ADHD Psychiatric Provider in Seattle
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders among children, but it’s also a condition that can be found in adults. ADHD can result in an inability to concentrate, making things like learning, and focusing on tasks difficult. While ADHD can have a far-reaching impact on you or your child’s life, it can be treated with the proper course of therapy.
If you find that you forget things and are overwhelmed by activities that you perform on a daily basis or if you feel disorganized and unable to move forward with courses of action, you may be suffering from some form of ADHD. Over 16 million adults in the United States have experienced the symptoms of ADHD at some point since childhood. Michael Boas, PMHNP-BC is a board-certified psychiatric medical professional who practices telepsychiatry in Seattle and throughout the state of Washington. You can be treated for ADHD without ever having to leave your home. Contact Synergy Mental Wellness to schedule your free consultation.
As an adult, how do you experience ADHD in your daily life?
Living with untreated ADHD means:
- Living with severe frustration
- Feeling constantly demoralized
- Consistently finding it difficult to finish tasks
- Having a sense of underachievement
- Being convinced that you are constantly being misunderstood
- Feeling that there are some things that you are just unable to perform
Also, if you are an adult with untreated ADHD you frequently have trouble organizing your household chores and job responsibilities. You may find yourself changing jobs often and going through several periods of being unemployed throughout your career.
Domestic Issues – Sufferers of ADHD often find that they have arguments with their partners over scheduling, finances, or organizational skills. The divorce rate of adults with ADHD is twice as high as society as a whole.
Social Difficulties – Individuals with ADHD often have trouble keeping track of social obligations, creating strains in friendships.
Employment – The symptoms associated with ADHD often make it difficult for the subject to complete tasks, make deadlines, and keep track of their responsibilities. This can often be misinterpreted as a poor work ethic.
If left untreated by a psychiatric professional, these feelings of restlessness often lead to the adoption of risky behaviors, such as alcohol, drugs, or other ill-advised coping mechanisms.
Frequently Asked Questions About ADHD in Psychiatry
Do other conditions or symptoms accompany ADHD?
It is common for people with ADHD to also experience:
- Poor impulse control
- Mood swings
- Substance abuse
- Anxiety
What is the aim of an ADHD treatment?
Receiving treatment for your ADHD means that you will:
- Learn how to improve your skills regarding planning and prioritizing
- Learn and practice how to establish and keep good habits and routines
- Learn to decrease procrastination, keep on top of your appointments, and learn how to meet deadlines
- Learn how to become much more organized, have your possessions in order, learning to keep your home and workspaces neat and clean
- Learn how to listen better, interrupt less, and improve the way you pay attention to those around you. Be encouraged to adopt healthy habits such as regular exercise, better eating habits, and more regular sleep patterns
What types of pharmacological treatments do you recommend for ADHD?
Prior to consultation, there’s no way for any psychiatric professional to know what the best course of treatment is for you. We have a wide range of tools and treatment options at our disposal that sometimes involve the incorporation of prescription medications.
The choice of medication and the dosages is patient specific. Monitoring is a key element for us to determine the effectiveness of the prescribed medication and to determine whether modifications to the dosage or type of medication are warranted.
Are ADD and ADHD the same thing?
Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD is the way this condition was previously referred to. Its aim was to describe those who, although not hyperactive, were not paying attention. These days, there is a subtype of ADHD referred to as Predominantly Inattentive which has replaced ADD.
This means that, currently, ADHD is the overarching name for the condition. It has been so since 2013 when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).
What about ADHD in children?
In children, ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. To the point that it is diagnosed in one out of ten children (with ages ranging from 5 to 17). With boys receiving twice as many diagnoses as girls, the main expression of ADHD in children is problems in school both socially and in a classroom setting.
It’s important to distinguish between typical childhood behavior and ADHD. The subtle differences often require a psychiatric professional to distinguish between and treat these conditions accordingly, including classroom or school accommodations. Synergy Mental Wellness prioritizes the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD in order to decrease misunderstanding of ADHD symptoms and to optimize performance in affected children. If ADHD is in fact the diagnosis, together we can determine the best course of treatment.
Synergy Mental Wellness
Michael Boas PMHNP-BC of Synergy Mental Wellness wants to be your first resource for your ADHD diagnosis and treatment. By providing you with excellent mental health services, he will make your treatment as convenient as possible.
Synergy Mental Wellness offers a caring, welcoming environment with state-of-the-art protocols, treatment, and testing. You can learn to manage your ADHD and live a healthy and productive life. All consultations are performed by our in-house psychiatric professional via teleconference.