ADHD care: assessment, treatment and follow-up

Care may involve a primary care clinician, mental health specialist, family members and education or workplace contacts, with the person's consent. The plan should address daily function and wellbeing, not only a symptom list.

Assessment gathers developmental history, examples from everyday settings, medical information and the effect on study, work, relationships and safety. Clinicians also consider conditions that may overlap with or resemble ADHD, including anxiety, mood problems, sleep disturbance and learning difficulties.

Treatment can include education about ADHD, behaviour or organisational strategies, psychological therapies, environmental adjustments and prescribed medicine. The mix differs between people. Follow-up checks whether agreed goals are improving and whether new problems or unwanted medicine effects have appeared.

Keep one current list of medicines, doses, benefits and side effects, and take it to each appointment. Use calendars, alarms, visible task lists and consistent storage places for essential items. Turn vague goals into observable actions that can be reviewed.

Take prescribed medicine exactly as directed and do not share it. Before using supplements or non-prescription products, check for interactions with a pharmacist or clinician. Coordinate strategies across home, school or work where possible, while respecting privacy and the person's preferences.

Contact the treating clinician when symptoms continue to disrupt essential activities, a dose is repeatedly missed, side effects are hard to tolerate or support needs change. Appetite changes, sleep problems, marked irritability, worsening anxiety and low mood are useful details to report.

Seek urgent medical help for fainting, chest pain, severe agitation, confusion, hallucinations, a suspected overdose, or thoughts of harming yourself or another person. Keep medicines secured and call local emergency services if there is immediate danger.

Ask who will coordinate follow-up, which daily outcomes to track and when treatment should be reconsidered. Discuss monitoring needs, missed-dose instructions, side effects that warrant a call, psychological support and useful adjustments for your particular setting.