Psychiatric medications can play a vital role in restoring mental health. For many individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, or bipolar disorder, medications can offer much-needed relief. However, what’s less commonly understood is how these medications work at the cellular level—and why they sometimes seem to stop working over time.

At Alleviant Integrated Mental Health, we believe that objective, brain-based care is critical to lasting healing. Understanding medication mechanisms, limitations, and the importance of actually rehabilitating the brain (not just medicating symptoms) is central to our approach.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders in children—and increasingly recognized in adults. It affects not just attention and focus but emotional regulation, executive function, and overall quality of life. At Alleviant Integrated Mental Health, we approach ADHD differently—through a brain-first model that seeks to uncover the root causes rather than simply managing symptoms.

This blog explores ADHD’s underlying mechanisms, the impact of lifestyle and environment, common treatments, and how Objective Psychiatry (including spectral EEG or sEEG) offers a revolutionary path forward.

Struggling to focus? Feeling disorganized, restless, or distracted? You might assume it’s ADHD. But those same symptoms are also caused by anxiety or trauma, poor sleep, nutritional deficiencies, technology overuse, or inflammatory foods. That’s why, at Alleviant, we never rush to label someone with ADHD. Instead, we use spectral EEG (sEEG) to look at the brain’s real-time activity and determine what’s actually going on — whether it’s ADHD or something else entirely. 

If your child (or you) are struggling with focus, impulsivity, irritability, or poor emotional regulation — ADHD may be the first thing that comes to mind. But in today’s world, these symptoms are just as likely to be the result of an overstimulated brain.