Still trying to get going with this

Not easy, with ADD and periodic depression and a new job, all in one fell swoop. Oh, yes, and the divorced/single-mother custodial parent of an adolescent daughter (the joy of my existence, as the Skipper on "Gilligan's Island" named Gilligan, "my little buddy," which is an amazing miracle in my opinion) . . .

For the privacy and in some ways the sanity of the above child, as well as myself (in ways I will elaborate over time), there are two rules for this blog: 1) It will be extremely difficult for most of you to figure out any way to definitively identify the origin of this blog (the writer, her family ties, etc.) AND 2) I will do my absolute best in that context, to express ONLY the TRUTH (as I know it at whatever moment I post these things). If I can't uphold condition #1 at the same time I fulfill condition #2, I will not post false information just to "get through" this, to reconcile a set of competing standards, or simply to make a point. What you will read here is the TRUTH. If you don't see it here, it doesn't necessarily mean "it" doesn't exist. That may simply signify that I don't want to violate anyone else's privacy by providing more details of the truth I feel I can reveal. You can guess all you want; I'll reveal exactly what I want, and no more. Guess what: Despite our fondest wishes for significant/intimate others to be totally open and transparent with us, WE ALL FOLLOW THE SAME PRINCIPLE. Therefore: 1) I won't succumb to feeling guilty about withholding information and 2) You won't judge me negatively for the fact that you wish you had information you don't have from me. That seems fair.

Now, the "main paragraph" above: Yes, I have Attention Deficit Disorder. Yes, I (finally admit that I) have Major Depressive Disorder, which came to the fore in a post-partum episode that was one of the biggest gift/curses I have ever received. The ADD was a much more recent discovery (which explained a lot about the depression), which is actually a disgusting fact, given the fact that I have worked in a wide variety of mental health/cognitive/behavioral/psychiatric areas, and have TWO (different) graduate degrees in related areas. The fact that I, myself, didn't "catch" these things is one thing. I was on the inside of them, therefore not objective. However, the number of people who missed all of this stuff, who were my professors, supervisors, mentors, etc., etc, and supposedly more "qualified" than I was, in the end is appalling. [More about all of these things at a later point, promise. If you want to know and don't see it soon enough to suit you, just ask.]

In any case, all of the above is true. And I'll get over/forgive all the astute, trained professionals who completely missed the characteristic signs that could have gotten me critical help much earlier (and potentially changed the course of my life); be that as it may, self-help/self-diagnosis/self-knowledge finally took care of that.