ABSTRACT
Most adults with ADD have suffered years of feeling demoralized, discouraged, and ineffective due to a history of frustrations and failures in school, work, family, and/or social domains. Many are plagued with a chronic inner sense of underachievement and intense frustration. Moreover, many have repeatedly heard negative messages about themselves either directly or indirectly from teachers, parents, spouses, friends, or employers highlighting their weaknesses and shortcomings. The cumulative effect of such a history can sometimes lead to internalization of these negative messages and can result in an entrenched belief that they are in fact true and unchangeable.
