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I have a problem. I have ADHD, and I have some anxiety issues. I also seem to have some depression, albeit very mild. But this, or these, aren’t my problems. Well, they’re my problems, but not the problem I’m referring to.

Follow along with my logic here, won’t you?

Ten percent of the population, roughly, have ADHD. I’ve read some statistics that suggest that thirty percent of all ADHDers have a comorbid condition, and fifty percent of persons with ADHD and a comorbid condition have more than one comorbid condition.

That’s fifty percent of thirty percent of ten percent, or one and a half people in every hundred (fifteen in every thousand for those of you who don’t deal with half people very well) have not only ADHD but also at least two comorbid conditions.

It's important to understand medication

On Wednesday, Laurie Dupar, PMHNP, RN, PCC, a certified ADHD coach and a nurse practitioner, answered questions from two readers. But I had some questions too.

So I took the opportunity to ask a real expert and satisfy my curiosity.

What great answers did Laurie have for me? Read on …

Clearing up the fog around ADHD Medication.

I’ve always been willing to answer questions regarding ADHD medication, but I’m not a health care professional. I’ve read a lot on this subject, but I’ve always had to qualify my answers.

So it is with great pleasure that I get to tell you all that today’s blog, and Friday’s, will be answers to some of the questions that I’ve heard most often. And these answers will be given by someone whom I am honored to have share her expertise on my blog.

Laurie Dupar, PMHNP, RN, PCC is a certified ADHD coach and a nurse practitioner. Her web page can be found at www.CoachingforADHD.com and her contact information is there as well (at the bottom of her page).

Credo: I will be in the moment as often as I am able. I will pay attention to my work. I will be aware. I will take care of my self, and my kami so that I can do what needs to be done.

Taylor McKinlay

Taylor McKinlays Blog

I’m not a man of religion, but I am a man of faith. And while I have trouble defining my faith in so many words, I can say that it’s what keeps me going.

Some of you may know that I used to write sometimes using the name Taylor McKinlay. I maybe got away with a little more using that name, but it wasn’t because I could hide from my name.

It takes more than just the right lenses ...

I’ve heard it said that ADHDers can’t see the trees for the forest. I know that’s often true, but sometimes I can’t see the trees because I’m focused on a single tree.

That would be ADHD hyper-focus.

But maybe hyper-focus, or at least focus, is the wrong word. If I look at the forest and don’t break things down, I get overwhelmed.

It’s not that I’m unfocused, it’s that I’m not focusing in on individual trees, or items in my world.

He has ADHD, she plays kazoo

I have friends who are musicians. They are also a couple. He is a guitarist and singer, she is a guitarist, drummer and singer. They write music as well.

One of them is also an accomplished kazoo player and the other one has ADHD. Okay, since playing a kazoo requires nothing more than humming into the thing, I’m sure they can both play one, but the one that does it on stage is very good at it.
I like to hang out with the rich and famous
… I wonder where the rich were?
I attended a release party recently for their EP. Actually, it took place in two locations on two different days. The first one was in my city, and the second one was in the small town where they have roots. I like to refer to these two people as friends. And we share a lot in common. We’re all musicians, all song writers, and ADHD plays a big part in all our lives.

Beautiful Sky ...

“Isn’t that a beautiful sky?” I said to myself last night as I backed into my west-facing driveway.

I turned off the engine and as I undid my seat belt and opened the door I realized I’d spoken out loud. Well, it was a beautiful sky.

I’m doing that more and more these days, talking out loud when I’m alone. I had done it less when I started taking Concerta, but I’ve been doing it more since my wife died.

A creative photo of creative people

I abhor prejudice. To decide that someone is unacceptable on some level because of a perceived difference is intolerable to me. I cannot believe that a person is better, or worse for that matter, because of a difference in skin color, faith or religion, political affiliation … the list goes on.

Stereotyping, while a milder form of prejudice, is still a form of prejudice. And it isn’t always milder. Witness racial profiling.

In the same way that some people think that a person with a physical disability has all physical disabilities, a person who has the appearance of the so called “average terrorist” … must be a terrorist.

The gift of ADHD

Some say ADHD is a gift. Some say it’s a curse. We’ve had this discussion before. Many say it’s a gift with serious issues, and others say it’s a curse with some bright spots.
I say … Enough!
I’ve weighed in on this issue before and my final judgment was that ADHD is a set of symptoms, problems really, that cause complications in my life.

These complications have had definite negative effects. But they also cause me to think differently, and that allows me to see things from a different angle, in a different light.
Up side, down side …
Sometimes this skewed vision allows me to solve puzzles that others struggle with. Sometimes it leaves me looking like an ass. Sometimes I’m too self involved to be able to tell you which situation I’m in at the moment.

If you’re planning to move your family always look for a rock facing north. These offer the nicest neighborhoods. If you can’t afford a rock in this price range, look for a north facing crack edge on an east or west facing rock.

The internet offers a great, potential benefit to those of us who seek information on ADHD. There are, of course, problems with misinformation on the “infobahn,” however it also offers us the wherewithal, usually, to determine the truth. How very much like the real world.
But how do we tell what’s true?
When I was a child, it was pretty clear cut. If you heard it in the school room, from your grandparents or parents, or read it in a text book it was true. If you heard it out back of the school, from a friend while out camping or hiking, or read it on the back of a comic book, it was probably suspect (I’m still waiting for my real two-man submarine and my x-ray glasses, I’ve sent changes of address every time I’ve moved).

So the internet is like the real world, an extension of the same, if you will. There are things that are true or factual, and things that are patently false.
Note that I distinguished between true and factual