Being in the presence of an ADHD solution supernova tends to burn people. Obviously, it is better to not let your intensity get away from you, but sometimes you aren’t even aware it is happening. This is why it’s important to train yourself to put out fires afterwards. Yes, you may have saved the day, but at what cost? Try these tips to see if you can salvage relationships from the fire:

(Part 1: For Children with Mental Illness, Right Teacher Key to School Success) As second grade approached, I was determined to make it a better year. I met with the principal to discuss classroom placement; specifically, I wanted to ensure that my son Bob, who has childhood bipolar disorder, wouldn’t be placed with all “problem” kids, since noise and chaos would exacerbate his own behavior issues. I also wanted to address parent/teacher communication, so I could closely monitor his progress. Further, I wanted to contact his teacher prior to the start of the year, so we could address my concerns before the hectic first days. Luckily, the principal agreed.

A typical dating scenario goes something like this: boy meets girl and they hit it off. They date long enough for boy to develop serious feelings for girl. Then girl suddenly drops what feels like a knee to the gut—she discloses one of those horrible relationship-altering things that should have been mentioned earlier. This can be summed up as the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” conundrum as in, “If only you woulda told me this earlier, I coulda dated other people and moved on with my life. Gee, you really shoulda told me…”

The thing about living with anxiety is you're never alone. It's there, like a shadow, filling up the extra spaces in your day. When your head hits the pillows, it pops up. You're quiet: It's loud, and louder. And oh, hang on, it's 2am. 3am. 4am. "Why can't I settle down? What's wrong with me? What if, and how will I ever...?"

"It didn't matter to me that you had it, it was just who you were." ADHD can be hard on a relationship, but love truly does conquer all.

In a popular t.v. commercial, a Dad skips through the aisles of an office supply store, giddily tossing notebooks and pencils into his cart while his children glare at him. The accompanying music is untimely but fitting--”It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The ad is meant to humorously demonstrate how differently kids and parents perceive the start of the school year. Most parents delight in the end of pricey summer care and/or the constant “I’m bored!” cries of their offspring. Parents of MI kids are no exception--although we may have more anxiety over the new school year than most.

Seroquel was the 5th grossing drug in 2009, with revenue of $4.2 billion. That’s more money than any pain-killer, antidepressant or erectile dysfunction medication. And my guess is that many of you reading this right now, are on it. And I also guess almost none of you have taken the time to read the prescribing information on Seroquel.

One challenge of dissociative living is task management. Dissociation creates fissures in consciousness that make the demands of daily life extremely difficult to meet. It's important that I get my son to swimming lessons on time. Showing up for psychiatric appointments is imperative. Paying bills is not optional. But I cannot expect my dissociative mind to sustain awareness of all my obligations throughout many alter states. Instead, I rely on external tools to remember for me.

On Monday, I talked about what to do if you’ve just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and if you’ve read that piece then you know, I recommended a lot of breathing and thinking. I notably did not suggest decision-making. Well, you can’t live in a yoga studio forever.

I call it DSM Scrabble because lots of people don't fit neatly into the categories doctors put them in. Diagnoses are convenient boxes but rarely entirely accurate, and certainly not the full picture. It felt like I'd won the lottery the first time someone put an actual name to my experience of anxiety. My shrink knew all these catchy phrases that described where I was: Maybe she had connections? Maybe she could give me courage, a heart, a brain?