My Husband Won’t Open Up
“My spouse doesn’t like to talk about his problems. Does attention deficit make it harder for him to say he’s sad?”
Being reluctant to bring up problems is not, in itself, a sign of ADHD. Research shows that many men have difficulty broaching emotional topics. Women initiate most conversations about feelings.
Practice having constructive conversations about difficult topics. In general, constructive conversations include:
> opening softly, not aggressively, and easing into the conversation
> describing your thoughts in non-blaming “I” statements
> listening carefully (repeat back what you think you heard)
> taking time-outs if emotions get out of control.
If these don’t work, see a marriage counselor.
Melissa Orlov is a contributor to ADDitude, a coauthor of Married to Distraction (#CommissionsEarned), and the author of The ADHD Effect on Marriage (#CommissionsEarned).
Related resources
- Free Download: Manage ADHD’s Impact on Your Relationship
- Can an ADHD Diagnosis Save a Relationship?
- When Both Partners Are Diagnosed: Understanding the Other’s ADHD
- Dividing the Duties in an ADD Marriage
#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publicatio
