ADD is a lovely thing when it can be managed for your benefit. In fact, the hyperfocus I got from my ADD allowed me to write my entire doctoral dissertation (237 pages) in a couple weeks (the gathering of data took much longer). However, as I write this, my ADD has distracted me from my medical notes on last week's sessions (LOL). Based on the work of Dr. Amen, there are 7 presentations of ADD. Sometimes you can treat ADD naturally with supplements, psychotherapy, and behavior changes. Other times, you may need the help of medication. 

          Emotional reactivity is something that can be a symptom of ADD or ADHD (ADD in this post is used synonymously with ADHD) and lead to a misdiagnosis. In fact, ADD is often misdiagnosed as Bipolar Two disorder or an anxiety disorder. When you add emotional reactivity with another common symptom of ADD, Impulsiveness, this can lead to suicidal or self-harm behavior that is hard to stop and comes on sudden. This is not to say that you cannot have a comorbid diagnosis such as anxiety or depression. Anxiety and depression are cousins that can team up with ADD, making it complicated to get under control and diagnose. Don't worry, there is hope with therapy and medication management. 

Psychotherapy can aid in treating some symptoms of all seven presentations of ADD. Suppose you have a predominantly anxious ADD or Overfocused ADD. In that case, we likely will utilize some neurofeedback using the Muse 2 in my office. Additionally, I will encourage you to eat a healthy diet and exercise (see individual resource section for tips on eating healthy & exercise plans) . I do not prescribe supplements or medication, but I do provide psychoeducation and can work with you and your prescriber on medication management. For instance, certain supplements such as L-theanine and magnesium can reduce anxiety and inattentiveness. This can further be treated in my office using neurofeedback, where you can better learn how to calm your mind and body. 

Medication

          As with most psychiatric medications, they work differently for different people, and it can be a process of messing around with dosage and type of medication to find something that works great for you. Thus, knowing some common causes and medication treatments can empower you to work with your prescriber in getting something that will help. Additionally, getting a proper diagnosis is key to the proper treatment of ADD. Far too often, I have worked with patients who have been wrongly diagnosed by a medical provider and are then treated based on that wrong diagnosis. As noted above, ADD can mimic symptoms from other diagnosis, and someone who spends only a few minutes with you may have an incomplete picture of where symptoms are stemming from. 

Getting a Good Diagnosis with Brain Scans

         In my office, we will often use the Muse 2 for getting some feedback on your brain activity and how you can better manage certain symptoms. Since we get feedback and readout of your brain, it can show ADD activity. However, it in no way compares to the high-quality brain scans that large medical establishments have. There are several ways to get a very accurate diagnosis of ADD. I am becoming a fan of Amen Clinic's diagnosis and medication management approach for ADD. In fact, it is through brain scans that Dr. Amen identified Seven different ADD presentations, each of which can be addressed by a unique treatment. Additionally, he likes to try natural approaches first, and when they are not effective, he will then prescribe medication such as stimulants and antidepressants. The benefit of that is that natural approaches have far less side effects. Thus, if natural works, you can reduce risk of side effects. Here is a link to Amen's approach to read more. https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/adhd-add/