MHM Magazine

16 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | Issue 2 | 2022 MHM seen and retrieved can help to address the “out of sight, out of mind” struggle that people with ADHD encounter. Having a designated place for items is helpful in reducing overwhelm – if you already know where something belongs, you don’t have to think about a good place to store it, and you can always remember where to find it. Having a designated place is helpful for items such as schoolbags/backpacks, lunchboxes, keys, spectacles, and device chargers and can reduce the “rush out of the door” anxiety of leaving the house. Clear, consistent, empathic, and attentive parenting should be the goal for any parent. This can be particularly difficult for parents who battle with emotional regulation and impulse control or who may find aspects of discipline repetitive and boring. One suggestion is to have the family devise a set of rules and consequences for the home. Children should be a part of this collaborative process and parents should have realistic expectations of themselves and their children. These rules should be displayed in the house, and the family should work together to keep each other accountable. Providing short- term or immediate rewards and positive reinforcement for following the rules is very important in maintaining motivation. When expectations are not met, it’s important for parents to ensure that they’re in a calm and regulated emotional state to address the concern. This may involve being able to step back and making time to address the problem later. When the problem is addressed, parents should carefully explain why the expectation was not met, what the consequence to the behaviour is, and asking the child what made it difficult for them to follow the rule. It can be helpful to brainstorm different ways to help them to meet the expectation in future, and to model emotional regulation and problem solving. While each family will address parenting and discipline different, consistency and empathy are key. As healthcare providers, working with families with multiple cases of ADHD can be complex and multi-faceted. It’s imperative that families are treated with compassion and understanding their difficulties are taken seriously. Providers should provide psychoeducation and adults should be encouraged to seek their own treatment if they can identify. Involving a multidisciplinary team to address symptomology and well as emotional and social functioning through individual, couples and family therapy may be appropriate. References available upon request