Mental Health Month

ADHD: It’s a Brain Thing, Part 2

May 7, 2024 By Admin

So, what do we do about ADHD?

1.

If a person is suspected of having ADHD & they are currently having difficulties in their life, seek out help from a professional. As ADHD is an official medical diagnosis, only a medical physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, or mental health counselor can make that diagnosis.

2.

Once a diagnosis has officially been given, I suggest that you become an ADHD expert. Learn as much as you can yourself so that you can help your loved ones with this issue. For adults & parents of ADHDers, I highly suggest the website CHADD.org. This website has tons of information about treatment options, scientific research, parenting tips, & even possible 504 Modifications at school. It also has resources in Spanish. For teens & young adults, I suggest the YouTube Channel "How to ADHD". These YouTube videos are by Jessica McCabe who has ADHD herself. She is able to take the boring stuff from the science world & make it practical into helpful tips for everyone. She even recently wrote a book about ADHD.

3.

Be open to a variety of treatment options.

A. ADHD medication got a bad rap in the past, but things have changed now. We have new medications on the market. You can choose between stimulant vs. non-stimulant medication with your medical provider. Most prescribers will start a person out on the smallest dose possible to see if there is any benefit from the medication. If you are worried about medication, talk to your doctor.

B. Consider making life changes at home. If you often lose your house keys, put a special hook by the door wo you always know where they are. If it's hard for your kid to get out of the door in the morning, have a special chair next to their room where they can put their backpack, shoes & clothes for the next day.

C. Create routines. ADHDers love to know what is happening next. They often have anxiety when the routine changes or when things do not go as planned. Create schedules. Create a morning routine & an afternoon routine. Keep repeating things in the same order time after time. Eventually, the ADHDers will pick it up & be able to complete it on their own without being reminded.

D. Make clocks & timers your friends. As an adult, we know that things are to start & end on time. Children haven't learned this yet. If left to our own devices, we may be on social media, being watching a show, or playing a video game for HOURS. While that may be fine in your free time, our boss wouldn't like it if we did it on the job. So, watch the clock & set a timer for only 30 minutes. When the timer alarm goes off, that will motivate us to get up & switch to a new task.

E. Consider dietary changes. While I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist, I do know that we now have research that shows that some ADHD symptoms can be lessened if we eat differently. Just as caffeine & alcohol impact our bodies so does sugar, additives in processed food, & even food dye. Before you make any changes, talk to your physician & do your research.

F. Practice memory strategies. Do you remember the memory card game from the 1980s? I loved to find pairs that matched! This game can still be helpful today. Practice focusing intently on one task at a time. Also, develop memory strategies such as ways to remember where your car is parked at the mall. Create a silly song or repeat it over & over in your head.

G. Keep Post-It notes handy to write things down. ADHDers often have a "mental to-do list" yet, they often forget it. Encourage them to write it down. This helps to leave space in their brain for other things to focus on.

So, ADHD is here to stay. It's not that the adult ADHDer is "flighty" or the kid with ADHD is "bad" & "needs discipline". It's a brain issue. While we all may think differently from one another, be sure to remember that we are all still human & should treat each other with care & compassion.

Laura Langley, MS, LPC-S was born & raised in Southeast Texas. She earned both her Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees from the Psychology Dept at Lamar University. After graduating with her Master’s in 2005, she joined Samaritan Counseling Center in 2006 in order to complete her internship to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. She gained experience serving children, teens, adults, & couples. When her internship was completed in 2008, Laura began working with kids & teens in the foster care system as she accepted a job with Buckner Children & Family Services. In 2011, Laura moved out of the area & gained supervisory & management experience working for a local mental health authority (formerly known as a MHMR). Laura returned to Southeast Texas in 2015, where she began working for Family Services of Southeast Texas for the next 6 yrs. There she continued to provide counseling to individuals as well as lead classes in Parenting and also Anger Management. In October 2021, Laura returned to her roots by rejoining Samaritan Counseling Center. In addition to her 15+ yrs of experience, Laura brings with her welcoming personality, an eagerness to laugh, a desire to see people change while also meeting people “where they are”.

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