Latest news with #CHADD
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Busy Philipps Says ADHD Diagnosis Made Her Realize She 'Wasn't an Airhead'
Busy Philipps said she used to think she was a bad student — until she was diagnosed with ADHD at 39, which made her realize her "brain just worked differently" Philipps opened up about her ADHD on Jennie Garth's I Choose Me podcast, revealing that she got her diagnosis after her eldest child, Birdie, was evaluated for learning differences Philipps said she now takes medication for her condition, which has made a big difference in her ability to focus on tasksBusy Philipps is realizing how undiagnosed ADHD impacted her performance in the classroom as a kid. Philipps, 45, who joined Jennie Garth on the Wednesday, May 14, episode of her I Choose Me podcast, said she felt like a bad student, but now realizes her experience was largely a result of her attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (more commonly known as ADHD). 'You look back at the totality of your life and you're like, oh, maybe I wasn't an airhead. Maybe I wasn't terrible in school. Maybe my brain just worked differently,' Philipps said. 'No one was really identifying it because as women, as girls, ADHD really presented differently than it presented in boys.' Girls with ADHD feel an "internalized" chaos, Philipps said, unlike the stereotype of a "hyperactive little boy running around." The organization Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) states that girls with ADHD present "inattentive" symptoms like "forgetfulness, trouble paying attention, and problems with organization," while boys' symptoms — including "blurting out or being unable to sit still in class" — present more physically, meaning teachers or parents notice them more, leading to a higher childhood diagnosis rate. Philipps said it wasn't until her child Birdie was getting evaluated for potential learning differences that she realized she identified with many of the symptoms on the doctor's checklist. She sought an appointment for herself and was diagnosed for ADHD at age 39. 'My whole life has a different perspective. I was sort of always feeling like I couldn't get it together," said Philipps, who shares Birdie, 16, and Cricket, 11, with ex-husband Mark Silverstein. "There was something wrong with me. And now I feel so much more generous toward myself and my younger self.' Philipps said she's noticed a true change in her day-to-day life thanks to her ADHD medication, which has helped her focus. "I'm able to sort of prioritize tasks in a way that literally never in my life," she said. "When I'm taking my medication, never in my life have I been able to do this. And all of a sudden, I'm like, oh, I know exactly what I have to do. I'm gonna finish this.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Being open about her later-in-life diagnosis on her own podcast, Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best, has helped other women, who have reached out to share similar stories, Philipps said. 'There are many, many women, older millennials, young Gen Z, who are really finding this late in life diagnosis to be incredibly helpful and finding ways of managing it better,' she shared. Read the original article on People
Washington Post
19-03-2025
- Washington Post
Carolyn Hax: Wife watches TV during work, then complains about her productivity
Dear Carolyn: My wife and I both work from home and generally coexist peacefully during work hours. But there's one thing I can't wrap my head around: She watches TV on an iPad while working. It's not just background noise. On one screen, she'll be working on slides for a presentation, and on the other, she is watching something. I've brought it up, saying it doesn't seem right. She's being paid to work, not to watch TV. I have a problem with this: If one of my employees did this, then I wouldn't be okay with it. But she insists that as long as she gets her work done, there's nothing wrong with it. At the same time, she often says she has trouble being productive and wonders whether she might have ADHD. Hello! She doesn't seem to connect the dots that this could be a distraction. But is it possible it actually helps her focus? I don't want this to become a thing between us, but I just can't understand how she thinks this is okay. Do I need to drop it and accept that some people just work this way? — Anonymous Anonymous: I get this. I have trouble being productive when my forehead is on my keyboard. Agh. Agh. Agh. So. [Shifts ice pack.] Yes, theoretically, it is possible for some bizarre work arrangements that would render the rest of us useless to be helpful to some people's productivity. Even TV. It's so personal. But when your wife tells you she has 'trouble being productive,' then it is okay to propose some dot-connections she hasn't made on her own — yet! (I'm told optimism is healthy.) Including TV dot to not-productive dot. Agh. Agh. Agh. Now — in fairness, if she's paid per project vs. for her time, then her inefficiency is her problem, not her employer's, as you suggest. So if you're okay as long as this is 'okay,' then it might be okay. Plus, if she's right about her wiring, which I suspect she really really is, then 'efficiency' as most of us know it might not be an option for her. However, she seems not to be okay with it. Plus, not actively doing something else while working remains ripe, low-hanging, dot-connecting fruit — so I'd argue it's time for you to respond to one of her ADHD musings with, 'You keep saying that, so let's find out.' Then either offer to book her an evaluation, to make it official and unlock diagnosis-specific treatments, or suggest she assume it's positive and start implementing nonmedical workday adaptations for people with ADHD. Because why not. Try CHADD as a starter resource. Or do both, because it's not unheard-of for doctors or psychologists to book testing more than a year out, depending on where you live. If this seems like a lot of you-advice for a her-problem, from a longtime nonbeliever in that, then, welcome to cohabiting with ADHD (and maybe a touch of executive dysfunction). Assuming your wife does have it, then you can probably attest to its many gifts, from creativity to humor to insight to spontaneity — a living antidote to boredom. But the gift of follow-through may never be under your tree. So if her quirk space genuinely encroaches on your marriage, then consider some targeted, limited, consensual involvement in the follow-through with the various interventions. On the theory that if she could manage it herself, then she wouldn't need them. Last thing. All snark aside, patience and an open mind might be the key interventions — so you seem like the right spouse for her. Good luck.
