ADD ADHD

LPAC: The Legal Profession Assistance Conference

Legal Profession Assistance Conference
of the Canadian Bar Association

National Administrative Office
500-865 Carling Ave.
Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8

Office: 613-237-2925 x132
Fax: 613-237-0185

24hr HelpLine:
1-800-667-5722

www.lpac.ca
robynl@cba.org

LPAC’s Bibliography of Related Articles on:

Adult ADD/ADHD

ADULT ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER by Alan C. Bail, American Bar Association: GPSOLO “Bumps in the Road” Vol. 18 Number 5 July/August 2001

How do you explain to the court that you were late because you couldn't choose which shoes to wear? And that after you had chosen your shoes, polished them, and put on your suit and tie, you decided that you didn't like the way the tie looked with that suit, requiring a change of suit and, of course, different shoes?

Lawyers with ADHD, by Lynn Phillips, American Bar Association: GPSOLO “Bumps in the Road, III,” Vol.23, Number 7, October/November, 2006

In lawyers, one of the most obvious manifestations of the condition is their ongoing attempts to “get organized”—which always end in only short-term success, if any. They report falling behind in their work or being fearful they missed something important, and frequently they feel that they are not living up to their potential. By this point in their lives, many lawyers have learned to work around the manifestations of their ADHD symptoms.

The hallmark symptoms of adult ADHD, identified by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey, authors of Driven to Distraction (Touchstone, 1995), include: a sense of underachievement; difficulty getting organized; chronic procrastination; many projects going simultaneously and trouble with follow-through; a frequent search for high stimulation; intolerance of boredom; easy distractibility; trouble focusing attention; and a tendency to tune out in the middle of a conversation. (It's important to rule out medical causes, such as hyperthyroidism, which may cause ADHD-like symptoms.) If you had chronic symptoms as a child or have them as an adult, the final step is to determine if they are having a significant negative impact on your life today.

If you suspect that you or someone in your family has ADHD, ask your family doctor for a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist experienced in treating adults with ADHD.