1. Identify Affected Areas of Your Life
If you're an adult living with a late-onset or lingering childhood case of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, symptoms may be interfering with your day-to-day life. It's common for adults with ADHD to have underdeveloped planning, organizational, financial and self-management skills. When you visit your doctor, you'll be asked a series of questions designed to gauge the effect the condition is having on key areas of your life.
For instance, you might find you're often late for work or fail to plan and execute outings with friends or significant others. To cope with adult ADHD, you'll have to give these areas of your life special attention. Be an active participant in your treatment process. Ask your doctor for detailed information about your diagnosis and assessment, and make informed decisions as you move forward.
2. Common and Alternative Medications and Treatments
While stimulants are the primary medication used to treat children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, antidepressants are more often prescribed for adults. Your doctor will also check carefully for underlying psychological conditions, since these are more common in adult patients.
Many antidepressant drugs take action on the same dopamine regulators in the brain as stimulants do, but are more versatile when treating adults. Your doctor may prescribe antidepressants to help you cope as you live with ADHD, or you might choose to use any one of a number of natural treatments.
Increasing your intake of iron, magnesium and essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3, is thought to assist in enhancing dopamine production and distribution. You can try this as an alternative to prescription medication, to see whether you respond naturally. Nutrition therapy is ideally undertaken in tandem with counseling.
3. Supplement With Therapy and Group Support
Counseling is available to you in many forms, including social workers, support groups, individual therapy and education sessions. You can use these resources to manage problem areas of your life more effectively and to meet other people with your disorder. This helps you master coping techniques and form new social relationships, both of which help you to live successfully with your condition.
