Women With Attention Deficit Disorder: Embracing Disorganization at Home and in the Workplace [Anglais] [Broché]

I've also suffered from some debilitating depression over the years, and I've attributed my disorganization to my depression. ("I'm too depressed to wash the dishes.") After reading this (and a few other books), I think it's the other way around. My disorganization and complete inability to sort things out, attributable to ADD, has led to depression.

When my doctor first suggested ADD (in response to my concerns with depression), I was surprised. After all, I'm not a hyperactive twelve-year-old boy who can't seem to do well in school despite ability and intelligence. Rather, I was able to whiz through school, collecting good grades at every step along the way. That's not uncommon with women with ADD -- they can actually thrive in structured environments. It's difficult for them to excel in a wholly unstructured environment. Most are great at creative, strategic thinking. If an activity is highly stimulating, they will hyperfocus and do quite well (although perhaps spending more time than is appropriate for the task). If something is seemingly mundane or ministerial, it just doesn't get done. In other words, ADD incorporates not only an inability to focus, but a tendency to hyperfocus on occasion.

If your life is all fumbling in your oversized purse for keys or a pen, trying to find the little yellow sticky note with someone's phone number, paying your bills and taxes late because you can't find your checkbook, an envelope, a stamp, READ THIS BOOK. Unfortunately, physicians typically overlook the possibility of ADD in women (they don't get to see the stacks and stacks of papers in our homes & offices) -- and therefore, we're left thinking we're disorganized failures. This book gives you plenty of suggestions for exploring diagnosis, and/or treatment, and for conquering, or at least making the most of, disorganization.

(PS -- If this helps, I highly recommend Sandra Felton's books for "Messies" -- (search for "Messies" -- there are several choices; I like Messie Motivator.) Although she doesn't use the term "ADD," she focuses as much on the psychological & self-esteem issues of messiness as on dealing with the disorganization.)