ADHD Awareness Month | October 2021

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. October is ADHD Awareness Month, and this month the theme is all about reframing ADHD and discovering new perspectives.

Much like many other mental health diagnoses, ADHD can often be misunderstood or misinterpreted. The purpose of ADHD Awareness Month is to increase ADHD awareness, tackle misconceptions and break down some of those stigmas.

Who is affected by ADHD?

One misconception about ADHD is that it only affects certain demographics; ADHD can affect anyone, child or adult, anywhere in the world.

ADHD can present differently in children and adults. Symptoms in children are well defined, however, due to a lack of research into adults with ADHD, symptoms for adults are harder to define.

It is a myth that children diagnosed with ADHD will grow out of it. This may be a common thought as some symptoms can lessen, or even disappear, as a child with ADHD becomes an adult. For example, in children, hyperactivity is more common. As an adult, the hyperactivity side is thought to reduce, while inattentiveness becomes more prominent.

Additionally, as individuals grow, they will learn ways to live with their symptoms and it may seem as though the symptoms have gone. In reality, they are just being managed as the individual has learnt more about themselves and their symptoms.

Symptoms of ADHD can vary as there are two different presentations: inattentiveness, and hyperactivity and impulsiveness. People can present with symptoms from both categories, or, less commonly, just one.

For a more in depth look at the symptoms of ADHD, as well as the causes and treatment options, see our previous blog on ADHD Awareness.

ADHD Awareness Month 2021

Reframing ADHD

The aim of ADHD Awareness Month in 2021 is to reframe the way people see ADHD. Take a moment to reflect on how you view the diagnosis.

People may view individuals with an ADHD diagnosis as hyper, forgetful, rude or inconsistent.

In fact, these are all misconceptions and occur as a result of ADHD. The person cannot help their behaviour and they are not doing it purposefully. Behaviours such as being restless, forgetting things (such as appointments or deadlines), making mistakes, not listening to/carrying out instructions are all symptoms of ADHD.

What can you do to help?

Try instead to look at these behaviours in a positive way. For example, instead of hyper, think energetic. Messy becomes creative.

This article, written by Dr Hallowell, features a helpful table with further examples on reframing negative behaviours of ADHD into positive ones. Dr Hallowell is a child and adult psychiatrist and world authority on ADHD. He has ADHD and dyslexia himself, so as well as years of experience helping others live happy, productive lives, he also has first-hand experiences of living with ADHD.

Supporting a family member or friend with ADHD

Supporting someone with ADHD can be difficult, as some symptoms of ADHD (such as impatience, forgetfulness, finding it difficult to concentrate/focus) can lead to frustration and/or misunderstandings.

Here are some tips on understanding and supporting a friend or family member with ADHD:

• Learn as much as you can about ADHD. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of ADHD, and you’ll have a greater understanding of behaviours and symptoms.
• Adjust your behaviour. Once you have learnt about ADHD, this will hopefully mean that you are able to become more understanding of certain behaviours. A really great tip is to separate the person from their symptoms. For example, instead of becoming annoyed at your loved one for losing their keys or missing an appointment, you’ll understand that it wasn’t done purposefully and you can chat with them calmly and patiently.
• Developing a routine can be helpful, as the structure of a set routine can be beneficial to those with ADHD. Sit down with your loved one and plan out the things that need to be done. Together, identify any tasks that are particularly difficult, and explore ways of making these easier. For example, if your friend or family member struggles to remember appointments, they could set regular alarms to remind themselves of the appointment. If your friend or family member struggles with money management, you could offer to help them with a monthly or weekly budget plan.

Discovering New Perspectives

In order to bring more awareness to ADHD, ADHD Awareness Month have asked people to share their stories. Reading stories from individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD is a great way to see Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder from a different perspective – and there’s no better perspective than that of someone with ADHD themselves.

In this video, James Phillips discusses his experience and the journey he has been on after being diagnosed with ADHD in fourth grade (that’s Year 5 for us Brits!).

Here are some more stories from individuals who have an ADHD diagnosis:

ADHD Awareness Month stories.

The Power of Reframing from ADDA – Attention Deficit Disorder Association.

The ADHD Clinic has treated adults with ADHD for over 10 years, and in that time they’ve listened to hundreds of personal experiences of ADHD.

Stories from adhdaction.org.

Help and Support

If you have an ADHD diagnosis and want to meet and talk with others in a similar position, or if you’re a friend or family member of someone with ADHD and would like some more guidance and support, check out the links below.

You can find a list of National Support Groups here, thanks to UK ADHD.

For more localised support, AADD-UK has compiled a list of support groups across the United Kingdom, which you can find here.

For more information and resources on this year’s theme, you can view a series of short videos that ADHD Awareness Month have created, in which experts discuss the answers to a range of topics based on this theme.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.