ADHD TREATMENT
Image: Brain and Spinal Cord, MRI
Does Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Make It Hard For You To Focus And Get Things Done?
Do you constantly forget things and struggle to manage your time?
Are you often late for events and easily distracted at work or in school?
Is it hard for you to plan your day out and accomplish your goals?
Maybe you find yourself scrambling to get out the door each morning, desperately trying not to be late for work. Once you’re there, you continually overlook assignments, misplace things, and miss important deadlines. You may also start projects you don’t finish and struggle to retain what you read.
Sometimes, you might get so hyper-fixated on one task that you neglect more important things—as if you can’t see the forest for the trees. As a result, maybe you’re wondering if it’s time to seek an ADHD evaluation so that you can get diagnosed and treated for your symptoms.
Other People Might Not Understand Your Struggles With ADHD
ADHD can lead to unintended consequences in your relationships. Because you’re chronically late and forgetful, people might mischaracterize you as rude or inconsiderate. Romantic partners may think you’re uncaring when you forget important dates and anniversaries; bosses and teachers may view you as lazy or addled when you struggle to complete assignments.
The reality is that you are not lazy, ditzy, or any of those things—in fact, if you are like most people with ADHD, you are highly intelligent, motivated, and creative. The problem is that your mind operates differently from other people. What you need is a form of treatment that can help you drown out all the “white noise” and leverage ADHD to your advantage.
As a therapist and psychiatrist who specializes in diagnosing and treating ADHD in adults, I am confident that I can help you. Through a combination of psychotherapy and medication management, I can empower you to get your ADHD symptoms under control and live a happier, more productive life.
ADHD Is Widespread, But Also Widely Misunderstood
ADHD is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention and hyper-activity. It is primarily genetic and inherited over generations in families. Unfortunately, it is also terribly underdiagnosed—especially in the adult population.
In fact, there is a widespread belief that ADHD is solely a childhood condition; this myth perpetuates great harm in our society, as it prevents many adults with ADHD from getting the treatment they need. Many people don’t realize they have ADHD until they get to college, because the learning material is more complex and there’s a larger array of information to digest.
What’s more, ADHD is especially underdiagnosed in women. Women often have ADHD just as much as men, but their symptoms present differently. While men with ADHD tend to be hyperactive and impulsive, women with ADHD tend to daydream frequently and seemingly get “lost in their own world.”
Because of how their struggles go unrecognized and undiagnosed, many girls and women grow up without ever getting the treatment they need.
ADHD Involves Complex Changes In The Brain, Making It Hard To Work Through Alone
An adult ADHD brain is characterized by a less active prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for impulse control, planning ahead, and other avenues of executive functioning. Additionally, most people with ADHD have co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety, or OCD, making it hard to pinpoint the source of one’s challenges.
In other words, the functional and structural aspects of an ADHD brain are too complex to work through on your own. You can’t just “think” your way out of ADHD or overcome it by exercising more willpower.
You need a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and pharmaceutical interventions, and this is something that a trained professional can provide.
ADHD Treatment Can Help You Thrive And Live A Productive Life
Although ADHD is not curable, it is highly treatable. In fact, most patients see improvements after the first few sessions, and with the power of medication and therapy together, many of them experience life-altering changes in how they feel and function.
Since I am both a therapist and a psychiatrist, I am able to address ADHD on many fronts at once. I can help you get to the core issues driving your symptoms while equipping you with medications and lifestyle changes for making those symptoms more manageable.
Stimulant medications are often the first-line treatment. Although they are not mandatory (plenty of patients find relief through therapy alone), they make the work of ADHD therapy much easier, improving focus and impulse control.
Once your symptoms are under control, we can turn our attention to counseling, addressing the deeper struggles of ADHD through a mix of behavioral interventions and insight-oriented therapies.
What To Expect In ADHD Therapy Sessions
Generally, the first thing I’ll do in therapy is teach you a bit about ADHD—what it is, where it comes from, and how it often co-occurs with other conditions. I will perform a detailed psychiatric and medical assessment to define all the diagnoses relevant to ADHD, reviewing your struggles with the condition both now and in the past.
From there, we’ll look at maladaptive coping mechanisms you may have developed to deal with ADHD (alcohol, illegal drugs, nicotine dependence, or self-harming behaviors) and map out new strategies to cope with distractibility, inattention, and impulsive behavior.
We’ll break these steps down into doable tasks each week and analyze where things might have fallen short from week to week. We’ll also work on improving your sleep habits, bolstering your exercise routine, and implementing other lifestyle changes.
On a deeper level, you and I will use insight-oriented therapy to understand the personal toll that ADHD has had on your life. We’ll explore any regrets that living with ADHD has caused as well as any feelings of inadequacy or self-criticism. I will help you boost your self-compassion, understanding that there is nothing wrong with you and that ADHD is often a sign of greater intelligence and creativity.
Above all, I believe that the best beacon of hope for ADHD is a combination of psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, and medication management. Through this comprehensive approach, you can boost your mood, reduce maladaptive behaviors, and learn to thrive with ADHD instead of merely coping and surviving.
You May Have Some Questions About ADHD Treatment…
Will I have to go on medication?
No, you won’t. Medication is often helpful, but it is not the only avenue for ADHD treatment, as many people find that therapy and lifestyle changes are sufficient on their own. In sessions together, you and I will discuss the various types of medication available, review which ones would work best, and go over any concerns you have about side effects.
If you decide to try a medication, I encourage you to give it a couple weeks and then assess if it’s something you want to continue exploring.
I’ve had a bad experience with therapy in the past. How will this be different?
If you’ve been disappointed by therapy before, we can discuss what didn’t work for you in the past and assess what can be done differently this time around. Since I am both a psychiatrist and a mental health counselor, I’m able to be more comprehensive and holistic than a lot of specialists, taking on ADHD from many angles at once.
Can I ever get better?
Absolutely and most assuredly yes! It’s normal to fear that you won’t improve, but most patients who come to see me gain the tools they need to live a productive and fulfilling life. Getting diagnosed and treated is a game changer, a way of ensuring that you are set up for success and can perform up to the level of your true abilities.
ADHD Does Not Have To Hold You Back From Living Your Best Life
If you want to separate the noise and clatter of everyday life from the things that are most important to you, I am confident that I can help. To learn more about my adult ADHD counseling services, you can fill out the contact form or call me at 646-593-2134.
Serving patients in Portland, Oregon, and New York City, New York via telehealth and in-person sessions.
Are You Ready To Schedule A Session Or Still Have A Question?
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ADHD Treatment
in Portland, OR
2250 NW Flanders St #310
Portland, OR 97210
ADHD Treatment
in New York, NY
19 W 34th St.
New York, NY 10001