ADHD Comorbidities: The Depression/Anxiety Cocktail with Dr. Michael Felt
Apr 11, 2024
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Dr. Michael Felt, ADHD & Executive Functioning specialist, discusses comorbidities with depression and anxiety. They explore the order of diagnosis, potential for misdiagnosis, and impact on treatment protocols. Dr. Felt introduces Experiential Rehabilitation technique and cycles of ambiguity and clarity for managing ADHD and comorbid conditions.
Expressing emotions authentically with a clinician leads to better understanding and support.
Navigating emotional challenges involves understanding cycles of ambiguity and agency.
Seeking ADHD-sensitive professionals who focus on individual experiences is crucial for effective help.
Deep dives
Creating Clarity for Effective Action
Creating clarity and recognizing feelings rather than using professional jargon when seeking help is crucial. Expressing emotions authentically and sharing what you feel with a clinician can lead to better understanding and effective support. This approach facilitates building self-efficacy and autonomy.
The Cycles of Ambiguity and Agency
Understanding the cycles of ambiguity and agency helps in navigating emotional challenges. The ambiguity cycle involves identifying executive function issues and progressing to anxiety and avoidance. Contrarily, the agency cycle focuses on acceptance, generating clarity, and taking action to regain motivation and reinforce self-efficacy.
Finding Support Tailored to Each Individual
Seeking ADHD-sensitive professionals who focus on individual experiences rather than labels is essential. Building the right support team involves expressing emotions authentically, creating clarity, and addressing feelings to receive personalized and effective help.
Psycho-Education and Group Support
Engaging in psycho-education groups that provide tools like cycles of clarity can enhance self-awareness and coping strategies. Group settings offer diverse perspectives, support, and shared experiences, fostering growth and learning from others.
Encouraging Active Participation and Learning from Others
Encouraging active participation in support groups and using shared experiences to learn and grow is valuable. Through collaborative efforts and applying shared insights, individuals can enhance their coping skills and gain different perspectives on managing challenges.
This week on the show, we explore the topic of comorbidity with ADHD & Executive Functioning specialist, Dr. Michael Felt. As a lecturer at Yale University School of Medicine and a professor at Columbia University, Dr. Felt brings his knowledge to the discussion, focusing on the relationship between ADHD and comorbid conditions such as depression and anxiety. Dr. Felt's approach, known as Experiential Rehabilitation, has helped many individuals and organizations enhance their executive functioning, and now, listeners of The ADHD Podcast get a taste of the same.
The conversation delves into the prevalence of comorbid diagnoses among individuals with ADHD. They discuss which condition is typically diagnosed first and whether the symptoms of depression and anxiety could be a result of untreated ADHD. The discussion also touches on the potential for misdiagnosis and the importance of healthcare providers considering comorbid conditions when assessing patients with ADHD.
The episode also examines the impact of comorbid diagnoses on treatment protocols. They question whether the recommended treatments for depression and anxiety change when ADHD is also present and if these conditions are best treated by the same medical professional.
Dr. Felt introduces listeners to his technique, Experiential Rehabilitation, and the "Cycle of Ambiguity” (ambiguity - anxiety - avoidance) and “Cycle of Clarity” (acceptance - acuity - agency - action). This science-based approach has helped numerous coaches, therapists, and individuals to reclaim control over their lives, offering hope for those struggling with ADHD and comorbid conditions.