I Have ADHD. What Does It Mean?

We live in a world filled with stimuli, information, and events. Some people have a nervous system that particularly struggles with these excesses. From childhood, such individuals receive labels like "unteachable", "lazy", "spoiled", "irresponsible". In fact, they often have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

What is ADHD, why is it so difficult to live with, how to get an adequate diagnosis, where to look for specialists, how to differentiate it from other disorders, and what to avoid? Psychologist Evgenia Dashkova, drawing on personal experience living with ADHD and many years of professional practice, will help find answers to these and many other questions.

Chapter 1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Diagnostic Guidelines
You will learn about the diagnostic criteria, variations of ADHD manifestation, and the peculiarities of the nervous system's development in this syndrome.

Chapter 2. Why ADHD Occurs and How It Works
This chapter introduces you to the peculiarities of ADHD people's brains and the reasons for the syndrome's occurrence.

 
Chapter 3. ADHD in Adults' Lives
The chapter discusses how often ADHD occurs and the myths associated with it.

 
Chapter 4. Common Problems for People with ADHD
This chapter addresses issues commonly encountered by people with ADHD, such as emotional dysregulation, sleep problems, vulnerability to addictions, learning difficulties, and others.

 
Chapter 5. What ADHD Can Be Confused With
ADHD is often confused with other disorders. From this chapter, you will learn which ones and why this happens.

 
Chapter 6. A Disorder, but Not a Disorder
ADHD is viewed differently: some specialists consider it a disorder, while others see it as a neurodivergence. This chapter will help you understand the differences between these two approaches and what follows from them.

Chapter 7. How to Help a Person with ADHD
The chapter discusses various evidence-based methods for managing ADHD: psychoeducation, medication, and non-medication assistance.

Chapter 8. What Not to "Treat" ADHD With
A chapter that will save you from wasting energy, time, and money on methods that have no proven effectiveness for ADHD.

Chapter 9. Diagnosing ADHD
In this chapter, we will thoroughly explore why diagnosing ADHD is necessary, who can conduct it, where to find the right specialist, and how the diagnostic process works.

 
Chapter 10. You Have Been Prescribed Medication. What to Do
This chapter discusses how to start medication therapy and manage it properly, as well as how to understand when the medication is insufficient and other help is needed.

Chapter 11. How to Assess the Situation Before Starting Work
You will learn when it is not the right time to work with ADHD and better to focus on solving other problems, how to choose a direction for change, how to assess the damage from ADHD, and how to understand what kind of specialist you need.

 
Chapter 12. How to Start and Continue Making Positive Changes
This chapter is about how and why to set goals if you have ADHD, why it is so challenging to change, and how to avoid giving up altogether.