Living With ADHD: Strategies for Well-Being

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPerceptions of ADHDGetting the DiagnosisDeciding Who to TellManaging SymptomsNext in ADHD GuideADHD in Children: Symptoms and Treatment

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Perceptions of ADHD

Getting the Diagnosis

Deciding Who to Tell

Managing Symptoms

Next in ADHD Guide

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While living with ADHD can be difficult at times, treatment and lifestyle changes can be monumental for overall well-being.

At a GlanceADHD is a disability, but it is mainly a disability due to the neurotypical-centered society that we live in. Rather than encouraging people with ADHD to hide their traits, support looks like creating environments where their needs are met without having to hide ormask.Living with ADHD is about monitoring your traits and actively working toward finding what works best for you. With the right support and treatment, you can create a life that allows you to reach your greatest potential.

At a Glance

ADHD is a disability, but it is mainly a disability due to the neurotypical-centered society that we live in. Rather than encouraging people with ADHD to hide their traits, support looks like creating environments where their needs are met without having to hide ormask.Living with ADHD is about monitoring your traits and actively working toward finding what works best for you. With the right support and treatment, you can create a life that allows you to reach your greatest potential.

ADHD is a disability, but it is mainly a disability due to the neurotypical-centered society that we live in. Rather than encouraging people with ADHD to hide their traits, support looks like creating environments where their needs are met without having to hide ormask.

Living with ADHD is about monitoring your traits and actively working toward finding what works best for you. With the right support and treatment, you can create a life that allows you to reach your greatest potential.

2:33Watch Now: Strategies for Living With ADHD

2:33

Watch Now: Strategies for Living With ADHD

How The Body Doubling Technique Can Help When You Have ADHD

How People With ADHD May Be Perceived

People living with ADHD often lack focus, wander off task,talk excessively, fidget, and act impulsively. Children commonly present with hyperactivity, and as they age, they may struggle more with attention, leading to academic difficulties.

Others often misunderstand this type of neurodivergence. People who don’t understand thetraits of ADHDmay label children with ADHD as unmotivated, lazy, or problem children.

Adults living with ADHD may be seen as irresponsible or flighty because they struggle to remember important details or obligations and have difficulty staying on task.

Why ADHD is More Than “Poor Self Control”

How It Feels to Be Newly Diagnosed

It’s normal to experience a range of emotions after you are diagnosed. It’s also normal to find that your feelings and experiences change as you learn more about living with ADHD.

What You Can Do

The Best Online Resources for ADHD We Tried and Tested

Sharing your diagnosis with some people could help move forward and empower you to feel like your most authentic self when living with ADHD. It’s not always easy to explain ADHD to friends and family members. Those who don’t understand the neurotype may think you’re using it as an excuse to get out of your day-to-day responsibilities.

When people in your life want to support you and develop a better understanding of ADHD, provide them with information about the neurotype, and let them know how they can best support you.

You may also want to consider telling your employer or professor. If yourchild is diagnosed with ADHD, you’ll want to share that information with the school.

Employers and school administration can assist with special accommodations. Placing your desk away from distractions or allowing you to wear noise-canceling headphones, for example, may greatly increase your productivity.

It’s also important to tell all your medical providers about your diagnosis. Don’t depend on your medical records to speak for themselves.

What to Do If Teachers Blame Your Child for ADHD Symptoms

Managing Your Traits

Work closely with medical professionals to find the best treatment options for you when you are living with ADHD. Don’t hesitate to speak up when something isn’t working, and be willing to ask questions about what you can expect to experience with treatment.

It’s important to continue managing and monitoring your traits even when you feel as thoughtreatmentis working well.Your traits may shift with changes in your environment oryour ADHD may change as you grow older.

Continue to communicate with your treatment providers about any changes you experience or any difficulties you notice.

If you’re taking medication, there may be times when you need to change your dose or change medications altogether.Or, you may find it helpful to start therapy when you undergo a change in employment.

You may also experiment with a variety of lifestyle changes. For example, close monitoring of your traits might help you recognize that you need more structure in your life so you can spend less time searching for misplaced items. Adding more structure and getting organized might be key to helping you manage your traits best.

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How Embracing the Chaos Helps My ADHD

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cabral MDI, Liu S, Soares N.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, risk factors and evaluation in youth.Transl Pediatr. 2020;9(Suppl 1):S104-S113. doi:10.21037/tp.2019.09.08Shah R, Grover S, Avasthi A.Clinical practice guidelines for the assessment and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2019;61(Suppl 2):176-193. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_543_18Hansson Halleröd SL, Anckarsäter H, Råstam M, Hansson Scherman M.Experienced consequences of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult - a qualitative study.BMC Psychiatry. 2015;15:31. doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0410-4Bjerrum MB, Pedersen PU, Larsen P.Living with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adulthood: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017;15(4):1080-1153. doi:10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003357Lovett BJ, Nelson JM.Systematic review: Educational accommodations for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021;60(4):448-457. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.891Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: Review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444Additional ReadingNational Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Revised September 2019.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cabral MDI, Liu S, Soares N.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, risk factors and evaluation in youth.Transl Pediatr. 2020;9(Suppl 1):S104-S113. doi:10.21037/tp.2019.09.08Shah R, Grover S, Avasthi A.Clinical practice guidelines for the assessment and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2019;61(Suppl 2):176-193. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_543_18Hansson Halleröd SL, Anckarsäter H, Råstam M, Hansson Scherman M.Experienced consequences of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult - a qualitative study.BMC Psychiatry. 2015;15:31. doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0410-4Bjerrum MB, Pedersen PU, Larsen P.Living with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adulthood: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017;15(4):1080-1153. doi:10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003357Lovett BJ, Nelson JM.Systematic review: Educational accommodations for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021;60(4):448-457. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.891Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: Review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444Additional ReadingNational Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Revised September 2019.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Cabral MDI, Liu S, Soares N.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, risk factors and evaluation in youth.Transl Pediatr. 2020;9(Suppl 1):S104-S113. doi:10.21037/tp.2019.09.08Shah R, Grover S, Avasthi A.Clinical practice guidelines for the assessment and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2019;61(Suppl 2):176-193. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_543_18Hansson Halleröd SL, Anckarsäter H, Råstam M, Hansson Scherman M.Experienced consequences of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult - a qualitative study.BMC Psychiatry. 2015;15:31. doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0410-4Bjerrum MB, Pedersen PU, Larsen P.Living with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adulthood: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017;15(4):1080-1153. doi:10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003357Lovett BJ, Nelson JM.Systematic review: Educational accommodations for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021;60(4):448-457. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.891Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: Review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444

Cabral MDI, Liu S, Soares N.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, risk factors and evaluation in youth.Transl Pediatr. 2020;9(Suppl 1):S104-S113. doi:10.21037/tp.2019.09.08

Shah R, Grover S, Avasthi A.Clinical practice guidelines for the assessment and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2019;61(Suppl 2):176-193. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_543_18

Hansson Halleröd SL, Anckarsäter H, Råstam M, Hansson Scherman M.Experienced consequences of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult - a qualitative study.BMC Psychiatry. 2015;15:31. doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0410-4

Bjerrum MB, Pedersen PU, Larsen P.Living with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adulthood: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017;15(4):1080-1153. doi:10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003357

Lovett BJ, Nelson JM.Systematic review: Educational accommodations for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021;60(4):448-457. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.891

Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: Review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444

National Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Revised September 2019.

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