What is ADHD Therapy?

If you’ve made it this far, you are probably experiencing the feeling of overwhelmedness and loneliness that so often accompanies ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) or perhaps better named Dysregulation Disorder because of the brains inability to regulate. Whether trying to regulate dopamine, focus, emotion or mood, ADHD takes its toll on our functioning; often leading to depression, anxiety, extreme fatigue and relationship difficulties.

ADHD falls into 3 subtypes: Predominantly Inattentive Type, Predominantly Hyperactive Type and Combined Type.

What does ADHD look like?

Hyperactivity in ADHD

Contrary to popular belief, hyperactivity isn’t always outward. You may be noticing racing thoughts, ruminations or obsessions; all can be ways that your brain is struggling to regulate. The brain is experiencing sensitivity to overstimulation in the environment. As stimuli comes into the brain via touch, taste, sound, sight and smell, the brain struggles to process the information leading to misfiling of the experience as a threat. It may start as restlessness like fidgeting, squirming, or just having the need to move but when this is stifled, the brain turns to overthinking, decision-making issues or what appears as a lack of motivation.

More typical presentations of Hyperactive ADHD are impulsivity, emotional outbursts, irritability, impatience or interrupting.

Inattentiveness in ADHD

More commonly overlooked is the Inattentive subtype. Another misconception is that people who have inattention can’t focus on anything. Remember when we talked about dysregulation? It can be helpful to look at ADHD as always being hypo- or hyper-. The brain has trouble focusing on information when it’s not dopamine-producing, aka interesting, or is deemed by the brain as a threat. So while the brain may not be focusing on where you put your keys, you can remember the explicit details of a story someone told you when you were 12. This internalized struggle may present in the form of quietness or appearing to be “in your own world.” Often the case in women, the struggle is turned inward rather than outwardly disruptive. If you’re experiencing this, it may be anxiety leading you to feel overwhelmed.

Inattentive presentation can also be the more traditionally acknowledged and diagnosed forgetfulness, misplaced items, disorganization and the prevalence of careless mistakes. While these are easier to notice, they may not be present for those who struggle with anxiety as a result of the fear of “being bad.” As a result of these beliefs that people with ADHD can’t function in our society, many who have successfully completed life benchmarks like marriage, graduating college or starting a family, go undiagnosed into adulthood.

Also helpful to know about ADHD:

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (intense negative feelings from perceived or actual criticism/rejection)

Maturity delays (prefrontal cortex development may take up to 3 years longer for those with ADHD)

Time blindness

Sleep disturbances (dopamine plays a crucial role in our circadian rhythm)

Poor memory

Estrogen-elicited complications (estrogen plays a crucial role in dopamine regulation in the brain)

Learning difficulties

Overly meticulous/compulsive (can be misdiagnosed as OCD)

Maintaining relationships (commonly resulting in a life-long difficulty with feeling like you don’t belong, loneliness, and trouble finding “your people”)

Misdiagnosis

Because these symptoms can be so prevalent and disruptive, you may have been misdiagnosed at some point with a mood disorder like Bipolar or depression, OCD, or anxiety, leading to ineffective medications and terrible side effects. With proper diagnosis, treatment can begin and hope can be restored.

Comorbidity

Though ADHD can appear like many of the disorder listed above, it does have higher prevalence of co-occurring disorders. As a result of the difficulties with assimilating with peers, higher brain functioning issues and loneliness, depression is likely. Anxiety can also occur as the brain tries to navigate perpetual feelings of overstimulation and overwhelmedness. Moreover, illicit substance use and eating disorders are also common because of difficulty coping and the need for control and relief. PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) can also present for women diagnosed with ADHD because of the addition of hormonal fluctuations that accompany menstruation and menopause (see above).

If you’re experiencing any of these, reach out to us today. Life can be brutal with ADHD, but it doesn’t have to be, we will help you gain the knowledge to identify your symptoms and skills to help you overcome them.

Reach out today!