ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) causes behavioral and emotional problems from an early age that continue into adulthood. If you or your child has ADHD symptoms, call board-certified psychiatrist Ahmar M Butt, MD, at Balance TMS, Esketamine, and Psychiatry, PLLC, in Ankeny, Iowa. Dr. Butt has extensive experience helping adults, teenagers, and children better manage ADHD. Call Balance TMS, Esketamine, and Psychiatry, PLLC, today or schedule a consultation online to learn how you can benefit from expert ADHD treatment.

What is ADHD?

ADHD affects behavior and emotional regulation. It begins in childhood, often around the time a child starts school and before age 12. Symptoms usually change with age, but ADHD continues to affect people throughout their lives.

Untreated ADHD affects your quality of life. It contributes to poor school and work performance and causes difficulties in making friends and maintaining relationships. People with ADHD often lack self-esteem and don’t achieve their potential.

Balance TMS, Esketamine, and Psychiatry, PLLC, specializes in adult and child psychiatry, including behavioral disorders like ADHD.

What symptoms indicate someone has ADHD?

ADHD symptoms can be hyperactive and impulsive, inattentive, or both. Hyperactive people have endless energy and struggle to stay still. Impulsivity causes dangerous behavior resulting from acting without thinking. Inattentiveness causes problems like continual daydreaming and lack of focus.

Children with ADHD often display these symptoms:

• Not seeming to listen
• Difficulty following instructions
• Not finishing schoolwork
• Frequently losing belongings
• Forgetting tasks
• Fidgeting
• Running and playing when asked to sit quietly
• Getting up during lessons
• Talking too much
• Not waiting their turn

In adults, common ADHD symptoms include:

• Recklessness
• Self-destructive behaviors
• Poor time management 
• Missed deadlines
• Lack of organizational skills
• Frustration, irritability, and anger
• Mood swings
• Prolonged stress
• Alcohol and drug misuse

Many symptoms are behaviors most children or adults display at times. But if you or your child has ADHD, they’ll be continual, happening regularly for years.

What treatments help with ADHD?

ADHD is incurable, but you can enjoy better relationships, do better in school, and have a more satisfying career with the proper support.

Medications like stimulants help adjust the brain’s chemical balance, making it easier to control unwanted behaviors. If you don’t get on with stimulants, alternatives are available. You might also benefit from antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications if you have symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Behavioral therapy can be invaluable for children and adults with ADHD. Your psychiatrist helps you understand your condition and why you feel like you do. You learn to recognize when your thoughts are unhelpful and change them, helping address problems with emotional regulation and challenging behaviors.

As with most medical conditions, making healthier dietary choices, exercising regularly, and learning stress management techniques help you feel better. Your psychiatrist can also help with expert addiction medicine if you develop a substance use disorder.

Call Balance TMS, Esketamine, and Psychiatry, PLLC today, or book an appointment online to get the help you or your child needs to manage ADHD successfully.