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ADHD Diagnosis Journal: Meds failed back to plain me 4of4

Last of four posts covering my diagnosis journey and experience

Adult ADHD diagnosis in the UK

The UK NHS has reluctantly and slowly moved to helping ADHD adults but it's still it's far from easy

ADHD Diagnosis Journal: Lost for words on Stimulants 2of4

Second of four posts covering my diagnosis journey and experience

ADD and Loving It!? – best documentary

Insightful, honest and very funny There have been a few documentaries on ADHD produced over the years, but their format is usually worthy but depressing. The producers focus on cliché. We see naughty, hyper boys with ADHD, with a well meaning but often patronising tone. As adults with ADHD, we watch quite disconnected from the […]

ADHD Diagnosis Journal: Stuck in the airport lounge 3of4

Third of four posts covering my diagnosis journey and experience

Best blogs on ADHD

Reading other ADHD adult experiences and thoughts There are many fantastic blogs written by ADHD authors. I enjoy reading other ADHD writers, for their ADHD style and humour and to feel part of a rather weird ADHD club, though being a maverick “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept people like […]

ADHD support groups for adults – UK & USA

A short list of the main support sites in the USA and the UK

Are you ADHD?

My experienced based, non-medical diagnostic criteria for ADHD

ADHD diagnosis criteria

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders on ADHD In the USA these criteria are laid down by the American Psychiatric Association in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), 4th edition, the next revision DSM V, is due in 2012. UK psychiatrists use this along with the NICE guidelines on ADHD and […]

Moment of ADHD diagnosis

Diagnosis is a turning point I have met and spoken with many adults at the moment of ADHD diagnosis. Many of the clients I start to coach are working through the diagnosis process or have only just been diagnosed. A few years back I had a great job for a while, I ran an Adult […]

Okay maybe I’m ADHD, what’s next?

Okay so now your diagnosed ADHD, what comes next?

1. The invisible challenge of ADHD

I can’t see the problem? Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: Most ADHD adults who come to see me for coaching are profoundly affected by low self-esteem and are often without any hope of improvement. Their self-esteem has eroded from living with their challenges, from the criticism and the self-criticism that follows and […]

2. The paradox of ADHD

Consistently inconsistent? Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: So we are inconsistent and that confuses everyone? David: Well on the one hand, a kid with ADHD can be playing a sport where they kick a ball and stop a ball coming at them – say a soccer ball at 70mph – yet they can’t […]

3. Don’t focus on weakness

We need to be engaged to succeed Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: We can handle our challenges by figuring out new ADHD-friendly ways to do things and to do them our way. Basically to forget the usual way of getting stuff done. But we can also decide that we really don’t have […]

4. What are my strengths and talents?

What comes easily to you? Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: I think that it’s not easy for those of us with ADHD people to work out our strengths and talents. They may be buried under years of problems and battered self-esteem. If you ask somebody with ADHD, “what do you do well?” – the response […]

5. Paying attention to the wrong things

Focusing on the negative Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: Do we pay attention to the wrong things? As ADHD adults we seem better at paying attention to our problems, our issues and we take for granted the positives. We skip straight past successes and focus on the smallest issues. If we have a perfect […]

6. Negative thought patterns

What do you pay attention to? Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: You’re right David, after my years with depression and feeling stuck, I started to make a series of changes to my lifestyle and my outlook. I made new decisions that affected my health, wellbeing and attitude, to be more positive and […]

7. ADHD self-awareness

Making lasting change Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: When we coach an adult client usually a lot starts to change in their lives. But sadly the usual ADHD life time experience is that when attempts are made to changes behaviours, they often don’t last. Making lasting change is difficult, new routines are interrupted and […]

8. Sustaining change

Tasks become easier and procrastination is less likely, when we establish a habit, but in those early days habits are tough to set up unless we have accountability from a friend or ADHD coach

9. What we pay attention to grows

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: It’s important to wake up and start with a pleasant ease-in to the day. ADHD adults are emotional, so if the start to our day isn’t a positive one, a day can turn into a series of distractions and avoidances. […]

10. Are there hopeful ADHD stories?

Making lasting change Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: We lack positive ADHD role models in the UK compared to the US. Richard Branson is often listed but I’ve never seen the proof. We seldom if ever hear stories of ADHD people who have turned their problems around, or been successful. Perhaps it’s […]

11. Understanding your ADHD

There’s no cure, but there is a prescription for a better life Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: After the early euphoria from an adult ADHD diagnosis, it not uncommon to feel disappointment: medications don’t offer a miracle cure, the negative traits of ADHD as not simply going to go away. The reality […]

12. Can we change?

No quick fixes Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: Is there a high success rate with the people you coach, in making these changes in their attitude? David: A very high percentage. However, I have to add a note of caution. A very high percentage, if they’re willing to buy into the philosophy of […]

13. Why seek help?

Find the right help Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: In many ways society conditions us to ask for help with physical challenges but not with mental. I’m quite tall, 6’4″, and I am occasionally asked to reach for something off the top shelf in the supermarket. No one is concerned, there is no judgement […]

14. Final thoughts

Find an ADHD coach Interview with David Giwerc, President ADD Coaching Academy Andrew: So many Adults with ADHD that I speak with in the UK and Europe are only recently diagnosed. Do you have one final message for somebody who’s newly self-diagnosed or medically-diagnosed, or who maybe just figured there are ADHD from a friend or a web […]

ADHD news and discussion forums

The internet is a great place to meet and discuss ADHD When I first self-diagnosed with ADHD, reading ADHD forums and websites was a complete revelation. All these other people like me, similar problems but also a similar sense of humour, world views, habits and minds. Living with ADHD can seem lonely so finding people […]

Getting past the ADHD label

The label ADHD helps more than it hinders Once we get past the fear of a label, there is a lot of benefit in knowing and accepting our ADHD, much better than a life in denial or misunderstanding. My life would have been very different had I known about my ADHD from an early age: […]

ADHD Diagnosis Journal: Private to NHS 1of4

First of four posts covering my diagnosis journey and experience

American ADHD experts

Some website from some of the leading US experts

Objective ADHD diagnosis

One day, we will move to identifying ADHD traits not diagnosing disorder. We need objective tests to get there

ADHD self-diagnosis, YouTube style

More accurate than DSM V Funny and really quite accurate perspective of ADHD, from a highly successful, medically-diagnosed ADHD YouTuber known as NigaHiga.