ADHD Psychiatrist for East Haven, CT — The Combined Type That Pulls You in Two Directions at Once

Some people with ADHD are scattered and dreamy — hard to reach, living in their own heads. Others are impulsive and restless — always moving, interrupting, acting before thinking. But a lot of adults have both. That's combined type ADHD, and it's actually the most common presentation. You can't sit still, and you also can't focus. You act on impulse, and then you can't remember what you were supposed to be doing in the first place. You start six things and finish none of them — not because you don't care, but because your brain is running two conflicting programs at once. If you're in East Haven and this sounds too familiar, Sindhia Shyras, APRN wants to hear about it. She's a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with nine years of psychiatric experience who evaluates and treats ADHD in adults. She offers telehealth appointments across Connecticut and in-person visits at 1 Liberty Sq, Ste 301, New Britain, CT 06051.

What Combined Type ADHD Looks Like Day to Day

The inattentive side: you lose things constantly, you zone out mid-conversation, you start tasks and abandon them halfway, you forget things the moment they're out of your hands. The hyperactive-impulsive side: you interrupt people without meaning to, you make decisions quickly and regret them, you can't sit through a long meeting or a slow movie, you say things before you've thought them through. Now put those together and you can see the problem. The hyperactivity keeps you moving — but not toward anything useful. The inattentiveness means you keep forgetting where you were. You're busy all the time and not getting nearly enough done. That cycle is exhausting. And it's very treatable.

Why Adults With Combined Type Often Fly Under the Radar

Combined type is easier to spot in kids — the kid who can't sit still and also can't follow instructions doesn't blend in easily. Adults have more control over their environments. You've learned to stay quiet when you need to. You've developed enough self-awareness to know that acting on every impulse has costs. But that control takes constant effort. And underneath it, the combined pattern is still there — draining your energy, showing up in your relationships, making work feel like it requires twice the effort it should. A lot of people don't seek help until something breaks. It doesn't have to get that far.

How Sindhia Approaches Combined Type ADHD

The evaluation is a full hour — not a quick screen. Sindhia looks at both symptom clusters separately to understand how prominent each one is and how they interact in your specific case. She also screens for anxiety and mood issues, because combined type ADHD travels with those companions frequently. From there, treatment is individualized. For most adults with combined type, stimulant medication is the most effective starting point — it addresses both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. If stimulants aren't a good fit, there are non-stimulant options that work well. Sindhia takes insurance including Aetna, Cigna, Husky Health, Medicaid, United Healthcare, Anthem, ConnectiCare, and self-pay.

Frequently Asked Questions