Understanding ADHD: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often misunderstood. Many people think it simply means being “distracted” or “hyper,” but ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, impulse control, and self-regulation.
ADHD doesn’t mean a person isn’t capable or intelligent. In fact, many with ADHD are highly creative, resourceful, and resilient. But without the right strategies, ADHD can lead to difficulties in school, work, relationships, and self-esteem.
At Groundbreaker Therapy, we specialize in helping children, college students, young professionals, and adults manage ADHD through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), executive function coaching, integrative, strengths-based approaches, and teaching and learning expertise to help improve cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral capacity.
What Is ADHD?
ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurological condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Symptoms often appear in childhood and can continue into adulthood.
The three main presentations are:
- Predominantly inattentive type: Difficulty focusing, organizing, and following through on tasks.
- Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type: Restlessness, excessive energy, impulsivity.
- Combined type: A mix of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms.
ADHD affects every area of life, but with proper support, individuals can thrive both personally and professionally.
Common Symptoms of ADHD
ADHD symptoms vary by age and presentation, but common signs include:
Inattentive Symptoms:
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Easily distracted or forgetful
- Trouble organizing tasks or managing time
- Losing items needed for school, work, or home
- Avoiding tasks that require sustained mental effort
Hyperactive-Impulsive Symptoms:
- Restlessness or fidgeting
- Talking excessively or interrupting others
- Difficulty waiting for turns
- Acting without thinking about consequences
- Struggles with self-control
Emotional & Relational Symptoms:
- Frustration and irritability
- Sensitivity to rejection or criticism
- Impulsivity in relationships or spending
- Low self-esteem from repeated struggles
These symptoms often cause challenges in school performance, workplace success, and family or social relationships.
What Causes ADHD?
ADHD is not caused by laziness or lack of discipline. It is a neurological condition with both genetic and environmental influences.
Common causes and risk factors include:
- Genetics: ADHD tends to run in families.
- Brain structure and chemistry: Differences in areas regulating attention, impulse control, and dopamine.
- Prenatal and early life factors: Premature birth, low birth weight, or exposure to toxins.
- Environmental influences: Chronic stress, trauma, or inconsistent routines may worsen symptoms.
ADHD is lifelong, but with therapy, coaching, and support, symptoms can be managed effectively.
ADHD Diagnosis
ADHD is diagnosed through a comprehensive evaluation by a licensed professional. Assessment often includes:
- Clinical interviews with the client and (for children) parents or teachers.
- Rating scales measuring attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
- Developmental, educational, and medical history.
- Screening for co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, or learning disabilities.
Accurate diagnosis ensures the right treatment plan — whether for a child struggling in school, a student balancing coursework, or an adult managing career demands.
ADHD Treatment Options
What Is Best for ADHD?
The best treatment for ADHD is a multimodal approach combining therapy, skills training, coaching, and sometimes medication.
At Groundbreaker Therapy, we emphasize methods to improve self-regulation and positive capacity through DBT and executive function coaching that give clients practical strategies to make improvements across multiple areas of life, including personal, professional, academic, and social functioning.
DBT helps individuals with ADHD improve mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness — skills that address frustration, impulsivity, and relational challenges. Coaching builds organizational systems and routines tailored to real-world needs.
Medication may also be recommended for some clients in collaboration with a prescribing provider, but therapy and coaching remain central.
Groundbreaker’s Approach to ADHD
Our specialties include:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Skills for mindfulness, emotional regulation, impulse control, and building structure.
- Executive Function Coaching: Practical tools for organization, time management, and productivity.
- Counseling for Professionals: Helping adults manage ADHD in competitive workplaces.
- Young Professionals’ Mental Health: Supporting adults in their 20s and 30s with work-life balance, identity, and ADHD challenges.
- College Mental Health: Helping students manage academic demands, deadlines, and independence while living with ADHD.
Other therapies we may integrate:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps with time management, organization, reducing procrastination, and addressing negative self-talk related to ADHD challenges.
- Executive Function Coaching: Directly targets core ADHD difficulties such as planning, prioritizing, impulse control, and sustaining attention.
- Mindfulness Practices: Improves focus, emotional regulation, and reduces impulsivity by strengthening attention control.
- Integrative Therapy: Allows combining CBT, executive function coaching, and mindfulness to create a personalized approach to managing ADHD symptoms.
- Learning specialty services, including educational psychology skills for information architecture, comprehension, and production, to help improve workflow output, efficiency, and effectiveness.
- Trauma-Informed Counseling for Professionals: Trauma-Informed Counseling for Professionals: Supporting multi-industry professionals, including healthcare providers, lawyers, educators, creatives, and business leaders who manage trauma while excelling in demanding careers.
Every treatment plan is personalized, focusing on both day-to-day coping skills and long-term resilience.
Living With ADHD
ADHD can be frustrating, but with the right tools, it does not have to define your future. Clients often learn to:
- Create systems for organization and time management.
- Reduce procrastination and follow through on commitments.
- Decrease reliance on perfectionism
- Manage emotional reactivity and frustration.
- Improve communication and relationships.
- Build self-esteem by recognizing strengths and successes.
- Reframe ADHD as a difference, not a deficit.
Living with ADHD means learning to harness creativity, energy, and resilience while minimizing distractions and impulsivity. Therapy makes that transformation possible.
How Groundbreaker Therapy Can Help
At Groundbreaker Therapy, we know ADHD affects more than focus — it touches every area of life. That’s why we provide:
- DBT expertise for emotional regulation and impulse control.
- Executive function coaching for practical, real-world strategies.
- Specialized counseling for professionals, students, and young adults.
- Integrative therapy approaches tailored to identity, relationships, and performance.
- Flexible scheduling with both in-person and virtual options.
You don’t have to face ADHD alone. With the right strategies and support, you can thrive at work, in school, and in life. Schedule a consultation with Groundbreaker Therapy today and start building the tools for confidence, clarity, and success with ADHD.