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Not to blow our own horn, but our documentary, ‘ADD & Loving It?!’ was designed to do several things. One intention was to have people with undiagnosed ADHD appreciate how it looks in adults and it might explain some of their struggles. Another was de-stygmatize ADHD for those who know they have it but are afraid of taking it on. Another was to show there’s real science here.
But a big reason that drove me to make the film in the first place was to have something to show people who didn’t believe the disorder was real, or thought it was a gift, or that it was just bad parenting, or a lazy person’s excuse, or that it’s way over diagnosed and over medicated…
That’s why I settled on the title, because it sounds like we’re going to say, “ADD is great! You’ll love it.” What people miss is the question mark in the title, “ADD & Loving It?!” As in, “Loving it? Loving my ADHD? WHAT?!! ARE YOU KIDDING?!!” The title worked so well a lot of the doctors who appeared in the film were refusing to participate until we explained the message was actually, as Patrick explains near the end, “You can’t really love your ADHD/ADD, but you can have ADHD/ADD and still have a life you love.”
The moment the film debuted on PBS we were besieged with ADHD adults who told us variations on this theme: “I haven’t seen your show yet, but my parents caught it on PBS and they called me this morning and said, ‘Honey, we get it. We’re sorry.’ After a decade of dismissal and arguing you have transformed my life and my relationship with my parents! Thank you! God bless you! When will be on the air here?!!!”
There are a number of reasons why the film ‘works’ to overcome doubt, skepticism, negativity and the pervasive mythology around ADHD. One reason it’s so powerful is that Patrick and I are comedians, and for fans of The Red Green Show, familiar & trusted faces. (If anyone you see on TV is trustworthy! Ha!)
The biggest one, I think, is Patrick’s wife Janis, and the two of them sharing snippets of their struggle. They’ve been through a lot. They shared some of it, knowing it would make a difference for others. It was an incredibly brave thing to do.
‘ADD & Loving It?!’ is a weird creation. It’s not really a documentary. It’s not really a science program. It’s not a traditional TV comedy. It’s not an expose. It’s not lurid or exploitive or deliberately misleading to try and increase the drama. Someone told me, “It’s kind of like the opposite of Jersey Shore in every way. And they are all good ways.”
Anyway, I recommend the film. And I recommend the sequel we’re just finishing, ADD & Mastering It! It’s debuting on PBS stations in August. It’s in our store, or at Amazon. http://totallyadd.com/shop/add-loving-it-documentary/
And a suggestion–get two copies. It costs extra, but I found everyone wants to see it, or lend it to a friend, or whatever. I know it costs more, but knowing how it has transformed lives and saved families, it’s a bargain.
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