Written by Someone Who Has It

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post on Medium about my own experiences with ADHD and how what I’ve learned over the past several years can help others with ADHD and friends and family looking to support their loved ones with ADHD. In this blog post today, I wanted to expand a little bit further and also add in additional layers to the conversation that I’ve encountered over the past couple of years.

ADHD Treatment Must Be Multi-Faceted in its Support

For me, since my diagnosis in 2016, I have been on an ever-evolving journey to find adequate and helpful treatment for my ADHD. I have tried medications, support apps, coaching, educational programs, productivity tools, and more. I’ve tried just about everything it feels like–and each option has helped in its own way. Some have been downright unhelpful, too, but for the most part, each tool has been supportive to an extent. For me, it’s been a matter of combining many options to create a multi-faceted approach to my ADHD and the support around it.

Many People With ADHD Aren’t Aware That They Are Different

Here is one fact that I have learned time and time again over the past couple of years. There are so many neurodivergent folks who are not aware or even have an inkling that what is slowing them down, holding them back, or making them stand out from others is ADHD or another neurodivergent trait. They think the uphill struggles they go through daily are normal and that everyone else is dealing with this, too…right? Nope. They’re not. About 80% of the population doesn’t deal with executive function difficulties, missing and misinterpreting social cues, struggling to stay on task, and more struggles like these. It can really take a hard jolt of realization or direct support from a friend or family member to point out to them that what they’re going through is not “the norm” and that, yes, they are worthy of help and support.

People with ADHD May Feel Their Only Options Are Medication or Therapeutic Support

Another aspect of the ADHD struggle that I often see is people thinking that their only option to “treat” their ADHD or find adequate support for it comes in the form of medication. First, I will say right here that medication is not wrong. In no way is medication wrong. In fact, I believe that medication can be one of the most helpful tools when supporting ADHD and neurodivergent people, BUT that doesn’t mean that everyone who is neurodivergent or has ADHD wants to be on medication or even should be. There are so many variations of medications and the side effects that can arise from them that, to some, the benefits of medication may be tainted by the downsides of the side effects.

My main point here, though, is to point out there are other options and/or avenues of treatment for ADHD other than medication that are perfectly fine and actually highly effective. These could be tools such as community-based support, ADHD-focused phone apps with education and productivity tools, ADHD coaching, and other forms of support directly created for ADHD folks.

How Can We Create These Multi-Faceted Support Options?

When it comes to what you can do to help your loved ones succeed and thrive in the face of their ADHD struggles, there are a few highlights I’d love to point out. And, if you’re here because you are the one with ADHD, these will also be great highlights for you to read!

Meet Them Where They’re At. Don’t Pull Them into the Light.

My number one recommendation is always to meet people where they’re at. If your loved one is someone who isn’t aware they have ADHD yet, or you, yourself, feel scared to self-diagnose yourself with ADHD, then it might feel like you’re being dragged into the light unnecessarily and too quickly.

We, as humans, tend to dislike change and hold a deep aversion to it, too. So, coming to the understanding that you have ADHD can feel like you’re being dragged kicking and screaming into a diagnosis that you have not asked for. And that can do more harm than good when it comes to the steps of signing up for support, medication, or treatment.

After all, if you don’t want to be there, why would you sign up for more?

So take your time. And dip your toes in the ADHD pool first. Read articles, watch TikTok content, read a book, and talk to your friends. Get fully immersed in what having ADHD might mean for you, and I believe that in doing so, you and your loved one will come to those conclusions at the right time.

Treatment for ADHD is Multi-Facteted, Which is So Cool!

We create these various avenues of treatment by being aware of them first—researching what kind of treatment exists for what kind of ADHD and what kind of neurodivergent struggles is critical. For example, I know far too many phone apps now that exist to help people with ADHD. Do they all work for me? No. But do they work for someone else? Most definitely. So, in creating my tools, I always give people those options to which they can have access. I’ll include some of them here as well.

My Top 5 Suggestions for ADHD Support Apps:

• Inflow – an ADHD management app
• Akiflow – a time-blocking app
• TickTick – a to-do list app
• Goblin Tools – a web app that breaks down a lot of challenging tasks
• Headspace – a meditation app

How I Treat and Manage My ADHD Now

I’ll leave you all with my own personal cocktail of ADHD care, which includes:

• A mix of structured and unstructured time
• The ability to work for myself in my own business
• Incorporating my spirituality into my business
• Working with a coach who specializes in neurodivergent brains
• Taking medication daily
• Going to therapy weekly
• Seeing a psychiatric nurse practitioner regularly
• Having a cat in my home that I care for and connect with throughout the day
• Finding and investing in supportive friendships with people who are my favorite interests

Further Encouragement for Loved Ones

I know we covered a lot here. I wish I could say that I have the solution to it all, but I don’t, and it would be unfair of me to say that I do. However, I do truly believe that by reading this blog post and its accompanying post on Medium, you are set up even better for dealing with the ADHD struggle.

You can find other blog posts of a similar variety here on my website or on my Medium page as well. I hope you dig into them and find what you’re looking for!

My inbox is also always open if you need a friend or to ask a question to at hey@niapatterson.com