Charting the ADHD Roller Coaster's Thrills and Spills

A quick note to let you know that yesterday Amazon reduced the price of my book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder — from $21.95 to $14.26.

That’s a 35% discount and a great deal for this comprehensive door-stopper of a guide, so who knows how long it will last. (Did you know the book recently picked up four national book awards?) Therapists and physicians might want to stock up and re-sell through their practices. If you have a large extended family, they might find this a life-changing gift!

Click in the box (right) to visit the book’s page on Amazon

While you’re there, check out the 33 five-star reviews; they make for interesting reading in themselves!

The book is also available from the publisher’s website, where the $21.95 price includes free shipping and a free PDF (electronic file) of the full contents of the book (useful when you want to print out a few pages for a loved one or a clinician). The PDF is available separately (automatic download at purchase) for $9.95.

I will be sharing more outtakes from the ADHD Partner Survey soon. This has been an incredibly busy year — one where I’ve especially enjoyed traveling the globe to speak about Adult ADHD and meet so many of you!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS POST TO ANYONE YOU THINK MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS SPECIAL PRICE FOR THE BOOK.

Thanks,
Gina

My husband walked into my office, took one look at the explosion of papers surrounding me, and asked, “What the **** happened in here?” There I was, sitting on the floor poring over every study and article I could find on how Adult ADHD affects parenting (all in preparation for presenting on the topic at the CADDAC conference on ADHD in Toronto May 30-31). With all the various angles and possibilities to cover — ADHD is no one-size-fits-all condition, after all — it felt very overwhelming.

A few days later, with the presentation finally Powerpointed, I met a 40-something mother who also felt overwhelmed — by living the topic I’d only been writing about. Definitely more challenging!. This top-of-her-class attorney had adjusted fairly well to her first child’s arrival some seven years ago. Four years later came her second daughter, the sweet-faced little spitfire whose photo she proudly shared with me from her iPhone. That’s when this stay-at-home mom’s organizing skills — tenuous, even at times humorous, since childhood — hit the skids. Read the rest of this entry »

Join me in a teleconference April 28, sponsored by CHADD of Pennsylvania. The topic is You, Me, and ADD: Success Strategies for Couples. It’s free to CHADD members and $12 for non-members. (Limit: 75 attendees; priority given to Pennsylvania residents.)

Are you living a roller coaster life around ADHD? Do you have a partner who is undiagnosed or in denial about having ADHD — or thinks you should do all the accommodating? Especially in this economy, can you or your family afford to settle for less than you deserve in the way of workable strategies? I’ll share with you some of the best advice from top experts.

Bonus: All registrants will receive a free book excerpt — detailing little talked-about ways in which undetected, unaddressed ADHD traits can challenge relationships (read the chapter’s introduction below). To learn more and register, visit CHADD of Pennsylvania’s website. Read the rest of this entry »

Of course I didn’t ask him that — especially while he was writing my traffic citation. But afterwards, as we chatted and I happened to mention Adult ADHD, he assumed I could somehow tell that he has it.

Let me explain.

Neighborhood merchants have been complaining to the police department about drivers making dangerous u-turns, and the ensuing dragnet caught me. (Who knew that turning left into a diagonal parking slot constitutes a u-turn? At any rate, I’d never pulled this move before, yet parking was tight, rain was falling, and my post-surgical gimpy foot limited the distance I could walk to the bank. But alas, that’s been my lot since grade school: never getting away with a darn thing, even on the first attempt.)

The officer was cordial and professional, and I apologized for my unwitting transgression. When he handed me a warning, my gratitude prompted me to think about offering him one of my books (a case is always in the trunk). Read the rest of this entry »

“Whoa, looks like I got a little carried away with the pitchfork,” I mutter, looking out the window to see a small fountain shooting from the soaker hose.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” says my husband with alarm in his voice, defensively peering over his impromptu shield, The New York Times.

“Relax, I just punctured the hose when I was digging out those dahlias yesterday. A piece of it was buried in the dirt, and I didn’t see it.”

“Shew!” he says, chuckling and relaxing back into the Week in Review. “I’m glad it was you who goofed up and not me.” Living for a few decades with unrecognized ADHD can make a person a bit…gunshy, always half-expecting to be reamed out for some unintentional, unforeseen consequence. Moreover, living with a domestically and logistically high-functioning mate can bring dispiriting “less-than” comparisons. Read the rest of this entry »

Initially, maybe you were attracted to your ADHD partner’s spontaneity, only to find that he or she had no choice but to be spontaneous; planning was impossible! Or, perhaps your ADHD partner’s ability to make you laugh — from that first date to your 25th anniversary — has held you together during the rough times.

In previous posts, we compared the traits that attracted ADHD Partner Survey respondents to their mates, and vice versa. Then we asked respondents if their ADHD partners’ attractive traits remained as the relationship matured. Half the partners said, “Yes, those traits stayed the same.” The other half said, “Nope.” Either way, most respondents added nuance by writing in text responses (below). (Remember: Most respondents didn’t know Adult ADHD, and their partners were not diagnosed, until years into the relationship.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Perhaps that person you fell in love with is still right there by your side. But maybe that person has somehow–inexplicably, strangely, annoyingly–disappeared!

In the last post, we compared the traits that attracted ADHD Partner Survey respondents to their mates, and vice versa. This time, let’s see if those traits continued to be present (or attractive) as the relationship matured. In a nutshell, about half the partners said, “Yes, those traits stayed the same.” As for the other half….not so much. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s visit the world of ADHD relationship stereotypes, where you’ll find this common assumption: A fun-loving person with ADHD (a passionate, creative, carefree, and spontaneous life-of-the-party type) pairs with a clock-watching, deadline-meeting, spirit-dampening, laundry-folding, i-dotting, dour, dull, and dutiful mate. Surely a match made in heaven, right? After all, opposites attract, don’t they?

Not so fast, as this chart helps to explain.

Sure, like all stereotypes, there is some truth to this mating polarity. But plenty of people with ADHD are socially phobic, dramatically unspontaneous, and overburdened by cares. Likewise, many partners of adults with ADHD can be masters of efficiency while also remaining flexible and easy-going, and displaying a great sense of humor. Read the rest of this entry »

One thing’s for sure: Living with ADHD in yourself or someone else requires an overdeveloped sense of humor!

That’s why I tracked down — all the way to a Swiss museum — excellent vintage photos of roller coaster riders so I could obtain the rights to share them with you and offer this contest. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s continue with more answers to this question in the ADHD Partner survey: “What do you wish you’d known earlier about Adult ADHD?” As you can see, the question touched a nerve with survey respondents, the partners of adults with ADHD.

• Public awareness on ADHD stinks, especially the campaigns by various groups about how awful it is to give people medication. My partner and I continually encounter people who don’t “believe” in ADHD, as if it’s the tooth fairy. They should live it. And those adults who have ADHD and don’t know it – but do a lot of “self-medicating” with tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, sex, or speeding on the freeway — should learn about it. I know that having untreated ADHD deeply affected my partner’s health. He used to get so exhausted just Read the rest of this entry »