If you were hoping to get some medications prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while in college or at university, you might be in for a rude surprise.

Colleges and university are cutting back on their involvement with ADHD, primarily due to abuse of the psychiatric medications — stimulants like Ritalin — prescribed to treat the disorder. Students — whether they are malingering the symptoms or actually have it — are prescribed a drug to treat ADHD (sometimes from different providers in different states), then sell a few (or all the) pills on the side. Profit!

Now universities are becoming wise to the epidemic nature of the problem, as some studies have suggested up to a third of college students are illicitly taking ADHD stimulants.

This might help curb the abuse problem, but will it also make it harder for people with actual ADHD to receive treatment?

Date:  Tuesday, May 7 @ 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (EST)

Register:  https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/469236071

Description:  This special Mother’s Day webinar features best-selling author and Psych Central blogger Zoë Kessler (ADHD from A to Zoë) and special guest Lisa Aro, aka “Queen of the Distracted.”

Mark it on your calendar now, and check out additional information about the webinar inside…

The very nature of ADHD makes it difficult for adults with the disorder to use credit cards responsibly. “Impulsivity, for one thing, means an adult with ADHD will see something they want and without thinking it through, will pull out their credit card and make a purchase,” according to Terry Matlen, ACSW, a psychotherapist and author of Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD.

It also doesn’t help that credit cards are so easy to use. “Credit cards are rather intangible. They’re plastic, easy to store and don’t look like money. It’s much easier handing a card to a clerk than reaching for cash that generally has more meaning and is more concrete.”

Psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D, agreed. “Credit cards can give the illusion that one is not really spending ‘real’ money.”

“A common trait of people with ADD is the uncanny ability to lose things,” writes psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D, in her helpful book 10 Simple Solutions for Adults with ADD: How to Overcome Chronic Distraction & Accomplish Your Goals.

For instance, you might lose everything from your keys to your phone to important papers. And this can cost you both time and money, Sarkis says.

In her book she offers a variety of valuable tips to stop losing your things along with advice on what to do if you do lose something. Here’s a selection of her suggestions.

Psychologists are increasingly integrating alternative and complementary treatments into their work with clients, according to a recent article in Monitor on Psychology.

So what is alternative treatment? You may already have some experience with the most popular, according to the Monitor on Psychology. Meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis and progressive muscle relaxation are all popular complementary or alternative psychological treatments. 

Although you may be familiar with the most popular, there are dozens of alternative and complementary treatments, which typically fall into four categories:  mind-body medicine, biologically-based practices, manipulative and body-based practices and energy medicine.

We know that routine is critical for kids with ADHD. But it’s also key for adults. “Without routines, their lives become chaotic,” according to Terry Matlen, ACSW, a psychotherapist and author of Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD. She added that many adults with ADHD simply don’t have an internal sense of structure.

“Adults with ADHD are highly distracted, impulsive and cannot tolerate boredom,” Matlen said. This makes it difficult to accomplish tasks, whether at home or at work. Structure, however, helps adults perform everything from daily chores to demanding projects at work, she said.

It also helps adults with ADHD get moving, said Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D, a psychotherapist and author of 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD. “Inertia is the enemy of people with ADHD,” Sarkis said. She likens it to Newton’s first law. “An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it. This is especially true for people with ADHD.”

In short, according to Matlen, “Routines are a way to structure a day and make success possible.”

People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often struggle with everyday tasks and getting things done in a timely manner. For instance, a task that would be otherwise easy to complete in an hour takes 3 days instead.

Do you often find yourself distracted until time is wasted? The challenges of ADHD and attention deficit disorder (ADD) are very real. But there is hope. When you understand how ADHD has been affecting all areas of your life, you can learn to minimize its impact and live successfully with ADD /ADHD.

Here are some steps to help you build confidence, clarify and prioritize your goals, minimize your ADHD challenges, and get you past being stuck to actually following through with your plans.

Therapy is highly effective for treating adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

For instance, psychotherapy can help you better understand how ADHD affects your life. And it can help you develop the necessary skills for managing symptoms, being successful and having healthy relationships.

But in order for therapy to be most effective, you’ll have to work at it.

In his excellent and comprehensive book More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD, clinical psychologist Ari Tuckman, Psy.D, features valuable tips for getting the most out of therapy. Here are five tips from his book.

This guest article from YourTango was written by Leslie Rouder.

The challenges facing a person who is married or in a relationship with someone who has untreated Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD or ADHD) can be difficult to navigate.

These challenges may be completely hidden to the rest of the world. No one seems to understand what you struggle with. Your spouse is such a “great guy” and may appear “together” to everyone else.

This article attempts to address some of the predictable patterns that one may experience being married to someone with ADD or ADHD and why it creates such difficulty. 

Being married to someone with untreated ADD is often fraught with a predictable progressive pattern that goes from happy to confused to angry, and finally, to hopeless. How does this happen and why is this so predictable in couples whose spouses have untreated ADD or ADHD?

Medication is highly effective for treating ADHD. But it can’t teach you skills for living successfully with the disorder. And it can’t help you overcome common co-occurring concerns such as low self-esteem. That’s where psychotherapy comes in.

Psychotherapy targets specific ADHD symptoms that interfere with daily life, such as disorganization, distractibility and impulsivity. It helps you better understand your ADHD and improve all areas of your life, including home, work and relationships.

But not all therapists are created equal. That’s why it’s important to do your research, and be selective. Below, two ADHD experts share their tips on finding a good clinician.

Sometimes living with someone who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can present its own challenges.

“Although there are positive aspects to being in a relationship with someone with ADHD, there are also issues that can pose as problems,” said Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and clinical instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

For instance, managing a household can become a source of tension for both partners. “The stereotypical pattern is that the non-ADHD partner winds up taking on more and more of the workload, while the ADHD partner feels increasingly criticized and like they can’t do anything right,” according to Ari Tuckman, Psy.D, a psychologist and author of More Attention, Less Deficit: Successful Strategies for Adults with ADHD and Understand Your ADHD, Get More Done.

I’d like to give a shout-out to our fantastic blogger, Zoë Kessler, who blogs over at ADHD from A to Zoë. She was featured in a Toronto Star article about attention deficit disorder, telling her personal story.

Kessler tells the story of feeling like her life had derailed after her father died. She felt like was scattered and unable to focus and she couldn’t find a way to get back on track.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD) is most often discussed when talking about children, teens or young adults. But the fact is, many adults also suffer the disorder and don’t always become aware of it until well into adulthood.

Zoë’s story is an inspiration. Not only did she find a way to understand her condition and get help for it, but she writes about it for the world, sharing her own personal trials and tribulations in living with ADD.