John III’s Story

I was diagnosed with ADD in 1995 in Tacoma, WA. I was having problems with my 1st wife, and I was seeking counseling to try and save my marriage. the counselor heard just about each and every major symptom of ADD there is in the fifty minutes that I sat there and spilled my guts to him about my last eight years of marriage. The funny thing was, my five year old son had just started taking ritalin to help him gain some control in school just a couple of months prior to this, so its not like I had never heard of ADD. I had read at least three or four books on the subject. I just didn’t realize I was also reading about myself!

I intially was upset, didn’t want to admit that this was the problem all along, but at the same time, relieved. To try to make a long story short, My wife, after explaining to her about the diagnosis, still decided she wanted a divorce. To this day, the only explanation I’ve gotten from her is, “John, I’m just tired of being married”. I’ve since figured out that I basically wore her out. Starting tasks and not completing them, Intense mood swings, impulsive spending, etc. I can say that I do have a quick fuse, but have never hit a women. I am remarried, and when I first met her, I explained about the ADD, and offered a couple of books for her to read. We’ve been married almost two years now, and for the most JOHN III