Coping After COVID: Challenging Circumstances for ADHD Patients

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for most, patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who thrive on routine may have been especially harmed.

And as we begin the second straight pandemic school year, developing a consistent routine has been virtually impossible.

Whether school was entirely remote, in-person with stipulations to reduce the risk of the virus, or a combination of both, students with ADHD have had a difficult transition.

In this month’s episode of Coping After COVID: Navigating Psychiatry After a Pandemic, Yamalis Diaz, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, explained just how challenging this year has been for patients with ADHD.

Patience is key when discussing how to improve the ongoing situation for students with ADHD. Diaz said it was not easy for a lot of these students to transition to a school schedule that is subject to change on a weekly or even daily basis.

Even a return to normalcy could be difficult for hyperactive patients.

And the silver lining of the pandemic is many parents who were forced to work from home may notice some of the ADHD symptoms in their children and seek outside help.

An extra year or 2 of therapy for an adolescent patients could pay dividends down the line.

However, Diaz said the concern remains that the pandemic and mitigation measures put in place put a strenuous burden on patients with ADHD.