Fotolia_2299933_M CROP

is it you me or adult add?

You are currently browsing articles tagged is it you me or adult add?.

Happy Valentine’s Day — with ADDed Love

February 12, 2010 in ADHD and Relationships, ADHD in the News, Questions about Adult ADHD, The Basics, View from the Roller Coaster | 7 comments

umbrellawedI 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Q: In the title of your book, you used the outdated term “ADD.”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 »

Share|

Tags: , , , ,

Driving to Destruction: The Distractions Pile Up

July 30, 2009 in ADHD and Driving, The Basics | 2 comments

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!”)

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 »

Share|

Tags: , , , , , ,

Adult ADHD at Your Local Library?

June 26, 2009 in Finding Support, The Basics | 3 comments

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 »

Share|

Tags: , , , , , ,

“You, Me, A.D.D.” Wins Four Book Awards!

June 7, 2009 in ADHD in the News, Gina Out and About | 26 comments

book cover

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 »

Share|

Tags: , , , ,

You, Me, ADD Amazon Bestseller – Thank You!

January 14, 2009 in The Basics | 5 comments

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 »

Share|

Tags:

Sacramento Bee Article on ADHD and Relationships

September 14, 2008 in ADHD in the News | No comments

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.)

Share|

Tags: , , , , , ,