Attention Magazine June 2020

Adults who struggle with ADHD can now participate in virtual support groups that provide ongoing encouragement and updated information to help them manage daily responsibilities and improve the quality of their lives—thanks to the efforts of fellow adults with ADHD.

Access to these groups is included as a benefit for members of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, an international nonprofit dedicated to helping adults with ADHD. ADDA members can attend the groups from the privacy of their own homes, regardless of where they live. No longer do adults with ADHD have to feel alone or that they lack important resources.

Since their inception several years ago, ADDA’s virtual support groups have increased exponentially. Unlike many other support groups, ADDA’s groups focus on the unique human qualities and differences found among individuals with ADHD. While the options are too numerous to list in their entirety here, the following will give you an idea of what’s available.

● Women 50 and Over
Held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, these 90-minute sessions are devoted to women with ADHD diagnosed later in life. Members share their personal experiences, explore their strengths, and draw inspiration from one another.

● Non-ADHD Partners
Dedicated to spouses and partners of those with ADHD, participants share ways to lead better lives and enjoy happier marriages. Meetings are 60 minutes in length and occur weekly.

● Money Matters for Adults with ADHD
Held the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, this group offers participants the opportunity to learn practical strategies to help them manage common ADHD-related financial challenges. Discussion topics may include budgeting and preparing taxes.

● Radical ADHD Women
Drawing upon material in the new book by Sari Solden and Michelle Frank, A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers, participants explore the essence of “total acceptance of one’s ADHD brain.” Participants do group exercises designed to “unpack the thoughts and behaviors that can keep good women down, bring us to a better understanding of our ADHD and ourselves.”

● African American/Black Diaspora and ADHD
Held the second and fourth Mondays of the month, these 90-minute groups provide African Americans and other members of the black diaspora who have ADHD a safe, nonjudgmental environment. Participants share their experiences, discover their strengths, and stay abreast with current information, including how to find culturally competent mental health services, how to overcome stigma, and how to share one’s diagnosis with family members.

● Men Becoming Our Best: For Men with ADHD
This group provides a safe, nonjudgmental forum for men with ADHD to learn from one another about the rewards and challenges of living with ADHD. Discussions include how ADHD can affect one at work, how it can affect one’s relationships, and how it can affect one’s goals and aspirations. Meetings are 60 minutes in length, and occur the first and third Sundays of the month.

Again, these groups represent only a small sample of the variety available. There are also groups for adults who are newly diagnosed with ADHD, couples impacted by ADHD, intellectually gifted persons with ADHD, individuals with ADHD seeking jobs, young adults with ADHD, and adults with ADHD in the gay community. And this is the short list! New virtual support groups are forming all the time as ADDA members share their unique needs and life experiences.

A clinical and consulting psychologist, Mark Katz, PhD, is the director of Learning Development Services, an educational, psychological, and neuropsychological center in San Diego, California. As a contributing editor to Attention magazine, he writes the Promising Practices column and serves on the editorial advisory board. He is also a former member of CHADD’s professional advisory board and a recipient of the CHADD Hall of Fame Award.

FOR MORE INFO

Visit https://add.org/adhd-support-groups for a current list of available virtual support groups.

Readers who wish to learn more are encouraged to contact Melissa Reskof, a member of the ADDA board of directors and chair of its community outreach committee, via email at Melissa.Reskof@gmail.com. She welcomes inquiries about how to participate, volunteer for an existing group, or help create a new group. In November 2020, Reskof will participate in the Innovative Programs session during the Virtual Annual International Conference on ADHD.