If you often act without thinking, tend to forget things like dates, and often feel the need to talk or move because you have too much energy, you may be experiencing ADHD.
An estimated 8 million American adults have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, better known as ADHD, making it one of more the common invisible disabilities, according to an ADHD Guide on WebMD found here. People have lived with ADHD for centuries. Awareness of the disability has increased over the last two decades, due in part to October being declared ADHD Awareness Month in 2004.
An article on Healthline on the history of ADHD Awareness Month, found here, explains that the effort to have the awareness month declared was a collaboration between many mental health organizations. Eventually, the U.S. Senate designated ADHD Awareness Day, which, strangely enough, is typically celebrated in September as a national holiday. Over time, the holiday transformed from a day into a month-long event designed to help people learn about ADHD and the resources that can help to manage it.
Even though October being declared ADHD Awareness Month has helped to increase awareness of the disability, many people struggle to help those who live with it. An article in ADDitude magazine found here shares some strategies.
A couple of the strategies seem to apply to anyone who has a loved one or friend who lives with ADHD. Firstly, it is important to learn the symptoms of ADHD. ADHD is not just a deficit of attention. It is a pervasive, serious cognitive and psychological impairment. The well-known signs of ADHD – inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity – fail to reflect the one complex and crippling symptom shared by the vast majority of people with Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD): deficient executive functioning.
There are seven executive functions that impact self-awareness are: self-monitoring, inhibition, memory, planning/sense of time, emotional control and self-motivation. When those functions do not work properly, people with ADHD can appear insensitive, unprepared, disorganized, or overly emotional.
It is also crucial to understand that often the behavior shown and mistakes made by people with ADHD are not intentional, but rather the result of a brain chemistry imbalance. Remembering this will hopefully make it easier to treat those with ADHD with the same level of compassion as those with developmental disabilities or other mental health conditions.
Secondly, it is vital to try to understand the problems that having ADHD can cause or contribute to including but not limited to maladjustment, developmental delays, and risky or anti-social behavior.
Treatments options for ADHD vary. While medication can make a difference for some, others benefit from counseling and the skill training provided by an ADHD coach. More information about the kind of help an ADHD coach can be found here. Additionally, keep in mind that people with ADHD, like those with any other mental health condition or disability, should never be forced into treatment. People will likely not benefit from treatment until they are ready to make the changes that come with it.
If the statistic shared in the second paragraph of this article doesn’t help you or your loved one to realize that anyone impacted by this condition is not alone, the reminder that ADHD, like any other disability, does not discriminate will hopefully help. Additionally, the article from ADDitude Magazine found here, which reveals that many famous people including Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Channing Tatum, Howie Mandel, and many others have ADHD will hopefully help to show that ADHD can impact anyone.
Along with reminding those living with ADHD that they are not alone, there are many ways to support them. Educate yourself by researching the condition and reading articles like this one and the articles linked within it. Offer practical support by helping with organization and daily tasks, like creating schedules or setting reminders. Wear pink which is the official ADHD awareness color. Connect with organizations like ACIL that can help those with ADHD learn valuable independent living and organizational skills. Ask those living with ADHD how you can help them and listen to what they need. Above all, treat those living with ADHD with compassion.
Want to know more about how ACIL can help those living with ADHD? Contact us at 937-341-5202 or [email protected].
