“I Wish I’d Known Earlier About Adult ADHD”
“I wish I’d known earlier about Adult ADHD.” That came through loudly as the recurring theme of responses to the ADHD Partner Survey question: “What do you wish you’d known earlier about ADHD?” [Note: I …
The ADHD Partner Survey is the largest, most comprehensive survey on Adult ADHD. But not solely relationship issues.
In 64 questions, I asked the partners of adults diagnosed with ADHD about everything from employment to health conditions. Their own and their ADHD partners.
Why did I survey the partners and not the adults themselves? Great question! I explain that below.
The ADHD Partner Survey queried respondents on a range of topics, including:
Each post in this section will share results. I will be sharing more results over the coming months.
To more about why and how I conducted the survey: About the ADHD Partner Survey.
Part of my journalistic training was studying statistics and research methods. I put it to good use with this survey.
For the data to have any meaning, the respondents had to be qualified and methods rigorous.
This was an immense undertaking, especially given that I started it in 2004. Load times for each occurrence of editing the online questions took forever.
Remember: Adult ADHD was barely being recognized then. ADHD-related relationship challenges? Mostly not on anyone’s radar.
The notable exceptions? Daniel Amen, MD, and Russell Barkley, PhD. I will eternally appreciate their early validation and support.
To date, the ADHD Partner Survey is the largest, most comprehensive survey on this subject. The questions went far beyond “relationship” issues. They covered a range of issues specifically affecting the ADHD partner as an individual, too.
The 111 respondents (a subset of total respondents) show the following demographics:
“I wish I’d known earlier about Adult ADHD.” That came through loudly as the recurring theme of responses to the ADHD Partner Survey question: “What do you wish you’d known earlier about ADHD?” [Note: I …
How did you learn your partner has ADHD? That was one of 64 questions in the ADHD Partner Survey. Put another way: What as your “lightbulb moment”? You’ll find the results below. How about …
What does Adult ADHD look like? In fact, it can look different in each person who has it! Maybe you’ve heard that people with ADHD are “creative” or “risk-taking” or “extroverted.” The truth is, people …
What Does Adult ADHD Look Like? It Depends On the Individual! Read More »
What traits attracted you to your ADHD partner? That was a question in my ADHD Partner Survey, the most comprehensive research to date on ADHD and relationships. We’ll look at the responses in this …
In this post, we delve into the write-in responses to this ADHD Partner Survey question: As your relationship continued, did your ADHD partner’s positive traits continue—or continue to be attractive? Predictably, the answers run the gamut. …
Did Your ADHD Partner’s Attractive Traits … Remain? Read More »
Perhaps that person you fell in love with, months or years ago, is still right there by your side. But maybe that person, while still physically present, has somehow—inexplicably, strangely, terrifyingly—disappeared! So much confusion clouds …
ADHD Partner Survey: Where’s That Person You Fell in Love With? Read More »
If your partner has ADHD, you’d surely know it, right? The signs of Adult ADHD would show themselves at the very beginning of the relationship, right? Well…..not exactly. Sometimes this is true, especially if your …
The Signs of Adult ADHD are Obvious, Right? Wrong! Read More »
To read the two-part story that accompanies this chart, click here to visit Gina’s Adult ADHD Relationships blog.
There I was, sitting on the floor poring over every study and article I could find on how Adult ADHD can affect parenting. I was preparing to present on the topic at the CADDAC conference …