Journeys Through ADDulthood: Discover a New Sense of Identity and Meaning with Attention Deficit Disorder [Paperback]

Sari Solden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Sari Solden specializes in working with ADD adults and their partners. Her first book, Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide. Now, in Journeys Through ADDulthood, she takes a groundbreaking look at the emotional turmoil often precipitated by ADD and offers readers roadmaps to richer, happier lives.

Although most commonly associated with children, attention deficit disorder (ADD or AD/HD) affects the lives of between 8 and 10 million American adults. Even years after diagnosis, many adults still feel discouraged because treatments tend to focus exclusively on managing or overcoming the symptoms of ADD rather than on teaching patients to lead a fulfilling life despite these differences. Sari Solden, who struggles with ADD and these issues herself, has spent the past twelve years focusing her work on the emotional challenges men and women face with ADD in their lives. Journeys Through ADDulthood is her profoundly empathetic and inspiring guide to living a rich and full life even as the effects of ADD remain.

Living with ADD affects the development of one’s view of self, especially for those not diagnosed until adulthood, after an entire childhood of feeling “different” without knowing why. There are no quick fixes—Solden takes a longer view of the challenges and sees living with ADD as an ongoing internal process. Journeys Through ADDulthood is a step-by-step guide through three stages, or journeys: toward understanding your brain and your primary symptoms; toward discovering your true identity and embracing your uniqueness; and toward learning to share your true self to connect with others. Illuminating her points based on the real-life journeys of two men and two women, Solden offers self-help exercises at the end of each chapter to point the way around common roadblocks on the road to empowerment, self-fulfillment, and the realization of long-buried dreams and goals.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Solden, who herself has ADD and is the author of Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, believes that many adults, whether diagnosed or not, are suffering needlessly from ADD symptoms, which include difficulty focusing on certain tasks, meeting deadlines, and interacting with people. Solden describes the frustration of several people who seemingly "fail" in job after job because of the symptoms of ADD and describes her own "absentmindedness" and disorganization. Yet she lectures and counsels others about ADD. Her three-step approach begins with a focus on the brain, then on the self and finally, on the self in the world. For each part of this journey, Solden offers specific steps designed to help ADD sufferers. For example, Solden says that people need to spend time observing how their brain works at different times and in different circumstances. She describes the "Tightrope Effect" of balancing the variables to keep life running smoothly. Furthermore, Solden believes in relying on the help of others for cooking, paperwork, or other tasks without feeling helpless. Perhaps most useful are the dialogues that are included to help readers handle situations that have been problematic in the past. Surprisingly, Solden provides only a cursory discussion of medication. Since her strategies are likely to be utilized by people already on medication, a more complete discussion of other treatment options would have been helpful. Still, this book should prove beneficial to ADD sufferers and their families.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Solden (Women with Attention Deficit Disorder) follows her earlier work on women with ADD with this expanded focus on the estimated eight to ten million adult Americans who have ADD. Although the condition is most commonly associated with children, Solden reveals that years after diagnosis many adults still feel discouraged because their treatment focused exclusively on managing or overcoming the symptoms of ADD rather than on teaching them how to lead a fulfilling life. Her professional skill in helping others cope with ADD shines through in this well-organized, frankly stated work. The material is organized into three stages: understanding the brain and primary symptoms of ADD, discovering one's true identity and accepting one's uniqueness, and learning to share one's self with others. Examples of real-life journeys of two patients with ADD, and numerous self-help exercises at the end of each chapter, add value to this superior work, which is targeted to lay readers but will also be of use to mental health professionals. The excellent appendix includes practical tools for organizing one's life and a useful guide for professionals working with patients with ADD; the additional resources cover books, URLs, and organizations that focus on ADD. This important work stands out among the growing number of books on ADD for its focus on adults and the author's emphasis on learning how to come to terms with and live comfortably with the disease. Highly recommended for all public libraries.
Dale Farris, Groves, TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802776795
• ISBN-13: 978-0802776792
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sari Solden, MS LMFT, a psychotherapist in private practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has worked with adults with AD/HD and their partners for over 22 years. Sari is the author of Women with Attention Deficit Disorder (Revised 2nd edition 2005) and Journeys Through ADDulthood, 2002. She is a prominent speaker at both national and international AD/HD conferences, serves on the professional advisory board of ADDA, has served on the program conference committee for national CHADD and is a past recipient of ADDA's award for outstanding service by a helping professional. Her areas of specialization include inattentive AD/HD, women's issues, as well as the long term counseling issues for adults not diagnosed until adulthood. Sari currently hosts and presents on www.ADDJourneys.com, her online community for adults with AD/HD.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Only Wish I'd Bought It Sooner, July 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Journeys Through ADDulthood (Hardcover)

I haven't finished reading it, but already I can't say enough about how much this book has helped me. If you are an adult struggling with ADD/ADHD this book is a must have, because it's one of the few that deals with the post-diagnosis dilemma. And adult who's diagnosed with ADD experiences many things at once; relief because there is now a name for what have likely been life-long problems, anxiety because a diagnosis naturally brings with it a change in self-image and a potential identity crisis, frustration because there is "treatment" but no "cure for ADD, etc., etc. While any number of books do a wonderful job of explaining what ADD is, or offering strategies to cope with the symptoms of ADD, few if any deal effectively with the inner-life and struggle of the adult who is learning to cope with the symptoms of ADD while simultaneously trying to craft a new identity post-diagnosis, and put the past and the present into context. Basically, few other books give advice on how to effectively get on with life after diagnosis.

At first Solden's words may be hard to take. She matter-of-factly states that there is no "cure" for ADD, that it probably can't' be "fixed" and that the symptoms will probably continue to cause problems for the adult with ADD. To her credit, she puts this as gently as possible, and offers the promise that what she has to say will help the reader stop trying to "fix" himself or herself, and gain a balanced perspective of self that will help him or her to move forward and live his or her best life while continuing to live with and struggle with ADD.

Solden's central, and perhaps most powerful, message is simple: diagnosis is not identity. People with ADD, unfortunately, live in a world that reminds them of their difficulties and shortcomings on almost a daily basis. Solden sees how this distorts the self-concept of the adult with ADD and offers tools and methods to begin shifting that self concept from focusing on difficulties to a more balanced focus that looks realistically at individual difficulties and strengths.

I could say more, but I'll sum my opinion of this book by saying that were it in my power to do so, I would give a copy of this book to every single adult with ADD. In fact, it would be handed out with the diagnosis and first prescription.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars solden does it again, January 30, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Journeys Through ADDulthood (Hardcover)

Sari Solden wrote what I think is the best add book for adult women with her first book, especially those newly diagnosed and this book is just as good. Here, she is addressing primarily those of us (men and women) who have lived for a couple of years or more with a diagnosis of addult add (most likely not diagnosed as a child). She clearly explains, using examples, the how different people deal with the diagnosis over the years, what the stumbling blocks are in terms of career choice and home life, and how to overcome them. She speaks about how many of us may accept we have add, and dutifully take our meds, but still have problems because we don't think about the life changes we may need to make to best utilize our unique skills and the help we may need to be succesful. She talks about how to identify problem areas and think up solutions. Excellent book for the add adult--though not the best "intro" book.

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hits the Mark! A Must-Have for the AD/HD Bookshelf., January 29, 2005

By 

Terrym2442 "Author of 'Survival Tips for Wome... (Birmingham, Michigan, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Journeys Through ADDulthood: Discover a New Sense of Identity and Meaning with Attention Deficit Disorder (Paperback)

Ms. Solden has opened the door to new territories in this book. Unlike other books on AD/HD that seem to repeat much of the same information over and over again, Journeys into ADDulthood gently leads the reader into the next stage of one's ADD self-discovery and growth. It is a refreshing look at "what happens next"- after one is diagnosed and treated.

The author breaks up the book into three main sections, or journeys: The Crisis of Understanding, The Crisis of Identity, and the Crisis of Success. She gently walks the reader through each stage, offering insights and gems of wisdom. Each chapter ends with an "Exploration"- a short self-help exercise to help you think more about how you can use the material in a personal way for self-growth.

Both practical, sensitive and emotionally packed with wisdom from this pioneer in the field of AD/HD, I highly recommend this not only to those touched by AD/HD, but to those who work with them.