ADD/ADHD

ADHD, sometimes referred to as ADD, stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, meaning you have trouble focusing and maintaining your attention. ADHD is a condition with which adults have struggled since childhood.

When most people think of the best treatment for ADD/ADHD, they immediately think of medication like Adderall or Ritalin. But medication doesn’t work for everyone, and even if it does work for you as an adult, it only helps manage symptoms instead of solving all of your problems, so it only represents a small part of your treatment.

Medications like Adderall or Ritalin can help improve your concentration, but they are not guaranteed to help you with time management or disorganization. These are key issues that usually cause problems for adults suffering from ADHD. 

So what treatment is best?

Medication is much more effective when combined with other treatments to address behavioral and emotional issues as well as provide coping skills.

• Each person responds differently to medication. Medication alone might provide a drastic improvement for some people, whereas it provides little improvement for others. Side effects from different medications might outweigh the benefits. For all of these reasons, it’s important to work with a doctor who can help you monitor the progress of different medications and when it might be time to start medication, switch medication, or stop the medication.
• Medication always has to be closely monitored, usually with help from an ADHD treatment center. It can be very unsafe when it’s not regularly monitored with dosage adjusted or side effects verified. Even on medication, you can work with a treatment center to slowly taper off your medication as you replace the drugs with more viable long-term coping skills and strategies.
• Treatment should also include long-term coping mechanisms such as healthy eating habits, proper exercise, mindfulness, meditation, good sleep, and other therapy. 

The best treatment for adults with ADHD is a customized program that addresses all of your needs. Why is this so important?

It is important because no two people are the same, which means no two treatment programs should be the same. ADHD treatment for adults should consist of customized programs that address the symptoms of your condition as well as any underlying or contributing mental health disorders. You might even need help to treat substance abuse if you have tried to self-medicate or manage symptoms of ADHD with drugs.

Therapy can teach you coping skills to help you change the habits that interfere with your daily life. This should be a personalized set of therapies that help you control your impulsive behaviors, teach you to manage your time or your money, help you manage your stress or anger, or improve the organization in your home and office. It comes down to what you need most.

1. Adults who struggle with ADHD usually have issues relating to feelings of failure, problems in school, or underachievement. One-on-one counseling and therapy can help you tackle any emotional baggage, feelings of shame, or low self-esteem.
2. Family therapy and marriage therapy can address problems that have been created in your relationships because of your ADD/ADHD. This might involve not just yourself but your loved ones so that you can all learn to better communicate with one another and improve your relationships.
3. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you identify negative thoughts and behaviors that cause serious problems. Adults with ADHD might find themselves completely demoralized because of years of failed expectations or struggle. Still, cognitive behavioral therapy can change the demoralized negative outlook into something more realistic and optimistic. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can give practical skills necessary to attack things like poor time management, work performance, or disorganization.