A free support group for people in Ireland living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been set up by national mental health charity Turn2Me, in partnership with ADHD Ireland.
According to the charities, many people with ADHD (also known as hyperactivity or hyperkinetic disorder) struggle to find supports for their disorder and they claim that this online free support group will be a great place for both adults and parents to share their experiences and common struggles. The first support group session starts Tuesday 6 December at 7pm; and runs every four weeks, with the next one scheduled to run on 3 January. To sign up visit Turn2Me.ie
The number of people diagnosed with the disorder has increased; up by two thirds (66%) from 2000 to 2010, although this is likely due to more people being aware of ADHD (as outlined in the Garfield 2012 Report).
The online support groups will provide a platform where people can talk about problems they face in school, college, employment and social situations; and they can also share tips on what has worked well for them in the past, and positive coping mechanisms.
“ADHD Ireland has worked with Turn2me for a number of years developing a range of online support groups,” according to Ken Kilbride, CEO of ADHD Ireland. “Our participants have always found the IM (immediate messaging) format innovative and useful, and we look forward to creating new initiatives on this platform for our members, in the years ahead.”
“We are delighted to launch this online support group in partnership with ADHD Ireland,” added Fiona O’Malley, CEO of Turn2Me. “There are so many positive elements to this online support group – it’s free, 100% anonymous and will be supervised by a trained mental health professional.”
