Women with Attention Deficit Disorder : Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your Life

by Sari Solden, MS, LMFTIntroduction by Kate Kelly and Peggy RamundoForeword

• ISBN13: 9781887424974
• ISBN10: 1887424970
• Edition: 10th
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2005-11-29
• Publisher: Underwood Books

Summary

Every year, millions of withdrawn little girls and chronically overwhelmed women go undiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder because they don't fit the stereotypical profile: they’re not fast-talking, hyperactive, or inattentive, and they are not male. Sari Solden’s groundbreaking study reveals that ADD affects just as many women as men, and that the resulting depression, disorganization, anxiety, and underachievement are also symptoms of ADD. Newly revised and updated to reflect the latest clinical research, the book explores treatment and counseling options, and uses real-life case histories to examine the special challenges women with ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) face, such as the shame of not fulfilling societal expectations. Included is a brand new chapter on friendship for women with ADHD. Three empowering steps — restructuring one's life, renegotiating relationships, and redefining self-image — help women take control of their lives and enjoy success on their own terms.

Table of Contents

A Note to the Reader	vi
Foreword to the New Edition by Edward Hallowell, M.D.	xi
Original Foreword by John Ratey, M.D.	xiii
Introduction to the New Edition by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo	xvii
Original Introduction by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo	xx
INTRODUCTORY SECTION
Author's Preface	xxiv
Author's Introduction to Revised Edition	xxix
A Pocket Guide	xxxiii
Essay: The Buried Treasure	xlii
PART I: SURVIVING
CHAPTER 1: Coming Out of the (Messy) Closet	1	(7)
Introduction to My Personal and Professional Story
CHAPTER 2: An Equal Opportunity Disorder	8	(9)
Girls and AD/HD
CHAPTER 3: "Dance with the Lady with the Hole in Her Stocking"	17	(14)
A Portrait of Women's Lives before Diagnosis
CHAPTER 4: "Who Am I?" and "What's the Matter with Me?"	31	(9)
The Impact on a Woman's Developing Self-Image
CHAPTER 5: The Disorder of Dis-order	40	(15)
Understanding Disorganization
PART II: HIDING
CHAPTER 6: The Job from Hell	55	(10)
A Woman's Job Description
CHAPTER 7: The Emotional Legacy	65	(13)
Shame and Guilt
CHAPTER 8: Secondary Effects	78	(13)
Underachievement and a Depressed Mood
CHAPTER 9: A Third Secondary Effect	91	(9)
Relationships and Self Protection
CHAPTER 10: Are You Friendship Challenged?	100	(19)
Getting Back on the Road to Relationships
PART III: EMERGING
CHAPTER 11: Finding Your Way	119	(16)
Self-Assessment and Paths to Diagnosis
CHAPTER 12: Cases of Mistaken Identity	135	(18)
Diagnostic Difficulties for Women
CHAPTER 13: Solden's "MESST" Model of Treatment	153	(9)
Medication, Education, Strategies, Support, and Therapy
CHAPTER 14: The Beginning of the "MESST"	162	(18)
Medication
CHAPTER 15: "Let's Get Physical"	180	(8)
Women's Treatment Issues
CHAPTER 16: The Middle of the "MESST"	188	(15)
Education and Strategies
CHAPTER 17: The Rest of the Middle of the "MESST"	203	(10)
Support
CHAPTER 18: The End of the "MESST"	213	(17)
Therapy
PART IV: EMBRACING
Essay: Diamonds in the Rough	230	(2)
CHAPTER 19: From Chaos to Creation	232	(6)
Learning to Embrace Disorganization
CHAPTER 20: Are You Staying or Going?	238	(18)
Restructuring Your Work Life
CHAPTER 21: Shake, Rattle, and Roles	256	(17)
Restructuring Your Personal Life
CHAPTER 22: Yours, Mine, and Ours	273	(20)
Renegotiating Relationships
CHAPTER 23: One of a Kind	293	(12)
Redefining Your Self-Image
AFTER WORDS	305	(1)
Voices of Women (Q and As from Sari's columns)	305	(20)
Resource Section	325	(14)
Bibliography	339	(5)
Acknowledgements to the Revised Edition	344	(2)
Acknowledgements from Original Edition	346	(4)
About the Author	350	(3)
Index	353