Last week, I posted a list of questions and asked you to see how many yeses you gave as your answers. Why did I do that?
Simple: This was a do-it-yourself symptom checklist to see if you might have ADD. Yes, I'm talking about Attention Deficit Disorder. The reason I didn't want to put that "diagnosis" in last week's post is because I didn't want anyone to spot the term, pre-judge, move on, etc. The more yeses you gave, the more likely it is that you have Attention Deficit Disorder. This is a common disorder but often misunderstood, and so I wanted to keep the name separate from the symptom list.
Are you surprised at the thought that you might have ADD? I was years ago when I came across a list kind of like this one and first figured out that I might have it. Disconcerted, I went to my doctor, who used a more clinical approach to help me figure this out. Her diagnosis was, indeed, ADD, and after some trial and error we were able to find a wonderful combination of medications, behavioral techniques, and alternative therapies to help me cope with this overwhelming disorder. In a future post, I'll share the road I've been down with this situation, including my own happy ending.
In the meantime, if you were nodding your head over and over as you were reading the questions, please go to this link:
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1638.html
which also has a symptom checklist along with a bunch of other resources. Do some reading and think about talking to your doctor. You might even take a few online ADD/ADHD assessment tests that help narrow down the types of ADD you may have. (Just google "ADD test" to find some. I took several of these and got the same results every time, that it was "likely" I had "ADD/Inattentive Type." Sure enough, I did.)
Because I have no medical credentials, I was reluctant to discuss ADD at length in the book The House That Cleans Itself. On this blog, however, I'm a little more comfortable throwing the thought out there, just in passing, as one domestically-impaired person to another. I'm no expert here, other than an expert on my own experience.
But the more I read, the more I know that problems with clutter and organization and money and time management often have their roots in an actual, medical disorder, one that can be successfully treated.
If you had a lot of yeses to last week's list, please follow the above link. And if you suspect you have ADD, gather up your test scores and lists and schedule an appointment with your doctor ASAP!
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I am LOVING your book, I have read through it twice in a row and have underlined everything that I need to keep at the fore front of my mind while doing this.Now that I have gotten all the info, I am on my way to getting started. Thank you for the book! I have a blog and I am going to try and blog about my house make over.
ReplyDeleteWhat rechargeable vacuum do you use? Our swiffer sweep and vac just died and I need to replace it.
ReplyDeleteMamabug, I use a Swivel Sweeper. Look for an upcoming column where I discuss its pros and cons. (It's not perfect, but more pros than cons.) That's the one I usually recommend, though I just saw the other day that Swiffer has come out with a rechargable combination Swiffer/Vac. Looks cool, but I haven't tried it yet so I can't really recommend it.
ReplyDeleteMindy
My son, through testing for Learning Disabilities, was diagnosed with ADHD. The more I read about this the more I discovered they were talking more about me than him. They say more is caught than taught and well between the 2 of us - our house is well perfect fodder for your book. In fact I've read your book but moved on about 1/2 way through the 'job' because something more interesting came along.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you to discuss ADHD and housekeeping. I'm a regular reader of ADD mags & websites and have got great ideas but putting them into consistent action is a whole 'nother story.