ADHD & Recreational Marijuana: What’s the Attraction?
THE PERCEPTION THAT MARIJUANA IS THERAPEUTIC FOR ADHD continues to increase in popularity. Anecdotes from people with ADHD who feel that recreational cannabis use provides therapeutic benefits are common. There is little clinical research to support these claims, however. Despite an absence of research, there is much chatter online. A relatively recent study looked…
Read MoreADHD and My Drug Addiction: Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Into the Light
One September day when I was 29, I stopped as I often did at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City to hold my dying mother’s hand as she fought her final battle with ovarian cancer. And as I always did, I soon grew antsy and impatient, and said to her, “I’m sorry I can’t…
Read MoreBeyond Fight, Flight, or Freeze—the Fib
When did you first tell a lie? You were likely very young (maybe two or three years old), afraid or ashamed of a situation, and used language to protect yourself. What if some fibbing is not a character flaw? What if fibs are a self-preservation response, an outcome of challenges with inhibition, emotional regulation, working…
Read MoreRaising Neurodiverse Fans
Let me offer a fast and unnuanced definition of “fan.” A fan loves a piece of media, or a character from a piece of media. Popular fandoms include My Little Pony, Star Wars, RuPaul’s Drag Race, anime and manga of all kinds, both the DC and Marvel comics universes (and the associated superheroes), and Harry…
Read MoreFlipping the Script on ADHD: Find Your Strength in the Workplace and Dispel the Myths Along Your Path
If you have ADHD, you’ve probably been told to look for a job that will accommodate your ADHD weaknesses. Over and over, people tell you to become a firefighter, a hairdresser, or join the military. “You’ll do great because these jobs will let you move around a lot. You won’t have to sit still! They’re…
Read MoreWhy Can’t I Do This? How Emotional Intelligence and Self-Regulation Pay Off for Adults with ADHD
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME you experienced a set of emotions so intense that they overtook your mind, resulting in a lack of normal functioning? Perhaps you blanked in a job interview, shut down during an exam, or spent days wiped out after the emotional explosion with your kids or your spouse. Perhaps it’s been…
Read MoreThe Purpose Challenge
Kendall Cotton Bronk, an associate professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University, is on a mission: to help young people discover their purpose in life. Doing so, she says, carries with it a number of potential benefits, among them, healthier and happier futures. Dr. Bronk actually has the research to prove it. And she’s recently…
Read MoreStudying on Fear and Caffeine
My resume coming out of high school was less than stellar: two suspensions for fighting, dozens of unsatisfactory citizenship marks, poor grades in any subject unrelated to those I liked (math and science), and a reputation as a troublemaker. I know what you’re thinking—my resume doesn’t look that different from the rest of the members…
Read MoreWhat to Know Before You Head Off to College
Students heading off to college for the first time confront a plethora of new and challenging experiences, but those with ADHD and similar issues may find those experiences completely overwhelming. Coaching college students has allowed me to understand the problems they are up against. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest challenges and…
Read MoreLeaving Home, ADHD-Style
One particularly hot summer day during my Texas youth, I was cutting mesquite trees for a local rancher. As I worked my way from the cattle pens outward, I soon found myself a mile or so from the ranch house. I should mention that I have ADHD and often forget little things that can become big problems,…
Read MoreYoung Drivers with ADHD
Our update for this issue focuses on two related questions: How impaired are young drivers with ADHD and how can their driving be improved? More impaired than their peers? The goals of the first study were to assess differences in driving behavior between young adults with and without ADHD, as well as examine how behaviors…
Read MoreHow Do Prenatal Factors Impact ADHD?
This research update focuses on one overarching question: How do prenatal factors impact ADHD? The first study we discuss examined the impact of birthweight on ADHD in a meta-analysis. The second study examined the impact of maternal stress and psychosocial adversity on ADHD in a prospective cohort study. Birth weight and ADHD The first study…
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