The Eight Fold Path And ADHD: The Mental Truths Part Two

The next of the Mental truths to consider is Right Therapy. Many people benefit from seeing a therapist. As we go through life, we can pick up baggage and negative habits that are hard to shake. We can be too hard on ourselves, or blame ourselves for things we couldn't prevent. We can hold on to times when we were hurt by others. We can harbor anger and resentment that festers inside of us. None of this is healthy, and because we are so close to the situation we cannot objectively deal with it. The Therapist becomes your ally in wrestling with these things. Because they are non judgmental (or should be anyway), you can talk through things and be prodded toward finding a way to resolve old issues, and create new more positive ways of thinking.

For the person who has ADHD therapy can be so liberating! A good therapist can help you work through all those negative feelings you may have had abut yourself, about your abilities, and about all those mistakes you made. Many therapists can help you retrain they way you react or think about situations through CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) techniques. They can also help you to resolve feelings of doubt about your condition. It's not an excuse, and no, it's not your fault.

I see therapy as a key piece of multi-modal treatment. People who have lived with undiagnosed ADHD have lived with frustration, disappointment, and a variety of other negative emotions for much of their lives. This inevitably leads to damage to their self esteem. It is no coincidence that Depression is a very common condition (also called a co-morbid condition) for individuals with ADHD. Another very common condition co-existing with ADHD is anxiety. While medications can help alleviate the symptoms, therapy is crucial to retraining our thoughts and achieving the acceptance and forgiveness we all must find to move forward in our lives.

The Final mental truth is that of Right medication. This particular topic is rife with stigma and controversy. I'm looking forward to throwing my two cents in on this topic!