THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN (CFC)
 The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the largest workplace giving campaign in the world and an excellent and convenient way to support ADDA’s mission to help adults with ADHD lead better lives. ADDA’s CFC designation code is 11589. Help us make a difference in the lives of adults with ADHD all year long!
NEWS
ADDA Responds to the New York Times!
ADDA has asked Board of Directors Member Celeste A. Jacque, M.D. to respond to a recent article that appeared in the New York Times on behalf of ADDA. Dr. Jacque is also a key member of ADDA’s College Committee, a group particularly interested and active in issues affecting young adults preparing for and attending institutions of higher learning. Dr. Jacque is board certified in both Psychiatry and in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Focus on the Real Issues
On February 3, 2013, the New York Times published an article entitled, "Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions.” The article, chronicling the descent into psychosis and subsequent death of Richard Fee, is extremely sad. However, the article’s emphasis on another "bad medication” is misleading. Read More»»
ADDA One of Thirty-Two Hundred Organizations Demanding a Balanced Approach
ADDA, along with 3,199 other organizations, signed a letter addressed to all Members of Congress seeking a balanced approach to deficit reduction. The letter was sent to all congressional offices, the White House and the media urging all Members of Congress to work together to find a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to critical programs that could affect individuals living with AD/HD.
We still need your support as we approach the sequestration deadline of March 1. Please join the NDDay of Action THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14 by engaging your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and all forms of social media to capture the attention of Members of Congress.
ADDA thanks you for your continued support!
Read the letter here»
ADDA Takes Action in Support of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act
The criminal justice system has become our de facto mental health system. In 2010 the National Sheriffs Association and the Treatment Advocacy Center reported, "…it is fact, not hyperbole, that jails and prisons have become America’s mental hospitals.”
ADDA has been leading the charge to improve access to mental health services for people with ADHD who come into contact with the criminal justice system. However, despite programs such as the ADHD Corrections Project offered through the Delaware Center for Justice, we’re still only scratching the surface.
In 2004, Congress passed the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), which supports collaborative programs that address the needs of justice-involved individuals with mental health conditions including those who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Congress is planning to introduce the bill during the week of January 21, 2013 for update and reauthorization.
ADDA has issued an Action Alert asking that you contact your Member of Congress to let them know how important this bill and these programs are. Learn more about how you can help »
ADDA Is Also Disappointed
ADDA joins the American Disability Community in expressing its disappointment that the United States Senate failed to ratify the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Learn more in their press release. The Whitehouse confirmed their agreement with our position when the press secretary released the following statement:
Statement by the Press Secretary on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
We are disappointed that the overwhelming majority of Senate Republicans today blocked the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which would enshrine American standards that have been developed through decades of bipartisan cooperation. Ratification would require no changes to U.S. law, as the United States already leads the world in promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.
However, it would position the United States to support extending across the globe the rights that Americans already enjoy at home. This in turn would improve the lives of Americans with disabilities -- including our wounded service members -- who wish to live, work, and travel abroad. It would also allow our businesses to operate on a more level playing field and reaffirm American leadership on disability rights. For these reasons, and others, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and across the country -- as well as disability advocacy groups, wounded warriors, veterans groups and business groups -- have supported this treaty. We commend former Senator Dole and the bipartisan coalition of Senators who worked to secure the treaty resolution's passage, including Senators Reid, Kerry, Lugar and McCain. We hope the Senate will reconsider this treaty soon in the next Congress. As President Obama declared in a written statement read in tribute to Senator Dole just before the vote, disability rights should not stop at our nation's shores.”
The Affordable Care Act: What Disability Advocates Need to Know
Article is reprinted with permission from The Arc
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the disability community must work to better understand the law and the many benefits it can provide to people with disabilities. This will be critical to the community’s role in helping to move states forward with implementation. Click here for complete report.
New Brief Provides a Guide to the Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act Decision
A new policy brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation explains the key issues in the Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act. The brief examines the Court’s affirmation that the individual mandate is constitutional and explains the justices’ more complex decision to limit the law’s enforcement mechanism for the Medicaid expansion while allowing the overall expansion of that program to go forward. It also looks ahead to the implementation of health reform now that questions about the constitutionality of the law have been resolved.
The new guide is one of many Foundation resources about the law available on the Health Reform Source website.
The Kaiser Family Foundation, a leader in health policy analysis, health journalism and communication, is dedicated to filling the need for trusted, independent information on the major health issues facing our nation and its people. The Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California.
ADHD Drugs Not Linked to Increased Heart Risks in Adults
Study May Calm Fears That the Stimulant Drugs Can Lead to Heart Attacks
A study of 150,000 adults taking drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found no conclusive evidence that the medications increase the risk for heart attack , stroke, or sudden death from heart-related causes.
Read more
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Registration is OPEN for the Adult ADHD National Conference!
ADDA is holding its famous Adult ADHD Conference, the largest single live event dedicated exclusively to adults with ADHD and their families, at the beautiful Marriott at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan!
14th International Adult ADHD Conference
Reach Out for Connection, Hope and Empowerment
July 18-21 - Detroit, Michigan
Our speaker lineup is amazing! Keynote speakers, Sari Solden, Ned Hallowell and Rick Green, will be presenting in addition to the over 50 breakout sessions we have addressing virtually every topic that could be of interest to adults with ADHD. Special deals are available at the Detroit Renaissance Marriott Hotel so everyone can be right there in the heart of the action! Learn more in our special Web site section all about the 14th Adult ADHD Conference and come back often to discover the latest and greatest exciting things we have in store for you at the Conference!
The sooner you register, the more you save. Register by June 28, 2013 for your best deal.
Preparations are underway, and you won’t want to miss a single detail! If you’re not on the ADDA email list, please subscribe today. It’s free to subscribe, you’ll receive ADDA’s newsletter and amazing bonus recordings of presentations by ADHD experts (just like the one’s you’ll hear at the conference!) and you’ll be kept right up to date on every last detail about the conference.
If you really want to be "in the know,” consider becoming a volunteer. ADDA is a volunteer-run organization and we count on our members’ generous nature to make amazing things happen. I f you’d like to help organize the conference, please contact the ADDA National Conference committee chairperson.
We’ll… Meet You In Motown!
2013 ADHD SHIRE Scholarship
Also during ADHD Awareness Week, Shire will launch the 2013 ADHD Scholarship Program, which provides a $2,000 award and a year of coaching services to individuals diagnosed with ADHD who are pursuing higher education. For more information, including rules and regulations and frequently asked questions. Read More»»
NEW ARTICLES
A Focus On Adults: Living With Chronic ADHD
On April 2, 2013, Neal Conan interviewed Terry Matlen (ADD Consults, Inc. and author of "Survival tips for Women with ADHD") and Dr. Russell Barkley on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. You can listen to the recording of the show or read the transcript. Some highlights in the recording you won’t want to miss include:
1:14 – Terry shares her feelings and realizations as a newly diagnosed adult with ADHD
3:00 – Terry explains how helpful books were in her education and self-discovery.
8:00 – Terry reveals how attending her first Adult ADHD Conference was a life-changing event. Read (or listen) more»
Repeat After Me
By Alex Marco
 Repeat after me: there is no single perfect college. I've heard this cliché a million times from friends, parents, teachers, and college counselors, but being as stubborn as am, I never paid it any mind. A long time ago, I mapped out a plan with a specific school I planned to attend, a program I wanted to take, and a future I told myself I deserved. Since I'd already gone through all the motions, everything would fall into place. Well, you can't always be right, right? Read more»
Linda Lambdin Has Her Own Beat: Rock On!
By Judy Brenis
 Linda Lambdin marches to the beat of her own drummer and wouldn’t have it any other way. In her own words, she’s a dreamer and a visionary. "I’m very intuitive. My way of seeing and acting in the world has a deep and positive affect on many people,” Lambdin says.
Lambdin believes these strengths are a direct result of her ADHD. "Although my ADD does hamper me when it comes to paper work, etc., I don’t see it as a deficit, but as a gift.” Read more»
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