Living With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

If you have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you may be relieved that you now know why you have felt or behaved a certain way.

Still, you may feel overwhelmed about the treatment ahead. You may also wonder how to get the support you need and how to deal with the condition day-to-day. With treatment and support, you can live with ADHD and manage your symptoms.

How to manage lifestyle changes

Managing stress

Stress is your body’s reaction to life changes and events, both good and bad. To cope with the stress of an ADHD diagnosis, it may help to:

• Learn more about ADHD.
• Exercise regularly. Even a short daily walk can lower stress levels.
• Participate in training or education programs (including social skills training classes) that teach you to deal with symptoms.

Medicines

Your health care provider may suggest certain medicines if he or she feels that they will help to improve your condition. Stimulant medicines are usually prescribed to treat ADHD, and therapy may also be prescribed. It is important to:

• Avoid using alcohol and other substances that may prevent your medicines from working properly (may interact). 
• Talk with your pharmacist or health care provider about all the medicines that you take, their possible side effects, and what medicines are safe to take together.
• Make it your goal to take part in all treatment decisions (shared decision-making). Ask about possible side effects of medicines that your health care provider recommends, and tell him or her how you feel about having those side effects. It is best if shared decision-making with your health care provider is part of your total treatment plan.

Relationships

To strengthen your relationships with family members while treating your condition, consider taking part in family therapy. You might also attend self-help groups alone or with a loved one.

Be honest about how your symptoms affect your relationships. Make an effort to communicate respectfully instead of fighting, and find ways to show others that you care. Psychotherapy may be useful in helping you cope with how ADHD affects your relationships.

How to recognize changes in your condition

The following signs may mean that your treatment is working well and your condition is improving:

• Consistently being on time for appointments.
• Being more organized at home and work.
• Other people noticing improvements in your behavior.
• Achieving goals that you set for yourself.
• Thinking more clearly.

The following signs may mean that your treatment is not working very well:

• Feeling impatience or more confusion.
• Missing, forgetting, or being late for appointments.
• An increasing sense of disorganization and messiness.
• More difficulty in reaching goals that you set for yourself.
• Loved ones becoming angry or frustrated with you.

Where to find support

Talking to others

• Keep emotion out of important discussions and speak in a calm, logical way.
• Listen closely and patiently to your loved ones. Try to understand their point of view, and try to avoid getting defensive.
• Take responsibility for the consequences of your actions.
• Ask that others do not take your behaviors personally.
• Aim to solve problems as they come up, and express your feelings instead of bottling them up.
• Talk openly about what you need from your loved ones and how they can support you.
• Consider going to family therapy sessions or having your family meet with a specialist who deals with ADHD-related behavior problems.

Finances

Not all insurance plans cover mental health care, so it is important to check with your insurance carrier. If paying for co-pays or counseling services is a problem, search for a local or county mental health care center. Public mental health care services may be offered there at a low cost or no cost when you are not able to see a private health care provider.

If you are taking medicine for ADHD, you may be able to get the generic form, which may be less expensive than brand-name medicine. Some makers of prescription medicines also offer help to patients who cannot afford the medicines that they need.

Follow these instructions at home:

• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider. Check with your health care provider before taking any new medicines.
• Create structure and an organized atmosphere at home. For example:
  • Make a list of tasks, then rank them from most important to least important. Work on one task at a time until your listed tasks are done.
  • Make a daily schedule and follow it consistently every day.
  • Use an appointment calendar, and check it 2 or 3 times a day to keep on track. Keep it with you when you leave the house.
  • Create spaces where you keep certain things, and always put things back in their places after you use them.
• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important.

Questions to ask your health care provider:

• What are the risks and benefits of taking medicines?
• Would I benefit from therapy?
• How often should I follow up with a health care provider?

Contact a health care provider if:

• You have side effects from your medicines, such as:
  • Repeated muscle twitches, coughing, or speech outbursts.
  • Sleep problems.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Depression.
  • New or worsening behavior problems.
  • Dizziness.
  • Unusually fast heartbeat.
  • Stomach pains.
  • Headaches.

Get help right away if:

• You have a severe reaction to a medicine.
• Your behavior suddenly gets worse.

Summary

• With treatment and support, you can live with ADHD and manage your symptoms.
• The medicines that are most often prescribed for ADHD are stimulants.
• Consider taking part in family therapy or self-help groups with family members or friends.
• When you talk with friends and family about your ADHD, be patient and communicate openly.
• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider. Check with your health care provider before taking any new medicines.