460605_low CROP

Denial about ADHD

You are currently browsing the archive for the Denial about ADHD category.

MDs and Truth in Advertising, err Blogging

January 18, 2012 in ADHD Hall of Shame, Denial about ADHD | 9 comments

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 »

Share|

One Man’s “Rugged Reality of ADD”

December 1, 2011 in Denial about ADHD, Essays on ADHD, The Basics | 52 comments

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 »

Share|

“You, Me, ADD” Now Available for Kindle

November 23, 2011 in ADHD and Driving, ADHD and Health, ADHD and Relationships, ADHD Diagnosis Issues, ADHD in the News, ADHD medication, Adult ADHD Myths, and Intimacy, Brain Storming, Denial about ADHD, Driving, Finding Support, Money, Practical Solutions, Questions about Adult ADHD, science of ADHD, The Basics, View from the Roller Coaster | 1 comment

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.

Share|

Tags: , , , , , , ,

“On With My Vent In All Its Offensive Glory”

August 28, 2010 in Denial about ADHD, Guest Essays | 31 comments

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: Read the rest of this entry »

Share|

Knowing the Facts Makes You “Gaslight-Proof”

April 23, 2010 in ADHD Hall of Shame, ADHD medication, Adult ADHD Myths, Denial about ADHD, Essays on ADHD | 8 comments

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 »

Share|

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Making Progress, One Ex-Naysayer at a Time

November 1, 2009 in ADHD in the News, Denial about ADHD, Essays on ADHD, Guest Essays, The Basics | 1 comment

This week: A guest post from ADHD coach Cynthia Hammer, founder and former executive director of Seattle-based non-Cynthia Hammerprofit 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 »

Share|

Headlines We Love: ADHD is Biological

September 9, 2009 in ADHD in the News, Adult ADHD Myths, Denial about ADHD, The Basics | 10 comments

newsboyOkay, 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 »
Share|

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Liberals, Conservatives Agree: It’s Okay to Bash ADHD and Bully the Kids, Adults Who Have It

August 12, 2009 in ADHD Hall of Shame, ADHD in the News, ADHD medication, Denial about ADHD | 14 comments

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 »

Share|

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Father’s Mental Health Affects Children

May 4, 2009 in ADHD and Parenthood, Denial about ADHD | No comments

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 »

Share|

Tags:

What’s This I Hear about a “Stimulants Package”?

March 24, 2009 in Denial about ADHD, View from the Roller Coaster | 4 comments

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 »

Share|

Tags: , ,

« Older entries