Here are my favorite two resources and they have helped me learn to advocate both for myself and my children. ADHD is a genetic disorder and most ADHD individuals are extremely intelligent.

CHADD.org
http://www.additudemag.com

These two web-sites will keep you reading for a while. If you have questions or frustrations, I will be happy to add my two cents of main stream experience because I am not a professional. I am simply a ADHD person who is learning to manage her disorder as well as that of her children the best way she can. It can be done but persistence is a huge key factor.

On a side note here are some statements my last doctor made about people with adhd.

“people with ADHD dont use alarm clocks”
“people with adhd can’t be succesful”
“people with adhd cannot get an A in any class”

He even told me when I first mentioned adhd that he all but eliminated the possibility of me having adhd because of the college I am attending.

I get just as angry as Chris, fire that doctor and find a new one. My life began when I started treating my ADHD at the age of 40. Don’t wait because it is so well worth it to find a solution to all the frustrations.

It’s this kind of ignorance about ADHD that drives me forward.

Please tell me you have found another doctor??? Don’t let this fool stand between you and your mental health.

Thanks for staying in touch.

I am focusing on the new site and have not been on Twitter much lately. I will announce the new location on Twitter around November 18th.

Although I am sure that this will not do your site, nor your writing justice, here is a link to a Google-translated version for the English-speaking crowd: http://tinyurl.com/Astrids-blog . If this does not work for you, please let me know and I will remove the link.

All the best,
Chris

Manic bipolar diosrder is one of these coexsisting condtionas as well as depression and has many of the same characteristics as ADHD. As these two conditions are also genetic, there comes a point in life that the cup gets full and depression can set in especially in women as they enter their mid to late forties. Getting treated for depression and ADHD at the same time was great initially. Treating depression with certain medications having manic bipolar disorder kept me depressed without me really knwoing what was wrong with me.

Thank God a new family doctor whoreferred me to a pyschiatrist for the first time. He was honest enough to tell me that he could not refill my exsisting prescriptions with out the professional direction of a pyschiatrist who was the expert with the conditions and prescriptions I was taking at the time. The scariest time of my life. I thought only “crazy people” went to see the pyschiatrist. Being raised Catholic I was taught that if I prayed hard enough all things get better in time. Well there is some truth to that; however not when you have a chemical inbalance in your brain.

My next big AHA moment was when I began treatment for my manic bipolar disorder combined with great therapy. My husband was and is ever so thankful because he no longer has to finish my long list of out side committments that I would start during my manic phases. I would get so overwhlemed and then could not finish anything because I would start going down into a state of depression. Having great spouses, friends or family members that provide you that unconditional understanding and support is a blessing. My doctor taught me that when all the medications are working in harmony, a person who has coexsiting conditions should always feel even keeled. I never understood that until about six months after I started taking medication. I no longer had the urge to volunteer for every committee at the school PTA or help everyone who needed assitance. My surname was Mother Theresa…now I enjoy being at home and last month for the first time in years I was able to read my first book from start to finish for pleasure.

I can not begin to express how important it is not to be afraid to share personal stories with others when the situation presents itself. In many cases it gives people hope to know they are not the only ones, it gives others courage to seek more answers . It also gives me a new renewed sense of purpose.

Over the past four years, I learned that it does not take private education to make such accomodations. You can be in any type of school and find a way to advocate the needs of your child. My best weapon is “knowledge”. Knowledge is power and most educators find an educated parent intimidating and frustrating. Therefore, to minimize the intimidation process, I learned to build a relationship with the key people that will be part of my child’s education for the academic year.

Lastly, the one thing that my husband and I firmly believe and share is that if the school tells you your child needs behavior modification, then behavior modification begins with the parents because children need role models of the behavior that is expected of them.

In many instances this is where things go wrong because that means that one more thing is added to the list of things parents are responsible for. It is not all the school’s responsability it is a joint venture, school, child and parents.

Everyones story is different and everyone handles situations differently. I think the beauty of this blog is to take away some ideas and insight and if it is a fit and it works “Great”, if not then try the next idea until you find something that makes the situation less frustrating.

Your message is loud and clear and I welcome your participation.

– Chris