A group of international doctors has uncovered the genes that contribute to the development of ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia. This knowledge may lead to the development of more effective treatments for all 5 conditions.
It’s not easy for parents managing kids with ADHD, jobs, after school activities and community obligations. Parents can feel overwhelmed and stressed by modern day parenting. The research shows that small doses of Mindful practice can be helpful in Executive Function challenges, mind wandering, and emotional regulation. It’s important to start with yourself. If you feel a bit less stressed and a bit more mindful, your children will be more likely to join with you in the journey to calm. Here are a few tips to help get you going.
Multitasking, or rapidly switching your attention from one task to another and then back again, was once heralded as a necessary survival skill for our fast-paced world. But research has shown that multitasking doesn’t work for cognitively demanding tasks. For the ADHD brain – which craves stimulation and can become easily bored – multitasking is a temptation to be avoided, especially at work. Learning to be a “single-tasker” can make your daily living both more productive and less stressful.
October is ADHD Awareness Month. Our understanding of ADHD has steadily progressed since it was first formally recognized as a medical condition. For those with ADHD, life can be a constant struggle. Yet, some of the world’s most accomplished people have have overcome their diagnosis and leveraged their ADHD “super powers” to achieve extraordinary success in their field. Here are some of their inspiring stories.
Keeping your living space clutter-free can be a big issue if you have ADHD. It’s easy to become so overwhelmed that you don’t know where to begin to de-clutter. Here are some simple tips that you can use to de-clutter your living space and keep it organized so your environment won’t stress you out.
New research on how we pay attention to things in our environment could shed new light on ADHD. Brains normally shift the focus of attention about 4 times per second. This prevents us from focusing too much on something at the cost of putting ourselves in danger. The ADHD brain, on the other hand, can become more easily locked in a state of either hyperfocus or high distractability.
Can a person with ADHD train their brain to improve? The answer to that question may lie with something known as neuroplasiticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to create or alter its neural networks – essentially rewire itself – in response to stimuli from the environment. Understanding how our brains can “rewire” to help us improve offers another tool for individuals with ADHD to help overcome its negative effects and leverage its super powers.
When it comes to the association of having ADHD and being at higher risk for concussion, researchers have begun to confirm what clinicians have long suspected. Due to various factors such as impulsivity, inattention, impairment in motor function, or differences in coordination, individuals with ADHD could be more likely to sustain a head injury. Their symptoms might also be more severe and persist for longer periods of time. Taking measures to reduce the symptoms of ADHD is one way to lower the risk of concussion for individuals with the condition.
One of the keys to managing your ADHD symptoms is to identify your individual trigger points. Once you recognize what triggers your ADHD symptoms, you can make changes to your lifestyle that will help control episodes. For many adults with ADHD, stress is a particularly difficult trigger to deal with. In part this is due to the fact that ADHD itself may cause an ongoing state of stress. Here are some strategies to help you tame stress at home or work.
If you are one of the roughly 10 million U.S. adults with ADHD, it can be a constant challenge to stay focused and on task. You might easily lose track of conversations or forget what you were working on. Or fail to pay attention to important details and make mistakes. But this isn’t an oversight on your part. An inability to focus is a prominent symptom of ADHD. Here are some strategies to help you maintain your attention and focus.
