Author: emmamahony

Before October draws to a close, I do love the TADD talks given by ADDA, the American Organisation – a riff on TED talks –  to celebrate ADHD awareness month. At 10 minutes long, there is something more personal about a voice talking – particularly when they are given by some of the best thinkers and writers on ADHD, such as Sari Solden, who has been counselling ADHD sufferers for 30 years and is Author of Women and ADHD (Embrace your differences and transform your life).

Here she gives a talk on un-tangling your “brain-based challenges” with your sense of self, so you don’t look at a messy desk/room/car/office and think “I’m a mess”. She urges ADHDers to think instead that my desk/room/car/office is a mess, and thereby stop internalising messages of shame. It’s quite subtle, but important.

Over to you Sari…

The theme around ADHD awareness month last October was girls with ADHD so I was pleased to add my thoughts via the success of Late to the Party about how this area is so underdiagnosed – girls vs boys diagnosis is currently 1:3. This is in spite of the condition affecting both equally.

Back copies can be bought from ADDISS the National ADHD Information and Support Service whom I raised money for with the show in Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Brighton Fringe.

A great eleven minute plug for Late to the Party the performance for the Brighton Fringe, covering horse whipping by teachers; the damned of the village; nicknames; Rory Bremner’s recent diagnosis and other random facts about ADHD.

Interview Link

https://www.brightonfringe.org/box-office/shows/view/late-party

Looking forward to putting ADHD onto the stage at The Brighton Fringe next month. 

We all know that ADHD’s impulsivity can mean the difference between doing something and not doing it. And in business, that can make a big difference when coupled with an ADHDer’s intuition. This is the finding from the latest UK study published in Science Daily this month offering business leaders a different way of looking at entrepreneurial skills. See below for the full findings…

The symptoms of ADHD foster important traits associated with entrepreneurship. That conclusion was reached in a study conducted by an international team of economists, who found that entrepreneurs with ADHD embrace new experiences and demonstrate passion and persistence. Their intuitive decision making in situations involving uncertainty was seen by the researchers as a reason for reassessing existing economic models.

Source: Harnessing ADHD for business success: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) promotes entrepreneurial skills

I love this line in this FT journo’s farewell column today. Susie Boyt neatly sums up that ‘overwhelm’ that so many of us  Adhders experience, and frames it in a positive way. On the eve of a New Year…when I can feel a city going crazy.

“A small part of me still believes that to be the person in the room with the most feelings is to be the best person. I know it’s not wise or fashionable to say so, but it is one way of having maximum life”.

Beautifully put. Happy New Year!

Sari Solden is the best champion there is for women with ADHD, she’s been a psychotherapist in the US helping women specifically with ADHD for 30 years, and has it herself. Although her first book Women with Attention Deficit Disorder was published a long time ago, 1995, her new book “Journey Through Adulthood” manages to be both instructive and intuitive as it handles the complex emotions that dealing with Adult ADHD may bring up – particularly for those diagnosed late.

She joined the podcast crew on the ADDA (Adult ADHD) website for ADHD Awareness month and gave a short 9 minute talk on how the diagnosis can be the beginning of something new and exciting, rather than the normal doom and gloom peddled around Continue reading “Sari Solden -poster girl for ADHD women” →

And a big thanks to our friends across the pond, including the irrepressible Dr Ned Hallowell for wading in with the positives of this condition – in a TADD talk here . For anyone who hasn’t heard of ADDA, the Adults with ADHD part of the volunteer-run US website, it’s been going for over 20 years, and has a lot of access to experts and professional articles. Keep up the good work ADDA, and I’ve just joined at $5 a month to put my money where my mouth is.

I thought this survey on ADHD and their partners was fascinating because of the Gappiness between what how the ADHDers thought they were doing, and how they were actually doing. It is also kind of heartbreaking how the initial attraction of spontaneity begins to grate over the years and turns into unreliable.

There is also something touching about the generosity that is afforded the ADHDers, although one can’t help feeling that it is linked closely to the fact that no partner seems to be attracted to their financial management. Continue reading “Is it you, me or ADHD? Author on relationships surveys…” →