Improvisation is a way of life for many people with ADHD—some people laugh about the sticky situations their creativity has allowed them to escape. But creativity requires the right frame of mind. It’s harder to think of solutions when one is busy being critical, seeing narrowly, and missing what is possible.

They may suffer demoralization, anxiety, or other distress because of the impact of FAST MINDS traits on their lives. Yet often, only those closest to them know how hard they work to succeed.

Gather evidence of what is and isn’t working. Do relationships, family, friends, and job expectations help or get in the way? Being in a flexible work or school setting and having an accepting partner can make all the difference.

Multiple studies show that in children and adults with ADHD, the anterior cingulate is less active, smaller, or less connected to other regions.

There’s “The Struggling Student,” which sums up Eddie’s experiences during university and graduate school. A second category of people we often meet in our offices are—to evoke the old sitcom—“Married with Children.” Mary, whom you’ll meet in the next chapter, fits this description. Her energy, smarts, and creativity propelled her through school

Adult ADHD and FAST MINDS are brain-based; they’re not your fault. Blaming FAST MINDS gives you something to work with—blaming yourself wastes energy. Cognitive behavioral techniques can help people with FAST MINDS maximize rational thinking to help generate solutions—solutions you can create for yourself in the rest of this book.

Brain-imaging studies show that some people with ADHD have clear impairment of their prefrontal function.

as if their brain sometimes works too fast for their own good, as if they can’t get out of their own way.

Many people diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood talk about feeling overcome by grief. They are distressed about having to work harder than others just to keep up. They deeply mourn their lost opportunities; if only they’d known earlier that their problems were part of a diagnosable condition, maybe they would have made it through school, made that