MelissaOrlov's blog

Control issues create one of the most common Catch-22s of ADHD-impacted marriages. So how do you stop trying to control your partner, get his or her buy-in, and get out of this lose/lose situation?

When we marry, we hope to remain happily married until death, yet that is not the experience that most of us have.  Yes, most of us who get married will stay married, but committed relationships generally include plenty of significant bumps and bruises.  Here are some statistics to ponder:

Earlier this month, Melissa appeared on the Steve Katsos Show to talk about her book, The ADHD Effect on Marriage. Click HERE to watch the interview.

It's important to find time for building stronger connections with your partner, but even with good intentions this is just plain hard to do!  When we are busy we often just respond to what's hot.  It's stressful to feel as if “urgency” is the criteria that runs your life.  And, quite frankly, “urgent” says little about value to you, just timeliness.  The result is that we often leave the less urgent, but more valuable marriage and family parts of our lives behind.  Here are seven very specific tips for reclaiming your marriage and family time in the face of this pressure.

There is a very interesting forum conversation going on that I would like to highlight here for those who are interested in whether or not they should continue dating someone with ADHD.  In a nutshell, the original poster is nervous about whether or not the problems she sees in her relationship with her boyfriend with ADHD will always be present or if they can be improved.

Check your local public television station to see if they are showing this terrific Canadian film about ADHD during December and January.

If you’re at this site, chances are that you are looking for all the help you can get to improve your ADHD-affected relationship.  A great resource for this is my upcoming couples seminar which STARTS JANUARY 4^th – only a few short weeks away!  If you are like those who took the course this fall, in seven calls you are likely to see surprising improvements in your relationship.  At a minimum, you’ll have a far deeper understanding of the issues that you face and some of your options for dealing with them.

There are lots of extra challenges in many households this time of year – but there is opportunity for growth and love, too.  Here’s my idea to make this year’s holiday season happier and easier – seek and celebrate the gifts you already have.

People with ADD have a higher rate of debt, more impulsive spending, and more arguments with their partner/spouse over money issues.  However, there is hope (and help available).   

John Ratey, author of Spark!, has just posted a wonderful new website that explains the science behind why it's so good for people with ADHD (and also people without) to exercise.  He explains in detailed but understandable language how exercise's impact on the brain helps with ADHD, stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, age-related memory loss and more.