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ADHD Treatment in New York

ADHD Treatment in New York

Are you having trouble completing your daily activities and believe ADHD treatment can help? If you’re one of the millions of people with ADHD, you could receive help from a neurologist in New York. The healthcare professionals at Neurodiagnostics Medical P.C. provide the following information about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, including the most common symptoms, treatment options, and answers to the topic’s most frequently asked questions.

What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

ADHD is a chronic neurodevelopmental condition that affects a person’s ability to regulate focus, form and access memories, and control impulses, among other things. While many people experience a significant reduction of their symptoms as they age, healthcare professionals have a virtual consensus that the disorder doesn’t have a cure.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, roughly six million children have received an ADHD diagnosis in the United States and rates continue increasing as more adults seek diagnosis after doctors overlook their condition. Though evidence of ADHD as a recognized condition dates back to the 18th century, no official diagnosis occurred until the 1960s, and our understanding of this relatively new condition continues evolving. Forbes estimates that roughly 2.6% of adults experience ADHD symptoms worldwide.

ADHD diagnoses fall into three categories depending on how the condition manifests:

  • Inattentive: People with predominantly inattentive ADHD experience symptoms focused on concentration and memory, though they may still have infrequent or less severe issues with regulating energy.
  • Hyperactive: If you have predominantly hyperactive ADHD, you may still have problems with focus and concentration, but the majority of your symptoms manifest as an inability to regulate your energy levels.
  • Combined: Combined ADHD manifests both inattentive and hyperactive symptoms with relatively similar frequency or severity.

Symptoms of ADHD

ADHD treatment focuses on reducing how ADHD symptoms manifest and teaching adults and children with ADHD methods for reducing how severely these symptoms affect their lives.

Inattentive Symptoms

If you have combined or inattentive ADHD, you’ll likely experience some or all of the following symptoms with varying severity:

  • Difficulty remembering or focusing on details and making mistakes others would characterize as careless
  • Trouble focusing on or finishing tasks you don’t find interesting
  • Signs of difficult listening, even in one-on-one communication, such as lack of eye contact, looking around, changing the topic, interrupting, or looking at a smartphone or mobile device
  • Trouble following complex instructions that require attention to detail or more than three or four steps
  • Significant trouble with organizing their space, prioritizing tasks, or predicting how long a task will take
  • A strong aversion to tasks that require sustained mental focus or effort
  • Frequently losing or misplacing items, even when they find the object necessary or enjoyable
  • Trouble resuming a task after experiencing a distraction
  • Difficulty forming habits or forgetting to complete daily tasks such as eating, showering, or drinking water
  • Periods of hyper-focus that constitute hours without moving or engaging in other tasks, such as using the restroom

Hyperactive Symptoms

If you have combined or hyperactive ADHD, you likely have symptoms such as:

  • An uncontrollable urge to fidget, like tapping your hands or feet or squirming in your seat
  • Problems staying seated, especially when feeling anxious
  • An inability to play quietly or alone
  • Trouble regulating the amount or volume at which you speak
  • Blurting out answers, interrupting, and other impulsive verbal behavior
  • Developmentally inappropriate problems with patience or waiting your turn

Comorbid Mental and Physical Conditions

While ADHD may not cause the development of other mental health or medical conditions, if you have ADHD, you have a higher risk of the following conditions:

  • Mood disorders like depression
  • Behavior and anxiety disorders such as OCD or oppositional defiant disorders
  • Learning and language disabilities like delayed speech, dyslexia, or audio processing disorder
  • Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up
  • Self-esteem issues
  • Autism spectrum disorder

Because ADHD can significantly impair your ability to maintain social connections, form habits, and complete mundane tasks, you may find it difficult to hold a job. According to MyDisabilityJobs.com, adults with ADHD have a significantly higher unemployment rate and earn roughly 17% less than people without the condition.

Theorized Causes of ADHD

Doctors aren’t sure what causes ADHD, but they’ve linked several conditions and events to a greater likelihood you’ll develop the condition. These include:

  • Genetics: ADHD has a high genetic link, and according to the National Institutes of Health, about 30% of fathers have a child with ADHD.
  • Brain function: Head trauma can cause or exacerbate ADHD symptoms and brain scans frequently show that certain regions of the brain remain smaller in people with ADHD. Research also indicates that people with ADHD have a difficult time regulating certain neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.
  • Prenatal events: A premature birth or smoking or drinking during pregnancy has a high correlation with ADHD.
  • Toxins: Though rare, some experts believe that exposure to lead or other toxins in early childhood can trigger the condition.

Contrary to popular belief, sugar, exposure to screens, and a lack of emotional connection with parents do not cause ADHD, though parenting and diet can affect how severely the symptoms manifest.

Diagnosing ADHD

While professionals have improved their ability to diagnose ADHD, it remains one of the most misdiagnosed or overlooked conditions, especially in women. Because many people with ADHD have other mental health conditions, inexperienced providers often diagnose the symptoms as anxiety, operational defiant disorder, and depression.

To obtain a diagnosis, you should seek out a doctor or psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD diagnosis. Assessing whether you have ADHD involves three steps.

  1. Physical examination: First, the doctor will perform a physical examination to rule out other causes of your symptoms like substance abuse or sleep disorder.
  2. Detailed information: Your provider will take a detailed medical history to determine how long you’ve had your symptoms and whether they’ve changed in severity. For an official diagnosis, your symptoms must manifest before age 12.
  3. Test and rating scale: Healthcare professionals can use several valid tests to determine whether you likely have ADHD, which type you have, and how severely you show symptoms.

Techniques for Treating ADHD

Are you seeking adult ADHD treatment in New York? Healthcare professionals strongly suggest finding treatment for the condition, whether through ADHD medications or therapy. While unmanaged symptoms can create difficulties in living a healthy and productive life, with treatment, you greatly minimize the condition’s effect on your life.

Therapy

Therapy is the first line of treatment for ADHD symptoms. You’ll find the goals of behavior therapy, such as removing unhealthy habits and enhancing coping skills, address many of the challenges caused by the condition.

Cognitive behavioral therapy remains the most popular therapeutic approach to ADHD, but many adults also find having their family participate in marriage and family counseling creates a more powerful support structure. In therapy, you’ll work on the following techniques and more:

  • Improve your ability to manage time, organize your space, and prioritize your tasks
  • Reduce your impulsive behavior and resist your impulsive thoughts
  • Develop skills for better problem-solving
  • Accept your failures and avoid making them your identity
  • Improve self-esteem
  • Improving your relationships of every kind
  • Emotional management and strategies for dealing with stress

If you’re like many people with ADHD, you’ve likely spent your life feeling judged, lazy, and broken. Find a therapist who specializes in treating ADHD and you’ll know they’ll approach your condition with compassion and help you love yourself more fully.

Medication

Medication can also play an important role in managing your ADHD symptoms by helping your brain better regulate its neurotransmitters. ADHD medication comes in two categories:

  • Non-stimulants: Certain anti-depressants, blood pressure medications, and other non-stimulant drugs can reduce ADHD symptoms. Because they don’t contain stimulants, they work more slowly but contain fewer health risks.
  • Stimulants: Amphetamine-based medications remain the most common prescription for ADHD, and they have a proven ability to increase concentration and reduce fidgeting and impulsivity in people with the condition. Because of their highly addictive nature, doctors will monitor your usage closely.

Find Adult ADHD Treatment in New York

Are you searching for compassionate and reliable ADHD treatment in New York? The healthcare professionals at Neurodiagnostics Medical P.C. have experience giving medical care for ADHD conditions, from providing an ADHD diagnosis to offering treatment options and referrals. Here, you can undergo the process without any judgment or discrimination about your symptoms.

Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection). Same-day appointments may be available. To speak with a team member, call (347) 602-9530.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to the most common questions about treating ADHD.

Who Treats ADHD?

The people who treat ADHD most often include a team of doctors including neurologists, therapists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians. Depending on the approach you prefer, you may prioritize either medicine or therapy, though many experts suggest both where possible.

Can You Cure ADHD?

You cannot cure ADHD. With treatment and therapy, however, you can live a normal and productive life with minimized symptoms.

Is Treating ADHD a Life-Long Process?

Treating ADHD requires life-long commitment for most people. While some people experience a reduction in their symptoms as they age, most people require various forms of ADHD treatment throughout their life.