Living with ADHD

ADHD can affect all aspects of someone’s life – at home, at school and in the workplace and with friends.

Many young people with ADHD symptoms adjust well to adulthood and are free of future mental health problems.

However, studies have shown that some young people with sustained symptoms go on to have serious difficulties in adulthood. These may include emotional difficulties (depression, irritability), social issues (antisocial behaviour), substance misuse, unemployment, marital problems, divorce and even involvement in crime.

That’s why getting the condition diagnosed and a treatment plan established are so important.

The treatment of ADHD should generally be multimodal, which means that it can be treated simultaneously in more than one way. The types of treatment usually include educating people with ADHD and their family on the disorder, social measures, psychological measures such as behavioural therapy, goal setting, assisted and organizational technologies as well as medication.

An effective program of treatments – that might involve behaviour modification and the use of medicines – can allow people with ADHD to deal with their condition more effectively than if they remained undiagnosed.