Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD

It’s common to have concerns about taking medications for ADHD.  “I don’t want to be medicated every day” is a common theme, as are concerns about side effects.  But not taking medications also has side effects.  Today I thought that I would try to cover some of the pros and cons of this difficult issue.

One of our readers commented on his experiences with vastly improving memory since his diagnosis of ADD, so I went to Dr. Hallowell to ask him – does ADD affect memory?  His response was typical Hallowell in the very best sense:
 

It is common that people diagnosed with ADHD as adults go through a period right after diagnosis in which they seem to make progress, then get into the doldrums.  Adults are different than kids.  With kids, the natural forward momentum of their development help keep progress with ADHD treatment headed in a positive direction.  With adults it’s just the opposite.

Note:  This entry includes ideas for conversation-starting exercises to improve your understanding of yourself and your spouse.

Medications sure can help your relationship – as can non-medicinal treatments!  But the spouse with the ADHD may not realize it – that’s where you need to give him (or her) some constructive feedback.  This comment is typical of what happens:

A woman shares her concerns surrounding her husband's diagnosis and subsequent behavior. Here is some advice.

To those struggling in a marriage that may be affected by ADHD, this may sound counterintuitive:  Determining whether or not a spouse has ADHD is a very good thing.  In fact, there is no negative side at all.  I broach this subject because a number of people have written comments suggesting that they believe that their spouse has ADHD, yet he is resisting getting a diagnosis (I use “he” here for simplicity – it could just as easily be “she”.)