Add / Adhd

[Tamed Wildflower]

I was diagnosed not too long ago with Attention Deficit Disorder, with some Hyperactivity.

 

Okay, so I know that when people have this type of brain function, we end up with lives in disarray. We are disorganized, flighty, can't handle projects, rarely are able to get from start to finish, begin things with an enthusiastic gung-ho attitude that impresses others, and then fizzle mid-way, not to mention the lapses in concentration and impulses to get up and move. In short, this is a pretty big problem. If you can't get a handle on it, your life falls apart.

 

Considering the severity of the issue, it seems strange to me how little my psychiatrist was able to help. She told me she literally had no way to know what drug to prescribe (of the half dozen or so common ADD drugs, I'm not sayin' she was trying to give me penicillin!), or at what dosage. She perscribed Adderall, and that sort of seems to help sometimes. The trouble is also that this is not a problem you can just medicate away. You have to basically re-learn (or learn for the first time, more accurately) how to live your life. She told me that there would be a lot more to learn besides meds, but she was NOT at all helpful besides just filling out a prescription slip. (And even in that dept. she was just guessing!!!)

 

I find myself a little desperate. If I distance myself from this problem, it looks like it should be so easy to fix. Get a planner. Plan your schedule. Stick to your schedule. Take some drugs to help you concentrate. Funny how in practice this is not as easy as plugging solutions into problems.

 

Has anyone else struggled with this? What drugs do you use? How do they affect you? What other sources of support have you found? Any books that are particularly helpful? I know there is something called cognitive-behavioral therapy-- does that help for ADHD? I have picked up various books. They help in that knowing there are many MANY other people with this problem is somewhat reassuring, but they don't really give strategies for dealing with this. Can anyone tell me precisely how they have dealt with this problem?

 

I will surf around an ADD forum too and post this question, but I just thought I would put it up here and see if anyone can help. I would appreciate it IMMENSELY!!!

[westernxer]

Can't really offer you much help, but I did find this forum which you may want to check out... it's loaded with info.

 

http://www.addforums.com/forums/

 

Hope everything works out for you.

[faux]

As a teenager, I was diagnosed with all sorts of mental problems. Diagnosis of mental illness is all guesswork, especially with teenagers and younger children; the book used to determine proper diagnosis is not even intended for persons of such ages. Prescribing medication is no simple business; the stuff changes one's mind, and I don't think that is light business.

 

There are problems out there that affect people, and there are treatments that seem to work. On the other hand, I have written a few prize papers in college about these topics, and found that the mental health system is not perfect.

 

Personally, it seems like every other kid or teen I meet has been diagnosed with something, or has spent some time in a psychiatric treatment center. Either the youth in entirety is all going nuts, or something needs to be done to update the mental health system.

 

I think that if a person does have genuine problems, that person can overcome most of those problems. You may need to stuggle with different types of medications to find if something can work for you, but you don't have to live your life thinking you cannot amount to anything, or that you will act exactly as your diagnosis says you are supposed to. I am doing quite well now, have been holding a steady job for over a year, and am still getting straight A's in college. If you apply yourself, and strive to be your best, I don't think it matters what is wrong with you, or what other people say is wrong with you.

 

Whatever the case may be, ADD/ADHD or not, if you want to make the most of your life, and you really try, I'm sure that you will.

[Fuzzy Chickens]

I once had extremely ADD-like symptoms during a caffeine bender. I couldn't stay on one thought for more than 5 seconds. Good God did that suck ass.

[moimeme]

Hiyo

 

As it happens, I've been involved with an advocacy for group for folks with AD/HD and I've done heaps of research on it.

 

Have a read of the information at ADD dot org (since LS sometimes gets sniffy about urls). CHADD dot org has a really good information site. About dot com has a very good forum. Also go to Dr. Amen's website Amenclinics dot com . Watch his video on brain Spect scans and check out his books. They're great. He's one of the first docs to bother, as he says, to look inside the brain and he's, IMHO, one of the better gurus when it comes to AD/HD. He also has a radio show on Saturday mornings at KCBQ San Diego that you can listen to online and call in to.

 

You may be interested in books by Sari Solden, Michele Novotni, and Margaret Weiss. Another good book is Driven to Distraction by Hallowell and Ratey.

 

I also recommend the ADHD E-book (google it) , and Bob Seay's Little Corner.

 

You can find lists of coaches at addconsults. Terry Matlen, its head and a past VP of ADD.org has just put out a book on Survival Tips for women with AD/HD.

 

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. I've got heaps more info.

[MiChick43]

I used to go on key bending searches every morning. To the point of exhaustion. One of the thoughts Ive read on ADD is that our minds do not picture things as most do. Such as when you place those keys down....we dont have mental picture of where we put them. So If you keep that in mind it makes it easier to find things. So now whenever I place my keys somewhere I make a mental note of what is around them and I have been a lot better with that.

 

I have totaled out every car Ive ever had, except my last two. Only because I went on medications.

 

My bills were always paid the same day, by phone using my dept. This creates an additonal charge of usually 5-10 dollars. Could I manage to get them out in the mail like most people? Its been better lately.

 

My s/o knows how I am and does well with it. He knows where most things are and he is now starting to pay all the bills.

 

Depression can go hand in hand with this.

 

MiChick