Table of Contents
How to Read This Book xiii
What Makes This Book Different? xiv
Introduction: A Million Things to Make Your Life Better xv
Section I Understanding ADHD In Adults 1
Chapter 1 Executive Functions: It All Flows From Here 5
Executive Functioning: Who's Calling the Shots Around Here, Anyway? 7
Response Inhibition: It Starts with Stopping 8
Working Memory: The Brain's RAM 9
Sense of Time: It Can't Be 5:00 Already! 11
Remembering to Remember: It's All About Timing 12
Emotional Self-Control: Having Feelings Without Acting on Them 13
Self-Activation: Getting That Heavy Ball Rolling 14
Persistence of Effort: The Little Engine That Sometimes Could 16
Hindsight and Forethought: Using the Past and Future to Guide the Present 17
Chapter 2 Diagnosing ADHD: Accurate Diagnosis Guides Effective Treatment 21
ADHD Is Real 24
Effective Treatment Starts with Accurate Diagnosis 24
A Century of ADHD: We're Finally Getting It Right 25
Say Good-bye to ADD (and Hello to ADHD) 27
What's in a Name: Attention-Deficit or Deficit in Attention Regulation? 28
Official Diagnostic Criteria: You Should Recognize These 29
Unofficial but Common Symptoms: You'll Probably Recognize These 30
How Distracted Is Distracted Enough? 32
New Diagnostic Criteria Are Coming (Finally) 33
Including Other Sources of Information 34
Assessment Instruments: Not Necessarily the Best Tool for This Job 37
Brain Scans: Not Enough Science, Too Much Fiction 40
Getting Diagnosed: How Do You Know It's ADHD? 41
Comorbid Conditions: Other Conditions Often Come Along for the Ride 43
Missed Diagnoses: Why Did ItTake Me So Long to Be Correctly Diagnosed? 48
The Good News and Bad News of Greater Public Awareness 52
ADHD Changes with Age: Less Hyper, More Distracted 55
Is ADHD the Same in Men and Women? (Short Answer: Yes) 56
The Relief of Being Diagnosed: Wow, That Explains a Lot! 57
Chapter 3 The ADHD Brain: Wired A Little Differently 58
The Many Facets of Attention 60
What Causes ADHD? More Nature Than Nurture 60
Things That Don't Cause ADHD (But Some People Still Think They Do) 61
Neurology of ADHD 63
Promoting Brain Health 64
Chapter 4 ADHD Affects Everything: No Wonder My Life Was So Hard! 65
Risk Factors, Protective Factors 68
Consistently Inconsistent: I Can Do Anything Once! 69
Knowing Is Easy; Doing Is Hard 70
ADHD and the Evolving Personality 71
Living Without a Diagnosis: Living the Hard Way 73
ADHD at School: Sometimes Intelligence Isn't Enough 74
ADHD at Work: More Options Than in School 77
Daily Life Functioning: Doing Everyday Stuff Every Day 79
Money Management: Where Does All My Money Go? 81
Social Skills and Friendships 83
Romantic Relationships: Where's Cupid Now? 85
Parenting: Hard Enough Under the Best of Circumstances 87
Self-Image and Sense of Effectiveness: A Little Bit Dented 90
Unhelpful Coping Strategies: Common Habits and Defense Mechanisms 91
Substance Use and Addiction: When the Solution Becomes a Problem 101
Driving: No Big Deal, Until It Is 102
Crime and Punishment: ADHD and the Legal System 103
Section II Start With Effective Treatment 105
Chapter 5 Medication: Improve Your Batting Average 109
Make an Informed Choice: The Facts Behind the Medication Controversy 112
The Most Popular Stimulant (Coffee, Anyone?) 113
To Take Medication or Not to Take Medication: It Depends 113
Is Taking Medication Like Wimping Out? The Diabetes Analogy 116
Potential Medication Benefits: What Does It Do? 117
Realistic Expectations for Medication: Somewhere Between Placebo and Miracle 119
Stimulants and Nonstimulants: You Have Two Options 120
Stimulant Medications: Some of the Basics 120
Commonly Used Stimulants 121
How Stimulants Work: Mostly Dopamine, A Little Norepinephrine 124
How Much Should I Take? Finding the Right Dose 124
Some People Take More Medication in the Afternoon 126
Some People Shouldn't Take a Stimulant 127
Intentional Abuse of Stimulants: An Unfortunate Reality 129
Medicating Substance Abusers: Balancing the Risks 130
Managing Stimulant Side Effects: General Principles 131
Managing Stimulant Side Effects: Specific Side Effects 132
Nonstimulant Medications: Sometimes a Good Choice 136
Black-Box Warnings: Scary but Rare 138
Using More Than One Medication Simultaneously 138
Strategies for Remembering to Take Your Medication 139
Can My Family Doctor Write My Prescriptions? 139
Medication Monitoring Form 141
Chapter 6 Nonmedical Treatment Providers: Pills Don't Teach Skills 143
You Need an Expert: A Little Knowledge Isn't Enough 145
Talk It Out: Therapy Can Offer Clarity and Peace 146
Why Was Past Therapy Not Helpful Enough? (And Why You Can Expect Better This Time) 148
Get the Most Out of Therapy 150
Goal Setting in Therapy 154
ADHD Coaching: More Than Obvious Advice 155
What's the Difference Between Coaching and Therapy? 157
Coach and Therapist: One Person or Two? 160
Coaching Certification: Is This Coach Any Good? 162
Changes on the Outside Create Changes on the Inside 165
How Coaching Helps: A General Coaching Theory 166
Goal Setting in Coaching 167
Create Structure and Schedules: More Guideline Than Jail 170
Professional Organizers: More That Mountain 170
Don't Underestimate the Power of a Support Group 172
Group Therapy: Learn with and from Others 173
Chapter 7 Nontraditional Treatments: Miracles or Snake Oil? 175
Nontraditional Treatments: Separate the Wheat from the Chaff 176
Natural = Safe (Except for Radon, Lead, Arsenic...) 179
Diet, Nutrition, and Supplements: Try to Eat Well 180
Does Neurofeedback Work? Maybe 181
Computer-Based Training Programs: Most Won't Upgrade Your Brain 182
Mindfulness Meditation: We Could All Do with Being Calmer 183
Other Nontraditional Treatments: Don't Hold Out Hope 184
Section III Build The Necessary Skills 185
Chapter 8 Self-Esteem And Effectiveness: I Can Do This! 191
I'm Only Getting Treatment to Shut You People Up 194
The Four Stages of Adjustment to a New Diagnosis 195
Fully Accepting the Diagnosis 197
Personal Responsibility: You Can't Control What You Don't Accept 199
Rewrite History: Understand Your Past (and Yourself) in a Different Way 200
Is ADHD an Excuse or an Explanation? 201
ADHD Is Bigger Than Good Intentions 202
Calling All Frauds, Fakes, and Actors 204
Is the Problem ADHD or Motivation? 205
Just Do It 206
Do It Anyway: Avoid Avoidance 207
Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life 208
Overcome Unhelpful Coping Strategies, Bad Habits, and Defense Mechanisms 209
Failures Lead to Successes (and Better Self-Esteem) 217
Can I Trust Myself? 219
Take Charge of Your Life 220
Is ADHD a Gift? 222
Build Healthy Self-Esteem 224
Adversity Makes You Stronger (Hopefully) 226
Is Life a Journey or a Destination? 227
Roll Back Anxiety and Depression 228
Manage Excessive Substance Use and Other Addictive Behavior 229
Anger Management: Lengthen That Fuse 231
Perfectionism: Almost Always Overrated 233
ADHD, Eating Disorders, and Weight Management 234
Chapter 9 Memory Management: What Was That Again? 237
The Fundamentals of Memory: In and Out 237
Make Your Working Memory Work for You 239
Learn New Things More Effectively 240
Remember What You Were Told 241
Remember to Remember: Prospective Memory 243
Chapter 10 Time Management: What Should I Be Doing Now? 247
Time Management for the Time-Blind 248
The Complexity of Lateness 249
How to Be Productive, Not Just Busy 251
Use Time More Efficiently 252
Focus In: Fight Distractibility 253
Resist Impulsive Time Wasters 255
Get Going: Beat Procrastination and Avoidance 256
Break the Lock: Dissolve Hyperfocus 257
Get Places on Time: It Can Actually Happen! 258
Make Your Deadlines (and Impress Your Friends) 259
Escape the Web: Manage Your Online Time 261
Chapter 11 Get Organized, Stay Organized: Wrestle The Avalanche 263
Why Is It So Hard to Get (and Stay) Organized? 264
Less Is More (Organized): Get Rid of Your Extra Stuff 267
Get Organized Enough: Better Than Chaos, Less Than Perfect 268
The Right Things at the Right Times 270
Chapter 12 Using Tools And Technology To Stay On Top Of Your Life: Gizmos 273
Tools and Technology: General Concepts 274
Sometimes a Simple Calendar Is Enough 275
How to Use Your Planner Well 275
Planners: Paper or Plastic? 277
Use Your To-Do List Effectively: #1. Make a To-Do List 278
It's About Time: Use Clocks and Alarms to Stay on Track 281
Digital Voice Recorders: Catch Thoughts on the Fly 282
Chapter 13 Achieve Your Goals: Take The Long View 285
The Chain of Success: Awareness + Skills + Desire = Success 285
Reach Your Short-Term Goals 287
Reach Your Long-Term Goals 288
Survive Repetitive Tasks, Repetitive Tasks, Repetitive Tasks 289
Calm Your Hyperactivity 290
Section IV Improve Specific Areas Of Your Life 293
Chapter 14 Household Management: Stay On Top Of The Boring Stuff At Home 297
Create a Lifestyle You Can Live With 298
Actually Get a Good Night's Sleep 300
Manage the Mail and Get the Bills Out on Time 301
Family Meetings: What's Happening This Week? 302
The Family Calendar: Let's Keep It All in One Place 304
Whiteboards: Low-Tech Reminders 305
Stay in the Budget: We Have a Budget? 305
Stop the Flood: Conquer Information Overload 307
Chapter 15 Relationships And Friendships: Strive For Balance 309
True Intimacy Means Hearing the Bad News, Too 311
No Man Is an Island: How to Get Help When You Need It 312
Overcome Denial: Help Someone Else to Recognize His ADHD 313
We See Others Through Our Own Lens 315
Expectation Management: Promise Only What You Can Deliver 316
The Value of a Good Apology 318
To Tell or Not to Tell? 319
Relationship Patterns to Avoid: You Can Do Better 323
Restore Balance in the Relationship 324
Fun Stuff in the Bedroom: Improve Your Sex Life 329
Work It Out With Some Help: Couples Therapy 330
Social Skills Training: Helpful or Obvious? 334
Parenting: Stay Sane While Wrangling the Offspring 336
Chapter 16 College And Beyond: Teach An Old Dog New Tricks 341
Is College Right for You? 342
Some Students Do Better in College After Taking Time Off 343
A Smoother Transition into College 346
Part-Time or Full-Time Student? 348
Strategies for College Success 349
Older Students: You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks 350
Read More Effectively 352
Use Available Support Services (Preferably Before Finals) 353
Chapter 17 Work: Hopefully More Than Just A Paycheck 355
Find a Job and Career That You Can Enjoy 356
Career Counselors Can Help You Find the Right Job 357
Informal Accommodations Often Work Best 358
Formal Accommodations Through the Americans with Disabilities Act 361
Sometimes It's Better to Just Find a New Job 364
Should You Work for Yourself? 365
Epilogue: The Suffering of ADHD 367
Appendix: Resources 368
Nonprofit Organizations 368
Websites 368
Professional Directories to Find Qualified Clinicians 369
Publications 370
Teleclasses and Webinars 371
References 371
Index 373
