Adult ADHD
| Rick
| TotallyADD Blog
| Work & School
By totallyaddauthorWe’re each weird in our own way. ADHD or not, we all have our personal buffet of challenges & strengths. What work suits an ADHD adult?
Adult ADHD
| Rick
| TotallyADD Blog
By totallyaddauthorIs it possible to ‘cure’ ADHD? To answer that we need to time travel…
Our documentary, ADD & Loving It?! is a surprise hit on PBS. The network is delighted. I am stunned and sent reeling. (I’ve yet to recover. I wake up reeling. And I love it!)
ADD & Loving It?! tells the story of comedian Patrick McKenna and his wife Janis, dealing with his mid-life diagnosis of ADHD. It was hailed by the critics as, “Unique, different, and ground-breaking.” And these are real TV critics, not my family members using made-up Facebook profiles.
Within days of the first broadcast we are flooded with messages of gratitude, relief…and calls for help…
Adult ADHD
| Rick
| TotallyADD Blog
By totallyaddauthorLike many adults diagnosed many years ago, I learned about the disorder by reading books… Okay, skimming books.
I have to tell you, there was far less information, but I was overwhelmed by what there was. And because the research is ongoing, today there’s even more to learn. In fact, there’s always more for me to learn… And some things I’ve had to unlearn because of new research and discoveries. Today it’s almost impossible not to feel overwhelmed by Blogs, Podcasts, E-Books, videos, and more.
Where to start?…
Adult ADHD
| Rick
| TotallyADD Blog
By totallyaddauthorA few months ago I blogged about those dark moments, when things would overwhelm me, and I wished I’d never been diagnosed. “It would have been better to just carry on like I was.”
That despair engulfed me when my best efforts, latest strategy, or brilliant new tool, would fail. One step forward, 37 steps back. (Warning: Steps may be exaggerated for dramatic effect.)…
Rick
By totallyaddauthorNow and then, when I’m driving, I turn on the news station, to get the traffic report. One station does traffic updates ‘every ten minutes on the ‘1’s and the other does them ‘on the ‘9’s… as in 09, 19, 29, 39, 49, and 59 minutes into each hour.
I often miss the traffic because I turn on the radio at the last possible moment. Why? Because I no longer listen to the news. Why? Because it upsets me.
Not the news itself. I’ve lived through the 60’s and 70’s. Not to mention the 80’s, and 90’s…
Adult ADHD
| Emotional Journey
By totallyaddauthorDon’t you love when someone explains a complicated idea in a way that makes it instantly clear? That sudden, “Aha! I get it.” It instantly makes sense.
This morning a friend of ours had to escort her mom to see a new therapist. Mom is struggling with anxiety. And she was upset. Our friend was confused, “I would have thought she’d be happy and excited. New hope.” But my wife, Ava, pointed out, “When someone is struggling with anxiety, any kind of change is stressful. Uncertainty feeds the anxiety.”
The friend got it, instantly, “Ah… Of course.”…
Adult ADHD
| Rick
| TotallyADD Blog
By totallyaddauthorEveryone who has been diagnosed with ADHD has their own version of this horror story.
You’re struggling in life. You finally get diagnosed. You’ve started making changes, trying some ADHD-friendly tools, finally understanding why some tasks are so hard, and others are a breeze.
Adult ADHD
| Rick
| TotallyADD Blog
By totallyaddauthorHave you ever heard the term ‘Reward Deficiency Syndrome’? From what I understand, it came out of research by Dr. Kenneth Blum and others. They were searching for a specific genetic glitch that might increase the risk of alcoholism.
They understood that something as complex as an addiction can not be caused by any single gene, but the one gene being studied did seem to increase the risk…
Adult ADHD
By totallyaddauthorAn eventful week! And it’s not over.
On Tuesday I went to Queens Park, the seat of government for the province of Ontario, where I had lunch with the Speaker, the Hon. Dave Levac. Mark Tishman, from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care joined us as well. Very moving conversation.
For me, it renewed the hope that we can keep doing what we are doing at TotallyADD.com. Because at the moment the future is by no means guaranteed. Many ADHD organizations are struggling. Some have had to close down. This week we were sad to hear that ADD Resources in Seattle is no more.
Adult ADHD
| Rick
| TotallyADD Blog
By totallyaddauthorThe web, and our Forums, are full of speculation about ADHD/ADD being caused by diet, bacteria, family stress, lack of a vitamin, or severe lack of good old-fashioned spankings.
(Cue old man muttering, ‘In my day we didn’t have all these fancy…’)
The problem with these theories…