We Sparkle!
The Weekly...or Biweekly(ish) Five
How ADHD Sparks Creativity
Dutch researchers have shown what most of us already know—that ADHD is associated with greater creativity. Building on previous research suggesting mind wandering as a factor, researchers in the Netherlands performed two studies with a total of 750 participants and found not only that mind wandering is associated with creativity, but also that those with more pronounced ADHD synptoms had minds more prone to wandering. According to the scientists, the discovery has significant implications for treatment and psychoeducation that can help people with ADHD make the most of their gifts. (More on this in a future post.)
Expert Help for Calming the Chaos
Brooke Schnittman, MA, PCC, BCC, understands ADHD from the inside and the outside—that is, as one who experiences it and one who’s studied it. So she brings to her coaching practice and her writing lived experience combined with deep research that inform the 3C Activation program she created to help you conquer the chaos of living with ADHD. Her book, Activate Your ADHD Potential: A 12-Step Journey From Chaos to Confidence for Adults with ADHD, offers practical strategies, lessons, tools, and resources for reducing frustration, tackling disruption, building momentum, boosting confidence, and enabling greater productivity. She makes a big promise to readers and lives up to it throughout.
Late to the Party
New research presented at the 38th European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Congress in Amsterdam this month indicates that although symptoms first appear at the same time in men and women, women are diagnosed roughly five years later than men. What’s more, they experience greater emotional and functional hardships. The research was based on a large clinical sample at a Barcelona outpatient program; 900 individuals underwent a comprehensive clinical and psychological assessment revealing that women had more severe symptoms, greater dysfunction, and more disability, depression, and anxiety.
How the Other Half Lives…With ADHD
Paris Hilton, one of the most high-profile ADHDers, has been a pop icon for years. Now she aims to be a different kind of icon—one who brings about real change and makes a powerful impact on society. Through 11:11 Media Impact, the nonprofit arm of her media empire, she’s committed to protecting vulnerable youth, advocating for people with ADHD, and making dreams come true for people in need. Now, 11:11 Media in a partnership with Understood.org, has created a series, Inclusive by Design, that shows, according to Hilton, “how thoughtful design and technology can make life easier, more joyful, and more creative….” The 3-part program, which premiered on Hilton’s YouTube channel during ADHD Awareness Month, on October 22, tracks the design of Hilton’s new home and the nonprofit’s headquarters to accommodate ADHD for her team of 30 with help from experts at Understood.org. It’s easy to imagine dismissing it as frivolous or a privilege project, but that would be a mistake. There appears to be an authentic desire to change lives underlying this endeavor and to promote design for neuroinclusion, which also helps neurotypical people. And you don’t need a mansion to benefit from suggestions for reimagining your own living and work spaces.
Creativity & Coping
Unfixed: The Podcast is hosted by Kimberly Warner, author of an extraordinary new book, Unfixed: A Memoir of Family, Mystery, and the Currents That Carry You Home. A filmmaker, writer, and founder of Unfixed Media, Warner created the storytelling platform to explore “the creative and emotional dimensions of life with chronic illness and disability.” This episode, “Art, Creative Expression, and Coping” (a co-lab between Unfixed and Beyond My Battle) tells the stories of three individuals who use art to cope with chronic illness. Also featured is an art therapist who talks about how artistic expression can be therapeutic. While the podcast doesn’t discuss ADHD specifically, the conversation is pertinent to anyone who struggles with a chronic condition and might benefit from a creative approach to coping.
I had a conversation with a dear friend this morning who was told all through childhood she didn’t have any “stick-to-it-ness.” Back then, instead getting guidance and resources for having a great and wandering imagination, individuals were told they had a learning disability. And she is a genius!