Sara Elliott Price - Adult ADHD: How to Find Your Focus, Overcome Your ADHD Symptoms and Live a Better Life

Copyright 2018, Sara Elliott Price. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Disclaimer: The material contained in this book is provided for informational purposes only. Always consult your physician or health care provider before the use of any programs, advice, or information contained in this book. Using the information and advice in this book is at the sole discretion of the reader. The author and publisher are not liable for any damages resulting from use of any advice or information provided in this book.

The information in this book is not intended as medical advice and is not intended to treat or cure any medical conditions. The reader assumes full responsibility for any choices made based on the information in this book. Neither the author nor the publisher guarantees the accuracy, quality, suitability or reliability of any information contained in this book.

Introduction

E ver wonder if you might have ADHD? Maybe youre concerned about your focus, memory or behavior. Or have you been diagnosed but find it difficult to cope with the condition? Either way, this book can help.

People with ADHD have problems concentrating and remembering things. It can lead to all kinds of issues both at home and in the workplace, and those around you may lose patience or misunderstand your difficulties. In our busy lives someone who keeps slipping up or who fails to impress can find it hard to hold down a job or make any relationship work.

If you know, or suspect, you have ADHD, youre not alone. Thousands of other people are struggling too in a world that favors the smart, focused and dedicated. Your lack of attention and the fact you get easily distracted can hold you back. So whats to be done? Is it possible to overcome ADHD? Is medication the only option? How can you learn to cope?

This book will answer your questions about ADHD in adults. It will talk you through the signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options. More than that it will offer practical strategies and simple lifestyle changes that can make a real difference to how you manage your condition.

As ADHD makes it hard to concentrate for long, at the end of every chapter well summarize the main points. That way you can easily refer back and refresh your memory if you need to.

Chapter 1: Back to Basics

I f youre reading this book, chances are youre wondering whether you have ADHD. Or maybe youve just been diagnosed with it. You may even have known for some time that you have ADHD, but youre finding it hard to cope.

So were going to start by taking a look at the condition, and then go on to talk about what it means in practice to have ADHD, and the ways it affects adults.

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a psychiatric condition that affects your thinking and behavior. It stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A bit of a mouthful no wonder its called by a bunch of initials! In other words, its a lack of concentration thats often combined with high energy and impulsive behavior.

Before going any further, lets break down that long name and take a quick look at each word:

• Attention : Focus or concentration, as in pay attention.
• Deficit : Something thats missing, like a deficit of funds.
• Hyperactivity: Highly energetic, restless, cant keep still.
• Disorder: A condition where the brains normal functions are disrupted.

So the full name means that when someone has ADHD something in their brain makes it hard to focus for long, and this is often combined with restless, energetic behavior and spur-of-the-moment decisions.

ADHD is sometimes known as ADD, Attention-Deficit Disorder. Why the two names? Well, people without the hyperactivity part were first thought to have a separate condition. Then in 2013 the American Psychiatric Association reclassified the two as one disorder with some variations. You can sometimes see it written as ADD/ADHD, but technically its more correct now to just use ADHD.

If you dont feel youre hyperactive, you may still have the disorder. Not even all kids with ADHD are hyperactive, and most adults arent either. Your doctor will still be able to tell you whether you have the condition.