Midlife Women With ADHD - Exposing the Three Great Myths About Attention Deficit Disorder

Adult women with ADHD: The Three Unspoken Mythseven years.
About Attention Deficit Disorder over 40Women with ADD are as tenacious as bulldogs. They
It happens every week: I receive emails from midliferarely give up: except on themselves. After a lifetime
women who are surprised to find out they haveof failed attempts and false starts, it's easy for them
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD orto be discouraged by slow progress of ADD
ADD). These women are determined to fix their ADDtreatment.
so they can get on with the rest of their lives. AndBottom line: Expect treatment effectiveness to dip and
they want solutions. Now.climb like a roller coaster. Trying new medications,
I tell them as gently as possible that there are no quicknutrition, exercise, supplements and other treatments
fixes when dealing with ADD, especially when womenwill yield some home runs as well as some foul balls.
are diagnosed over age 40. Television ads forResults can be spectacular, but they require time and
prescription medication, Internet enticements fora bit of patience.
homeopathic remedies and thousands of organizingMyth #3: You can "fix" ADD all by yourself
tips sidestep three assumptions women make aboutMany ADD women live in self-imposed isolation. They
their ADD, myths than can stop their progress cold.don't want anyone to see their messy houses or find
Myth #1: ADD is temporaryout they never get to work on time. That isolation
Respected medical research shows that Attentionperpetuates negative self talk: that they aren't good
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a life-long condition withenough or that other people don't want them as
a genetic link -- it tends to run in families. That meansfriends or partners.
adult onset ADD is impossible. Women diagnosed asWhen women realize that their ADD doesn't vanish
adults certainly had ADD as children, but theywith a round of medication or more willpower (refer to
managed to cope with their ADD-ish symptoms:Myth #2), they sometimes retreat to the safety of
sometimes successfully, sometimes not.solitude again. But ADD women need the support of
Usually there is a breaking point at which ADD showsother women who truly understand the personal
up, changing jobs, for instance, divorce or evenimpact of ADD. They need to know they aren't the
menopause. The coping mechanisms that worked soonly ones who re-wash the laundry (twice!) because
well in the past are overwhelmed, opening the door tothey forgot to transfer it to the dryer. Or who talk too
a belated ADD diagnosis.much and pay attention too little.
Bottom line: Women dealing successfully with theirBottom Line: An adult ADD support group, especially
ADD can create new routines, improve their lifeone designed for women, can ease the transition from
strategies, take appropriate medications, but still haveADD to ADDiva Enlisting the help of an ADD coach, a
ADD-ish tendencies. ADD never goes away. But ADDprofessional organizer and/or a psychiatrist or
is not a life sentence; it's a life style.psychotherapist who specializes in adult women's
Myth # 2: ADD treatment is a smooth, steady processADD can also be crucial to the process of integrating
By its very nature, Attention Deficit HyperactivityADD successfully.
Disorder is erratic; attention flits from one subject toSmashing these three myths about women's ADD
the next. Easily bored, ADD adults require frequentmeans faster, more effective treatment, which can
changes of scenery or topic. So it is with ADDlead to a calmer, more focused life. Women who
treatment. Finding the right combination of medications,embrace their ADD as a life partner are women who
behavior changes and structure can take months oropen the door to living their own deepest dreams.