People with ADHD tend to get stressed out easily & this often leads to a mental/emotional shut/melt-down. One of the best ways to prevent this cycle is by having direction. If you have ADHD, ask your spouse/parent/teacher to help you prioritize. If you’re the spouse/parent/teacher, know the warning sighs & be prepared to step in with a plan.

Assuming that the ADHDer is open to being directed and has someone to “oversee” them, it all comes down to timing. People w/ADHD can go from 0-99 on the frustration scale very quickly and if you’re not paying attention to the cues, you’ll miss the window to steer them clear of a shut/melt-down. Not surprisingly recovering from the rapid downward spiral and getting back on track is much harder than preventing it in the first place.

2 Comments

  1. I just went to your website for the first time…incredible drawings! However I am more interested in your take on ADHD. My 30 y/o daughter is afflicted with this, although she has never been diagnosed…she is showing signs of breakdown and I need to know what to do for her….she has three children ranging from 3y/o to 8 y/o…the oldest also being afflicted and is currently taking Ritalin to keep him focussed. My main concern at this time and moment is my daughter…I noticed you said there is help prior to breakdown….Please guide me to this information….

    Thank you….

    Laurie

  2. Laurie, I was actually speaking about small, cyclical “melt-downs” that ADHDers tend to have when they become overwhelmed and not a major nervous breakdown. My experience is that the biggest challenge with adult ADHDers who have never been diagnosed is that in some ways they don’t believe that they have ADHD and also they don’t really have an understanding of what is happening to them. Many of them think they are losing their minds and feel disconnected and alone. Your daughter needs to accept the possibility that she might in fact have ADHD and go see an expert (physician or psychiatrist). Then she needs to start educating herself, and figuring out how to cope with day to day life with the idea that she is not crazy or lazy, but that she has a condition that affects the way she copes with life (and also that there are treatments available and that there is no shame in it) – other than taking some active steps to get treatment, i’m not sure what else can be done to prevent her from spiraling down even further. Hopefully she is open to this. 🙂 I hope everything works out.