No diet has been shown to improve symptoms of ADHD.
Hyperactivity usually diminishes with aging
The best advice for someone with ADHD is to seek an evidence-based treatment for the disorder.
Some with ADHD can do well without medication but if they do not try medication they will never know if they can do better. But if they are living a live without distress or disability caused by symptoms, then medication is not needed.
Yes, people with ADHD are at greater risk for hypertension than those w/o ADHD. The stimulant medications also raise blood pressure but even w/o stimulants those with ADHD are at risk for hypertension.
It is not a symptom of ADHD
There are many myths about treatment. See my blog: https://www.adhdevidence.org/blog/myths-about-the-treatment-of-adhd
Antisocial personality disorder occurs in people with ADHD more than others but not in most with ADHD. APD is more common in men and is not due to a single gene. Many many genes are involved. Like ADHD it is polygenic. The two disorders share genetic risks.
Treatment should focus on the most impairing symptoms.
Usually, the best approach for coping with two disorders is to have each disorder treated with a well-documented evidence-based treatment. These are available for both ADHD and OCD. Cognitive behavior therapy can address the issues unique to the co-occurrence of the disorders.
For some with ADHD, attention problems make it difficult to filter irrelevant stimuli. They cannot focus on the task at hand because the are processing those irrelevant sensory inputs. That can be overwhelming and lead to stress, anxiety and poor task performance.
The Internet is rife with misinformation about ADHD. I've tried to correct that by setting up curated evidence at www.ADHDevidence.org. I'm here today to spread the evidence about ADHD by answering any questions you may have about the nature , treatment and diagnosis of ADHD.
Artificial food colorants have been shown to be a problem for some people with ADHD. No other foods are know to exacerbate the disorder.
1. Find a prescriber who is experienced in the treatment of ADHD with medications and adhere to the prescribed treatment.
2. If that treatment does not solve all issues, work with them to figure out what could be added, such as CBT.
Surprisingly, data show that sugar consumption does not worsen symptoms of ADHD. No special diet, except removing artificial food colorants, has been shown to help ADHD symptoms.
Encourage them to seek out evidence based treatments and to adhere to those treatments. Self help books by Russ Ramsey or Russ Barkley are also useful.
Research shows that caffeine helps with alertness, vigilance, attention, reaction time and attention. Effects on memory and higher-order executive functions, like decision making are not as clear. But although it helps with some types of attention, it is not effective for treating the inattention of ADHD.
Stigma and bullying are such awful problems for so many people with ADHD. These are the types of questions for which psychotherapy may be useful. It is important to keep in mind that ADHD is a problem that affects a person, it does not define that person. People with ADHD have other strengths that they need to recognize in themselves even though others can make that difficult to do.
The two disorders are different enough that an expert diagnostician can tell the difference but they also co-occur which means that sometimes one of the disorders is not diagnosed when both occur in the same person.
The non-stimulants: atomoxetine or the extended release versions of clonidine, guanfacine and viloxazine. CBT is ideal as an adjunct to medication.
The evidence from randomized controlled trials is very clear. NFB is not effective for treating symptoms of ADHD. It is not recommended in any guidelines for that reason.
1. Adhere to medications for ADHD as prescribed.
2. Learn the principles of CBT and apply them to everyday life.
3. Keep in mind that ADHD is only one part of your persona. Find your strengths and capitalize on them.
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