# adhd100 > Every item shows its certainty and whether the evidence comes from people with ADHD. Sources you can open and check. Add a few facts and the list reorders for you. Published by Pawel Jozefiak (https://jock.pl/). General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician. HTML pages are the preferred citation URLs. Each item, the evidence map and the "doesn't hold up" list also have a Markdown mirror that names its canonical HTML page. ## Project and method - [About adhd100](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/): Who publishes adhd100, how it was made, what it does not do with your data, and how to report an error. - [How this was made and checked](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/): How the 100 were chosen and researched with AI assistance, fact-checked by a second model, rated for certainty and ranked, and what that process cannot promise. - [The data](https://adhd100.jock.pl/data/): All 100 as one JSON file: every item with its evidence grade, certainty, population, sources, cautions and practical steps, plus what each field means and its limits. ## The evidence - [The evidence map](https://adhd100.jock.pl/evidence/index.md): 221 re-estimated meta-analyses of ADHD treatments from the BMJ 2025 umbrella review, by age group and outcome, each with its effect size, confidence interval and certainty. - [What doesn't hold up](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/index.md): 16 claims widely sold to people with ADHD where the evidence does not support the promise, each with its sources and what has better evidence. ## ADHD claims that don't hold up - [Sugar causes ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#sugar-causes-adhd): Not supported. Sugar has not been established as a cause of ADHD, and blinded trials do not show a general worsening of behaviour. - [ADHD is caused by bad parenting](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#bad-parenting-causes-adhd): Not supported. ADHD is a developmental condition. Blaming parents doesn't explain it. - [Omega-3 fish oil supplements treat ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#omega-3-supplements-treat-adhd): No better than placebo. In trials with children and teens, omega-3 and other fatty acid supplements did no better than placebo on parent-rated ADHD symptoms. - [You will grow out of ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#everyone-outgrows-adhd): Not supported. Symptoms can ease or come and go, but growing up does not reliably bring a permanent recovery. - [Taking prescribed stimulants leads to later addiction](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#prescribed-stimulants-cause-addiction): Not supported. Prescribed treatment has not been linked to more substance misuse later. Misusing stimulants is a separate risk. - [Homeopathy treats ADHD symptoms](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#homeopathy-treats-adhd): No better than placebo. ADHD trials haven't found a benefit beyond the control treatment, and the evidence is very uncertain. - [Brain training apps reliably treat overall ADHD symptoms](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#brain-training-treats-core-symptoms): Not supported. Training can improve the skills you practise without reliably improving overall ADHD symptoms. - [Neurofeedback is a proven treatment for ADHD symptoms](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#neurofeedback-proven-treatment): Not supported. The benefit people report when they know about the treatment does not consistently show up in blinded symptom ratings. - [A strict elimination diet treats ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#elimination-diets-treat-adhd): Unclear. Some children may respond, but a restrictive diet as a matter of routine is not established ADHD treatment. - [Removing food colouring treats ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#food-colouring-removal-treats-adhd): Unclear. Small effects in some children are plausible. A reliable benefit for every child has not been established. - [Only boys have ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#only-boys-have-adhd): Not supported. Girls and women have ADHD too, and their less visible difficulties can be missed. - [Caffeine is an effective ADHD treatment](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#caffeine-treats-adhd): Not supported. Small trials in children haven't established a symptom benefit, and they can't establish caffeine as an effective adult treatment. - [A TikTok symptom list can tell you that you have ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#tiktok-lists-diagnose-adhd): Not supported. A relatable video can prompt useful questions. It cannot establish a diagnosis. - [A genetic panel can pick the best ADHD medicine for your child](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#genetic-panels-choose-medication): Not supported. Promises of broad medication matching go beyond the evidence, though specific genetic results can sometimes inform prescribing. - [Magnetic brain stimulation is a proven ADHD treatment](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#rtms-proven-adhd-treatment): Unclear. Small studies have not shown a reliable overall symptom benefit from rTMS. - [Chiropractic adjustments treat ADHD symptoms](https://adhd100.jock.pl/doesnt-hold-up/#chiropractic-treats-adhd): Not supported. There is no good evidence it improves symptoms, and a recent small trial found no advantage over sham adjustments. ## Start now - [What can I do right now?](https://adhd100.jock.pl/start/): Pick how much time you have, from one minute to a structured plan, and get something doable from the 100 evidence-rated things for ADHD. ## Languages - [English](https://adhd100.jock.pl/) ## English: the 100 - [Discuss methylphenidate for your child](https://adhd100.jock.pl/discuss-methylphenidate-child/index.md): This first medication option has strong evidence for reducing ADHD symptoms in school age children. - [Discuss methylphenidate as an adult](https://adhd100.jock.pl/discuss-methylphenidate-adult/index.md): A guideline medicine for adults, with evidence that it improves symptoms in the short term. - [Request your child's ADHD assessment](https://adhd100.jock.pl/seek-child-adhd-assessment/index.md): An assessment across home and school helps identify ADHD and other reasons your child may be struggling. - [Ask for an adult ADHD assessment](https://adhd100.jock.pl/seek-adult-adhd-assessment/index.md): A thorough assessment can explain persistent difficulties and open a route to suitable care. - [Plan titration with your clinician](https://adhd100.jock.pl/plan-clinician-led-titration/index.md): Planned check-ins on what is helping and which side effects show up let your clinician find treatment that fits. - [Ask about amphetamine alternatives](https://adhd100.jock.pl/discuss-amphetamines-child/index.md): When the first stimulant has not helped enough, an amphetamine medicine is an option for some children. - [Ask about atomoxetine as an adult](https://adhd100.jock.pl/discuss-atomoxetine-adult/index.md): A nonstimulant with solid evidence behind it, for when stimulants don't suit you or haven't helped enough. - [Prepare a medication safety review](https://adhd100.jock.pl/prepare-medication-baseline-review/index.md): Your full health and medicine history lets the prescriber choose and monitor ADHD treatment safely. - [Book your treatment review](https://adhd100.jock.pl/book-regular-treatment-review/index.md): Regular reviews keep your care in step with what you need now, what is working and what side effects appear. - [Ask for anxiety and depression care](https://adhd100.jock.pl/coordinate-anxiety-depression-care/index.md): Tell your clinician about persistent anxiety or depression, so your care plan covers more than ADHD. - [Ask about alpha-2 nonstimulant options](https://adhd100.jock.pl/discuss-alpha2-child/index.md): A nonstimulant option for children, usually after stimulants. The rules for guanfacine and clonidine differ by country. - [Request a school support plan](https://adhd100.jock.pl/request-school-support-plan/index.md): A written plan can coordinate support between your child, school and clinicians. - [Ask about CBT adapted for adult ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/seek-adult-adhd-cbt/index.md): Structured CBT can help adults manage ADHD symptoms, including when problems remain despite other treatment. - [Arrange pulse and blood pressure checks](https://adhd100.jock.pl/check-pulse-blood-pressure/index.md): Routine cardiovascular monitoring helps your clinician spot medication effects that symptoms alone may miss. - [Ask about coexisting conditions](https://adhd100.jock.pl/screen-child-cooccurring-conditions/index.md): A targeted check can pick up learning, language, autism or tic-related needs that sit alongside ADHD. - [Ask for support with smoking](https://adhd100.jock.pl/smoking-support-review/index.md): Plan a supported quit conversation that takes your ADHD and past attempts into account. - [Arrange your child's growth checks](https://adhd100.jock.pl/monitor-child-growth-on-medication/index.md): Regular height, weight and appetite checks let the prescriber notice growth changes during medication treatment. - [Plan a pregnancy medication review](https://adhd100.jock.pl/review-medication-pregnancy/index.md): A planned conversation weighs what ADHD treatment does for you against the pregnancy unknowns of each specific medicine. - [Build activity you enjoy](https://adhd100.jock.pl/adult-aerobic-movement/index.md): Move in amounts you can manage, for your heart and your health overall. - [Bring alcohol into your health review](https://adhd100.jock.pl/alcohol-health-discussion/index.md): Get support with drinking before it gets harder to manage. - [Take talk of suicide seriously](https://adhd100.jock.pl/take-suicide-talk-seriously/index.md): Know how to ask straight out, how to listen, and how to get someone to urgent support. - [Plan the move to adult ADHD care](https://adhd100.jock.pl/plan-transition-adult-care/index.md): An early handover plan can clarify who will provide treatment and support as your child becomes an adult. - [Put medicines out of children's reach](https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-poisoning-prevention/index.md): Make medicines and supplements harder for children to get at, including the ones in visitors' bags. - [Mention your child's snoring](https://adhd100.jock.pl/sleep-breathing-check/index.md): Tell your child's clinician about snoring or pauses in breathing during sleep, so they can be checked. - [Ask for an appetite eating plan](https://adhd100.jock.pl/medication-appetite-plan/index.md): Tell your child's clinician about a smaller appetite or weight loss, and plan food around what your child needs. - [Protect your child's sleep time](https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-sleep-opportunity/index.md): Leave enough time for the sleep your child's age needs, and don't treat bedtime struggles as misbehaviour. - [Ask which health checks are due](https://adhd100.jock.pl/physical-health-risk-review/index.md): Keep heart and metabolic health on the list alongside your ADHD care. - [Ask for a sleep problem assessment](https://adhd100.jock.pl/request-adult-sleep-assessment/index.md): Sleep problems that won't go away deserve an assessment, including for possible sleep disorders and medication effects. - [Keep a steady sleep window](https://adhd100.jock.pl/steady-sleep-timing/index.md): Give sleep a predictable place in your day, and get help if the timing stays hard. - [Discuss cannabis use openly](https://adhd100.jock.pl/cannabis-health-review/index.md): Bring cannabis use into your health review, especially if you use it for ADHD or sleep. - [Ask about bullying and exclusion](https://adhd100.jock.pl/ask-about-bullying/index.md): Make it easier for your child to tell you when other kids hurt them or leave them out. - [Support your child's tooth care](https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-dental-prevention/index.md): Keep brushing and dental advice manageable, especially when attention or sensory needs get in the way. - [Check your child's sports helmet](https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-head-injury-protection/index.md): Make protective gear part of active play, and be clear about its limits. - [Notice lasting changes in mood](https://adhd100.jock.pl/notice-persistent-low-mood/index.md): Recognise when sadness, irritability or loss of interest needs a conversation about help. - [Ask for a diagnosis explanation](https://adhd100.jock.pl/request-adhd-psychoeducation/index.md): Knowing what your diagnosis means and what the options are lets you take part in decisions about your care. - [Add gentle strength work](https://adhd100.jock.pl/adult-strength-work/index.md): Build strength and mobility, starting from a point that suits your body. - [Make regular meals easier](https://adhd100.jock.pl/regular-balanced-meals/index.md): Aim for food you can count on, including a simple breakfast if mornings are hard. - [Discuss substance risk with your team](https://adhd100.jock.pl/discuss-substance-risk-treatment/index.md): An honest review can deal with worries about substance use without assuming prescribed ADHD care causes addiction. - [Ask for help with youth vaping](https://adhd100.jock.pl/youth-vaping-conversation/index.md): Give your child a calm way to reliable information and professional support. - [Ask for tailored sleep support](https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-sleep-support/index.md): Get help with your child's actual sleep problem, not another generic bedtime rule. - [Notice worry behind the behaviour](https://adhd100.jock.pl/notice-your-childs-anxiety/index.md): Watch for fear and avoidance, not only the ADHD signs everyone can see. - [Ask about parent behaviour training](https://adhd100.jock.pl/seek-parent-behaviour-training/index.md): For young children with ADHD, trained parent support is a first treatment, even though the evidence on symptoms is weak. - [Ask for workplace adjustments](https://adhd100.jock.pl/request-workplace-adjustments/index.md): A focused support request can help your workplace reduce barriers linked to ADHD. - [Get help for loss-of-control eating](https://adhd100.jock.pl/binge-eating-support/index.md): If you often eat a lot quickly and can't stop when full, see a GP. Binge eating is treatable. - [Discuss treatment and driving safety](https://adhd100.jock.pl/review-medication-driving-safety/index.md): Bring driving into your treatment review, looking at both attention problems and possible side effects. - [Ask for support for yourself too](https://adhd100.jock.pl/support-the-parent-too/index.md): You count too. Your needs sit alongside your child's. - [Keep a conversation with school](https://adhd100.jock.pl/talk-with-the-school/index.md): Share what your child experiences and hear what teachers notice. - [Check ADHD claims before sharing](https://adhd100.jock.pl/check-adhd-claims-online/index.md): Keep the lived experience that helps, and check factual claims against reliable sources. - [Give screens a bedtime boundary](https://adhd100.jock.pl/screens-before-sleep/index.md): Keep a short wind-down before bed free of videos, games and scrolling. - [Review caffeine and sleep together](https://adhd100.jock.pl/caffeine-sleep-review/index.md): Include caffeine timing, from coffee, tea and energy drinks, when you talk about your sleep. - [Ask for appointment text reminders](https://adhd100.jock.pl/appointment-text-reminders/index.md): Let the service remind you, then turn the text into a plan for getting there. - [Ask about restless legs at night](https://adhd100.jock.pl/restless-legs-review/index.md): Describe uncomfortable urges to move your legs at night, and ask whether a physical cause should be checked. - [Compare quiet with gentle noise](https://adhd100.jock.pl/test-workspace-sound/index.md): Try a comfortable sound setting, and keep it only if the task gets easier. - [Put your phone away before driving](https://adhd100.jock.pl/phone-away-before-driving/index.md): Sort the phone and the route before you move off, so driving is the only thing you're doing. - [Recall before you reread](https://adhd100.jock.pl/self-test-what-you-study/index.md): Test what you can remember first, then let the answers tell you what to look at again. - [Share time your child enjoys](https://adhd100.jock.pl/share-child-led-time/index.md): Make time together that is for connection, with the correcting left out. - [Choose how to explain your ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/choose-how-to-share-adhd/index.md): Tell a trusted person the part of your experience that helps them understand what you need. - [Try a supportive ADHD group](https://adhd100.jock.pl/find-supportive-peers/index.md): Find people who get it, and check that the group feels safe and useful. - [Link a small action to a clear cue](https://adhd100.jock.pl/if-then-starting-plan/index.md): Decide now what you'll do the next time a familiar situation comes up. - [Ask a clinician about melatonin](https://adhd100.jock.pl/melatonin-clinician-discussion/index.md): If your child keeps struggling to fall asleep, ask a clinician whether melatonin is right for them. - [Keep commitments in one calendar](https://adhd100.jock.pl/one-calendar/index.md): Pick one calendar and check it before you agree to any date. - [Treat big feelings as part of ADHD](https://adhd100.jock.pl/recognise-emotional-dysregulation/index.md): Fast, strong feelings are common in adult ADHD. Naming them helps you and your clinician plan support. - [Spread study across later revisits](https://adhd100.jock.pl/space-study-revisits/index.md): Come back to material on a later day instead of relying on one long session. - [Shrink a task to its first action](https://adhd100.jock.pl/first-visible-step/index.md): Make the first step concrete enough to do without planning it all again. - [Plan medication reminders safely](https://adhd100.jock.pl/medication-reminder-plan/index.md): Work out a reminder and storage plan with your pharmacist that fits your prescription and your day. - [Capture tasks in one place](https://adhd100.jock.pl/single-task-inbox/index.md): Give new tasks one reliable place to land, so there's less to hold in your head. - [Automate a bill you can cover](https://adhd100.jock.pl/automate-a-regular-bill/index.md): Reduce repeated remembering while keeping visibility over the money leaving your account. - [Help your child find active fun](https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-enjoyable-exercise/index.md): Pick movement your child likes, and keep expectations for ADHD symptoms modest. - [Repeat back what you heard](https://adhd100.jock.pl/listen-and-check-understanding/index.md): Before you answer, say back the main point, so a missed word doesn't turn into a fight. - [Make room for mixed feelings](https://adhd100.jock.pl/make-room-after-late-diagnosis/index.md): Relief, anger or sadness after a late ADHD diagnosis can sit side by side, with no deadline for feeling better. - [Praise a specific effort](https://adhd100.jock.pl/praise-specific-effort/index.md): Help your child see what went well, including the small tries that are easy to miss. - [Set a limit before overload builds](https://adhd100.jock.pl/set-limits-before-overload/index.md): Say what you can offer, and ask for help when demands outrun what you've got. - [Work in short, adjustable blocks](https://adhd100.jock.pl/short-focus-blocks/index.md): Give one task a clear start, a stopping point and a planned break. - [Silence nonessential notifications](https://adhd100.jock.pl/silence-nonessential-alerts/index.md): Turn off the alerts you don't need, so your next task starts quieter. - [Choose your important task first](https://adhd100.jock.pl/choose-daily-priority/index.md): Don't let easy distractions decide what gets your attention today. - [Give essentials a home](https://adhd100.jock.pl/home-for-essentials/index.md): Put important things back in the same obvious place, and you'll search for them less. - [Make space for siblings too](https://adhd100.jock.pl/include-siblings-needs/index.md): Let brothers and sisters be heard, without making them responsible for ADHD. - [Help your child name the feeling](https://adhd100.jock.pl/name-your-childs-feelings/index.md): Leave room for the feeling, and keep behaviour safe and understandable. - [Pause before you react](https://adhd100.jock.pl/pause-before-reacting/index.md): Give a strong feeling a little room before it turns into a message or an argument. - [Name your own strengths](https://adhd100.jock.pl/recognise-your-own-strengths/index.md): Say what you do well, with real examples, and skip the ADHD-as-superpower story. - [Make a short leaving checklist](https://adhd100.jock.pl/visible-transition-checklist/index.md): Put the next few actions where you'll see them, so leaving home asks less of your memory. - [Put a pause before checkout](https://adhd100.jock.pl/add-shopping-friction/index.md): Add an extra step to unplanned shopping, so you get a moment to check what you meant to buy. - [Make time visible](https://adhd100.jock.pl/external-time-cues/index.md): If noticing the minutes pass is hard, put the time somewhere outside your head. - [Keep boundaries clear and calm](https://adhd100.jock.pl/keep-boundaries-calm/index.md): Make rules your child can understand, and respond the same way each time without escalating. - [Give paperwork a next action](https://adhd100.jock.pl/paperwork-next-action/index.md): Split what needs doing from what only needs keeping, so a pile doesn't turn into a hidden task list. - [Park distractions for later](https://adhd100.jock.pl/park-distracting-thoughts/index.md): Hold on to a useful thought without letting it pull you off the task you chose. - [Answer self-criticism with kindness](https://adhd100.jock.pl/respond-with-self-compassion/index.md): When 'lazy' pops into your head, describe what really happened and answer yourself the way you'd answer a friend. - [Review the coming week](https://adhd100.jock.pl/weekly-planning-check/index.md): Spot a deadline while there's still time to get ready for it. - [Block one distracting digital route](https://adhd100.jock.pl/block-one-digital-detour/index.md): Put a small barrier between opening your work and sliding into an unrelated app or website. - [Check how long tasks really take](https://adhd100.jock.pl/check-time-estimates/index.md): Time your own tasks, so the next plan is more realistic. - [Ask for organisational skills training](https://adhd100.jock.pl/request-child-organisational-training/index.md): A structured programme may help your child cope with school, but how much it helps is uncertain. - [Build a homework packing routine](https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-homework-materials-routine/index.md): Help your child practise a short, visible routine for getting homework materials ready. - [Get some morning daylight](https://adhd100.jock.pl/morning-daylight/index.md): Get outside in the morning and let ordinary daylight nudge your sleep timing. - [Pair a small task with a reward](https://adhd100.jock.pl/small-task-reward/index.md): Make the next small step worth noticing, without punishing the ones you miss. - [Bring cycle patterns to your clinician](https://adhd100.jock.pl/cycle-symptom-discussion/index.md): Keep a simple symptom record to talk through changes around your period. - [Practise gentle calming breaths](https://adhd100.jock.pl/breathe-through-stress/index.md): When stress builds, comfortable breathing is one small thing you can try. - [Check a hurtful message before replying](https://adhd100.jock.pl/check-the-meaning-of-rejection/index.md): Take the hurt of rejection seriously, and check what the other person actually meant. - [Try mindfulness gently](https://adhd100.jock.pl/try-mindfulness-gently/index.md): Try a short attention practice, without expecting it to cure ADHD. - [Check omega 3 claims before buying](https://adhd100.jock.pl/omega-three-expectations/index.md): Before paying for a supplement for your child's ADHD, talk through the evidence and the safety. - [Practise friendship without pressure](https://adhd100.jock.pl/practise-friendship-without-promises/index.md): Pick one social situation your child wants help with, and keep expectations realistic.