Three Things I Know to Be True About ADHD in Adults
I didn’t know it, but I grew up struggling with symptoms of ADHD. I regularly heard feedback like “If you tried harder, you would do better” or some variation of that. But I didn’t know how to try harder. I didn’t know why I wasn’t giving my best or why my brain seemed “asleep” until…
Read MoreComics That Educate and Validate
Dani Donovan proves that sometimes the best way to educate others about a disability, disorder, or difference is through humor and simplicity. Her comics aim to validate the suffering experienced by people affected by ADHD, who often feel misunderstood and isolated. Donovan’s visuals illustrate her personal journey and struggle by showing others what the world…
Read MoreStaying True to Who I Am
At the end of the summer of 2018, I was faced with a unique situation. I didn’t expect to find myself in such a position. Things were not working out with the company where I worked, and a change needed to happen immediately. For months, I had been expressing my dissatisfaction to my good friend…
Read MoreMy First ADHD Conference Changed My Life
WHEN I WAS 45 I felt like my life was falling apart. In truth, my life was not falling apart, but emotionally I was felt like it was. Our son was finishing second grade, and we were coming up on the glorious unstructured summer months. Now, it wasn’t going to be completely unstructured, because our…
Read MoreMy Journey to Okay
“It’s a disease.” “It’s your choice.” “You’re different.” “You’re weird.” “You always lose things.” “Why can’t you remember that? I told you twelve times.” “Why is that so hard for you? It’s so simple, though.” “You’re not like everyone else.” To say I have heard it all may be an understatement. Growing up “different” at…
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 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 MoreMy Child Survived an Overdose
A YEAR AGO, MY YOUNG ADULT DAUGHTER, after nine years of sobriety, overdosed on heroin in our home. Because she survived, we are more fortunate than many families. My purpose here isn’t to relive her overdose or frighten readers unnecessarily. If you know someone affected by the disease of addiction, my experience may give insight…
Read MoreSummer Camps: Like Horses for Courses
We often hear the phrase “one size fits all.” However, this is not always the case–especially when picking just the right summer camp to meet the needs (and interests) of your child. My English grandfather, an enthusiastic racehorse owner, used to say that some horses preferred the hard, dry race tracks of the chalk uplands…
Read MoreInattentive Women with ADHD
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A WOMAN with the inattentive presentation of ADHD? First of all, it’s likely that you were not diagnosed when you were a girl, because girls are diagnosed only when a parent or teacher suspects ADHD and refers them for assessment. And girls can be quite chameleon-like, especially at school—working hard to…
Read MoreLiving with Inattentive ADHD
I HAVE INATTENTIVE ADHD, and in many ways, I’m a good example of doing well with it. I started college while still in high school, graduated with honors in three years, and got my master’s degree by age twenty-one. After a variety of jobs, I found my calling: teaching. It invited me to be creative,…
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