DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, USA, October 29, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Midlife women who develop a sudden case of “brain fog” run to their doctors, fearing early onset dementia or worse. Many are stunned at the diagnosis: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a lifelong condition that is often unmasked when women are on the cusp of menopause, according to Linda Roggli, PCC, an award-winning author, coach and retreat facilitator for ADHD women “40-and-better.”

“Most people think of ADHD as a children’s issue,” said Roggli, who discovered her own ADHD at age 47, “but there are literally millions of adults with ADHD, most of them unaware that their lifelong struggles have a name … and treatment. That’s why I created the ADDiva Network for ADHD women at midlife and beyond. We all need support, community and hope. Today, there are thousands of women across the globe who call themselves ADDivas!”

Though she wears her whimsical trademark ADDiva hat and takes an upbeat approach to adult ADHD, Roggli acknowledges the seriousness of this neurodevelopmental condition. ADHD adults often have trouble with time management, are disorganized with papers and bills, are usually underemployed, endure troubled relationships and have a profound sense of failure. Studies show that women with ADHD may have even more difficulty coping with ADHD than men because of their many roles that require multi-tasking.

“Most of the women I work with have managed to survive thus far using their intellect, but when estrogen fades, their ADHD symptoms get worse,” said Roggli. “One woman called ADHD ‘her dirty little secret.’ She worked hard to maintain a facade of competency, but lived in constant fear that she would be exposed as a fraud.”

Traditional treatment for ADHD is medication, but pills don’t teach skills, according to Roggli. ADHD adults, who comprise 4.4 percent of the population, need help with structure, relationship skills and especially self-esteem. A lifetime of failure, even when hidden, takes a toll on the human psyche.

Roggli’s book, Confessions of an ADDiva: Midlife in the Non-linear Lane, which won first prize in the Next Generation Indy Book Awards for Women’s Issues in 2012, guides women (and men) through the basics of adult ADHD via intensely personal anecdotes that are alternately funny and poignant. She bared her soul in print so that ADHD women can see themselves as less damaged and begin to love themselves, perhaps for the first time.

“The ADDiva Network encourages women to come out of their dark (and messy) ADHD closets without judgment or shame,” said Roggli. “Through coaching, ADDiva retreats, online forums, webinars and support groups, we rebuild lives. When ADHD women realize that they are more than their ADHD and finally wake up to their full potential, the world shifts. My slogan for ADHD women is: Why are you trying to fit in when you were born to stand out?”

Close-Up Talk Radio will feature ADDiva Linda Roggli in an interview with Doug Llewelyn on October 31st at 10am EDT.

Listen to the show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/closeuptalkradio. If you have a question for our guest, call (347) 996-3389.

For more information on the ADDiva Network, visit http://www.addiva.net

Lou Ceparano
Close-Up TV News
(631) 421-8500
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