PsychoNot

joined 1 year ago
[–] PsychoNot 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Hey, You’re in a tough spot and I know how hard it can be. I’m sure people have recommended everything under the sun to you and sometimes doing the work to accommodate ADHD feels like more work than just suffering the consequences. Especially as an adult. I love the Spoon Theory and I’m glad you have that as an analogy. I’m going to recommend a few things here, assuming that you don’t have a lot of clinical knowledge about ADHD.

Sleep and exercise are a must. Exercise can (temporarily) improve processing speed which is relatively low in many people with ADHD. You don’t have to be a mega athlete, but a routine of exercise that gets your heart rate up each day can and usually does help. Outside of stimulant medications, exercise and sleep are the two biggest things you can do for ADHD. Read / Audiobook

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

The meds you listed do not help with ADHD directly, but maybe some of the downstream emotional effects. Ask directly about stimulants, they can be a game changer for some, but you will need to be careful with sleep and appetite.

The recommendation to avoid food dyes and additives was huge in the 80s, recent research suggests only 1/3 of people with ADHD benefit from disarray changes. Read / Audiobook: Getting Ahead of ADHD: What Next Generation Science…” by Joel Nigg ^ Can be a bit dull but clearly explains research and evidence as well as examining what treatments are supported by science and to what extent. Use more as a reference than cover to cover.

For the love of all that is distracted, learn about ADHD for real from good sources! I’d start with ADHD 2.0, an update from Hallowell and Ratey, two psychiatrists who have ADHD and are big names in ADHD research. Some interesting suggestions about cerebellum involvement in ADHD and movement / balance therapies still under study.

As a personal tip, try not to get angry or down on yourself with the ADHD instances as much as possible. Forget your wallet in the house? You have to go back anyway, you can go back chuckling at yourself or furious, but you still have to go back. I’f you are angry or otherwise activated then you’re taking up mental resources, making it more likely that you’ll grab your wallet, but leave your sunglasses on the table.

Also look up Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. Essentially a culmination of micro frustrations by peers and authority figures over the course of your childhood results in something like 20000 instances before age 12. That can lead to social sensitivity, overreacting to social stress, and a sense that people might be about to leave you / social self-doubt.

Also, if you have access and the money for it, go to a qualified psychologist and get a good psychological evaluation. Knowing your cognitive profile (relative strengths and weaknesses in cognitive functioning) as well as your memory abilities (visual often weaker in ADHD) can really help you assess how difficult various tasks will be for you and you can cope accordingly.

I hope this helps.

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