I have adult ADD. I've had it all my life, but I just recently was diagnosed with it. The problem is that one of my shrinks doesn't believe I have it b/c I had good grades in high school. I was a smart kid and didn't have to pay attention to earn the grades I did. I started having problems once I got into college but she dismissed my complaints as "college is harder than high school." I feel ignored b/c she doesn't allow me to express my thoughts which are normally complicated b/c of the ADD. In fact, she told me that I looked like I was on stimulants b/c I always fidget. That was when I was 100% sober. I have lost any trust I might have had in her and most pyschiatrists out there. I was wondering if anyone else has had similar expierences. Please share your thoughts w/ me. I don't know if this is common or what. I would like to talk to someone who has gone through the same thing or knows someone who has it. What are your thoughts?
Even as someone who does not believe that "ADD or ADHD" exists, I still say, switch psychologists. They are supposed to make you feel comfortable, normal and understood... not tell you that what you are going through isn't happening. Even if it is only in your head, it IS still happening to you. Tell her to shove off, and find someone cooler. Remember: don't let people let you perpetuate your problems.
i'm sure that my son could've been diagnosed with ADD. BUT, i figured out that he's actually very sensitive to phenols and salicylates and put him on the Feingold diet to eliminate them from his diet. And now, he's just like any other little kid. what do you eat?
I have ADD. While I think that far too many children are labeled and saddled with this diagnosis for simply just "being a kid" and being drugged to squelch their natural spirit, there really are people that have difficulties. I was diagnosed when I was 14 years old. I was prescribed Ritalin while in school, but stopped taking it once I was out of school. I take nothing for it now, but it really does affect how I am. I lose interest in things easily, I have a very difficult time concentrating on things, I fidget, and I can rarely sit through even a half hour program without getting up and doing something else. I get bored with projects that I start within no time, and I find it difficult to finish them. But, I have accepted this as this being the way I am. I really don't feel the need to alter it. Sure, I can be the "butt of jokes" about how little of an attention span I have, but that's okay. It's me, it's how I am, and that's okay. Peace.
Not to say that you are wrong, because obviously I don't know you. But don't you think that all those things are really typical? I mean, I don't really know many people who sit down to watch tv and stay put for an hour or more. There are also more people who don't finish projects, than those who do. I think its just what our society has come to. It has been accepted and it almost gives people permission to not behave correctly or manage themselves. I've asked my mom and dad, and some of their friends about ADD when they were kids, and they say it simply didn't exist... people behaved themselves, took care of their business and went on with their lives. --I still say get a new shrink.
No, they are not typical of everyone, and it depends on the extent as to how it affects your life. When you can't focus on anything no matter how hard you try, is that normal? There are such things as chemical imbalances, and these truly have a hand in how a person behaves. I never once "misbehaved" or used my so-called ADD as a crutch. I was looked at as the "perfect child", I was a good girl, and my only offense was having a hard time focusing and depression. If anything, I was embarassed by it. And the reason why your parents, or grandparents say it didn't exist is because they didn't KNOW of ADD/ADDAH back then, they simply labeled those children who may have had it as "bad". You also have to take into consideration that the environment has changed since then, and I firmly believe that it can play a part in how ADD and other chemical disorders come to be. Not everyone can be born perfect, and some may have a "glitch" of some sort that affects the way they behave, the way they think. I don't have a shrink, and I haven't had one for over 8 years. I personally don't believe in them. I think that a second opinion for stickchick would be beneficial, but how she decides to handle the potential diagnosis is up to her. Can you say that she, as an adult, WANTS to be this way? What purpose would it serve? There are people who truly have chemical disorders, and never once use it as an excuse for anything they might do. There really is an abuse of that, I will admit. Too many people saying they did this or that because they are "not right in the head". But to deny that there actually are individuals with a chemical imbalance of some sort is like burying your head in the sand IMHO. Peace.
I admit that everyone is free to have their own opinions, and everyone obviously believes in different things. It's just my opinion. The shrink comment was for StickChick.
To the original thread poster, I would say the shrink has to go, as for your issue with ADD, I am no doctor. The second a person said I was hi and I was'nt that would be the end of our relation. I am not paying to be told false daignosis to ease thier job. I would say that if you are 42 it can be something far worse than ADD and dont laugh. My father started doing exaclty as you and he was very very intelligent. Super in Math but later grew uneasy and loss of concentration ect. He was later in life diagnosed with Alzhiemers (spelled wrong likely) His symptoms started back when he was 40. He is a "slow progression" person. He is still able to do most anything he wants but will forget almost anything within minutes and also kinda imagines he has said or asked you to do things even though he never did. Again your not a computer so it is out of my area, just input good or bad is unknown to me or you! I will shut up now!
I am going to change doctors. I found a really good shrink through a close family friend. Although I do want to say that ADD is REAL. It is a chemical imbalance, which is why when I use stimulants, I don't get high, I get focused. I have been so frustrated w/ the lack of information about this disorder amongst professionals, let alone the general population. I totally relate to hippychickmommy. ADD is something I struggle w/ everyday and its so hard to control w/o proper medication. Thanks for your replies. I appreciate hearing from everyone!
a lot of people who are in the psych. field yet aren't trained in it specifically don't realize that there is a big difference between the symptoms of females with adhd compared to males. girls becomse withdrawn, quite and restless when they are overstimulated and boys act out. you should get a new shrink if you have already been diagnosed and re checked. Has anyone tried straterra? does it help?
even if you really have it, dont take stimulant medication, the cause more harm than good! they will fuck you and turn u into a drone. i am speaking from experience here
I think I have ADD, and my parents are going to get me tested for it...in the mean time...they transfering me to a Christian school. What the fuck? I don't want to go.
I was prescribed strattera for my add, but I felt very tired and mentally foggy. I didn't feel safe driving. That only lasted for about a week, but after that, I became super hyperactive after the medicine wore off. From experimintation (meth is a HUGE issue in IN), I found that crank doesn't tweak me out- it calms and focuses me, which kinda scares me. Right now I'm on Adderall (amphetamine salts) and they seem to help a little. I'm only on 10 mg a day so my dose needs to be upped to about 30 mg. I know each person is different w/ different body chemistry. The trick is to figure out what your chemistry is and how to "fix" it. Peace & love kim
