We can quote textbooks and specialists all day long, but in the end, it is how we perceive ourselves and our individual conditions that really count. In that respect, is attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) truly a disorder? I don’t like terms like illness, disease, or disorder because they all imply there’s something wrong, and I don’t entirely feel that’s the case.

I'm here to talk to you today about how to make a career choice that would work well with your adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I had a great job in Boston working for the Unitarian Universalist Association and I loved my supervisor and my colleagues. Still, there was always something about sitting behind a desk that just didn't work for me.

Hello, dear friends with adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I had a conversation with a fellow the other day and he brought up something I had never considered doing before: setting up my email system so that when I'm sending emails I have to go through an extra step to actually have them sent. There are different ways to do this in email systems and they just might be able to help with our impulsive email sending habits.

A common misconception is that apart from medication, there is little someone diagnosed with adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can do to maintain what passes as order in their life. While it certainly feels like that from time to time, it is simply not the case. There are some things an adult with ADHD can do to stack the odds in his or her favor.

Last night, I had just about the best night ever and I didn't have to think about keeping my hyperactive monster in check or about staying focused. I found the ultimate way to let my adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reign free! The way my brain wants me to work is to make jokes 99% of the time, move around a lot, make others laugh a lot (did I mention that), switch accents up when talking and entertain people. My brain's desire doesn't always serve me well when it's not kept in check, but it did last night. Why? Because I went to a murder mystery dinner.

Technology is a tool, and like any tool it can be used for either constructive or destructive purposes. When it comes to focus and productivity, it’s wise to embrace all the tools at your disposal when you have adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

At some point in every adult with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder's (ADHD) life, there comes a time when she needs to pay it forward. Friday, I had the opportunity to pay forward my history with this disorder to an adult ADHD newbie, a person freshly diagnosed. He was four months post-diagnosis and, he reported, sought help due to some issues at work with attention. At 30, having been diagnosed over 10 years ago, I feel it is my duty to pay it forward and to let newbies in on any insights I might possess that took me years to learn. What should every newbie know - and what should we diagnosed in years past let them in on?

I’m going to start my first post off on my soapbox regarding a pet peeve of mine: mental illnesses or conditions like attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD) being used as adjectives to describe behaviors, personalities, or people. You know, things traditionally identified as nouns. This post is not the first someone has written about this – and it won’t be the last. It merits repeating.

Before heading back to school in 2012, I spent about seven years in the workforce. I was a real adult. I paid bills on time; bought and sold a car; and, rode public transportation. I had relationships. I lived in Houston, Texas on Cape Cod and in Boston -- totally a real adult. Also, oh yeah, like I've told you all a thousand times before, I did all this while having adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which made everything just a little bit more difficult than it needed to be. I was honest at each of my places of work regarding my diagnosis. Though I had no formal accommodations, steps were made at times (intentionally or naturally) to make life a little easier for me (For Mental Illness, Should I Check the Disability Box?). 

My name is Jimmy Durham. I’m happy to be joining the talented contributing writers at HealthyPlace. Their passion and compassion are evident; that’s a thrilling thing of which to be part. I hope to be entertaining and informative on the topic of living with adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). My primary goal is to give readers something to think about, and connect them with the right information for them, but I also think we can have some fun at the same time.