ADHD can make school and studying frustrating, especially if you don’t know how to study when you have ADHD. ADHD has nothing to do with intelligence, but sometimes people don’t do as well as they want to in school.

The impact of ADHD on performance in school creates problems and challenges with:

• Focusing and paying attention
• Organizing and staying organized (work is often incomplete because it was lost or misplaced)
• Rushing (which leads to careless mistakes)
• Patience (giving up is tempting when studying takes so long and is so hard)

When you imagine having to spend all of your time studying just to try to stay afloat, it can be tempting to stop studying altogether. What if you could do more than just tread water, and you didn’t have to spend 100 percent of your time hitting the books? Research indicates that when it comes to ADHD, you don’t necessarily have to study longer, you just need to study differently (Dolin, n.d.). General strategies and specific tips show you how to do just that.

General ADHD Studying Strategies

There are some actions you can take to make your studying experience more positive and successful. Tailor these to suit your unique personality.

• Choose your environment and location intentionally instead of plopping down just anywhere. Also, eliminate distractions, and make the lighting and sounds conducive to your studying needs.
• Develop a regular routine so you fall into a consistent study schedule and pattern. Study at approximately the same time each day so you commit to doing it rather than putting it off until it’s too late (ADHD Adults: Improving Time Management Skills).
• Along with your ABC’s get plenty of ZZZ’s. Your brain needs sleep to function, and it’s during sleep that it processes new information. Reviewing test material just before bedtime can solidify your learning.

These general ADHD studying strategies provide a framework for your studying life. There are also specific tips for how to study if you have ADHD.

5 ADHD Studying Tips

These tips can help you know how to study for an exam when you have ADHD as well as do general homework. They’re tried and true techniques that have helped students with ADHD be successful.

1. Create a daily study schedule. Use a master wall chart, marker board, or computer printout to create a schedule for your daily homework. When will you begin? When will you take breaks? When you know your assignments and tests, add them to your daily study schedule so it’s specific and keeps you on track.
2. Schedule frequent, short (less than one hour) study sessions daily. Trying to cram or have marathon homework sessions doesn’t work for anyone, and it’s especially terrible for the comfort and learning of someone with ADHD.
3. Take breaks for down time. This increases focus and attention. Get some physical activity during your breaks. Exercise, even short periods of it, improves focus, mood, and executive functioning skills like organizing and planning. Yoga and Tai’ chi are especially good for ADHD, as you focus on both body and mind (Dolin, n.d.)
4. Give yourself some sugar. This may seem surprising, given all of the anti-sugar information out there. The brain needs glucose to function, and if your glucose level drops while you’re studying, focus and retention will be difficult. Sipping slowly on apple juice or a sports drink while studying will fuel you brain. Stay away from soda, as that has too much sugar.
5. Make scents of things. Studies have shown that the brain makes connections between what it’s learning and scents present at the time of learning (Dolin, n.d.). Using essential oils, such as a diffuser or burner, while you study and then placing the same scent by your bed while you sleep might actually strengthen the connections in your brain.

These tips are designed to be part of your long-term approach to academic and life success. Think of homework as part of a healthy lifestyle that leads you to your goals. Use these 5 ADHD studying tips to get you started and keep you going, and you’ll be a successful expert on how to study when you have ADHD.

Explanation of cholinesterase inhibitors, how they work and effectiveness of cholinesterase inhibitors in treating Alzheimer's symptoms.

What Are Cholinesterase Inhibitors? 

Pronounced: KOH-luh-NES-ter-ace

Cholinesterase inhibitors are a class of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat cognitive symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (symptoms affecting memory and other thought processes). Three cholinesterase inhibitors are commonly prescribed: donepezil (Aricept), approved in 1996; rivastigmine (Exelon), approved in 2000; and galantamine (approved in 2001 under the trade name Reminyl and renamed Razadyne in 2005). Tacrine (Cognex), the first cholinesterase inhibitor, was approved in 1993, but is rarely prescribed today because of associated side effects, including risk of liver damage.

How Do Cholinesterase Inhibitors Work?

Cholinesterase inhibitors are designed to increase levels of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger involved in memory, judgment and other thought processes. Acetylcholine is released by certain brain cells to carry messages to other cells. After a message reaches the receiving cell, various other chemicals, including one called acetylcholinesterase, break acetylcholine down so it can be recycled.

Alzheimer's disease damages or destroys cells that produce and use acetylcholine, reducing amounts available to carry messages. A cholinesterase inhibitor slows the breakdown of acetylcholine by blocking the activity of acetylcholinesterase. By maintaining acetylcholine levels, the drug may help compensate for the loss of functioning brain cells.

Cholinesterase inhibitors may also have other mechanisms that contribute to their effects. Galantamine appears to stimulate the release of acetylcholine and to strengthen the way certain receptors on message-receiving nerve cells respond to it. Rivastigmine may block the activity of an additional chemical involved in breaking down acetylcholine.

Cholinesterase inhibitors do not stop the underlying destruction of nerve cells. Their ability to improve symptoms eventually declines as brain cell damage progresses.

What Are the Benefits of Cholinesterase Inhibitors?

In clinical trials of all three cholinesterase inhibitors, individuals taking the medications performed better on tests of memory and thinking than those taking a placebo (an inactive substance). The degree of benefit was small, and more than half of the recipients showed no improvement at all. In terms of the overall effect, most experts believe cholinesterase inhibitors may delay or slow the worsening of symptoms in some individuals for about six months to a year, although some may benefit longer.

There is no evidence that combining these drugs would be any more helpful than taking any one of them, and it is likely combining them would result in a greater frequency of side effects (discussed below).

There is some evidence that individuals with moderate to severe Alzheimer's who are taking a cholinesterase inhibitor might benefit slightly more by also taking memantine (Namenda). Memantine is a drug with a different mechanism of action, approved by the FDA in 2003 for symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer's. In clinical trials, memantine showed greater benefit than a placebo, but its effect was modest.

What Are Common Side Effects of Cholinesterase Inhibitors?

Cholinesterase inhibitors are generally well tolerated. If side effects occur, they commonly include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and increased frequency of bowel movements. It is strongly recommended that a physician who is comfortable and experienced in using these medications monitor patients who are taking them and that the recommended guidelines be strictly observed.

How Are Cholinesterase Inhibitors Prescribed?

Donepezil (Aricept) is a tablet and can be taken once a day. The starting dose is 5 mg a day, usually given at night. After four to six weeks, if the drug is well tolerated, the dose is often increased to the therapeutic goal of 10 mg a day.

Rivastigmine (Exelon) is available as a capsule or as a liquid. The dose is gradually increased to minimize side effects. Usually the medication is started at 1.5 mg once daily. After two weeks the dose is increased to 1.5 mg twice a day. The therapeutic goal is gradually to increase the dose every two weeks to reach a total of 6 to 12 mg a day, given in two doses each equal to half of the total. There is a greater frequency of side effects at the higher doses, but taking the drug with meals may be helpful in reducing the occurrence of side effects.

Galantamine (Razadyne) is supplied as tablets in strengths of 4, 8 and 12 mg. The recommended starting dose is 4 mg twice a day. If well tolerated after four weeks or more of treatment, the dose is increased to 8 mg twice a day. There was no statistical benefit in clinical trials for 12 mg twice a day over the dose of 8 mg twice a day, but if 8 mg twice a day is well tolerated after four weeks, the dose can be increased to 12 mg twice a day by the physician. Galantamine is also available in an "extended release" form as Razadyne ER that is designed to be taken once a day.

Sources:

Memory Loss and the Brain newsletter. Winter 2006.

Alzheimer's Association

For many people, ADHD can interfere in friendships. Even for adults, ADHD and friendships often go together like Homer Simpson and Ned Flanders pointing gigantic magnets at each other. They’re enemies who repel each other.

This is a problem when you live with ADHD and want to have friends. By adulthood, people who have lived with ADHD for years, even decades, can feel rejected and lonely because of ADHD and friendship problems. Friendships that do form often fall apart. Because people with ADHD are sensitive to their difficulties, they often take rejection personally, suffer ADHD meltdowns, and their self-esteem suffers blow after blow.

Just because you have ADHD doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a lifetime of loneliness. Understanding yourself and your own problems with making and maintaining friendships, you can work to build social skills and find friendships that fit you.

What’s the Problem with ADHD and Friendships?

How ADHD Impacts Social Relationships

As you read about the different ways ADHD gets in the way of your friendships, see if you can identify some of these frustrations in yourself. Make a list of the specific problems you can relate to, and keep it handy. It will become a tool for you to use as you work on your friendships.

ADHD and friendship problems can be categorized into different areas:

• Difficulties in interpreting self and others. It’s difficult for people with ADHD to predict the consequences of their actions, such as telling a rude joke or blurting out something negative about a friend. Reading and understanding facial expressions is an issue, too. Because so much of our interactions with others involve non-verbal communication, and the ADHD brain doesn’t process non-verbal signals well, friendships are frequently a struggle.
• Difficulties with actions/behaviors. People with ADHD can have great difficulties maintaining friendships. Friends turn away, leaving someone with ADHD hurt and baffled. Take a look at these three categories that cause friendship problems:

Inattention involves not listening to someone closely, failure to maintain attentive eye contact, and “spacing out” or letting thoughts and gaze wander rather than tuning into your friend.

Communication problems include such things as talking too much and too fast, interrupting others, violating others’ personal space, obsessing over a single topic and refusing to let it go, and having angry outbursts that drive people away.

Active behaviors like impulsivity, rudeness, restlessness, bully-like/demanding behavior cause someone with ADHD to come on too strong, overwhelming and alienating others.

ADHD and Friendship Skills

Alienating others is what leads to those feelings of rejection and loneliness. The foundation of building friendship skills and avoiding alienating others is to realize, to fully internalize this basic truth: you and your ADHD are two separate things. ADHD is something you’re experiencing, but it’s not who you are at your core.

ADHD causes the above difficulties in interpretations and actions. You’re not purposely choosing them. You can, however, notice them in yourself and choose to learn new skills in order to make and maintain friendships.

You know what is going wrong with friendships and what ADHD symptoms you want to work on. It’s also helpful to know what successful friendships are like. The National Resource on ADHD, or CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) provides these traits of likable people:

• Sincerity
• Honesty
• Understanding
• Thoughtfulness
• Dependability
• Warmth
• Kindness
• Caring
• Cheerfulness
• Loyalty

You know what ADHD traits don’t work, and you’ve written down the ones that are problematic for you. You have an idea of the qualities of successful friendships. You can begin replacing your problematic, ADHD-induced traits with the positive traits above by learning ADHD friendship skills. Here are some tips:

• Think in terms of what you can bring to the friendship.
• Practice observing wherever you go; observe rather than act for a while.
• Pay attention to non-verbal communication to learn how to interpret it.
• Emulate the behaviors of others; follow the examples of people with good social skills.
• Remove yourself from negative people and groups.
• Find and join positive groups where you’re accepted; look for groups that match your interests, skills, and energy levels such as hiking, biking, or other active groups as well as volunteer organizations like Habitat for Humanity.
• Intentionally schedule time with friends and adhere to the schedule; otherwise, it’s too easy to forget about making plans or following through with plans.
• Be attentive to others by complementing them, listening to them, asking questions, etc.
• Keep a sense of humor; being able to laugh at yourself is healthy and good for friendships.

ADHD and Friendships Provide Social Wellness

Having friends is healthy and an important part of mental and emotional health. Learning ADHD friendship skills will help you develop and maintain friendships. Rather than rejection and frustration, you can have a much-deserved sense of belonging.

Anxiety and depression destroy relationships because they create a problem-causing cycle among two people trying to be together meaningfully. Both depression and anxiety can zap that meaning and replace it with misgivings. This creates relationship dissatisfaction, which in turn can exacerbate mental health struggles. The bigger and stronger anxiety and depression grow, the more stress overshadows the positives in a relationship. The cycle continues until anxiety and depression destroy the relationship. This isn’t guaranteed, however. You can do things to help your mental health and your relationship.

How Anxiety and Depression Affects Relationships

One of the biggest contributing factors to the cycle of depression, anxiety, and romantic relationship distress is perspective. How you see and interpret people and situations significantly impacts your relationship. One of the problems with depression and anxiety is that they overshadow and darken perspectives. In a relationship, this skewed perception can do quite a bit of harm, such as:

• warping thoughts and making negative thinking patterns the go-to way of interpreting the relationship and partner
• creating negative emotions about problems magnified by anxiety or depression
• causing hurtful misunderstandings and misinterpretation of words, body language, and behaviors
• increasing negative beliefs, including dissatisfaction with each other and the relationship

When someone experiences depression, anxiety, or both, their clouded perceptions begin to affect their actions in their relationship. Negative thoughts and emotions can be hurtful and frustrating, but on their own they’re not enough to destroy a relationship. It’s when they begin to influence choices and actions that a pothole in a relationship becomes a deep chasm. You might notice some of these issues or similar ones in yourself, your partner, and your relationship:

• You don’t connect because you or your partner fears intimacy
• You don’t connect because you or your partner is too exhausted
• You frequently argue, bicker, and blame because of irritability and anger caused by either anxiety or depression
• One or both of you has withdrawn, so you’re no longer present together in the relationship
• Sexual affection and tender moments have stopped
• One or both of you has given up other friendships and interests, causing isolation, guilt, and resentment (when one partner does this because of depression and anxiety, it negatively affects the other)
• Criticism begins to replace caring words

Depression, anxiety, and relationships are a harsh combination. Two caring people who were once in love can become jaded and disappointed. This can destroy any relationship. That’s the bad news. The good news is that if you live with anxiety and depression, your relationship isn’t automatically doomed.

How to Help Relationships Being Destroyed by Depression and Anxiety

Anxiety, depression, and relationships move up and down together. While this can be problematic when they spiral downward into the deep chasm that has formed in your relationship, this linked movement presents an excellent opportunity to help and heal.

Remember the negative cycle of depression, anxiety, and relationship dissatisfaction and distress? You can turn that same cycle into a positive one. By working, even in little ways, on one area, you simultaneously help the others. When you and your partner do things to decrease anxiety or depression, they both improve.

As these mental health struggles lose power bit by bit, your perception about your relationship shifts. You see it more positively. Then that healthier relationship helps anxiety and depression.

One of the most important ways to help depression, anxiety, and your relationship is for you and your partner to intentionally reconnect with each other.

• Text each other (but not excessively or out of suspiciousness).
• Write notes and leave them where the other will see.
• Resume physical closeness, starting with holding hands, then cuddling, and increasing from there.

It can be difficult to just jump back into the world and activities when you’re paralyzed by anxiety or depression, but doing things as a couple goes a long way in repairing both your relationship and your mental health. Consider choosing one simple and small activity to do regularly as a couple.

Other things that can help your relationship and each other:

• Learn about depression and anxiety to increase understanding and avoid taking things personally
• Practice self-care, whether it’s you or your partner who has depression or anxiety
• Communicate with each other, sharing what this is like for you and discovering how to support each other

Anxiety and depression affect relationships, threatening to destroy them. You and your partner can work together to prevent that from happening and to boost each other’s mental health.

article references

Many Alzheimer's caregivers suffer grief and a feeling of loss as the Alzheimer's patient progresses through the disease.

Alzheimer's Caregivers: Coping with Feelings of Grief and Loss

If someone close to you develops Alzheimer's Disease or dementia you are likely to experience feelings of grief and bereavement as the illness progresses, not just in the period after their death. It may help to know that such feelings are normal and that other people experience similar reactions.

There are so many small changes that occur along the way when caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia that it is difficult for many caregivers to deal with their feelings. You may adapt and come to terms with one stage of the person's illness only to find that their behavior alters or their abilities decline further and your grieving starts all over again.

Sense of loss for Alzheimer's Caregiver

A sense of loss is one of the most powerful feelings that caregivers experience. Depending on your relationship with the person and your individual circumstances you may grieve for the:

• Loss of the person you once knew
• Loss of the future you had planned together
• Loss of the relationship you once enjoyed
• Loss of their companionship, support or special understanding
• Loss of your own freedom to work or to pursue other activities
• Loss of finances or a lifestyle which you once took for granted

Restrictions for Caregiver

However much you wish to go on caring, you are bound to feel resentful at times at the restrictions placed on your own life. You may also feel unhappy that things have not turned out as you would have hoped.

• Consider your own needs. Taking regular breaks away from caring can keep you in touch with the outside world and raise your morale.
• Make time for yourself each day. Just relaxing with a cup of tea or having a good chat on the phone will help you recharge your batteries and cope with your emotions.

Up and down process for Caregiver

Grieving is an up and down process. In the earlier stages, you may swing between despair and wild optimism that a cure will soon be found. Some people even deny that anything is wrong with the person and try to suppress their feelings.

Later, when you have accepted the situation, you may find that there are periods when you can cope well and make the best of things. At other times, you may feel overwhelmed by sadness or anger or you may simply feel numb. Many caregivers are shocked to find that they sometimes wish that the person were dead.

Such feelings are a normal part of grieving. But it is important to realize that you are under a great deal of stress and to seek emotional support for yourself.

What can help for the Alzheimer's Caregiver

• Talk about your feelings to an understanding professional, to other caregivers, to a trusted friend or to supportive members of your family. Don't bottle your feelings up.
• Relieve tension through crying, or shout or punch a cushion. However, make sure that the person you are caring for is safe and out of earshot or you may distress them.
• Try to persuade friends to drop in for a chat or to phone you regularly.
• Make sure that you see your doctor or therapist if you are feeling low or anxious or if you are very tired and unable to sleep. It is important to try to prevent your normal feelings of sadness from slipping into depression which is much harder to deal with.

If the person goes into long-term care you may grieve at another change in your relationship. The relief which you might feel initially may be replaced by feelings of loss and grief, mixed up with guilt, which can last for a surprisingly long time. You may miss the person's presence. You may experience feelings of emptiness. You may feel very tired, both physically and emotionally.

• Try to take it easy until you feel your energy levels rise again.
• Giving a structure to your day may help you get through the difficult early months.
• Don't fall into the trap of building your life around visiting the person in their new home. You need to build a new life for yourself which includes these visits.

Towards the end

In the final stages of dementia the person may be unable to recognize you or communicate with you. This can be very painful. Although the relationship seems very nearly over, you are unable to mourn fully because the person is still alive.

Holding the person's hand or sitting with your arm around them may be comforting for both of you. It might also help you to recognize that you have done all that you could.

When the caregiver's person dies

Some people find that they grieve so much during the course of the illness that they have no strong feelings left when the person dies. Other people experience a range of overwhelming reactions at different times. These may include:

• Numbness, as though their feelings are frozen
• Inability to accept the situation
• Shock and pain, even if the death has been expected for a long time
• Relief, both for the person with dementia and themselves
• Anger and resentment about what has happened
• Guilt over some small incident which happened in the past
• Sadness
• Feelings of isolation.

Caregivers should be prepared for the fact that it may take them a long time to come to terms with the person's death. Caring will probably have been a full-time job for a long time and when it ends it will leave a void.

• Try to avoid making any major decisions in the early months if you are still feeling shocked vulnerable
• Accept that, even though you may generally be coping, there may be times when you feel particularly sad or upset
• Events such as anniversaries or birthdays are often distressing. If so, ask friends and family for support
• Stay in close touch with your doctor or therapist. You are likely to be more vulnerable to physical illness as well as to anxiety or depression following a bereavement.

Getting back on your feet

Although you may feel very tired after someone dies or goes into long-term care, the time will come when you are ready to re-establish your own life and move forward.

You may feel very unconfident at first and find it difficult to take decisions, make polite conversation or cope with social gatherings. But don't give up. Your confidence will gradually return. Take things slowly and make sure that you have plenty of support from family and friends, professionals and other former caregivers.

Sources:

Alzheimer's Society UK - Carer's advice sheet 507

ADHD and clutter naturally occur together, and together they make a natural disaster. One of the hallmarks of ADHD is disorganization; because of symptoms like distractibility and difficulty focusing, organization is a difficult task for people living with ADHD. Clutter builds. Then, because of the clutter, ADHD symptoms of distractibility and difficulty focusing increase. It’s the perfect, intensifying storm.

For someone with ADHD, a sense of wellbeing can get buried under all the clutter. A cluttered environment decreases overall mental health and increases stress (Whitbourne, 2017). The idea of organizing can be overwhelming, and the temptation to procrastinate or avoid organizing makes sense. But with the right approach, you can eliminate clutter and get organized.

ADHD and Clutter: Two Basic Principles of Organization

When you begin to declutter and take control of your own space, everything can blur together into one gigantic overwhelming pile of mess. Before diving into the five tips for getting organized, there are two general principles to guide you:

1. The one-year principle. If you haven’t used, worn, or otherwise noticed something in a year, get rid of it.
2. The OHIO method. This principle helps you cut down on paper clutter. Regarding paperwork, Weiss (2005) advises, Only Handle It Once. Act immediately on things like bills or notes kids bring home in backpacks. Deal with it, then file or recycle. This works for things other than paper, too, like small objects that end up on counters and tabletops. Handle it once, then toss, recycle, or donate.

Five Tips for Getting Organized, Reducing ADHD Clutter

These tips are easy-to-follow solutions to clutter. De-cluttering using these strategies will help you feel less overwhelmed and more in control of yourself and your space.

1. Begin with vision and purpose. Without meaning, decluttering can seem pointless and tedious, and it will be easy to get distracted and walk away. Borrowing from solution-focused therapy, ask yourself what your space will be like when it’s neat, organized, and clutter-free. What will you be able to do and enjoy in this clean space?
2. Break it into bits. It can be paralyzing to look at every corner of disorganization and think of trying to tackle it all. On top of that, ADHD makes it difficult to start tasks and to concentrate on them. Break your tasks up and tackle your decluttering bit by bit.
3. Be methodical. Even when organizing in bits, it can be hard to know where to begin and ADHD can cause you to jump around, starting something but moving on before finishing. A solution to your clutter is to have a plan and a system. Go room by room, perhaps, and within each room sort by types of items.
4. Schedule time for decluttering. Creating schedules is a helpful tool for people living with ADHD. Scheduling time for important people and tasks ensures that you follow through rather than forgetting and feeling bad later. Scheduling works for organization because it ensures that you’ve dedicated time to do it. Make sure, too, to schedule breaks and stop times (Adult ADHD and How to Manage Your Time and Stay on Schedule).
5. Buddies and Breaks. Enlist the assistance of a friend or family member. Tackling a tedious task with someone else makes it more enjoyable. Plus, you’ll have someone to help keep you on track and help you sort things into piles for keeping, donating, recycling, or tossing. Throughout the process of getting organized, be sure to take breaks. Breaks will keep you fresh and motivated.

These general tips can be applied to any organization project. Together, they provide ADHD-friendly solutions to clutter.

Eliminate Clutter When You Have ADHD

As you employ the above tips for getting organized, you also want to create places to put the things you’re keeping so they are easily accessible and don’t contribute to more clutter. If you have a place for everything, your living and working space will be more likely to stay neat, and you won’t be caught in a frantic dash to find something at the last minute. (Imagine not having to search for keys when you’re supposed to be leaving the house.)

To organize your space:

• Use different colored folders for the various things you have to keep track of, such as papers from school, insurance information, etc.
• Use accordion folders to file things like coupons, tickets, etc.
• Have colorful baskets or bowls in strategic places, such as on a table by the door, a coffee table, or the stairs. Make them a regular part of your life by always placing the same items in them. Keys will always go by the door. Reading glasses will be placed where you use them the most.

If clutter has taken over your life, chances are your adult ADHD symptoms feel heightened because ADHD and clutter contribute to each other. Manage both your symptoms and your life by eliminating clutter.

ADHD and successful relationships are two things that don’t go together easily. The effects of ADHD in a relationship, such as impulsivity, disorganization, intensity, irritability, and lack of focus, can cause misunderstandings and create tension. It’s common for each partner, the one with ADHD and the one without, to misinterpret the other. With misunderstanding comes thoughts and feelings of being unloved.

Problem-solving can be difficult enough when ADHD is involved, and when partners feel unheard and uncared for, relationships can end. Just because you or your partner has ADHD, however, doesn’t mean that your relationship is doomed. It is absolutely possible for ADHD and successful relationships to occur together. These five tips can help you create and maintain a great relationship.

5 Helpful ADHD Relationship Tips

All healthy relationships involve certain crucial elements, and successful couples don’t lose sight of them even when times are stressful. These five tips are particularly helpful for successful relationships when ADHD is part of the mix.

1. Separate the person from the ADHD. Knowing that your partner isn’t purposely trying to be insensitive can help keep your thoughts and emotions level. ADHD can cause someone to seem rude, angry, or inattentive. Being on the receiving end of this cause the person to react in a similar manner. Neither partner is purposely trying to be a jerk. There is a disorder that is interfering in your relationship, but it’s not personal to either of you. Keeping this in mind can help you both address the symptoms of ADHD rather than attacking each other’s personal qualities.
2. Think value-added. According to Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), The National Resource on ADHD, a useful question to have in mind for a successful relationship is, “What can I bring to this relationship? What value can I add?” With ADHD, it’s very easy for both people to get stuck in negativity. That feeling of being unloved or unheard can lead to anger, resentment, and more. It becomes easy to pick at each other. Instead of getting mired in the problems, think in terms of what positive things you can do or say in this moment, on this day, every single day. This doesn’t erase the effects of ADHD, but it redirects your thinking and the tone of your relationship.
3. Have structure and schedules. Relationships are complex. They require a lot of work: talking, listening, airing frustrations, making plans, coordinating schedules, spending quality time together, and myriad other tasks. Schedules and structure are imperative in ADHD relationships, and creating them is like having a treatment plan for your relationship (Hallowell & Ratey, 2010). Important components of your treatment plan include:
   • Establishing regular, consistent times for talking to each other about important issues
   • Creating a conversation structure that works for you both; it’s helpful for each person to have an allotted amount of time, say 10 or 15 minutes, to speak without interruption and then have a process for letting each other ask questions and respond
   • Using notebooks to write things down, such as positives and negatives, goals, and plans. Use the notebooks to keep you focused during scheduled conversations as well as to help you follow through with decisions you made together (ADHD and Procrastination: How to Get Stuff Done)
   • Intentionally scheduling time to spend together enjoying each other’s company; this helps ADHD symptoms like impulsivity and distractibility from interfering in time spent together
      
4. Choose your words wisely. Good communication is vital to a successful relationship, but it can be really difficult when one partner has ADHD. Frustrations often flare, and the rudeness and irritability that can be part of ADHD lead to arguments and adult ADHD meltdowns. To counter this, be intentional about what you say, how you say it, and when you say it. Openly acknowledge each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and accept them. Pick your battles; if an issue is important to you, don’t ignore it, but recognize that in the big picture of your relationship, not everything is worth fighting over. Also, communicate warmth and compassion to each other, making praise and encouragement a daily habit.
5. Let there be light. Levity is one of the most important tips for ADHD and successful relationships. Life can be heavy, and symptoms and effects of ADHD can dominate a relationship if they’re not checked. A sense of humor is crucial for creating good times and surviving bad ones. Make light-hearted fun a habit and a regular part of your relationship. You might need to schedule it, and that’s quite all right. You can even make a joke out of scheduling fun.

The point of a relationship is to share your lives and spend quality time together despite the ups and the downs and the ADHD. Successful relationships are possible when you follow these ADHD relationship tips.

Procrastination in adults with ADHD is common. ADHD makes it very difficult to start tasks, especially big tasks that aren’t very interesting. This ADHD-related procrastination interferes in daily activities, work- or school-related tasks, and decision making. ADHD and procrastination don’t have to continue to make your life difficult. This guide will show you how to get stuff done.

Why is Procrastination a Problem in ADHD?

Procrastination and ADHD are almost guaranteed to go together. Among other things, ADHD involves difficulty with focus and concentration, distractibility, and impulsivity, all culprits in making tasks feel overwhelming.

Other components of the disorder that link ADHD and chronic procrastination include:

• Difficulty estimating the amount of time it will take to complete something
• Being easily overwhelmed and feeling paralyzed by looming tasks
• Easily giving in to the desire to do other things first

Additionally, procrastination is often a coping mechanism for people living with ADHD. Low self-esteem creates feelings of failure or incompetence. These inner thoughts and feelings make tasks seem impossible to begin and accomplish. Procrastination and avoidance come to the rescue; however, the longer someone procrastinates, the more daunting the task becomes and the more difficult it is to start. So the procrastination continues. This cycle can be difficult to break, but it is definitely not impossible to break it.

How to Stop ADHD Procrastination and Get Stuff Done

You can stop ADHD procrastination in its tracks, and in doing so, you will have the ability to start the things you need to do.

• Prioritize your tasks. Looking, all at once, at everything that has piled up is daunting. It’s almost impossible to imagine diving into such a big to-do pile and actually surviving. Good news: you don’t have to dive into everything at the same time. Make a list of things you need to do, and then determine which are the most important and which are the least.
• Break it to bits. Starting with just one task, the one you’ve identified as the most important, and break it down into small steps. You can even use timelines to keep yourself on track with these step-by-step components. Knowing how to approach something is an important component of ending procrastination and getting your stuff done.
• Create your own personal planning system. Planning your tasks, your schedules and obligations, and more will help you know how to focus and begin. When you know how to dig in, it’s easier to pick up and use that shovel. Your system can be a paper planner, a whiteboard, software, or smartphone apps for ADHD. Use a system that is user-friendly for you.
• Have a routine for planning. Set aside a set amount of time (perhaps 15-30 minutes) every day to plan the next day’s major tasks. Knowing what you need to do ahead of time will help keep you on track the next day. Make the planning time pleasant, something you look forward to. Sit in a favorite spot, use a special pen, drink tea from a favorite mug—whatever you find pleasant so planning becomes a pleasant task.
• Establish deadlines. As you break your tasks into components, assign your own deadlines to them. Knowing what needs to be done and by when it must be completed will help you stop procrastinating.
• Remove distractions. It’s a common occurrence in procrastination and ADHD: You are sincerely ready to start and set to dive in. But something catches your attention, and you head off in that direction. Hours later, you may or may not return to your original task. To avoid procrastination, limit and remove attention-stealing distractions.

How to Want to Stop Procrastinating When You Have ADHD

Sometimes, someone might claim that they like procrastinating because they work better under pressure. While it can be true that some people do their best work under pressure, there is a huge drawback to this: procrastination is mentally unhealthy behavior because it can increase stress and cause anxiety. These ideas just might make you want to end ADHD procrastination.

• Make tasks more enjoyable with your favorite music playing in the background.
• Turn chores into a game. How many towels can you fold before the timer goes off?
• Develop a reward system. After a certain amount of time passes or after you complete certain components of your projects, take a break and reward yourself with something pleasant.
• Change your location. Moving to a different place to work on your task can often provide enough new stimulation and diversion to keep you going.

Procrastination in adults with ADHD can cause problems. Devising a system that works for you and adding some fun to what you have to do can help you get stuff done.

Detailed information on medications used to relieve behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

Alzheimer's and Dementia: drugs used to relieve behavioral symptoms

People with Alzheimer's and dementia may, at some point in their illness, develop symptoms such as depression, restlessness, aggressive behavior and psychosis (delusions and hallucinations). While it is important to try to understand and address the underlying reasons for these problems, it may be necessary at times to prescribe medication if the symptoms are distressing, persistent and have not responded to psychological treatments. This information sheet describes the different types of drugs that may be prescribed.

Avoid drugs unless they are really necessary

Before any of the drugs mentioned in this information sheet are prescribed it is essential to ensure that the person with dementia is physically healthy, comfortable and well cared for.

Whenever possible, the person should be helped to lead an active life, with interesting and stimulating daily activities. By minimizing distress and agitation it is usually possible to avoid the use of sedative drugs altogether.

If, after trying non-drug treatments, drugs are considered to be necessary remember:

• All drugs have side-effects that may worsen symptoms.
• Always ask the prescribing doctor why the drug is being prescribed, what the side-effects may be and what you should do if they occur.
• Don't assume that a drug that has proved to be useful at one time will continue to be effective. Dementia is a degenerative condition. The chemistry and structure of the brain will change during the course of the illness.
• Bear in mind that certain combinations of drugs may counteract each other. Remind your doctor if other medications are being taken.
• If a drug is prescribed, check with your doctor that there is a clear plan to review the medication and to stop it as soon as possible. Usually, a trial of stopping drugs is recommended after three months.

Taking drugs

Drugs will be more effective if they are taken exactly as prescribed by the doctor, in the correct dose and monitored regularly for side-effects.

If symptoms are difficult to control, the doctor may refer to a specialist for further advice.

• Some drugs need to be taken regularly to have an effect - for example, antidepressants and major tranquilizers (often called antipsychotics or neuroleptics). These drugs are not helpful when given on an 'as needed basis'. Other drugs, such as hypnotics or anxiety-relieving drugs, may be more effective when taken on an as-needed basis. This should only be done after discussion with the doctor.
• Do not expect immediate results. Benefits may take several weeks to appear, particularly with antidepressants and major tranquilizers.
• Side-effects may occur early or late in the course of treatment - it is important that you ask the doctor what to expect.
• Side-effects are usually related to the dose. The doctor will usually 'start low and go slow', gradually increasing the dose until the desired effects are achieved.
• Once treatment has been established it is important that it is reviewed regularly. Take all medications to the clinic and hospital appointments.
• Remember that some of the drugs taken to control behavioral symptoms can be dangerous if accidentally taken in large quantities. Make sure medicines are kept safe and secure.

Names of drugs

All drugs have at least two names - a generic name, which identifies the substance, and a proprietary (trade) name, which may vary depending upon the company that manufactured it.

More detailed information on medications for treating agitation, aggression and psychotic symptoms.

A look at behaviors associated with Alzheimer's Disease and how to respond to them.

Understanding and Responding to Challenging Behaviors in Alzheimer's Disease

People with dementia sometimes behave in ways that other people find puzzling or difficult to handle. There are a number of different behaviors and ways of coping.

Not everyone with dementia will be affected. Each person with dementia is an individual with different needs. Much of their behavior is an attempt to communicate what they want or how they are feeling. Once we understand the reasons why someone is behaving in a particular way, it is easier to find ways of coping.

If the person is unable to tell you how they are feeling, try a number of approaches. Ask for advice from professionals or other caregivers before you become too stressed.

Medication may sometimes be used for these behaviors. These treatments will need very careful monitoring by the doctor and should be reviewed regularly. Ask about the side-effects of any drugs so that if they appear you do not automatically assume that the dementia has become worse.

Always remember that the person you are caring for is not being deliberately difficult. Ask yourself too whether the behavior is really a problem. Make sure that you have support for yourself and breaks when you need them.

Repetitive questioning with Alzheimer's

A person with dementia may ask the same question over and over again. They probably do not remember asking the question or the answer you gave because of their short-term memory loss. Feelings of insecurity or anxiety about their ability to cope may also play a part in a person's repetitive questioning. Always try to put yourself in their situation and imagine how they might be feeling and what they might be trying to express.

• Try to be tactful when answering. Don't say: 'I've already told you that', as this will increase feelings of anxiety. Try to get the person to find the answer for themselves if possible. For example:
  Q- 'Is it lunch time?' Answer: 'Have a look at the clock.'
  Q- 'Do we need more milk?' Answer: 'Why don't you look in the fridge?'
• Try to distract the person with an activity if appropriate.
• If you cannot contain your irritation, make an excuse to leave the room for a while.

People with dementia often become anxious about future events and this can lead to repetitive questioning. If this seems to be the case consider telling them that someone is coming to visit or that you are going shopping just before it happens. This will give them less time to worry.

Repetitive phrases or movements with Alzheimer's

Sometimes people with dementia repeat the same phrase or movement many times. You may hear this referred to by medical professionals as 'perseveration'.

• This may be due to some kind of discomfort. Check that the person is not too hot or too cold, hungry, thirsty or constipated. Contact the GP if there is any possibility that they are ill, in pain or if medication is affecting them.
• They may be finding their surroundings too noisy or too stressful.
• They may be bored and trying to stimulate themselves. Encourage activity. Some people find stroking a pet, going for a walk or listening to favorite music, for example, is very enjoyable.
• It may be the person's way of soothing themselves. We all have different ways of comforting ourselves.
• It may be due to the damage in the brain.

Simply offer as much reassurance as you can.

Sometimes, of course, repeated questions may not stop despite your best efforts. In a memoir about caring for her elderly husband who had Alzheimer's, Lela Knox Shanks recalls, "In the beginning, when Hughes asked the same thing over and over again, I wanted to scream and sometimes did -- but that was not a satisfactory solution. I learned ... to write notes to Hughes during that stressful period. Since he asked the same questions every day, I accumulated a set of stock answers that I flashed to his questions. By keeping silent I was better able to remain calm, [and] Hughes never questioned why I was communicating with him through signs."

Repetitive behavior with Alzheimer's

You may find that the person seems to be constantly doing the same thing such as packing and unpacking a bag or rearranging the chairs in a room.

• This behavior may relate to a former activity or occupation such as traveling, organizing an office or entertaining friends. You may be able to work out what this activity might be. This may help you understand what the person is feeling and trying to do, and may also serve as a basis for conversation.
• The person may be bored and need more activities to stimulate them or more contact with other people.

Here are strategies from the Alzheimer's Association and Family Caregiver Alliance to help you cope with repetitive behavior:

• Look for patterns. Keep a log to determine if the behavior occurs at a certain time of day or night, or whether particular people or events seem to trigger it.
• Keep track so you can tell whether your loved one might be hungry, cold, tired, in pain, or in need of a trip to the bathroom.
• Check with the doctor to make sure your loved one isn't suffering from pain or the side effects of medication.
• Speak slowly and wait for your loved one to respond.
• Don't point out that he or she just asked the same question.
• Distract him or her with a favorite activity.
• Use signs, notes, and calendars to help decrease anxiety and uncertainty. In the early stages of Alzheimer's, when your loved one can still read, he or she may not need to ask about dinner if a note on the table says, "Dinner is at 6:30 p.m."

Talking with friends, a counselor, or a support group about your grief and frustration at the damage caused by Alzheimer's also leaves you free to cope with its reality and to cherish your loved one as he or she is. "So many times we talk about caregiving in a somewhat negative fashion," says Jan Oringer, of the Family Caregiver Alliance. "But I see a lot of families where this has been an opportunity to grow, and to find more adaptive ways of solving difficulties. These aren't just caregiver skills, but life skills all of us need."

Sources:

• Caring for People with Alzheimer's Disease: A Manual for Facility Staff (2nd edition), by Lisa P. Gwyther, 2001.
• Virginia Bell and David Troxel. The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care. Health Professions Pr: 1996. 264 pp.
• Dr. William Molloy and Dr. Paul Caldwell. Alzheimer's Disease: Everything you Need to Know. Firefly Books. 1998, 208 pp.
• National Institute on Aging, Understanding Stages and Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease, Oct. 2007.
• Alzheimer's Association