Prof. Maggie Sibley

So he gave me this example. There was a patient of his who at the time was a graduate student working at a lab. And she had to present a paper to her lab group the next week. Yeah. And so she knew that like this is going to be a drag. And she talked about it in advance in therapy with Russ.

So he gave me this example. There was a patient of his who at the time was a graduate student working at a lab. And she had to present a paper to her lab group the next week. Yeah. And so she knew that like this is going to be a drag. And she talked about it in advance in therapy with Russ.

So some time passes. She comes back for her next session. Russ follows up and he asks, so how did it go? Did you read the paper and make the presentation? And she said, you know what?

So some time passes. She comes back for her next session. Russ follows up and he asks, so how did it go? Did you read the paper and make the presentation? And she said, you know what?

Don't do it. Read the article. She didn't read the article. She baked a cake.

Don't do it. Read the article. She didn't read the article. She baked a cake.

So one thing Russ has noticed is that a lot of people are opting for a task that's sort of broken into steps. Like baking the cake, there's a recipe. So it's like do this, then this, then this. And so he has found it can be really helpful for his patients to break their tasks down into kind of a recipe. And he likes to use what he calls if-then statements.

So one thing Russ has noticed is that a lot of people are opting for a task that's sort of broken into steps. Like baking the cake, there's a recipe. So it's like do this, then this, then this. And so he has found it can be really helpful for his patients to break their tasks down into kind of a recipe. And he likes to use what he calls if-then statements.

So like for the cake-baking scientist, he told her like, okay, so next time— Tell yourself, if I can sit down at my computer when I get home from work, then I can open the document. If I can open the document, then I can read the abstract.

So like for the cake-baking scientist, he told her like, okay, so next time— Tell yourself, if I can sit down at my computer when I get home from work, then I can open the document. If I can open the document, then I can read the abstract.

If I can read the abstract, then I can. Real little instructions, one by one.

If I can read the abstract, then I can. Real little instructions, one by one.

It's like the first step is like, that wasn't so bad. Maybe I can do the next step. That wasn't so bad. Maybe I can do the next thing. And before you know it, you're actually doing it. He also asks his patients to remind themselves of the bigger picture. Like, why am I doing this annoying task? How does it matter for my life or the goals you want to accomplish?

It's like the first step is like, that wasn't so bad. Maybe I can do the next step. That wasn't so bad. Maybe I can do the next thing. And before you know it, you're actually doing it. He also asks his patients to remind themselves of the bigger picture. Like, why am I doing this annoying task? How does it matter for my life or the goals you want to accomplish?

Yeah, he does. So Russ practices a form of therapy that's called CBT. And there are studies on CBT for people with ADHD that find that it can really help. A lot of these studies are looking at CBT plus medication. And so it seems like what works fastest is CBT with medication. People improve the fastest with that combination. But for some people, CBT on its own maybe could work.

Yeah, he does. So Russ practices a form of therapy that's called CBT. And there are studies on CBT for people with ADHD that find that it can really help. A lot of these studies are looking at CBT plus medication. And so it seems like what works fastest is CBT with medication. People improve the fastest with that combination. But for some people, CBT on its own maybe could work.

So we have one study that found that they eventually caught up to the people who were also taking meds.

So we have one study that found that they eventually caught up to the people who were also taking meds.

Yeah. I mean, there is a caveat here. So very recently, there was this big meta-analysis of treatments for ADHD. And when it came to CBT, they said that mostly these results were shown in clinician-reported ratings. So like your doctor says, my patient's getting better or not. And it didn't really show up for self-reported ratings.

Yeah. I mean, there is a caveat here. So very recently, there was this big meta-analysis of treatments for ADHD. And when it came to CBT, they said that mostly these results were shown in clinician-reported ratings. So like your doctor says, my patient's getting better or not. And it didn't really show up for self-reported ratings.