ADHD Evaluation & Treatment in North Carolina

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how the brain regulates attention, impulse control, and executive function. It’s not a character flaw or a lack of discipline — it reflects genuine differences in how certain brain circuits develop and operate, particularly those involving dopamine.

ADHD affects roughly 4–5% of adults, though many go undiagnosed well into adulthood — especially women, who often present differently than the hyperactive young boy most people picture when they think of ADHD.

Common Signs of ADHD in Adults

ADHD doesn’t look the same in everyone, but common patterns include:

• Difficulty sustaining focus on tasks that feel routine or unstimulating
• Hyperfocus on topics that are interesting — sometimes to the exclusion of everything else
• Chronic disorganization, missed deadlines, or losing important items
• Trouble starting tasks, even ones you want to do (often misread as laziness)
• Emotional dysregulation — frustration, rejection sensitivity, or mood swings
• Impulsive decisions: in conversations, spending, relationships, or work
• Restlessness or a constant internal sense of being “on”

ADHD and Other Mental Health Conditions

ADHD rarely travels alone. It frequently co-occurs with anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and addiction — which is part of why a thorough evaluation matters so much. When ADHD is missed, people often get treated for its downstream effects (the anxiety, the burnout, the low mood) without ever addressing the underlying driver. Getting the right diagnosis is the first step toward treatment that actually holds.

ADHD treatment works best when it’s individualized, integrated, and consistent over time. At AIM, we don’t offer a single-track approach — we meet you where you are and build from there.

Medication for ADHD

When medication is appropriate, AIM’s psychiatric providers manage it carefully and thoughtfully. This means starting at the right dose for your biology, monitoring for effectiveness and side effects, adjusting over time as your life changes, and never treating the prescription as the end of the conversation.

Stimulant medications (like methylphenidate and amphetamine-based formulations) are effective for many people with ADHD. Non-stimulant options are also available and may be preferable for people with certain anxiety profiles, cardiac concerns, a history of substance use, or personal preference.

We’ll discuss the full range of options with you — including the evidence, the trade-offs, and what we’d recommend based on your specific situation.

Therapy for ADHD

Medication addresses the neurological substrate of ADHD, but it doesn’t automatically teach the skills that years of undiagnosed or undertreated ADHD may have left underdeveloped. Therapy — particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — helps fill that gap.

Our therapists work with adults with ADHD on:

• Executive function skills: planning, prioritizing, and follow-through
• Emotional regulation and frustration tolerance
• Procrastination and task initiation
• Relationship patterns affected by ADHD symptoms
• Building sustainable routines and systems that work with your brain, not against it

Because AIM has both psychiatrists and therapists under one roof, your providers can coordinate directly. Your psychiatrist knows what your therapist is working on, and vice versa. This matters more than it might sound — siloed care is one of the most common reasons ADHD treatment stalls.

Integrative & Lifestyle Approaches

We take seriously the research showing that sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress management all have a meaningful impact on ADHD symptom severity. These aren’t soft add-ons — they’re clinical targets. Poor sleep, for example, can dramatically worsen inattention and emotional dysregulation, sometimes to the point of mimicking ADHD in people who don’t have it.

Your provider at AIM will ask about these areas and, where relevant, help you address them as part of your overall plan. Sometimes the most powerful intervention isn’t a new medication — it’s getting sleep under control, or addressing the anxiety that’s been compounding your ADHD for years.

When More Intensive Support Is Needed

For some people, individual psychiatry and therapy aren’t enough — particularly when ADHD is layered with significant depression, anxiety, trauma, or substance use. AIM’s system was built for exactly this scenario.

As a patient here, you have access to:

• Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) for mental health
• Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP)
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for co-occurring depression
• Substance use treatment, including MAT, when relevant

Our providers don’t operate in silos. When your needs change or deepen, you don’t have to start over somewhere new — the next level of care is already part of your network.

Most ADHD care gives you a rushed prescriber and a treatment plan that doesn’t account for the rest of your life. We’re built to be the opposite — providers who actually know you, care that connects across every part of your mental health, in-network insurance, and access across North Carolina whether you come in person or not.

A Different Kind of Psychiatric Practice

At most psychiatric practices, patients see their prescriber for fifteen minutes, four times a year. That’s not how good ADHD care works. Our providers carry intentionally smaller caseloads so they have the time to actually know you — to notice when something has changed, to ask the questions that matter, and to adjust care proactively rather than reactively.

This is a deliberate model. We believe the therapeutic relationship is itself a clinical tool — and that the quality of your care depends directly on your provider having the bandwidth to show up for it.

Integrated Care Under One Roof

AIM is built as an integrated system. That means your psychiatrist, your therapist, and any other providers involved in your care aren’t operating in isolation — they can coordinate directly, share relevant information, and collaborate on your plan. For people with ADHD who also have anxiety, depression, or substance use concerns, this integration is what produces better outcomes.

In-Network Insurance

We accept most major insurance plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna/Evernorth, Aetna, UNC Health Alliance, Optum/United, the NC State Health Plan, TRICARE, and more. We file all claims on your behalf. Good psychiatric care should be accessible.

In-Person and Telehealth, Statewide

AIM has offices in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Cary. We also serve patients throughout North Carolina via Telehealth — including for ADHD evaluations, medication management follow-ups, and therapy. If you’re not near one of our locations, you can still access the same quality of care remotely.