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- What is ADHD?
- Symptoms of ADHD
- Causes of ADHD
- Prevention of ADHD
- Risk factors for ADHD
- Complications of ADHD
- When to see a doctor about ADHD
- Diagnosis of ADHD
- Conventional treatment of ADHD
- Alternative/complementary treatment of ADHD
- Living with ADHD
- Caring for someone with ADHD
Partner
Adults with ADHD need to have supportive partners who can handle someone who has a lot of energy and who is very creative. They need to have a lot of patience and compassion:
- Don't clutter your home - studies show that people with ADHD may be too stimulated when they are surrounded by a lot of clutter around them, so always try to clean up any mess
- Don't surprise your partner - adults with ADHD often do not respond well to surprises, the more bigger the surprise, the worse the possible reaction
- Encouragement and support - it is really important to encourage and support your partner to help them cope with their condition. Try to also encourage them to visit support groups for other people who have ADHD
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Friends
People who have friends with ADHD can help to support their friends by the following strategies:
- Don't surprise your friend - adults with ADHD often do not respond well to surprises, the more bigger the surprise, the worse the possible reaction (so no big surprise birthday parties for your friend)
- Encouragement and support - it is really important to encourage and support your friend to help them cope with their condition
Parents
Parents of children with ADHD need to implement some strategies to help deal with them:
- Behavioural programs - there are many behaviour modification programs that parents can take their children, which can be very helpful in providing useful ways on how best to deal with a child which has ADHD. Try your doctor, local health centre or hospital for information about these programs
- Build self-esteem - try to engage the child with ADHD in activities that they are good at, as this can help build their self confidence. Always offer lots of praise and encouragement when a child does well at anything
- Consistency - keep rules consistent, but do not overwhelm your child with thousands of rules as they will not listen, you will get frustrated and the vicious circle of behavioural problems with start again
- Keep information short - children with ADHD often have trouble with their attention span, so if you need to give them any information, it should be kept short, concise and to the point, to avoid any confusion when their attention invariably wanders
- No surprises - children with ADHD generally do not cope well with surprises of any kind, which could cause them to have behavioural problems
- Reduce visual (and other ) stimulation - too much time on the computer, watching television, listening to loud music and even fluorescent lights all can over stimulate a child with ADHD and should be limited (in the case of fluorescent lights, they can be removed altogether and normal lighting used)
- Remove all clutter - this also helps children to stay calm by reducing the amount of stimulus around them, which can distract them
- Routine - ensure that meals, shower/bathing, bedtime are always at the same time every night as this gives the child with ADHD a sense of stability; set regular times for activities and help children stick to them to help them learn about organisation and planning
Children with ADHD are generally very visual and creative, but often have problems following instructions in order and also have problems at school, due to the amount of concentration required in the acclivities there.
Parents are the best tools to helping their child who has ADHD get better, they just need to learn about the resources they have available to help them help their child.
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< 11: living with ADHD Last reviewed: 7 October 2007 || Last updated: 3 January 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
