ADHD Roller Coaster: "Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?"
News and Essays about Adult ADHD, with author Gina Pera
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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.
Tags: Adult ADHD, Adult ADHD books, France, Germany, Italy, Kindle, Spain, UK
Don’t let Dr. Mark Katz’s gentle demeanor and kind eyes fool you. For more years than he probably cares to count, this psychologist and clinic director has been one of the strongest and most steadfast advocates and professionals the ADHD community has seen.
Gina and Dr. Katz
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of re-visiting his San Diego center, Learning Development Services, founded in 1970 and serving as the nucleus of professional care and community support for San Diego county residents affected by ADHD and learning disabilities.
Mark had invited me to speak with his Adult ADHD discussion group, which meets weekly (check the tab for “adults” at the website). It starts at 6:30 pm and is free. How Mark manages this each week I’ll never know, but I do hope attendees appreciate the amount of energy and dedication this requires. This is a great group, and I so appreciated their generous reception of my talk. Please note that the center has services for children and parents, too.
If you are a CHADD member, you’ve seen Mark’s department in each issue of Attention magazine: “Promising Practices,” where he covers new educational and therapeutic models. For example, the October issue featured his story on “A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Model for Adults with ADHD.” Contributors to the magazine are unpaid volunteers, and Mark has contributed this column faithfully for many years.
Mark is also the author of a wonderful book: On Playing a Poor Hand Well: Insights from the Lives of Those Who Have Overcome Childhood Risks and Adversities. One 30-something software engineer who is a regular attendee of our Silicon Valley Adult ADHD group has read dozens of book on ADHD and related subjects, and he told me that that this book is one of his favorites. Look for more about Mark in a future post, with information about the “Resilience Through the Lifespan Project.”
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I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Daniel Amen, M.D., so I was happy to see him at the opening of his newest Amen Clinic, just south of San Francisco, and welcome him to Silicon Valley, my backyard. 
If I hadn’t lucked upon his book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life more than 11 years ago, it might have taken me far longer to discover the impact of Adult ADHD not only on society but also on my personal life. Thanks to that book, my husband was diagnosed with ADHD and I went on to help further this critical message: ADHD is real and ignorance of ADHD has real consequences for all of us.
Thanks to a subsequent book by Dr. Amen, Healing A.D.D., I learned even more and gained tremendous validation about the tough relationship issues I was experiencing (along with hundreds of people in the online support group that I lead for the partners of adults with ADHD). As far as I know, he was among the first (if not the first) to detail these interpersonal challenges, including those around sexual intimacy. Moreover, Amen balanced this validating narrative with compassion and optimism about our ability to take better care of our brains and, in so doing, elevate our lives. 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
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:
Tags: Adult ADD, Jeff's, Jeff's A.D.D. Mind
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:
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.
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 »
Tags: ADHD Roller Coaster, Baltimore, CHADD Regional Conference, Gina Pera speaking, Philadelphia, Princeton, Success Strategies for Couples and ADHD
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
When my book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder
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 »
Tags: Adult ADHD and public library, books about Adult ADHD, daniel amen, Gina Pera, is it you me or adult add?, Russell Barkley, Thomas E. Brown
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