Getting Adult ADHD Treatment Starts with Eliminating Denial.

After years of stumbling through life, or even living on the edge of success, denial may be the key issue in getting effective Adult ADHD Treatment.

As an experienced ADHD Coach I’ve worked with a few adults that even after years of imparting my knowledge about ADHD, working through effective coping strategies and never-ending support, they don’t seem to make the progress you would expect.  These folks do take stimulant medications and we work at making sure that they can effectively advocate for themselves with their prescribing doctor.

More recently it has occurred to me (like a velvet hammer) that the most significant roadblock to treating ADHD is Denial.

Denial that it’s ADHD. Denial that they aren’t different, but instead broken and need to be fixed. Denial from loved ones that ADHD is real and if they just tried harder, they would be like everyone else. Or, worse yet, having a healthcare professional tell you adult ADHD doesn’t exist.

Here are 10 signs that Denial may be preventing getting effective ADHD help for adults.

1. Huge amount of shame associated with an ADHD diagnosis.  Although the individual may have been receiving negative and shaming responses to his/her behaviors for years, putting an official name to it may be another hit to their self-esteem.
2. Wasting time and money seeking answers and solutions from shamans, psychics, hypnotists, and alternative natural “medicine” that discourages the use of proven-effective pharmaceuticals.
3. Blaming others for their difficulties and building a suit of armor around themselves. “This is the way I am. Take it or leave it.”
4. Expecting immediate results.
5. Ignoring the extreme need for a consistent sleep schedule, healthy diet and exercise as part of the treatment plan.
6. Magical thinking. Making the same decisions and expecting different results.
7. Getting stuck in the “just want to be normal, like everyone else” loop that prevents action from being taken.
8. Blames external forces (karma, poor childhood/parenting, the environment, sugar and additives, too much TV, etc.).
9. Getting help is a weakness.
10. Spending years and money with healthcare professionals chasing after the “why” rather than accepting what is and managing it (ADHD).

If any of these signs ring true for you and you’re ready to let them go, working with an experienced ADHD Coach  may be right for you.  Contact me today and find out more about how you can better manage the ADHD in your life.