ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a condition that has only come to the attention of many citizens in recent years. If you have a child, a niece or a nephew that is known to be a bit messy or scattered who then receives a diagnosis, you may look back at your own childhood and study your current life and realize that you may also need help with this condition. Where can I find more information on ADHD?
Adult ADHD is not necessarily a foregone conclusion of childhood ADHD. Head trauma can contribute to the condition. You may have had normal cognitive brain development in childhood, had a car wreck or a bad fall in adulthood, and developed the condition. Psychological trauma can also contribute to an expansion in ADHD symptoms if you suffered from it as a child.
Available Therapies for ADHD
If you have a family member who’s been diagnosed with ADHD and are interested in finding out whether or not the condition may be impacting your life, talk with your doctor. There are cognitive behavioral therapy programs that can make managing ADHD easier; finding the right therapist may take a referral from your physician. Your physician may also be able to give you medication options to consider.
One therapy that can allow you to stop pressuring yourself is to consider mindfulness therapy. When you are mindful of your own mental processes, you have a mental space where you can stop and observe your own actions and thought processes.
Many with ADHD have poor impulse control. Handed a project and a specific set of instructions, they may skip the instructions and try to figure out how to do it on their own. While they may eventually come up with a better idea, they may also have to deal with an unhappy boss or frustrated teacher. Mindfulness therapy creates a space of executive control that can see why they want to strike out on their own, what the consequences will be, and which choice to make.
Being able to focus and finish a task can be incredibly difficult for someone with ADHD. Over time, someone with undiagnosed ADHD may doubt their intellect and believe that they are simply less capable than those around them. Because linear thinking can be quite challenging, undiagnosed ADHD can be damaging to self-esteem.
For parents of a child recently diagnosed with ADHD, simple exercises can offer relief to the child. If a child is scattered and unable to sit for extended periods, a parent can help with a bit of activity followed by work with a timer to increase focus. Structure at home can flex more effectively than in a school setting and positive reinforcement can be added to those timed sessions.
Many with ADHD are extremely creative, though to a neurotypical viewer they may appear scattered. A child with ADHD may enjoy painting, writing, bicycling and eating all within 45 minutes of each other. An adult with ADHD may be a beautiful artist and make enough to live on but never pay their bills on time. For many ADHD sufferers, a coach can make life more manageable.
Highly disorganized people can still manage the necessaries of life. Setting up automatic payments for housing, utilities, transportation and phones are a good way to start. If an adult with ADHD struggles to budget or has a sporadic income, they may do better to set up a second bank account from which they can withdraw cash to spend. You don’t have to have ADHD to be a poor manager of your household or your budget, but those with ADHD face challenges on multiple fronts.
It should be noted that an ADHD diagnosis is not an indication of a life of struggle. Both adults and children can learn to manage the inherent symptoms of ADHD. They can also learn to capitalize on it. One of the strong signs of ADHD thinking vs. neurotypical thinking is the ability to make intellectual connections that others don’t. Albert Einstein could never find his keys; his ability to engage in linear thinking was very limited. However, his intellect was remarkable. Our counselors are available 24 hours a day. Call 833-846-5669 for more information on managing ADHD for best results.