Feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, exhausted, and barely able to maintain passing grades after her first year of medical school, Susan (a pseudonym) submitted to an evaluation at the suggestion of her advisors and received an ADHD diagnosis. Floored, she turned to CHADD’s professional directory and found Jane Milrod, a coach who works with adults and children affected by ADHD. “This student’s whole life was a story of huge struggles with undiagnosed ADHD,” says Milrod. Her family and teachers saw her ADHD behaviors as moral failures—they thought she didn’t care, she wouldn’t try, she hated to work. Susan had managed to survive, however, thanks to her high intelligence, tenacity, and engaging personality. She had consistently surrounded herself with bright, conscientious peers who provided structure and support for her studying. Now, however, Susan faced the major challenges of medical school, marriage, and living forty-five minutes away from campus. She could not overcome her biggest single ADHD demon: procrastination. Any task produced anxiety, which produced avoidance, which produced paralysis—and the very real possibility of flunking out. For the first five months of their work together, Susan took a leave of absence from medical school to regroup. Milrod worked on two fronts: educating Susan about her ADHD brain (all new information) and helping her change her relationship with herself. They looked hard at all the steps in Susan’s day, her routines (and lack thereof), her random eating and sleeping habits, the way she managed (and failed to manage) her time and responsibilities, her use of free time, and her relationships. Milrod helped Susan see the real-time impact of ADHD on every aspect of her life.

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