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Union Square Practice’s expert clinicians diagnose and treat ADHD in both adults and children. Our approach is evidence-based and holistic, with customized treatment plans that honor the individual needs and priorities of our clients. ADHD treatment includes medication and/or therapy, and our psychology and psychiatry teams collaborate to offer you excellent continuity of care. We provide ADHD-focused psychotherapy and medication management services in person at our Manhattan offices and via telehealth throughout New York state.
Our Services Include:
Learn more below about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and our qualifications to treat ADHD.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral condition occurring in an estimated 5-10% of the U.S. population. ADHD is not a personality disorder — it’s a difference in brain structure and function that affects how a person perceives and interacts with the world around them. Genetics are a factor, so you’re more likely to have ADHD if close relatives do.
ADHD is characterized by excessive inattentiveness (difficulty focusing and concentrating) and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. Without diagnosis and intervention, ADHD can negatively impact many facets of a person’s personal and professional life. Children with undiagnosed ADHD are often characterized as defiant, disruptive, or lazy and may internalize a negative self-image that persists into adulthood.
While there is no “cure” for ADHD, it doesn’t have to prevent you from living your best life. In fact, despite its negative connotations, ADHD typically has accompanying positive traits. People with ADHD tend to think in especially creative, dynamic, and complex ways. And despite overall distractibility, they often have exceptional focus and diligence in pursuits that truly interest them.
At Union Square Practice in New York City, we diagnose adult ADHD and design a personalized treatment plan to help you maintain focus, increase productivity, and harness the positive aspects of your unique brain in order to thrive in your personal and professional life.
Many people think of a child who can’t sit still, but that’s only the most stereotypical presentation of ADHD. ADHD has three subtypes: inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and a combination type. Children without the hyperactive component may be quiet and prone to daydreaming. Their ADHD manifests primarily as an inability to concentrate or follow through on tasks that don’t engage their interest.
By adulthood, many people develop some coping mechanisms that mask their ADHD symptoms. This can make ADHD that much more difficult to spot at a glance. Undiagnosed adults are often confused about their ongoing difficulties with executive function, focus, and organization. Alternatively, they may do okay in these areas but notice that this requires much more effort for them than it does for other people.
Here are some common symptoms of ADHD. If several of these symptoms are impacting your daily life in significant ways, contact us to schedule an initial ADHD screening:
The most common ADHD symptom puts the “attention deficit” in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Everyone finds it easier to concentrate on enjoyable, interesting tasks versus unpleasant or boring ones. For a person with ADHD, this difference is far more extreme. They often find it essentially impossible to concentrate on mundane or uninspiring activities. Alternatively, when they find something engaging they will “hyperfocus” for long stretches and be incredibly productive.
The purely hyperactive subtype of ADHD is rare. However, physical hyperactivity often accompanies an attention deficit to create the “combined” form of ADHD. Hyperactive children are easy to spot, while many adults learn to suppress or channel their restlessness into less obvious forms. This includes fidgeting, pacing, foot tapping, or tapping fingers or objects on a table. Verbal hyperactivity takes forms such as speaking very fast, talking over other people, and talking out of turn.
Closely associated with hyperactivity is impulsivity, the reduced ability to delay gratification and increased tendency to make hasty decisions. Poor impulse control results in taking action without considering consequences, with results ranging from unpleasant to disastrous. People with ADHD may find themselves frequently regretful, wondering why they said that thing to that person, why they bought that thing they don’t need, or why they jumped to a decision when they had time to think about it more.
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to “get started” is a symptom common to both ADHD and clinical depression. It can apply to small repeating tasks like brushing your teeth as well as larger one-time tasks, such as beginning a multi-week project at home or work. The activity may be something you dread, or simply find boring. Or you may know you’ll enjoy it once you begin and still have extreme difficulty getting started.
ADHD causes excessive distractibility and working memory issues. This can look like repeatedly losing important items, such as a wallet and car keys. It might involve frequently spacing appointments, burning food in the oven, or walking into a room and having no idea why you’re there. Some people describe a sort of “object impermanence:” a tendency to focus on whatever is in front of them while things out of sight disappear from consciousness.
Time blindness is an impaired ability to sense the passage of time accurately. A person with time blindness often has no idea how long they have been doing an activity. They’re surprised to find out it’s hours later than they thought it was. They have difficulty estimating how long it takes them to do something, even when they do that thing regularly. Time blindness leads to problems such as chronic procrastination, missed deadlines, and showing up late to scheduled activities.
People with ADHD can experience heightened sensitivity to real or perceived rejection, failure, or criticism. This includes expecting to be rejected, interpreting small criticisms as large ones, and perceiving failure or rejection where none exists. This can cause outsized emotional pain, low self-esteem, relational difficulties, and avoidance of situations and activities where there’s a risk of failure or negative feedback.
Without proper accommodations, ADHD can increase irritability and lower frustration tolerance in many ways. For instance, many people with ADHD have sensory sensitivities, resulting in certain environments being overstimulating and overwhelming. They may struggle to refocus after being interrupted, making intrusions on workflow especially irritating. Meanwhile, persistent difficulties with executive functioning and task management can cause ongoing frustration.
Adults with ADHD are at a higher risk for co-occurring disorders, and unidentified ADHD can exacerbate this. Children often grow up being told they are a nuisance, lazy, spacy, or undisciplined. Negative self-image and ongoing ADHD challenges in adulthood can result in anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or mood disorders. Not only does ADHD often accompany other conditions, it shares a substantial symptom overlap with some of them. This can make it hard to tell what’s causing what, and where to begin intervention.
Everyone struggles sometimes with disorganization, forgetfulness, or lack of motivation. How do you know if your symptoms come from ADHD or something else? If you suspect ADHD, a clinical evaluation by a trained professional can bring peace of mind. Positive or negative, a diagnosis directs your next steps: treating ADHD symptoms or exploring other possibilities.
Our evaluation process starts with a short initial screening to assess the likelihood you have ADHD. Good candidates for further evaluation move on to the formal diagnostic process, which is extensive and thorough. Your evaluator will interview you in-depth to understand your symptoms: when they began, the contexts in which they occur, and the degree to which they affect your daily functioning. The evaluator will also typically interview people who know you well, such as a spouse, partner, or longtime friend.
Your diagnosis accounts for relevant context including your medical history, academic and/or work history, family dynamics, coping skills, and conditions such as learning disabilities, anxiety, or depression. It’s important to rule out other causes of your ADHD symptoms, as well as discover any co-occurring disorders. You may be referred for additional screenings to continue isolating relevant variables. These can include formal psychiatric evaluations, medical tests, visual or hearing assessments, or tests for learning disabilities. USP’s expert neuropsychologist Dr. Amanda Hahn-Ketter performs ADHD evaluations and evaluations for related learning disorders and other co-occurring neurological conditions.
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We treat ADHD symptoms through psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of the two. While medication is not for everyone, a substantial majority of people find that the right medication offers significant symptom relief.
Union Square Practice offers neuropsychology, counseling, and psychiatry professionals with expertise in ADHD. Your treatment team works with you to understand your ADHD symptoms, how they affect your daily life, and your priorities moving forward. Based on this, we develop a customized treatment plan that feels comfortable to you.
The most common class of medications used to treat ADHD symptoms are stimulants. Stimulant medications can be short-acting (sometimes taken multiple times a day) or extended-release (taken once a day). Stimulants work by increasing the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, which can significantly improve impulse control, focus, and motivation.
Medication is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Stimulants are strong, fast-acting medications that can have unpleasant side effects. There is no foolproof way to know if a given stimulant will work for a specific individual. Finding the right ADHD medication for you is a discovery process best overseen by a skilled and experienced professional.
From Union Square Practice’s New York City office, one of our expert psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners guides this process. We consider your symptom profile, health history, and other key factors to prescribe appropriate medication in a holistic context. We carefully monitor your experience in order to adjust prescriptions and dosages until we find the best treatment for you.
Reach out for ADHD support now.
ADHD medication can help regulate brain functioning to improve focus and concentration. With or without medication, people with ADHD often benefit from regular therapy sessions. Therapists specializing in ADHD offer clients strategies to target executive functioning difficulties such as forgetfulness and time blindness. Psychotherapy can also be key to addressing co-occurring conditions such as depression, anxiety, and mood disorders.
Therapy can help you:
Since our practice includes diagnostic, psychiatric, and counseling professionals, we provide seamless continuity of care. For many adults with ADHD, combining the right medication with ADHD-targeted therapy produces life-changing results they never thought possible. We monitor your results every step of the way and always make adjustments as necessary to find the best outcomes.
Get help for ADHD now.
At Union Square Practice, our experienced and compassionate psychology professionals draw from a wide range of evidence-based therapies and mindfulness practices to create a personalized treatment plan for each client. Our team includes Clinical Psychologists, Licensed Master Social Workers, and Licensed Mental Health Counselors. Our therapists are further certified and experienced in dozens of specialty areas and therapeutic modalities.
We believe that successful therapy begins with a great client-therapist connection. Explore our clinicians or contact us for an initial screening and we’ll recommend a counselor according to your stated needs, priorities, and goals.
Union Square Practice is a group of psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists who empower individuals to be the best versions of themselves using the latest science has to offer.
Union Square Practice serves New York City clients at our 25th Street offices near Midtown Manhattan. We also offer psychotherapy and medication management via telehealth to all New York state residents. Contact us today for a preliminary ADHD assessment to see if a full diagnostic evaluation makes sense for you. Already diagnosed? Let us help you find a therapist and/or psychiatric professional to collaborate with you on your next steps.
Reach out to us using any of the contacts below or our general contact form.
