Reddit reviews Smart But Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD

Sounds like ADHD, but also some anxiety. I really really doubt autism, I mean ask this question, can she share her emotions and feelings with you, if yes than probably not autism.

Sounds like the anxiety is the major problem right now, and he way you describe her mania sounds a lot more like panicky anxious energy, very common with ADHD. Real mania as in bipolar is indicated by heightened euphoria, grandiosity, like believing she destinies to be the president or has super powers, and she would believe those things quite literally.

I think the best thing you could do for her right now, is to get her baseline emotional level, which right now sounds like it's about a 9-10 on the anxiety scale, by doing some relaxing things. Some good guidelines would be to stay away from the news, social media, tv, people she doesn't like, anything that might be triggering. Do some simple things like talk some long walks if possible, get out of the house as much as you can, go to dinner and movie, maybe go to the mall. This whole process might take days to weeks for her slowly enter a more relaxed state, where her logically al brain can take over and start making some better decisions to help deal with the ADHD.

This is a difficult combo to deal with, and I think you understand that, but I'm glad she has you to help her.

Here are two books I highly recommend
Smart But Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD https://www.amazon.com/dp/111827928X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1Z77ybAG4Y3T7

This is one of the newest books that ADHD, it will give you a good understanding of the disorder and also the best treatment strategies.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation & ... Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572245131/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_w177ybX2H1TS4

The book is more of a workbook that focuses on behavioral techniques that would be beneficial to anyone suffering with any kind of mental disorder.

I've read an excerpt from this book online. You can probably find it if you search the author's website. There's a lot more but this is one of the more scientific approaches.

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/111827928X/?coliid=I27RPRBO6214GU&colid=31G970YYMRAQD&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

> My compensating mechanisms of staying up late, studying my ass off, and waiting till last minute to really get the stress of procrastination push me to complete something, are just not cutting it anymore. I constantly feel that I am not living to my potential.

This was me all the way from childhood. Even though I did great in school I was always cramming, always running late, and daydreaming a lot. I felt there was something wrong with me: I must be lazy, or depressed, or just a hopeless procrastinator.

At one point I used to tell myself that my problems were big enough to ruin my life, but evidently not big enough to get help from anyone... I was 30 and had flunked out of graduate school when a psychologist finally suggested this could be ADHD.

If you do have ADHD, you are also likely really smart since you've gotten as far as you have. Thomas Brown has written on smart people with ADHD in his book Smart but Stuck. You could watch these videos with him and see if it hits home.

There's also this webinar with Ellen Littman: https://add.org/event/webinar-adhd-high-iq-different/ You can find it in the webinar archives and watch it if you join ADDA (1-month membership is only $5).

Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD

Introduce him to the work of Dr. Thomas E. Brown, a psychologist at Yale University - Smart But Stuck is all about high IQ people with ADHD. And of course, it's likely to be helpful for you too!

I got diagnosed at 32 years old.

I run a company, have a masters degree and to the outside world seemed quite accomplished for my age. I didn't feel like it though, everything was completely chaotic.

I got this book as an audiobook, it was quite eye opening, it tells the stories of 'smart' people who have ADHD and the lifes they led prior to diagnosis, so many parallels with my own life in those stories.

http://www.amazon.com/Smart-But-Stuck-Emotions-Adults/dp/111827928X

I am not the OP but here are two books that I got for my SO to help her in understanding and dealing with someone who has ADHD. They were an immense help and I personally found them oddly refreshing to read... it's nice to see and know that there are others out there who share the exact same issues, and even more importantly that there are others who understand.

http://www.amazon.com/Smart-But-Stuck-Emotions-Adults/dp/111827928X

http://www.amazon.com/Stopping-Coaster-Someone-Attention-Disorder/dp/0981548709