Adam Levine from the band Maroon 5 and hit TV show "The Voice" talks about his experiences with ADHD in Life and Style Weekly. The article also references other celebrities that have ADHD including Channing Tatum and Jennifer Aniston's fiance Justin Theroux.
A Graduate Student Beats Her Procrastination Challenge
A Graduate Student Beats Her Procrastination ChallengeThis is an excellent podcast from an excellent podcast series. The series is called "iProcrastinate" and is hosted by eminent procrastination researcher Dr. Pychyl.In this episode a listener describes how she has taken Dr. Pychyl's recommendations and applied them to her own procrastination. She provides a great summary of how she integrated a lot of different skills to help keep her on track when working. The whole series is worth listening to, but I found this podcast to be a particularly great summary.
Jet lag, sleep, and ADHD?
Continuing on the theme of sleep dysfunction, this article talks about new information on what is going on in the brain that contributes to jet lag. This is also relevant relevant to adults with ADHD because they often will have an irregular sleep cycle. Many people I work with find themselves staying up very late into the night and sleeping much of the day. The process of trying to reset your sleep schedule may have similarities to jet lag.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23880152'Molecular basis' for jet lag foundBy James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News
A Brain Wave Diagnostic Test for ADHD?
The FDA recently approved marketing of a brain wave device for diagnosing ADHD. On 7/22/13 Martijn Arns, PhD of Utrecht University in The Netherlands wrote a blog clarifying what exactly that means. Most importantly, that only in "a minority of ADHD patients (~25-30%), this measure is consistently found to deviate" from non-ADHD patients.You can read the full blog titled "A Brain Wave Diagnostic Test for ADHD? " here: http://www.chaddleadershipblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-brain-wave-diagnostic-test-for-adhd.html
NPR, The Colbert Report, & the Myth of Multitasking
Researchers continue to find that multitasking actually makes tasks take longer rather than help you be more efficient with your time. For people with ADHD it supports the importance of learning skills and strategies to help reduce distractibility and maintain focus. NPR had a recent broadcast on the topic and noted that, “Clifford Nass, a psychology professor at Stanford University, says today's nonstop multitasking actually wastes more time than it saves—and he says there's evidence it may be killing our concentration and creativity too.”http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182861382/the-myth-of-multitaskingOr for a more humorous take on the topic can watch this 5 minute video where Stephen Colbert comments on the NPR broadcast.http://www.hulu.com/watch/511789
ADHD and Sleep (or lack thereof...)
Dr. Thakkar wrote this interesting article in the New York Times about chronic sleep deficit and ADHD. A chronic lack of sleep can have such a strong effect on your ability to focus and concentrate that it can mimic ADHD. One of the most common complaints that my clients with ADHD have is their difficulty getting adequate sleep, so they're dealing with a double attention-deficit whammy. The good news is that cognitive behavior therapy can treat both of the conditions.Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit: Could what looks like A.D.H.D. be a sleep disorder in disguise?by Vatsal Thakkar, MD
CHADD medication shortage survey
I received a request from CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) asking for people to fill out a questionnaire related to an ADHD stimulant drug shortage. If you are having trouble getting stimulant medication, you can help by filling out the survey so that CHADD can better understand the extent of the shortage and relay that information to the appropriate government agencies.Information about the questionnaire can be found here. Or you can go directly to the questionnaire here. Note that the survey is only until June 12.
Can depression cause inability to focus?
Can depression cause inability to focus?CNN HealthDr. Charles Raison, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, answers a question about ADHD, depression, and how antidepressants may affect your concentration.
Losing focus? 9 ways to concentrate at work
Losing focus? 9 ways to concentrate at workBy Amy Levin-Epstein, January 26, 2012"Here are some tips, from Nadeau and her co-author, professional organizer Judith Kolberg, for anyone who feels his or her attention isn't where it needs to be. While Nadeau and Kolberg are focused on helping people who have an actual diagnosis of ADD, their advice can help all of us navigate the onslaught of distractions at the office."
Untangling the Myths About Attention Disorder
Untangling the Myths About Attention DisorderNew York TimesBy Perri Klass, M.D."In recent years, it has been rarer to hear serious doubt that the disorder really exists, and the evidence explaining its neurocircuitry and genetics has become more convincing and more complex. Even so, I’ve lately read a number of articles and essays that use attention (or its lack) as a marker and a metaphor for something larger in society — for the multitasking, the electronic distractions, the sense that the nature of concentration may be changing, that people feel nibbled at, overscheduled, distracted, irritable.But A.D.H.D. is not a metaphor."