Short answer: You can manage ADHD without medication, and for some people that’s the right choice. For adults, the Australian ADHD Guideline recommends cognitive-behavioural interventions, says ADHD coaching can be part of a treatment plan, and recommends guidance on sleep, diet and physical activity.1 The same guideline notes that medication is the most effective treatment for the core symptoms of ADHD, with non-medication treatments providing additional support1 — so for many people the best plan is a combination.
What the Australian ADHD Guideline recommends
The guideline was approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council in 20222 and is the main reference Australian clinicians use. Its non-medication recommendations for adults are below.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioural interventions have the guideline’s evidence-based recommendation for adults with ADHD.1 CBT for ADHD is practical: it typically includes learning about the causes and impacts of ADHD, changes to your environment and routines, behaviour strategies, and work on the unhelpful thinking patterns that build up after years of struggling. healthdirect describes CBT as a psychological treatment that can help you develop strategies and skills.3 Psychologists and other mental health professionals provide it; your GP can talk to you about referral options.
ADHD coaching
The guideline says ADHD coaching could be considered as part of a treatment plan for adults.1 Coaching is goal-focused — building the routines, systems and accountability that make everyday tasks easier to start and finish.
Learning about ADHD
Understanding how ADHD works — and that it isn’t a character flaw — is part of every good plan. Better Health Channel lists education, psychological support, coaching and practical strategies among the treatments that help adults with ADHD.4
Sleep, diet and physical activity
The guideline recommends that clinicians ask about sleep, diet and physical activity and offer strategies or referral.1 Better Health Channel lists regular physical activity, healthy sleep habits, balanced nutrition and reducing alcohol and other drug use as things that help.4
Exercise has some evidence of its own: a 2026 meta-analysis in adults with ADHD found a moderate benefit for inhibitory control and a small benefit for core ADHD symptoms, though the authors described the evidence as preliminary.5 Read more in ADHD and exercise and ADHD and sleep.
Practical strategies that help day to day
Changing your environment does a lot of the work that willpower can’t:
- External reminders — alarms, visible calendars and checklists instead of relying on memory
- Smaller steps — breaking tasks into the next physical action, with a time limit
- Body doubling — working alongside someone else, in person or online
- Fewer distractions — phone in another room, notifications off, one tab open
- Routines — the same place for keys, wallet and medication; the same order every morning
See effective strategies for managing ADHD in daily life, ADHD and time blindness and ADHD paralysis.
Adjustments at work and study
If ADHD affects your work or study, you can ask for reasonable adjustments. Employers must consider reasonable adjustments for a person with disability unless they would cause unjustifiable hardship,6 and schools, TAFEs and universities have similar obligations.7 See is ADHD a disability in Australia?
What doesn’t have good evidence
There’s no evidence ADHD is caused by particular foods such as additives,8 and the guideline’s recommendations for adults don’t include supplements or special diets. Be cautious of products or programs that promise to treat ADHD.
Medication or not?
Medication is the most effective treatment for the core symptoms of ADHD, and stimulant medicines are recommended as the first-line medication for adults whose symptoms cause significant impairment.1 Many people use both: medication to reduce symptoms, and therapy and strategies to build skills. Whether medication is right for you is a decision to make with your doctor — see ADHD medication in Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Can you treat ADHD without medication?
Yes — psychological and practical treatments help, and some people manage without medication. The Australian ADHD Guideline recommends cognitive-behavioural interventions for adults and says coaching can be part of a plan. It also notes medication is the most effective treatment for core symptoms, so the choice is worth discussing with your doctor.
What is the best non-medication treatment for ADHD?
For adults, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has the strongest recommendation in the Australian ADHD Guideline. Coaching, learning about ADHD, and changes to sleep, diet and physical activity are also part of a good plan.
Does exercise help ADHD?
It can help a little. Research in adults with ADHD has found a moderate benefit for inhibitory control and a small benefit for core symptoms, though the evidence is still described as preliminary. Exercise works best as one part of a plan.
Are there natural supplements for ADHD?
The Australian ADHD Guideline’s recommendations for adults don’t include supplements or special diets, and there’s no evidence that ADHD is caused by food additives. Be cautious of products that promise to treat ADHD.
Next steps
Our GPs assess and manage adult ADHD by telehealth, including non-medication options. Book an assessment or start with the free ADHD self-assessment.
This article is general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting, stopping or changing any treatment. ADHD GP is a private telehealth clinic staffed by AHPRA-registered Australian GPs.
References
- Australian ADHD Professionals Association. Australian ADHD Guideline — summary of recommendations. 2022. adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au — Recommends stimulants as first-line medication for adults with impairing ADHD and non-stimulants where stimulants are unsuitable; dose titration with monitoring of heart rate, blood pressure, weight, sleep, mood and anxiety; cognitive-behavioural interventions, coaching and lifestyle guidance; notes anxiety, depression and substance use may follow untreated ADHD.
- Australian ADHD Professionals Association. Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD. 2022. adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au — NHMRC-approved national guideline; recommends stimulant medication as first-line pharmacological treatment for adults with ADHD.
- healthdirect (Australian Government). Treatment for ADHD. 2025. www.healthdirect.gov.au — Stimulants are usually the first medicine prescribed; non-stimulant medicines are available for people who experience side effects; CBT can help develop strategies and skills.
- Better Health Channel (Victorian Government). ADHD — adults. 2026. www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au — About 7 in 10 children continue to experience ADHD symptoms as adults; treatment can include education, psychological support, coaching, practical strategies and medication.
- Xu S, Zhao C, et al. The effects of acute and chronic exercise on executive functions and core symptoms in adults with ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2026. PubMed PMID 41638541 — Exercise produced a moderate benefit for inhibitory control and a small benefit for core ADHD symptoms in adults; authors describe the evidence as preliminary.
- Australian Human Rights Commission. Disability discrimination — employers. 2026. humanrights.gov.au — Employers must consider reasonable adjustments for a person with disability unless they impose unjustifiable hardship.
- Federal Register of Legislation. Disability Standards for Education 2005. 2005. www.legislation.gov.au — Education providers must make reasonable adjustments for students with disability, using the Disability Discrimination Act definition.
- Better Health Channel (Victorian Government). ADHD — therapies. 2026. www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au — Stimulants act on dopamine release; short-acting forms last about 3 hours and long-acting forms 6–12+ hours; doses may be increased gradually over 3–4 weeks; there is no evidence ADHD is caused by food additives.
Sources were last checked on 5 October 2026. See all sources used on this site on our Sources page.
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