Don't Let ADHD Hold You Back
Learn how to live with ADHD by using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT can provide effective executive functioning strategies, dismantle cognitive distortions, and improve emotional well-being.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (commonly known as CBT) is one of the most widely used forms of psychotherapy. It’s evidence-based and effective for treating a wide range of mental health concerns, including ADHD.
CBT is based on the triangular interrelationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. The CBT model states that all three of these areas influence one another, and strategies to reframe thoughts can lead to more desirable emotional and behavioural outcomes.
In CBT for ADHD specifically, clients often learn a combination of behavioural strategies to manage their day-to-day lives while also working to change unhelpful thought patterns. Research shows that CBT can significantly improve symptoms and overall quality of life for many individuals, helping them feel more focused, organized, and in control. With guidance and practice, CBT empowers clients to develop lasting skills to manage ADHD effectively
How Does CBT Help People with ADHD?
When people think about ADHD, they often picture someone restless or easily distracted. While this image can reflect some aspects of ADHD, it paints an incomplete picture of the condition. ADHD encompasses a broader range of challenges, including impulsivity, disorganization, forgetfulness, emotional sensitivity, procrastination, difficulties with reliability, and social challenges.
These predispositions can also snowball into even more complex struggles later in life. People with untreated ADHD often find it difficult to perform well academically or in most workplace settings. They may also have underdeveloped financial skills due to their natural impulsivity and struggles to plan for the future.
Repeated setbacks, frustrations, and disappointments stemming from these challenges often affect the mental health of those with ADHD, potentially leading to negative self-perceptions and reinforcing harmful thought patterns. Consequently, it is common for individuals with ADHD to experience co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers a targeted approach to supporting individuals with ADHD by addressing their unique symptoms, personal experiences, and concerns. CBT works by identifying and dismantling negative thought patterns that contribute to challenging emotions and behaviors.
Additionally, CBT provides practical lifestyle management strategies and emotional regulation techniques tailored specifically to each individual’s needs, fostering improved overall functioning and well-being.
How Does CBT Improve ADHD In Adults?
ADHD isn’t a disorder that can be (or needs to be) “cured”. It’s a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. However, anyone with ADHD can still have considerable control over how it impacts their life. Ideally, they will come to love the unique way their brain works and learn how it can be a superpower rather than a shortcoming.
CBT offers a way for ADHD adults to correct self-destructive thinking patterns for better emotional health, and this consequently makes it far easier to function at their best. It also provides substantial psychoeducation so clients can better understand themselves and advocate for their needs when necessary.
Beyond professional settings, CBT enhances interpersonal relationships by teaching improved communication and social skills. Adults who participate in CBT typically report fewer misunderstandings and conflicts with family, partners, and colleagues.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) provides practical strategies for improving time management, organization, planning, and goal-setting—key areas that significantly enhance executive functioning skills, often underdeveloped in individuals with ADHD.
Cognitive Processes of CBT for ADHD
A foundational technique of CBT for almost any mental health concern is cognitive restructuring. In cognitive restructuring, the therapist will help the client identify maladaptive thought patterns (cognitive distortions) and work together to change them over time.
These are some of the most frequently occurring cognitive distortions people with ADHD can fall into.
“Should” Statements
“Should statements” come about from rigid and unreal unrealistic expectations of oneself. They self-defeatingly state how things “should” be in severe contrast to the disappointing reality. This type of self-criticism wears away at self-esteem over time.
Overgeneralization
This cognitive distortion automatically magnifies a singular problem into a hopeless negative pattern. For example, a student who receives one poor grade on a test may quickly jump to the conclusion that they’re not smart and will never graduate.
Fortune Telling
Fortune telling is similar to having a pessimistic outlook on life. It occurs when someone believes with great certainty that things will work out horribly, whether or not they have evidence or probability on their side.
All-or-Nothing Thinking
This distortion is sometimes called “black-and-white thinking”. It’s when someone fails to account for nuance and instead perceives outcomes, situations, and even people as either fully good or fully bad. An example of this would be labeling an entire vacation as a disaster over one small hiccup.
Mental Filtering
Mental filtering is essentially the opposite of “rose-coloured glasses”. It’s where someone filters out the positives of their experiences and focuses only on the negative.
Comparative Thinking
Another unhealthy thinking pattern is incessantly comparing ourselves to others, especially in an unfair way. This could show up as self-loathing for not looking as “perfect” as a photoshopped model, or feeling inferior to people further ahead in their career.
Disqualifying the Positive
A final cognitive distortion associated with ADHD is dismissing positive experiences, interactions, or achievements—particularly about oneself. This can make it hard to accept compliments or build confidence.
Self-Directed CBT Techniques to Help Treat Your ADHD
Working with a trusted counsellor is the most reliable way to get results from CBT, but this isn’t always an option for everyone. Thankfully, some well-executed self-led techniques can also play a part in managing ADHD.
Cognitive Restructuring
While cognitive restructuring is tricky to do without a counsellor, it is possible with some honest self-reflection and patience. The first step is to identify a negative thought pattern, and then follow up by challenging it through a series of questions. This is a great journal exercise. Some helpful challenging questions to ask are: “Is this thought based on facts” or “What experiences do I have that contradict this thought”.
Guided Recovery
Guided recovery is another technique generally used by counsellors that can sometimes be adapted for independent use. The technique follows a structured approach of setting a specific (and attainable) goal, and then practicing cognitive restructuring in real time as challenges come up.
Positive Self Talk
This technique is all about swapping a fixed mindset for a growth mindset. With practice, replacing negative limiting beliefs with positively framed thoughts can slowly improve self-esteem and self-efficacy.
Successive Approximation
To practice this CBT exercise, individuals should break down their large goals into small manageable steps. It’s helpful to start with the easiest tasks first, and it’s important to celebrate accomplishing every step along the way to build motivation. This strategy can avoid the overwhelm that often comes with large tasks.
Thought Journaling
Thought journaling is an accessible mental health-boosting activity to practice at home. It consists of journaling about situations that bring up strong reactions to help process those emotions and gain important insights. It’s best to record the thoughts, triggers, emotions, and the impact of the thoughts. This can be followed up with cognitive reframing.
Distractability Delay
This practical technique helps improve focus by creating an intentional pause before acting on a tempting distracting behaviour. This pause is a chance to reflect on the importance of the task at hand and imagine how great completing the task will feel.
Role Play
Role play is an opportunity to practice desired behaviours without the pressure of real life. Acting out a scenario that challenges an ADHD symptom can be a helpful way to reinforce positive coping actions. This can be done alone or with a loved one instead of a therapist.
What do the Benefits of CBT for ADHD Look Like?
The exact results of CBT for ADHD will vary based on the client, the therapist, and the quality of the client-therapist relationship. That being said, most people see noticeable improvements in several meaningful areas.
Most people who’ve undergone CBT for ADHD report better focus, less procrastination, better time management, and increased organization. All of these benefits can have massive impacts on school or work performance, and lead to greater confidence in one’s capabilities.
The process of cognitive restructuring can also help alleviate chronic anxiety and depression that sometimes develop as a result of ADHD struggles. CBT leads to a more hopeful outlook on life and an easier time coping with day-to-day obstacles.
Schedule a Free Consultation
Despite anything else you may have heard, ADHD is not a debilitating life sentence. You can reach lofty goals, find success in your work life, and have a fulfilling personal life by learning to work with your natural tendencies.
Schedule a free consultation with our Supportive Therapy team to learn how online therapy can help you thrive with ADHD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Caffeine can be helpful for some people with ADHD. A majority (but not all) of ADHD medications are stimulants because they can increase focus and alertness, however, they affect everyone differently. Caffeine is a fairly mild stimulant that won’t have as significant impact as a prescribed medication, but it can provide a temporary boost in focus.
That being said, it’s still important not to overdo caffeine since it can affect blood pressure, cause anxiety, and create sleeping problems in high doses.
A few helpful CBT strategies to work through anxiety are mindfulness meditation, breathing exercises, progressing body relaxation, visualization, or practicing self-compassion. All of these can be done at home and many can be helpful in the moment when experiencing anxiety. Breathe work and mindfulness can be thought of as tools in a mental health first aid kit.
The 3 subtypes of ADHD are predominantly inattentive (Previously known as ADD), predominately hyperactive-impulsive, and combined.
People with the predominantly inattentive subtype are likely to struggle with organization, completing tasks, procrastination, and forgetfulness.
Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive symptoms on the other hand often cause struggles socially. This presentation can look like excessive fidgeting, impulsive decision-making, restlessness, talking excessively or interrupting others, and difficulties following rules such as waiting in line or staying seated.
The root cause of ADHD isn’t yet fully understood. There seem to be several different factors that play a role in its development. Right now, genetic factors seem to be the biggest influence since ADHD often runs in families. Certain gene variants related to dopamine regulation have also been linked to the condition.
There are also noticeable differences in brain structure, brain activity, and neurotransmitter balance in people with ADHD. Environmental factors in utero are currently thought to have a potential impact on this outcome, as well as parenting styles and nutrition to a lesser extent.