ADHD: Is there anything I can do to help myself?

Yes! You know yourself best so there are lots of things you can do to manage your ADHD. Most people find it helpful if people around them - family, friends, teachers, colleagues, employer, doctor, counsellor - have a good understanding of ADHD and how it affects them. Others prefer to discuss their problems only with those closest to them.MedicationAs part of a comprehensive ADHD management program, your doctor might talk to you about medication to help you concentrate better and reduce your distractibility and/or impulsivity. Medication doesn't "cure" ADHD, but it does help people to function more effectively by correcting chemical imbalances in the brain. This allows them to organise their thinking, learning and behaviour, and be more in control of their life. People taking ADHD medication still need to learn other strategies to help them at home, school and work.Your doctor will discuss your medication with you, how it works and any possible side effects. To work out the best dose for you, the doctor ideally needs information about your response to medication from you and your family, teacher and therapist. The most commonly used medications in ADHD are called "stimulants" and have been used for almost 50 years. They "stimulate" organisation, or how the brain organises what it does. It's important that you remember to take the prescribed amount of medication at the right time. If you have trouble remembering, ask someone to remind you at the same time each day, or make it part of your routine (e.g. after you've brushed your teeth). Buy a tablet container marked in days so that you can easily check to see if you have taken your medication. Taking care of yourself: Make time to do things you enjoy. The more experiences you have, the more likely you are to find out where your strengths lie. Knowing your strengths can boost your self-esteem and could even lead to a career. Get plenty of sleep. If you have difficulty sleeping, try to relax before you go to bed by reading, having a bath or drinking Camomile tea. Reduce the stimulation of television or computers just before going to bed. If nothing seems to work, talk to your family or your doctor. Eat healthy food. Make good use of your energy through exercise or sport. If you feel restless or anxious, go for a long walk or run, ride a bike or join the gym. If you feel unhappy, frustrated or angry, talk to your friends and family about it. Use techniques to deal with stress, anxiety and overload. If bad feelings continue over a period of time, see your school psychologist or talk to your family or your doctor. Go to some good websites to learn about ADHD. Join or start a ADHD support group for teenagers. Friends and family: Talk to family and friends about how ADHD affects you. Listen to other people in your life. They can help you by giving you feedback about different situations to assist you in making good choices next time. Make lots of lists: what you have to do before school, after school and when you go shopping. These will help you become better organised. Keep the lists in a notepad, whiteboard or on a cork board. You need a set place so you don't lose the lists. Record appointments or important dates such as your friends' birthdays or timetable on a calendar that's kept in a place you visit frequently, such as your bedroom or on the back of the toilet door. Try hard to maintain eye contact when people speak to you. Get someone to teach you how to read body language. If people are annoying you, try to recognise this and take a walk to cool down. School, College or Uni: Awareness, it's usually a good idea to tell your teachers that you have ADHD, especially if you have different learning needs. You know how you learn best, so work together with family and teachers. Think about which subjects you like best. What is it about them that makes learning easier for you? If you learn best from practical activities, your teacher may be able to include these in your learning. Discuss special exam provisions with your teacher, if you can more easily show what you know when, for example, questions are read to you and your answers recorded on a cassette or you are able to use a keyboard, your teacher can apply to the Board of Studies for special provisions. Concentration: If you have trouble concentrating, you might be able to develop a secret signal with your teacher. If you are having trouble getting started on a task you could leave a non-verbal signal. The signal could be a hand sign or leaving a paper clip on your desk. Another method to try is self-talk. This is a pattern of thinking where you talk silently to yourself. As your school counsellor to teach you how to do this with specific tasks or behaviours. Set up a study area at home to suit your needs. If you are easily distracted by things to look at, keep your room simple and uncluttered. Some teenagers with ADHD work better when they have music playing. Try this at home. If it works, ask your teachers if you can try it at school as well. Some people find setting a timer for a short time helps to motivate them. When it goes off, take a short break and try to do something physical - shoot a few baskets or do some push-ups. Organisation: Have a routine each day. Use alarms in your watch or mobile phone to remind you when the next part of the routine will happen.Write homework instructions in your diary as soon as they are given so that you can check them when you are at home. If that doesn't work, see if your teacher will email important projects or tasks to you or your parents. Keep copies of your timetable, keys, or anything you may lose with a teacher or staff member who is nearby if you need them. If you're overwhelmed by the amount of homework you are getting, talk to your teachers. They may be prepared to reduce it to a more manageable amount. Write down your homework tasks in a notepad, or use a digital organiser or an electronic diary on your computer. If your school uses laptops, use the word processor to type your notes. Do a keyboarding program to help improve your speed. Some people take notes in class to help them concentrate while others find it better to listen then get a copy of the notes from someone else. It depends on your learning style. Try colour-coding your books, for example, English books have a red tag on them, maths books have blue. You can also colour your timetable to correspond and help keep you on track. Ask your friends, family or teacher to help you break tasks into smaller steps. Use a different coloured highlighter to mark each step. Teachers may give you "proformas" to help you organise your writing, or you can make your own. For example, is you have to write and essay with six paragraphs, draw six boxes approximately the size of a paragraph on your computer and print them. Many students find six boxes less daunting than a blank lined page.Set yourself deadlines to help you to complete tasks on time. Break them down into smaller blocks of deadlines. Choose elective subjects you're good at. If you're not good at writing essays, for example, check the written assignments associated with each subject. Learning: If you have problems taking notes, talk to your teacher. Some teachers will provide photocopies of their notes, give you lesson summaries called "cheat sheets", allow you to record the lessons using a walkman, or even use iMovie on a laptop computer to record instructions or lessons. If you have a friend who is good at note taking, you might be able to photocopy their notes. Learn by saying or by writing information you must learn over and over again. Sometimes it helps to say it into a walkman and play it when you are in the car or walking. In the classroom, work with your friends or another student that you trust. They can help make sure that you are on the right track. Use computer programs such as Inspiration to help you organise your work. Educational programs that help you practise reading, comprehension, spelling or maths are also good. Ask your teachers for ideas or have a look in the computer section in major stores. When you know you have to do homework, ask for advice about how long it should take. Divide the time into manageable slots (e.g. 10 minutes). Write yourself a timetable: 10 minutes work, get yourself a drink, 10 minutes work, go for a walk in the garden. Build rewards into the schedule. Complete a study skills course. Schools or private organisations offer these. You may find it easier to learn if you have a tutor because you are able to concentrate much better in a one-on-one situation. The tutor may assist you with your homework, specific learning problems or with one learning area in particular. Behaviour: If you are having some problems with your behaviour at school, see the school counsellor. The counsellor may help you and your teachers develop an individual education plan (IEP), give your teacher a daily report sheet or give you a self-monitoring conduct sheet. Be positive about the plan - it's there to provide the support you need. Have a place to go at school whenever you feel angry. It is helpful to negotiate a non-verbal signal (such as a coloured card) with your teacher if you need to remove yourself from class for a short time.