A good way to start the new year will be to update your knowledge of ADHD.
A key strategy for managing our lives with ADHD is to educate ourselves. We can each become an ADHD expert and without too much effort we can know more about ADHD than most professionals.
I want to share three articles. Here’s the edited summary of the first but I encourage you to read the whole article from the link below (Yes, even if you have ADHD).
The next two articles will be in new posts.
Summary:
(aADHD means Adult ADHD)
Emerging evidence indicates there may be 2 subtypes of aADHD: the first arises in childhood and persists into adulthood and the other occurs only in adulthood. Individuals with aADHD have significant educational, social, and occupational impairments in addition to greater rates of morbidity and mortality. There also appears to be a genetic preponderance for aADHD with moderate heritability. Evidence indicates both neurochemical and neurofunctional impairments among individuals with aADHD involving the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems and the frontal and parietal cortices. Unfortunately, aADHD is often underdiagnosed as this condition shares many clinical characteristics with common psychiatric illnesses including mood and anxiety disorders. Stimulant medications are the treatment of choice with similar efficacy for the amphetamine and methylphenidate groups. Atomoxetine is the only non-stimulant medication approved for aADHD. CBT has the best evidence among non-pharmacological treatments and is beneficial for those individuals who decline medications or have residual symptoms despite adequate medication trials.
Dr Tampi chairman, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Akron, OH; Ms Tampi co-founder and managing principal, Behavioral Health Advisory Group, Princeton, NJ. Dr Elahi program director, Psychiatry Residency Program, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Akron, OH;
Personal Notes:
- I still doubt that adult onset ADHD (a neurodevelopmental disorder) exists, but I will follow the science and try to keep an open mind to any more evidence.
- I hope your new year will be so much better than this one.
- Your Life Can Be Better, second edition, is just published. In early 2021, I expect to publish another ADHD book , Living Well with ADHD, and my first novel, Alma Means Soul. I’m excited.
- I wonder why its a lot harder to find funny new year’s memes than Christmas ones? Makes you think.
doug
Link:
Bonus Links:
Overwhelmed Webinar – Bonnie Mincu
New Strategy – Melissa Melov – not just for marriage
#ADHD, @addstrategies, @adhdstrategies, @dougmkpdp
ADDadultstrategies 
Thanks for sharing, Doug! I’ll have to look into those. I’m with you: I’m also skeptical about adult onset ADHD. From my personal experience: once I was registered in an aADHD forum and a bunch of us decided to meet. Almost all of us had been diagnosed with adult aADHD and those of us who had been diagnosed as adults had gotten hit hard by college. Quite a few of us had dropped out (myself included), and we all had something in common: in high-school, we were each envied in our own class for being an ultimate slacker who just paid attention in class and then hardly studied or did homework but still got away with Bs and B+s. We were restless children, but nobody thought anything was wrong because we did great in school. Let’s face it: people only decide to take their kids to the doctor when they start doing poorly in school.
My personal theory: we were all eager to learn and we hyperfocused on classes we loved. I personally hated History classed and stuggled with Ds and even an F at times. Studying for those (which for me was just reading the textbook once or twice before a test) was impossible. And because of our unique school system, from 10th to 12th grade, all my classes were science (by choice) and I did very well with that. College is too scattered, too broad. You need to be organized and you need self-discipline. Things that we all lacked in our special aADHD group and only eventually got hammered on in our professional life, until even that wasn’t helping and a doctor picked it up. But this is, I guess, anectodal evidence. Being personal doesn’t help with my being skeptical, though 😉
Wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year! 🙂
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ram-
skeptical is good. i hope i keep clear also as to what is just my opinion vs well supported facts. it is a challenge.and while I’m critical of those who reject science, it’s going to take a lot of evidence to convince me of adult onset ADHD.
thank you as always for contributing comments
and a very happy new year to you
doug
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