posts for 2008. I enjoyed each in their original posting, but the one on facing this aspect of denial strikes me as particularly useful.

Like Bryan, I often hear from adults diagnosed with ADHD who can’t understand why others rail against their diagnosis. Bryan offers a list of what he considers the 10 most common reasons.

If you have ADHD, has this kind of denial been a problem for you? If so, how did you deal with it?

Read through a few online archives where adults with ADHD share their thoughts, and invariably, you will encounter just a few like this:

“Those of us who do take meds take them so we can function in a non-AD/HD world.”

They would operate just fine in the world, they maintain, if it weren’t for all the “neurotypical” types making them toe the line. Betsy Davenport, a Portland clinician who specializes in treating AD/HD (and has it herself), responded to one such post this way:

“Actually, I take medication to maximize my functioning in THE REAL world, which includes my home, where we ALL have Quirky Brains. It has nothing to do with the rest of the people, or the conventional expectations of the rest of the world’s people, or the rigid social climate in which we live, or any of that rot. Read the rest of this entry »

This Thanksgiving finds me with much to be grateful for: friends, family, husband, health, and a book that is being generously received.

But this very day, my biggest, warmest THANKS goes to all those adults with ADHD who took the time to write their truth, so eloquently and movingly, in response to this recent New York Times column on ADHD.

Read the rest of this entry »

Linda H. writes:

Hi Ms. Pera,
I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I have a copy of your new book that I just started reading over the weekend. I have heard so much about this book, and since I do have ADD (I prefer the ADD vs. ADHD) I thought perhaps I will see myself and/or my husband in this book.

I am also wondering if there is a way to get to the forums that are mentioned in the book, assuming that you have an online forum for discussion and help for either the person with ADD or their partner. I would love to participate in same if that is an available option. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of presenting my talk on “You, Me, and A.D.D” to the Santa Rosa Chapter of CHADD. What a fun crowd! About 60 adults with ADHD and/or their partners turned out. That’s a lot of people for a small town! Coordinator Pauline Laurent is doing a great job creating awareness in Sonoma County.

As I made motored up Highway 101, anxiety swelled. A public speaker I’m not — or at least I thought I wasn’t. Being the much-youngest of seven in a very verbal Italian family, it was hard to get a word in edgewise. And my journalism career has mostly been spent behind a desk and on the phone. Would I lose my train of thought and start jabbering? Would they like the cartoons or my sense of humor? Would the adults with ADHD be defensive that my talk focused more on the challenges posed by ADHD — and what to do about them?

Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations to Tom Olofsson, winner of September’s write-the-photo-quip contest at ADHDRollerCoaster.com. Tom received an autographed copy of Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder.

Thanks to everyone who entered — we needed a laugh! — and please try again this month with the new photo. (Remember, just because the people in the photo are sitting in what looks like a car, the quips can be about anything. Go on the facial expressions and body language, and think about your experiences with ADHD.)

Five more of Yvan Dalain’s 1956 photographs of riders on Switzerland’s Geister-Express are scattered throughout the book’s website. And the rest will be featured, one by one, in our monthly contest at http://www.ADHDRollerCoaster.com

“I have a patient with 2 PhD’s and a Master’s Degree, about 55 years old [two degrees in physics, and the other in another field of science] – he simply can’t think when the variables become unpredictable and, in the context of time, too abundant to manage in a give time frame. He is wonderful in the context of mathematics, but simply can’t take the responsibility of working socially with the unpredictable variables present in management with a team.

“In math he can think, in the team he freezes.

“Do you know anyone that has been overlooked like this… just think for a moment.”

—

So writes Dr. Charles Parker this week in his excellently informative CorePsychblog (Brain & Body Connections: Core Science Findings for Everyday Psych Problems). Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, Adult ADHD can affect driving behavior, too. In fact, Chapter 5 of the book Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? explores exactly how the ADHD Roller Coaster hits the road. An excerpt follows this great animation from “A.D.D. Man!” Buckle your seatbelts and watch out for Road Rage Ralph and Sally Soccer Mom.

Chapter 5:

Driving While Distracted:
The Roller Coaster Hits the Road

My husband’s driving has improved since
taking medication. He no longer “punishes”
drivers who pass him—by flashing his lights,
making rude gestures, and yelling. I’d be so
embarrassed, I’d slink down in the seat.

– Elizabeth

Carol, married 15 years, says her husband is the absolute best driver ever: “At night, Ken notices little animals on the side of the road and has stopped for moose and deer that I never would have seen.”

Read the rest of this entry »

In his lectures, neuropsychiatrist Daniel Amen often says that, before one of his children marries, he wants to examine a brain scan of the spousal candidate. Why? Because brain deficits aren’t always obvious. Sometimes mental illness reveals itself only over time, and with stress. In fact, we often initially misperceive a person’s brain deficits as positive qualities. Much to our peril.

For example, consider the “decisive decision-maker.” Golly, you think to yourself, someone so cocksure and confident must know the score, right? You know that you could never act so confident unless you had the goods, right?

Read the rest of this entry »

Lunch rush was over, but distractions remained numerous inside the La Bou cafe just off Highway 49 in Auburn. Blenders whirred out smoothies every few minutes, laughter erupted from a nearby group, a young worker noisily cleared tables.

Yet, through it all, Cass Brown Capel stayed focused – eyes locked on her interviewer, the need to interject random thoughts stifled, attention not straying to her daughter, Ariana, who was sitting placidly next to her.

You would have no inkling that Capel, a 54-year-old psychologist from Auburn, has been diagnosed with the adult version of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder since 1991.
_________________________________________________________

So begins the main story on Adult ADHD, by reporter Sam McManis, in last Sunday’s Sacramento Bee. Immediately, readers learn that ADHD probably isn’t what they thought it was — a childhood ondition that makes someone fidgety or flighty.

Read the full story here: http://www.sacbee.com/749/story/1234819.html

Thanks to the Bee, McManis, and especially Cass and John Capel, for sharing their story in order to educate the public on this vastly underdiagnosed condition.

This article by reporter Sam McManis is short, but it goes straight to the heart of the matter. (I just discovered it is a sidebar to a much longer article — see next post.) I’m very grateful to read one of the rare articles on Adult ADHD and relationships that doesn’t deny, minimize, or otherwise sugarcoat the challenges of untreated or unacknowledged ADHD.

http://www.sacbee.com/273/story/1229847.htm

We need more articles like this. Because until Adult ADHD is better understood, people will continue to suffer needlessly. That would be a shame, because we have terrific solutions; we just need better awareness.

If you have a minute, please leave a comment on the article at the Sacramento Bee site, thanking Mr. McManis and the Sacramento Bee for this article. We can’t blame “the media” for poor coverage of Adult ADHD if we let good coverage like this go unacknowledged. (And unlike websites that pick up stories like this, violating copyright, this newspaper actually pays people to produce strong content.)

Many of us banged our head against the wall for years, never knowing that we were even dealing with Adult ADHD. The problem wasn’t just our ignorance. No, worse than that, the problem was that we believed the myths — totally wrong ideas about what Adult ADHD is and isn’t.

Respondents to the ADHD Partner Survey explain why they missed the signs of ADHD in their relationships (sometimes for decades) at my other blog, ADHDRollerCoaster.org:

In the next few posts here, I’ll excerpt a chapter from Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? so we can bust common myths about Adult ADHD one by one.

********

“Never in a million years would I have suspected ADHD!” Jennifer explains to the support-group for the partners of adults with ADHD. “I thought ADHD was a hyperactive little boy’s disorder. My husband is Read the rest of this entry »

Introduction from the book Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? (continued from the previous post)

Same Meeting Room, the Following Tuesday, 8 PM

Be careful talking about good intentions to newcomers at this week’s gathering! It’s the same room but a very different crowd. The people gathered here tonight aren’t adults with ADHD; they are their partners. And most have had it with good intentions. They are also done with being doormat and “dumpee,” warden and watchdog, crisis manager and caretaker, and a parent instead of a partner.

Ironically, the two meetings that take place one week apart—one for adults with ADHD and the other for the partners of adults with ADHD— typically show little overlap. That is, one partner or the other in a couple is either “in denial” about ADHD or feels no need to learn about it. It’s too bad, because when couples act as a team in learning about ADHD, they tend to speed through the learning curve—with fewer bumps and bruises, too.

The group assembled tonight, though, has come seeking knowledge. They also seek clarity and hope that they can somehow stabilize their lives with partners who seem focused on destabilization. Until Read the rest of this entry »

Introduction from the book Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?

Monday, 8 PM
The monthly meeting comes to order in the heart of Silicon Valley, a world
center of leading-edge technology. Household names such as Google,
Yahoo, Apple, YouTube, Netflix, and Hewlett-Packard dot this short
stretch of coastal California between San Francisco and San Jose. In attendance
this evening are software developers and computer scientists, some
from these very companies.

What’s on tonight’s agenda? The Next Big Thing in high-tech? Not
exactly. Not unless you have adult ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder). In that case, keeping track of your keys can be a very big thing
indeed. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the ADHD Amusement Park, where we know that ADHD is real and sometimes fun but sometimes its abrupt twists and turns can give you whiplash.

If you’re an adult with ADHD, know that you’re among friends:

• We believe you — that sometimes your thoughts feel like an internal pinball machine.
• We take your word for it — that your actions don’t always match your intentions.
• We won’t ask you — to defend the validity of ADHD or be ashamed about taking medication (if that’s what you’ve chosen). Read the rest of this entry »