Guide to adult ADHD

Feeling positive
Lori is paying more attention to her marriage as well. She used to be so disorganized that bills were lost and wouldn't get paid. “Now I leave the mail on the kitchen table so that we both see it.” A more fundamental problem was her failure to communicate with her husband. She didn't take the time to listen or have meaningful discussions, but would impulsively make biting comments. “If one partner is inattentive, that's big. Things would build up and the relationship became so fractured. We just weren't talking. Now there is more talking going on about things that are important -- and not just bills. We work on strategies together instead of playing the blame game. We spend time on us.”

Today Lori feels positive about the changes she has made since being diagnosed with ADHD. She has developed better coping skills not only through psychotherapy but also by gaining and exchanging knowledge with others through CH.A.A.D., where she has served on the executive and helped organize a resource fair. “Instead of working with a coach, my extensive involvement with CH.A.A.D. has helped me. I'm also able to work on the coaching by trying to be a coach for my son.” As a result, her quality of life and mood are greatly improved. “I have fewer days when things are spinning out of control. I have more days when I get out of bed and feel energized, when life is productive and joyful,” she says.

A sense of control
Denise Difede also feels a greater sense of control in her life since she was diagnosed and treated for ADHD. “Because I've learned about ADHD and how it can affect me, I can change what I don't like. Before I was flying by the seat of my pants. Now I make sure a project is started and completed well ahead of the deadline, rather than leaving it until the last minute. If I'm organizing an event, the details are arranged ahead of time, so there is no last-minute scrambling.” As for her home life, Denise says, “I can now make it to all my kids' appointments and activities, whereas before I would forget to write them down and miss some. Now I've got more purpose, focus and drive.”

Although Denise wishes her inattentive symptoms had been picked up and understood when she was a girl, she advises other women who suspect they have the condition that it's not too late to act. “If you think you might have ADHD and see those traits in yourself, get help. It has made all the difference for me. I am more together. I feel more confident, more in focus and more in tune with myself.”

For more information
To learn more about the assessment and treatment of ADHD in adults, visit the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance's excellent website. You can also find useful information on medications and possible side- effects in the practice guidelines section.

To find a support group or get online support, visit the Centre for ADD/ADHD Advocacy, Canada. You can also contact CH.A.D.D. Canada, a volunteer organization with chapters in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan dedicated to bettering the lives of those with or affected by ADHD. Visit the site for links to the chapter nearest you. (You may not have to be diagnosed first; a support group may be able to help you find specialists to see for diagnosis and assessment.)

ADDvance, featuring international experts Kathleen Nadeau and Dr. Patricia Quinn, has a special section to meet the needs of girls and women with ADHD.

* Name has been changed.

Page 5 of 5