I think I may have ADD

[Mavh25]

Hi there, I have spent the last few months having everything that's wrong with me fling itself to the surface an make me completely raw after being compressed for so long.

 

I think I have ADD, I have spoken to a few people online who have been diagnosed and It is consuming my life and I need help.

How do I go about getting it looked into? Is there anyone here who suffers with it and how did you go about having it recognised?

 

I've been self-evaluating for a few weeks and feel like maybe I've finally found why I am this way, what is wrong in me.

I feel lost and my mind is constantly heavy.

 

If anyone could pm me or could talk to me about it I would appreciate it.

 

I feel like like crying because ive suffered for so long and now at a point n my life I could become something this is in my way.

Thank you for reading

[Seraphim]

My husband and my son have ADHD. They were both evaluated by a dr. My son was evaluated by a pediatrician that specializes in children's disorders. My husband was evaluated by a psychologist. He was not diagnosed until he was after 30. My son was diagnosed when he was about four.

 

I would start with your doctor. Tell your doctor how you feel and ask how you would go about being evaluated.

[Mavh25]

Thanks Victoria, Is ADHD part and parcel of ADD? I believe it is very difficult to be diagnosed and your symptoms have to be fairly significant? Are they on Ritalin?

If so does it help? I would really not like to go on medication if possible but I need something to help me concentrate as I physically cannot absorb even a sentence I JUST read, I can't absorb anything and it's worrying me because I'm studying in a medical profession and I just can't retain it.

Is counselling an option ?

[Seraphim]

ADHD has a hyperactive component where as ADD does not. My son and my husband are very noticeably hyperactive. Ritalin is a very old medication there are now much better ones. My son used to be medicated but he isn't any longer. His brain chemistry did not work well with almost all the medications he tried.

 

My husband has never been medicated for his ADHD and would prefer not to be. Instead he did counseling and learned coping mechanisms to deal with it instead.

 

As an aside people with ADHD and ADD are often very intelligent so you have something good going for you. Just remember you are not defective you just learn differently from most other people .

 

If you are really struggling now I think it is worth a visit to your doctor to start the process.

[Mavh25]

Yeah if that's the route I need to go ill book one on Monday, I just don't really know where to start. I don't want to be like "my symptoms match what the Internet says" because I'm sure the doc will be sick of hearing that.

 

Thanks for your advice, I'm glad there is a counselling route, I'm not hyperactive in any way, in fact I'm the exact opposite.

I just need a way to retain information, and manage myself better. I'm messy and I just keep losing track of things. I can't hold a conversation with people.

[Seraphim]

I am positive that counseling would probably help. They can help guide you to engaging in conversations and carrying on conversations. They can teach you communication skills which will make you more confident. Also too maybe look up memory techniques , Google memory techniques. Or studying techniques for those with ADD.

 

What helped my husband a lot was allowing for a lot of time to do a project or assignment. He would do things in 20 minute increments. Work on something for 20 minutes take a break ,work on it for 20 minutes take break. And he would work slowly and absorb as he went.

 

Do not be discouraged. My husband graduated from University. He also graduated from highly technical trade in the Air Force that took 3 years of schooling.

 

I know you can achieve what you set out to do!

[jordesse]

Hi Grrr. Victoria has given you some great advice so not much more to add, just want to let you know I have ADD and my son also has a combination of ADHD/OCD. Unfortunately, these kinds of things are genetic. Both my family, and my ex husbands family are littered with people with the same conditions.

For instance, my father has ADHD, my ex husbands father and grandmother have OCD, my sisters children are on the autism spectrem.

 

Is there anyone in your family that you can identify with? It might help to have someone close to you to talk to about your concerns. Especially if there

is a family member that seems to be high functioning. You could possibly learn alot from that person as I did when I went to my father with my issues. He was

a great support to me in that he was able to identify with me, and give me help with parenting my own son. (as he had to raise me lol)

 

My son was diagnosed at age 5 and me along with him. I took him to a pediatrician who then referred him to a psycologist for assessment. They also measured his IQ which came back well above average for a boy who couldn't read or write! It was then back to the pediatrician who recommended a drug called Strattera which basically, was a long acting dose of Ritalin. He was medicated for two years and it was a life saver. He learned how to read and write fluently over 6 months and his hyperactivity ceased. Unfortunately, the miracle came with a price. He lost far too much weight, always felt nauseous and couldn't sleep. It was hard but I made the decision to stop the medication and deal with it in other ways.

[Seraphim]

My husband and my son have OCD as well. He is also on the autistic spectrum. They tested my son this year and he has above-average intelligence. My husband is also above-average intelligence.

My son started with Ritalin but it made him into a zombie. Then he tried Concerta which made him depressed and violent. Then we tried another medication I can't remember and finally Strattera. Strattera seemed to be the best for him. Most of these medications are appetite suppressants though. They made my son very underweight and his pediatrician almost took him off them completely because he had not grown in nine months. He's been off medication now for four years and he does fine.

[appies]

I have ADHD and was not diagnosed until an adult, but it makes perfect sense. I did a 6 hour test at a psychological health place, but it tested for several other learning disabilities as well. Being able to pin point why I was struggling in university helped so much, my gpa improved by 20% in a year and I have a much better understanding of myself. I would suggest getting more than a generic test by the doctor as its simply a questionnaire.

[appies]

also don't be discouraged if you've struggled academically, because understanding if you have a learning disability is the first step in accomodating so you can be successful. UNfortunately, schools tend to grade based on a certain learning style, one in which I could not be successful initially, however, I was given 1.5X on exams and my own room where I couldn't be distracted on exams, and it helped a lot. I have since graduated from a well ranked school in a very competitive degree, and will hopefully be starting my masters in the fall.

[greywolf]

Thanks Victoria, Is ADHD part and parcel of ADD? I believe it is very difficult to be diagnosed and your symptoms have to be fairly significant? Are they on Ritalin?

If so does it help? I would really not like to go on medication if possible but I need something to help me concentrate as I physically cannot absorb even a sentence I JUST read, I can't absorb anything and it's worrying me because I'm studying in a medical profession and I just can't retain it.

Is counselling an option ?

 

In the US, ADD is no longer a correct term (not sure about other countries). Instead there is ADHD type 1 (inattentive), type 2 (hyperactive/impulsive), and type 3 (combined).

 

I went to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with ADHD.

[Mavh25]

See I'm not overly clever, I find it difficult to grasp certain things,if someone tells me to do something specific like in work. I first have to take a moment to repeat the words in my head, then try to understand what is being asked and then i can do it.

I'm not stupid though that makes me sound it, I just have to focus extremely on certain things I find my mind wandering when people are talking to me, and I cannot focus. I lose things constantly and forget things so much.

The scariest thing for me has been reading sentences and not being able to remember what I just read. I test myself by stopping and covering the sentence and trying to think but so far it doesn't work. I tried flash cards and at the moment am trying mnemonics.

 

I have no relationships besides my mum, dad, 1 of my sisters and my husband. I cannot physically form relationships. I can put on a show and act like I'm normal at work by telling white lies to fit in, about my weekend with my friends.

 

I procrastinate in my work to death and I just can't seem to motivate myself with anything. Anything I try I give up. I have no willpower whatsoever.

I have really low self esteem.

I don't even know if I do have ADD, in a way I hope I do, I need to pinpoint what is wrong and besides early onset of dementia ADD could be my least scary possibility.

Dose anyof this sound similar? There's much more but I just can't think, funnily enough lol.

 

Im going to my doctor tomorrow.

 

I don't know of anyone in my family with ADD or anything. I suffered extremely badly with OCD when I was younger and have small cases now. I got counselling for a short while that didn't help but was for other reasons.

 

My family have histories of epilepsy, hydrocephalus and things but I don't know anything about my biological fathers side as I have seen him since I was about 6 and he is dead now and our families don't talk.

 

Thanks so much for your help guys. I am literally a mess at the moment.

[sidehop]

See I'm not overly clever, I find it difficult to grasp certain things,if someone tells me to do something specific like in work. I first have to take a moment to repeat the words in my head, then try to understand what is being asked and then i can do it.

I'm not stupid though that makes me sound it, I just have to focus extremely on certain things I find my mind wandering when people are talking to me, and I cannot focus. I lose things constantly and forget things so much.

The scariest thing for me has been reading sentences and not being able to remember what I just read. I test myself by stopping and covering the sentence and trying to think but so far it doesn't work. I tried flash cards and at the moment am trying mnemonics.

 

Sounds like me when it comes to learning and absorbing information. Especially in bold. My mind wanders a lot. With my ADD, anxiety can make my ADD worse and vise versa. There's a lot to look into as far as what's causing the inability to focus or retain information. I'm not on medication any more but lifestyle changes do help to a certain extent. Of course each person will respond differently, work well with medication and combination of both. There could be number of reasons why you have such tendencies but getting evaluated by a professional could help greatly especially someone that specialize in ADD. Not all counselors/therapists are the same as you may already know this.

 

I hope you do get better insight on the matter

[Mavh25]

Thanks guys, I couldn't get to the doctor this evening due to work but I will try for wednesday afternoon.

 

Side hop, did medication work for you to get you focused? Dd you find you could retain info? I am desperate for this.

[sidehop]

Thanks guys, I couldn't get to the doctor this evening due to work but I will try for wednesday afternoon.

 

Side hop, did medication work for you to get you focused? Dd you find you could retain info? I am desperate for this.

 

I tried Straterra, the non-stimulant version which didn't work for me personally as it was like a sleeping pill. With Concerta (Ritalin) I did much better but the problem was starting at 18mg, I ended up moving up to 27mg after awhile. I find that I needed to skip the weekends in order for the body to sort of get back of being medicated all week. Otherwise I can see why people increase the dosage constantly as the effectiveness seem to wear down after few months of use. Adderall had very bad side effects of going into depression like state in the late afternoon. I had to come off of it fast.

 

Everyone responds differently so all I can say is if you do go with the medication, don't ignore any signs. You'll definitely see reduced appetite with these medication which seems very common for most ADD meds so just keep that in mind. I went on for hours without eating and just forget to eat. Had a terrible time putting food in my mouth which is just not healthy.

 

Now there are other methods like taking say 5htp, Kava kava, valerian (more of a relaxer) and other supplements to aid in the focus. I just find that route much better without all the side effects.

 

Does caffeine help you? For me it does but also makes me pretty hyper and can increase anxiety so I keep the intake low.

[Seraphim]

Holy crap my son was on 18 mg of Concerta at 8 years old!! And 27 mg of Statterra at 9! Yes, the side effects of not eating were horrendous. When he was 6 the school wrote me a letter about my son's " bone thin state" and I wrote back. " Well you all want him medicated so you can teach him, right? You begged me to put him on medication? Well, this is the side effect. Don't like his weight call his pediatrician and tell her." It was part of the reason I took him off them. He was an incredibly picky eater before medication and it got worse after that. His pediatrician even wanted to take him off at a certain point because she feared for his growth. Also too you are right and he even told me himself. They do not work after a few months.

[sidehop]

Holy crap my son was on 18 mg of Concerta at 8 years old!! And 27 mg of Statterra at 9! Yes, the side effects of not eating were horrendous. When he was 6 the school wrote me a letter about my son's " bone thin state" and I wrote back. " Well you all want him medicated so you can teach him, right? You begged me to put him on medication? Well, this is the side effect. Don't like his weight call his pediatrician and tell her." It was part of the reason I took him off them. He was an incredibly picky eater before medication and it got worse after that. His pediatrician even wanted to take him off at a certain point because she feared for his growth. Also too you are right and he even told me himself. They do not work after a few months.

 

That's a lot...I mean I weigh around 210 lbs and 27mg was wearing off by end of eight months. And luckily my new family doctor who is incredibly compassionate and wasn't a pill pusher said directly that this isn't a long-term solution and tried to guide me into a different direction. I knew already it was never long-term but it did make me feel better that a doctor was trying to keep the options open.

 

I can only imagine how difficult it was for you as a parent to see your son struggle with this. Some days I literally gone with eating under 1,600 calories which was very low. Felt so lethargic and by the weekend rolled around I ate like a madman!

[Seraphim]

That's a lot...I mean I weigh around 210 lbs and 27mg was wearing off by end of eight months. And luckily my new family doctor who is incredibly compassionate and wasn't a pill pusher said directly that this isn't a long-term solution and tried to guide me into a different direction. I knew already it was never long-term but it did make me feel better that a doctor was trying to keep the options open.

 

I can only imagine how difficult it was for you as a parent to see your son struggle with this. Some days I literally gone with eating under 1,600 calories which was very low. Felt so lethargic and by the weekend rolled around I ate like a madman!

Yeah it ripped me apart. I just remember my son being in the dr's office sobbing his heart out. They asked him to try one more medication and then the dr promised no more. That they would respect his wishes. I hated the looks that said I was starving my kid when I wasn't . I hated seeing his poor little scrawny body and how the medications took away his personality. Eventually I couldn't take it and I took him off all medications as that was also his wish. He was suffering so much.

[Snny]

I'm ADHD and one of the meds I took at a young age made me suicidal and depressed before the age of 10. Those meds are no joke and have a tremendous impact on your body.

 

OP, go get tested at a doctor's office who specialized working with patients with the disability. You should never self-diagnose- get a professional opinion.

[Mavh25]

Hi, sorry yeah I don't want to seem as though I am self diagnosing. There has always been something different about me growing up. I have never had friends, I've always been odd and quiet and i've tried to adjust and tried to become something i'm not just to make it through a day.

I've finally hit a wall because the path i'm on I can't hide anymore that I can't seem to learn like I should or communicate as I should.

 

I'm struggling worse than ever. It's so hard to explain.

My only option I think is to go to my GP. I just have no idea how to start the conversation.

[Mavh25]

Can you develop ADD at a later age? or is it always present?

Is there anything about ADD and forming relationships with people or could this be a separate issues? I had a difficult upbringing, but then it got much better, but has affected me since.

 

I have suffered badly with OCD over the years, very much in my teens and was unofficially diagnosed with PPD when I was a teenager in counselling.

I feel like i'm losing my mind.

[Seraphim]

Can you develop ADD at a later age? or is it always present?

Is there anything about ADD and forming relationships with people or could this be a separate issues? I had a difficult upbringing, but then it got much better, but has affected me since.

 

I have suffered badly with OCD over the years, very much in my teens and was unofficially diagnosed with PPD when I was a teenager in counselling.

I feel like i'm losing my mind.

 

ADD is something you are born with. It is usually harder for them to form relationships sometimes because of their impulsivity and lack of organizational skills and attention spans. However they do great with people who are accepting of their limitations and strengths just like everyone else.

My husband's major issue has been his co morbid OCD. That effects him far far worse and it is driven by his severe anxiety. Being ADHD is the least of his worries. Once they got his anxiety under control, they also got his OCD under control. What is PPD? I thought that was Postpartum Depression?

 

Of course I am not dr but it could be an OCD flare up. It never truly goes away but you can have cycles where you are really great and cycles where you are not. My husband was almost completely not functional when his OCD was in a bad cycle. Now he takes medication for the anxiety and OCD and he does fabulously. He also did about 10 years of therapy. He stopped his therapy about a year ago now. He feels entirely confident in himself.

 

As far as the ADHD I do not even notice my son and husband have it anymore. I am used to it. It has become so a part of my life that to me it is entirely normal. Other people notice though. People say to me, " you know they are "different" right?" And I laugh and say, " Yup, but they are MY different." and I smile and walk away.

 

If you are suffering this badly, yes, please see your dr. There is no need to suffer.

[Mavh25]

Thanks Victoria I really appreciate your advice, truly.

Sorry PPD is paranoid personality disorder. I feel that I am doing well with that myself especially after I married my husband, I always self managed with my OCD I suffered for a while but didn't seek help, and with my PPD I didn't seek treatment or continue counselling and have found it is still slightly in the background but more manageable.

Yeah i'm going to write down how i've been feeling so I can convey it better to the doctor.

[Seraphim]

I hope you feel better Grr. Writing everything down is a great idea.

[greywolf]

Can you develop ADD at a later age? or is it always present?

Is there anything about ADD and forming relationships with people or could this be a separate issues? I had a difficult upbringing, but then it got much better, but has affected me since.

 

I have suffered badly with OCD over the years, very much in my teens and was unofficially diagnosed with PPD when I was a teenager in counselling.

I feel like i'm losing my mind.

 

I think you always have ADD, but in my case, it wasn't something I discovered until I was older. My sister was diagnosed wtih it when she was a kid because it was obvious, but it was never an issue for me until I started having tons of responsibilities that I couldn't cope with.