Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) combines elements of mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat conditions marked by emotional dysregulation, including ADHD, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders.

Initially developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., in the 1980s to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT helps people learn to tolerate internal experiences (i.e., emotions), physical sensations (i.e., agitation and restlessness), and the urge to fidget or interrupt. It has become a go-to treatment for ADHD.

A central tenet of DBT is validation — accepting uncomfortable emotions and situations before trying to change them. By coming to terms with troubling thoughts and emotions, change appears possible, and patients can work with their therapists to create a recovery plan.

In this download, you will learn:

• The four modules that comprise DBT skills training
• Types of coping strategies presented in DBT
• How DBT improves emotional regulation skills
• How DBT improves ADHD symptoms
  The difference between cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and DBT
• And much more!

Few things spark more ADHD dread, anxiety, and overwhelm than the thought of sitting down and creating a budget. What’s more monotonous and depressing than meticulously calculating what you can and can’t afford? At the same time, bravely facing your cash flow is the only way to gain control of it. That takes a budget.

Use the following ADHD-friendly steps to get started. In this download, you will learn how to:
– Rethink how you define a budget
– Build a budget you can follow
– Review income and expenses
– Identify spending patterns
– Determine your monthly discretionary income
– Monitor cash flow
And more!

But with time and patience, individuals with ADHD can curb their habit of oversharing and build high-quality friendships. This download shows you how.

In this download you will learn:

• Why individuals with ADHD are prone to overshare.
• How to recognize circumstances and situations that lead to oversharing.
• How to edit and restrain yourself during a conversation.
• And more tips to keep you from oversharing!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

WEBINAR WITH JESSICA MCCABE
Register for ADDitude’s free webinar on February 13 with Jessica McCabe titled, “How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your ADHD Brain (Not Against It!)”

ADHD brains have lower-than-average levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates the body’s pleasure and reward systems. As a result, dopamine-increasing behaviors are even more gratifying to ADHD brains. However, many of our go-to behaviors (e.g., grabbing our phones for a ‘quick’ doom scroll, eating a cookie, playing a video game, etc.) aren’t always helpful.

“Unfortunately, the quick and easy sources of dopamine we tend to turn to often aren’t enough to satisfy that need. Or we hit the pleasure button on the same activity so many times, it stops being as fun,” says Jessica McCabe, the creator and host of How to ADHD, a popular YouTube series, and author of How to ADHD.

When dopamine is dipping, how can you resist the impulse to scroll it back up?  The solution is to separate the planning from the choosing with a dopamine menu or ‘dopamenu’ — a curated list of options that lightens the mental load of finding pleasurable, healthy activities to stimulate us when we need it most.

To design your own dopamine menu, brainstorm a list of activities that typically boost your mood without inducing a hangover of regret or RSD. Then, slot the items into the appropriate menu categories in using the dopamine menu template.

This downloadable template includes:

• Dopamine menu categories
• Category examples to get you started
• Tips for building a customizable dopamine menu
• And more!

Join the Small Wins Appreciation Network (SWAN)!

Sometimes, New Year’s Resolutions feel a lot like masking. Like shearing off our roundness to fit a square box. Like trying to live up to others’ expectations of us — again.

What if we approached 2025 differently? What if we saw this New Year as an opportunity to try new things in a risk-free environment of experimentation and self-exploration? What if we allowed ourselves the freedom of a growth mindset and suspended our self-doubt long enough to assume success? Doesn’t that sound much better than counting calories and steps?

If you think so, download this free calendar to find 31 neurodivergent-friendly ideas and small wins — one for each day on January 2025 — for re-establishing joy in your work, home, and relationships, plus your mental and physical health.

Remember: “Most systems for planning and organization are built for neurotypical brains. You must create your own ‘owners manual’ for your ADHD brain.” — William Dodson, M.D.

New research confirms that healthy lifestyle habits can reduce the risk and impact of depression by up to 57%. But depression sometimes traps us in self-destructive behaviors that feel impossible to escape. Some people skip activities they normally enjoy. Others turn to alcohol or junk food. Depression traps vary by person, but they all perpetuate a vicious cycle.

In this five-part series from WebMD and ADDitude, begin to break that cycle with small, smart changes proven to disable depression traps.

PART ONE: Overhaul Your Nutrition
PART TWO: Develop Healthy Routines
PART THREE: Exercise When & How It Matters
PART FOUR: Sleep More & Stress Less
PART FIVE: Build Sustaining Connections

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

This free, curated learning series equips caregivers and educators with accurate, up-to-date information about learning with ADHD, plus realistic and effective solutions to specific academic, behavioral, and social challenges associated with ADHD in the classroom.

Your training will begin immediately with an introduction to ADHD and executive function, and ideas for starting off the school year right. Each week, you will receive a new lesson about devising effective accommodations, controlling impulses and behavior, resisting distractions, managing time, building self-confidence and working memory, making friends, and much more…

PART ONE: Forge Strong Executive Functions
PART TWO: Control Impulses & Behavior
PART THREE: Resist Distractions & Focus
PART FOUR: Organize & Manage Time
PART FIVE: Build Self-Confidence at School
PART SIX: Remember Not to Forget
PART SEVEN: Secure Accommodations & Self-Advocate
PART EIGHT: Initiate & Complete Homework
PART NINE: Foster Friendships & Regulate Emotions
PART TEN: Maintain Motivation & Resilience

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neurological disorder that impacts the parts of the brain that help us plan, focus on, and execute tasks.

Nearly 1 in 22 American adults have ADHD, which is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity that interferes with and impacts work, home life, and relationships — especially if left untreated. ¹

Historically, it was considered a childhood condition, but ADHD is now recognized as a lifelong condition that persists well into adulthood. In fact, according to research published in American Journal of Psychiatry and JAMA Network Open, ADHD diagnoses among adults are growing four times faster than ADHD diagnoses among children in the U.S. (26% increase among children vs. 123% among adults from 2007 to 2016). ¹,²

However, fewer than 20% of adults with ADHD are accurately diagnosed and treated.³, ⁴

In this download, you will learn the following:

• How many adults worldwide have ADHD
• How many adults with ADHD are accurately diagnosed and treated
• How many adults diagnosed with ADHD have a comorbid condition
• The most prevalent comorbid conditions among adults with ADHD
• The ADHD diagnosis rates among adults of all races and ethnic groups
• And much more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Sources

¹ Kessler, R.C., Adler, L., Barkley, R., Biederman, J., Conners, C.K., Demler, O., Faraone, S.V., Greenhill, L.L., Howes, M.J., Secnik, K., Spencer, T., Ustun, T.B., Walters, E.E., & Zaslavsky, A.M. (2006). The Prevalence and Correlates of Adult ADHD in the United States: Results From the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. American Journal of Psychiatry. 163(4). doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.716

² Chung, W., Jiang, S. F., Paksarian, D., Nikolaidis, A., Castellanos, F. X., Merikangas, K. R., & Milham, M. P. (2019). Trends in the Prevalence and Incidence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Adults and Children of Different Racial and Ethnic Groups. JAMA Network Open. 2(11), e1914344. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14344

³Barkley, R.A., Brown, T.E. (2008). Unrecognized Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults Presenting with Other Psychiatric Disorders. CNS Spectrums. 13(11):977–984. doi: 10.1017/S1092852900014036

⁴Katzman, M.A., Bilkey, T.S., Chokka, P.R., Fallu, A., & Klassen, L.J. (2017). Adult ADHD and Comorbid Disorders: Clinical Implications of a Dimensional Approach. BMC Psychiatry. doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1463-3

Adults with ADHD rarely fall asleep easily, sleep soundly through the night, and wake up feeling refreshed.

The reasons for these sleep challenges are numerous — everything from faulty circadian rhythm and neurological abnormalities to engaging in common ADHD behaviors like overstimulating activities late at night.

Sleep disorders like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSWPD) are common in adults with ADHD. They can also exacerbate ADHD symptoms and lead to health problems, such as a weakened immune system, a dysregulated appetite and metabolism, and moodiness.

In this download, you will learn the following:

• How to distinguish between obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and delayed sleep-wake syndrome
• Symptoms of sleep disorders
• What to do if you are experiencing sleep disturbances
• Treatment options to help you fall asleep
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

You can’t control stressful situations, but you can control your reactions by building metacognition skills. Metacognition is an awareness of your thought processes and patterns. This executive function can help you monitor and evaluate your thoughts and behaviors without judgment when experiencing anger, thereby changing your emotional reactivity.

In this download, you will learn the following:

• How to boost your emotional regulation skills
• How to respond when you’re mildly uncomfortable, activated, or on high alert
• How to build metacognition skills
• How to monitor your thoughts and behaviors
• How to improve anger management
• And much more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

If the inherently ADHD-unfriendly task of meal planning falls on your shoulders, try using this ADHD-friendly system. These meal-planning tips will help you sail through the supermarket aisles and put dinner on the table in no time. In this download, you will learn the following:

• How to sort meals into time-saving sequences
• How to create a Top 10 Dinner list
• How to get every family member engaged in meal planning
• How to share responsibilities for dinner preparations
• How to give yourself a night off from cooking
• How to grocery shop efficiently and resist impulse buys
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Growing in lockstep with our scientific understanding of ADHD is our knowledge about epigenetics — the study of how lifestyle factors like nutrition, exercise, and sleep exert real, physical changes on a person’s DNA. ADHD is a genetic disorder, yes. But epigenetic changes to DNA do influence how strongly or weakly those ADHD genes get expressed in day-to-day life. In other words, you can positively impact ADHD symptoms by modifying your environment through sleep, exercise, and food changes.

In most cases, sleep, food, and exercise will not replace medication or therapy in a treatment plan, nor should they — they’re most effective as complementary treatments. It’s best to balance professional care with deliberate healthy lifestyle choices in an integrated approach to treatment. Here’s how to get started:

In this download, you will learn the following:

• What lifestyle changes can improve ADHD symptoms
• How to improve your sleep hygiene
• What to include in a bedtime routine
• How to start an exercise routine
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Research shows that protein promotes alertness in the brain. Carbohydrates do the opposite. And artificial colors and flavors are even worse. Additional studies show that people who eat “clean” or “whole” diets high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and lean meats are more likely to experience better emotional and brain health and are 25% to 35% less likely to experience mood disorders. ¹

In essence, the better you want your brain to perform, the more brain food, such as unprocessed foods, proteins, vegetables, and fruits) you should eat.

In this download, you will learn the following:

• How nutrition affects the ADHD brain.
• What are the best foods for optimal brain health?
• Foods people with ADHD should avoid.
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Source

¹ Selhub, E., Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food. Harvard Health Blog. Harvard Health Publications, 17 Nov. 2015.

31 Healthy Habits and Fresh Starts for 2023

Sure, January 1 is a good day for starting fresh. But so is today, and tomorrow, and next Thursday. So instead of focusing all your energy on conjuring a perfectly Happy New Year, how about taking it one day at a time with this Happy New Day calendar for ADHD adults working to forge healthy new habits all the time? Each of the daily activities on this free January calendar is practical, doable, and rewarding. And, together, these healthy new habits and routines add up to something pretty remarkable: change for good.

In this downloadable calendar for January 2023, we’ve selected 31 of our favorite expert and reader-submitted tips for building healthier habits around productivity, relationships, self-care, and time management. Bit by bit, day by day, they can add up to a personal transformation — with some wicked good incentives and body doubles thrown in for good measure.

Remember: “Habits are the building blocks of our lives. How we behave, think, and move through the world all come down to our habits.” — Christine Li, Ph.D.