Does your spouse/partner/you have ADHD? Do any of these sound familiar? “You never listen, you don’t care about me.” “I’ve told you so many times…(pick any of 15 things)” “I’ve had it. Either you get this fixed or I’m leaving.” ADHD affects relationships in so many ways and can derail them in so many ways. It’s not the fault of either person, but it needs to be figured out or the relationship will fall apart.

My guest today is Don Baker, a Masters level therapist in Seattle. Don has worked in the field of ADHD since his own diagnosis in 1997 and obtaining his counseling license in 1998. He works with couples in all stages of their journey/struggles with ADHD. His website is www.unpackingadhd.com and Facebook page is unpackingADHD. He posts tips and thoughts daily. In this show we discuss the three key stages of the process of working through the effects of ADHD on relationships and give you resources to help in your journey. It’s hard work. Takeaways from this show – 1) There is hope, and 2) Commitment on the part of each partner to the process, both in his/her individual therapy work and in how they can approach the issues together is the key to success. Listen and learn!

Have you ever been diagnosed with depression, either before or after your ADHD diagnosis? Depression commonly travels along with ADHD and sometimes can be confused with it. They each complicate the other; it is important to make the distinction to treat each one successfully.

Sometimes the depression derives from the impairments of ADHD and treating the ADHD first is the key resolving the depression. If the depression includes thoughts or plans of suicide then certainly it needs to be addressed first.

My guest today is Dr. Bill Dodson, a psychiatrist who began his clinical practice 25 years ago as one of the first practitioners to specialize in adults with ADHD. He recently changed the emphasis of his practice from patient care to being a writer, speaker, and consultant in the field of ADHD. He has written more than 100 articles and done 12 webinars for ADDitude magazine and ADDA (Adult ADD Association). He is an expert in both conditions and has wisdom to share with us about ADHD and depression. Listen and learn!

This episode continues the discussion about depression and ADHD, moving into bipolar disorder and ADHD. Some people have both, sorting that out is important as the bipolar disorder needs to be treated before the ADHD.

My guest is Dr. Bill Dodson, a psychiatrist who is one of the pioneers in treating adult ADHD starting 20 years ago. He has moved on from direct patient care to writing and consulting. He has written many articles for ADDitude magazine and does Webinars with them as well. Join us for Part 2!

Sleep is the most important of all life rhythms. Your brain is not turned off and resting during sleep, it is putting information into long-term memory so that learning becomes knowledge, it is “defragging the disk” clearing out leftover bits of metabolic processes so neural networks don’t get clogged up, it is working all the time 24/7/365 (more in leap years).

My guest is Dr. Joel Nigg, a Professor at the Oregon Health Sciences University and Director of the Division of Psychology, researcher and author in the ADHD arena, and an expert in many aspects of ADHD. His latest book Getting Ahead of ADHD is an up-to-date summary of knowledge in all areas of ADHD including exercise, diet, sleep, video games and toxins/pollutants. It addresses many issues including new treatments using technology and behavioral methodologies. Getting to bed and getting good quality sleep is crucial for us ADHDers, and a major challenge in this day and age. Join us to learn how to do it – Listen and learn! (and then sleep on it so you know how to do it )