Every Picture Tells A Story, Don’t It?
I thought this would be an interesting collection of images to help stimulate thought and conversation. Enjoy! Note: Click on any of the images for an enlarged version. Print PDF
PDF The Problem of Adult ADHD and Friendship – ADHD and Loneliness, Part V
This is from “ADHD: Everyone Needs Friends, Especially Adults with ADHD by Attention Talk Radio” “Everyone needs a friend, even those with ADHD and especially adults with ADHD. In this episode of Attention Talk Radio, hosts Jeff Copper and Kirsten Milliken interview returning guest Dr. Ari Tuckman about the need for friends, what makes a [...]
Advice for the Adult (and not so adult) ADHDer
We’ve all grown up with stories like the tooth fairy who exchanges teeth for money, or a Santa Claus who brings gifts for the children, or the miraculous healing power of mommy’s kiss for your scraped knee. (Editor’s Note: In homophobic cultures, “tooth fairies” may be known as “tooth deliverymen.” In non-Christian cultures, “Santa Claus” [...]
ADHD & Loneliness, Part IV
The illustration was created by Andrés Rábago and was posted in the Facebook group for Cultura Inquieta. Click here to see the other posts on the topic of loneliness. Note: I have decided not to unpack what, I believe, are the multiple layers of meaning in this illustration. I don’t want to influence your interpretation [...]
ADHD & Loneliness, Part III
ADHDers have the wrong expectations of non-ADHDers. We think they are like us. Foolishly we reveal something of our inner lives — show our vulnerability — and we assume that as a gesture of good faith they will do the same. So we peel back our skin, exposing muscles, organs and nerves. See, this is what [...]
From the Archives: It Does Improve…Really…It Does
As I write this I’m surrounded by one of the “markers” of A.D.D. – those ever growing “piles.” My desktop is covered with piles of paper and there’s also a pile on the floor. The dining room table has a pile though it’s not as high as the one on the floor. Still, after three [...]
Do I Know You?
There are two photographs that sit on my desk. In one I am next to my wife who, at the time, was pregnant with our first daughter. In the other I am sitting next to her and she is holding our newborn first daughter. I stare at those photos and see the Jeff-of-then. I can [...]
Negativism vs Pessimism
It is a common mistake to conflate “being negative” with “being pessimistic.” To me, being negative means being realistic, it means being faithful to the lived experience, it means acknowledging what should be obvious to all. If “being negative” becomes the sole purpose of one’s life, now you are moving into the realm of pessimism. [...]
Renaming ADHD: Sonofabi#!@F*%K@%SHOLE Disorder
Glen Hogard, an ADHD coach, posted the following on FaceBook: [...] I do know I support Chuck Parker’s (and Barkley’s) new suggestion for a name for ADHD. EFD or “Executive Function Disorder”. Sure, I’d prefer difference, but if we want those accomodations [sic] we’d better stick with disorder; which it is in the hostile linear [...]
Adult ADHD and Loneliness, Part II
Based on the comments and emails I’ve received in response to the post on ADHD and loneliness (see: ADHD and Loneliness), I feel it’s necessary to clarify and amplify a few points. My observations were based on discussions I’ve had with other ADHDers, which means it’s a very small sample size and not at all [...]
Adult ADHD and Loneliness
Simple Observation: Adult ADHDers usually have no friends. I have not done any study on this phenomenon nor have I consulted the Google Oracle for wisdom. I base this observation purely on anecdotes, on conversations I’ve had with numerous adult ADHDers who have told me that for most of their life they had no friends. [...]
The Story We Tell Ourselves
…we can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness. – Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow Everyone has a story to help them understand themselves and their relationship to the world. It is their personal explanation of who they are and why they do the things they do. It [...]
Marko Ferek and the Holy Trinity of Self-Delusion
For years I assumed that everyone could see the things that I could see. Wasn’t it obvious that our lives are shaped by hundreds of years of history? Wasn’t it obvious that luck is an essential part of success? Wasn’t it obvious that the education system has less to do with “educating” and more to [...]
A Story About Adult ADHD
The Everyday Health website has a post about an ADHDer who managed to control his symptoms. It was a challenge but he did succeed. I hope you find the post to be of interest. After years of ADHD symptoms and struggles — dating back to elementary school — Jeff Siegel was diagnosed with ADHD at [...]
I Think Therefore I Yam
I was puzzled by a recent post in PsychCentral. I read it and reread it. I waited a few days to see what comments people would write. I looked at some of the other posts referenced by the author. Finally, I arrived at the same conclusion I had when I first read the post — this [...]
