Is Adult ADHD Real? Are You Kidding?
ByI was surprised to find that the British Medical Journal recently published a ‘head to head’ commentary on whether Adult ADHD was a valid diagnosis.
They had one paper written to say ‘Yes’ – Adult ADHD is a valid diagnosis, and then a second paper written to say that ‘No’ Adult ADHD is NOT a valid diagnosis.
Huh?
Pinch me for a second…
I just double checked – it wasn’t published on ‘April Fools’.
Is this a real publication?
Yes it is.
The British Medical Journal is publishing a debate on the existence of Adult ADHD in 2010.
I find this shocking and very concerning.
The fact that stigma still exists in our society at large about ADHD makes sense when the medical community itself can’t seem to agree on the existence of Adult ADHD.
Now, let me be clear:
The diagnosis of ADHD can have its problems. And there certainly are issues with how the DSM-IV-TR ADHD diagnostic criteria are applied to Adult ADHD (which will hopefully be addressed in the new edition of the DSM-V).
I’m very comfortable with the scholarly discussion and debate on the issues and problems in the diagnosis and treatment of Adult ADHD (and child/teen ADHD for that matter).We all know that there are issues, and scholarly discussion and debate helps to clarify issues and propel the field forward.
I am not comfortable with the concept that a leading medical journal is publishing a debate on something like the validity of Adult ADHD. This inhibits growth and pulls us backwards.
I see this as an insult and ‘slap in the face’ to our field, and more importantly to all of the people who are bravely fighting against many odds to bring success to their lives despite their Adult ADHD.
I have checked, and I haven’t seen any scholarly debate about whether: breast cancer is a valid diagnosis in elderly women, or whether heart disease is valid in children. I wonder when the BMJ will look at these issues? I won’t hold my breath for those ‘scholarly debates’.
Please share your thoughts and comments below.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
Kenny -
This is really interesting. Thanks for bringing this up to the community. I’ll have to check out both articles and get a deeper sense of what you’ve found.
You raise a great point…stigma. It still exists despite all we have learned in the last 10-15 years.
Why is it there is still so much stigma around ADHD and Adult ADHD? Is there a different factor that separates the reality of this condition from others you mentioned like breast cancer or heart disease?
Is this issue further complicated because of the “socio-emotional” component that we struggle to understand? Thoughts and feelings certainly apply from the work I do with families affected by ADHD…and in fact in all of my training in psychology.
What about the fact that ADHD can look so different from one person to the next?
I certainly try to wrap my head around this…but one thing is sure…ADHD is very real. It exists, it impacts people, and it creates certain challenges. No argument there.
At the same time, I wonder if we as a community or even as a larger society, have so stereotyped what it means to have ADHD…that so many people cannot look past what an individual with ADHD is certainly capable of with the right supports in place.
Just my $0.02.
Thank you for starting this! I look forward to the ongoing comments here.
Joke – this is absolutely ludicrous. Adult ADHD isn’t real? Wow – yet my husband and I just made an appt with a Dr. Who doesn’t take med ins to the tune of 400 dollars. This is how important it is that he gets on a medicine (other than Concerta which he experienced major weight loss with). This angers me and I live this difficult life with my husband. If these schmucks want to questio ADHD for some job security reason – then shame. They are discrediting themselves by going back and forth and setting even my family back MORE. It’s been 2 years we’ve been trying to finally get my husband to make a call. He has wanted to but ADDers don’t usually follow through. Finally – we’ll see what we can accomplish w/medicine and counseling. Someone needs to come and live our lives and then I know they’ll not questtion this. Ansolutely angers me – but hey, does anger really exist?
As a former journalist (with Adult ADHD) I couldn’t help but smell a rat here. Turns out the author of the article, Joanna Moncrief, has also written:
Efficacy of antidepressants in adults
A critique of the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia and psychosis.
The myth of the chemical cure
Debunking the myth of the chemical imbalance
Dr. Moncrieff is chairman of The Critical Psychiatry Network a “UK based group of psychiatrists who are unhappy with the medical-biological approach to understanding and managing madness.” (http://www.critpsynet.freeuk.com/)
If I had a little more time to dig around, I would not be surprised to find that her work is somehow linked to the rabidly anti-psychiatry Scientology front, CCHR.
My clue was her thesis that “…little more than aggressive marketing is available to support adult ADHD.”
We should not just dismiss her as promoting pseudoscience. The fact that she was able to weasel her way into a respected medical journal (can you say “Andrew Wakefield”)is what’s frightening. Continued lobbying by groups with her opinion could have a negative impact on research and treatment options.
Thank you all for great comments.
Rory – you raise some excellent points. My perspective on why stigma is so strong is twofold.
1) everyone THINKS they know what it’s like to get distracted, but they try harder and are OK. This gives the illusion that they understand what ADHD is like. But they have no idea.
2) It’s really only in the past 1-2 decades that we’ve had good enough technology to really understand what is going on with the brain. Hopefully ongoing research takes all of mental health out of the ‘moral’ diagnoses (i.e. you’re bad, or just not trying hard enough) and solidly into medicine.
Barb: Thanks for sharing your experience. You underline just how challenging things can be with Adult ADHD.
Judy: Great research work! I really appreciate your contribution. I agree that the most concerning issue is that she got published in such a significant medial journal…
I’m looking forward to more discussion on this thread.
Wow! Thanks for bringing this to light. It is sad that something as respectful as BMJ would publish this. I’d love to chat with Moncrieff and Timimi about it not existing in adults. Come live my life for a week without medicine. ;o) That might change their minds…LOL!
Well, if it’s not ADHD that I have, then I must have had a major brain trauma at some point that makes me have to work not only twice as hard, but some days 4 times as hard as a “normal” person just to get out the door for work. It’s a normal day when I walk out of the house forgetting to brush my teeth or put deoderant on. I have a posted list of an ordred “routine” and THAT doesn’t even work. By the end of the day I’m exhausted from thinking about what to do & where to go. I’m not stupid, I have a B.A. In Fine Arts, and an A. S. in Interior Design, both with a 3.9 GPA.
I never use having ADHD as an excuse for any disfuncton, in fact I try really hard to never show any disfunction, which is probably why my brain hurts at the end of the day. I’m working hard just to function!
So, if Adult ADHD doesn’t really exist, you need to spend a day in my head!
Hello Kenny,
It was not too long ago that most believed that the world was flat, or that people who stared up at the moon were “lunatics”……….
I think in many ways it behooves many in the clinical community to keep writing, researching and publishing, because as you well know, many among our own colleagues flatly reject Adult ADHD as nothing more than a product of Big Pharma; despite rigorous research methodology (which includes brain imaging, genetic markers, neuro-cognitive testing, DSM-based structured clinical interviews, reliable family informants, as well as psychometrically based self-report questionnaires).
In addition, mental health has a long history of those who deem legitimate disorders as “fad” psychiatry or “flavours of the month”, whether among the general public, or among clinical professionals themselves!
Kenny, keep up the great website and dissemination of accurate and scientifically based information for all to see.
Most Respectfully,
Dr. David Teplin
Adult Clinical Psychologist
As a wife,mother and aunt of those with ADHD, I feel that I have a mountain of experience with the issue. My husband takes no meds and has made adjustments in his life to succeed, yet the issues that he faces remain strong. The paper questioning Adult adhd focuses on meds and drug companies. It doesn’t delve into the realities of the condition, with or without meds. It does not present arguments against the clinical facts of adhd in adults or children. It seems to be an angry anti drug-company rant.
I think the paper would have been better placed in a op-ed section of a newspaper.
There oughta be a law that unless you inhabit a body and brain with ADHD, you cannot comment [read that - "judge"], much less write in scholarly journals, about ADHD. Adult ADHD is often not convincingly visible in the way other DSM diagnoses may be so it’s easy for doubters to dismiss it and figure with some cheerleading you’ll get things right. Thank you Judy for your detective work, could you hear my sigh of relief? Though it is shocking and definitely scary that her research was published in a respected journal, I have to believe the pattern in Dr. Moncrieff’s choice of research will go some distance in discrediting her “findings”.
I am a woman who has always kept a low profile about my classic “female” ADHD, a path that has been the less complicated and emotionally safer for me in my personal and professional life. I have a supportive husband and that has been enough but I have missed out on much, and dug my way out of many a-blunder, “duh” moment, and serious set backs. I have carried the stigma silently for 50-something years. I have adapted and learned how to live and love life in a way that is workable for me, but I have missed out on much achievement, joy and creative work that I am capable of. I am still working on it and I am the latest bloomer I know.
I am an ADHD adult.
Chadd coordinator of both adult and parent groups of Chadd of S. Broward/N. Dade counties in Florida.
I am a parent of two adhd adults.
I guess I can say thanks for your ongoing involvement in this online community. Very interesting comments and research were returned. And yes.. why or how did that get in such a journal..
People never fail to amaze me.
i don’t find this surprising at all. I have never been a fan of the BMJ. they were after all the publication that originally asserted childhood vaccinations caused autism without a single shred of verifiable medical evidence, a claim they recently rescinded and apologized for publishing.
but this does raise an issue that i have struggled with a lot. I really (really) hate that ADD/ADHD is diagnosed as a ‘disorder’, i understand that it has to be because health insurance will not pay to have ‘personality types’ treated. I personally view ADD as societies disorder. I like to say that “i never suffer from my ADD…everyone else around me does, but i am just fine with it” this is a mildly humorous way saying that it is society that has created this problem. It is the industrial education system where every student is taught the same way regardless of strengths and weaknesses, followed by an insane level of overspecialization in the workplace, and in life in general that causes this disorder. The personality type that is ADD has always been present in society, they used to be hunters, and explorers, and scouts, and guides, and artisans, and any number of roles that required creativity and problem solving and solitude to accomplish. This is what truly keeps me from getting medication: i hate the thought that i have to take medication to fit in to a society that feels they don’t need us any more…and i am bitter about it.
Thank you, Clinton! This is how I live MY life. This is the way I have come come to see the modern logical world and the thinkers in it that if you don’t fit in, you are disordered. I know that every one is different and were it not for ADHD pigeon holed people, we wouldn’t have great artists or inventors in our world. There have been times in history where the creative types were the elite and logic thinkers were just peasants, a time whene art, music and invention were adored and valued, it was called the Renaissance.
This makes me sad. It just makes me want to hide my secret even more.
Very shocking! A BRITISH psychologist diagnosed me last year. At 41, I’m now realising how ADHD has drastically affected, and continues to affect my life.
I strongly believe ADHD causes productivity losses, relationship problems, welfare and disability claims… it is a serious illness that affects individuals and society. When an national organisation, like the British Medical Journal, denounces the magnitude of ADHD symptoms experienced by millions of adults — well, its just irresponsible journalism and its devastating to legitimising the illness! Years of evidence support ADHD! Awareness is crucial for even more people to get help. This bad press is outrageous!
Thank you for speaking out and defending those of us who have been disabled by this condition. I sincerely hope the British Medical Journal publishes a proper rebuttal to this article forthwith!
Hi Dr. Kenny, I alway get frustrated when I see or read “scientifics” who just publish research paper for the sake of being published. It was difficult for me to pin point what I had. I even had a psycholosgist who simply laugh at me when i told him I suspected that I was ADD, “you just went to university, I doubt you could have ADD”. I know for women and girl is it tougher to get a diagnosis, since symptoms are different for men. Nevertheless, I still find it sad that some people in the medical field are not up to date or just don’t believe it. It is like saying that PMS in just happening in our head. We have to use our common sense fisrt and not being scared of challenging the medical world
It goes to show you just how people and doctors keep denaing some thing so real for many parents and for many adults, just the thought of that when my son turns 21 he won’t be recognice as a person with ADHD after a life of having it……does that means we stop having our ilneses after we become adults???
I was diagnosed at 34. It was a big relief. But what I don’t understand is how miraculous ADHD is! Magically, on your 18th birthday, ADHD disappears! wow!! It’s so amazing!
(note HEAVY sarcasm)
I agree it is rediculous. It is hard enough when you have a child with A.D.H.D. Nevermind the hoops you go through trying to get treatment for it. You try medication after medication and they help for a short time and since there are few Doctors who treat this, you must wait for your appointment to get a new one. It’s a vicious circle. Complaints from teachers because they can’t sit still get defiant at times, and still can’t get a designation for a special class. He still doesn’t read or write properly and the teacher predicts he will get in to worse problems like there’s no hope. Other people and different teachers at a different school think he’s wonderful. Now, he is into a constant talking phase and attention seeking too.
The Good, Bad and the Ugly (and way too ugly)
There are lots of good and bad things about the appearance of the BMJ article.
First: my credentials. I was born and live in the UK. I was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as ADHD at the tender age of 47. I have, for various reasons, been separately diagnosed twice, to the same effect.
People that do not understand ADHD, say of me that I surely could not have ‘it’ due to a seemingly successful professional life (nothing to do with the medical profession, by the way). They are, of course, so very wrong. Carrying on my work and career whilst undiagnosed caused serious problems for me, my family and my clients and was getting progressively worse. However, diagnosis and treatment have changed my life for me and every one else (not, of course, totally successful but it is more than enough).
(Dr Kendleman, you may wish to split this up or not publish because it may be too long for your blog).
The Good:
I am a sceptic (sorry: for the non UK this is Skeptic) myself. I believe that we should always test our assumptions about everything. The BMJ articles did, sort of, do that. They took two polarised views and published them.
Another thing was that the ‘for ADHD’ argument appeared to be well balanced, supported by evidence and demonstrated that the recent guidelines issued by our health service accepted entirely a diagnosis of ADHD for Adults (which previously officially recognised the need for treatment of children for some time). So it was all a ‘done deal’ by the time the BMJ issued the articles (not to be seen in isolation as they have previously issued articles on ADHD before). The arguments against ADHD being a proper and treatable condition appeared to falter on many fronts (to be fair it is hard to prove a negative) and it lacked anything really compelling.
The against article appeared to be based on the premise of the theory on the Medicalisation of Society which suggests that, as professionals perform their role by applying their own templates to problems, they interpret everything accordingly. A more bombastic version of this is that this, in turn, is part of the professionalisation of society where professionals convince everyone to put everything in their terms (Lawyers say you need a contract or go to court for your rights, doctors persuade you that you need treatment for all sorts of things that were not problems before, e.g. mere naughtiness) so they can gain power and profit (sorry, this is rather crudely put).
Putting the two arguments together tends, in my opinion, to put the Medicalisation based argument in the shade, at least in the context of ADHD. It suggests that we should look at real world issues and get on with the serious job of seeing how best to treat Adults.
The Bad:
What was the BMJ thinking? Why is the actual existence of ADHD an issue for debate? It is not a contest between one or two on one side of the argument and the same number against. The number for the premise that Adult ADHD is a proper diagnosis, are staggering in numbers. The ones against are a few, perhaps a handful. Surely there cannot be a number of others who are undecided? Even now, they can’t decide?
This respected journal has seen the massive progress towards a consensus about adult ADHD in the UK, but decided to play with this as a subject? They are not a tabloid. What they say or allow to be said should be taken seriously. There are many doctors who are cynical (not sceptical, that’s different) or ignorant about the diagnosis as it is (my own first so-called diagnosis was by a so-called qualified psychologist who knew less than me about ADHD!), this certainly doesn’t help. The BMJ will presumably say that this was not a peer-reviewed article and purely a debate (why not have a debate on whether it is due to the influence of the Sun God instead?). I should say so! (English expression meaning: yeah, right?).
The Ugly:
It is true that the biological evidence is not yet good enough for everyone. It is not consistent. There are plenty of theories about clusters of symptoms, mechanisms, chemicals and influences involved but nothing that gives a full picture and this feeds those cynics more and more. This includes doctors!
However, take a metaphor (please don’t stretch this one too far!): ADHD is a finger that has fallen off someone’s hand. We should debate (sorry, not for the squeamish) whether it was sawn off, fell off due to gangrene or disease etc, or whether it was an accident. Determining how it was caused (aetiology) may help in a better prognosis and treatment. Until you have found the cause, it has still fallen off and you have fully recognised medical options to treat. Playing with theories about whether it fell off because the patient willed it or it was due to tribal rituals does not help! Get a grip! See the evidence of difficulties and differences and deal with them. A finger falling off is a medical issue and has to be treated in the best way possible. If we think we can have the luxury of debate (e.g. what is a finger after all?) when the evidence of the outcomes are so clear and treatable (It’s gone and I am bleeding to death), surely we are doomed as a species!
Also, the credentials issue feed the arguments, purely because the supporters of a proper diagnosis are or have been funded by those who may have an interest in the ‘ADHD is real’ outcome, which causes bias. However, the one does not follow the other and perhaps the nay-sayers do not have funding because: who would? What’s the use of it? You cannot suggest thereby that the funded protagonists are not telling how it is or that they are swayed, somewhat. Please give them the respect that such professionals are due. They still work on the basis of scientific principle – it’s how they practise all their life. (There are exceptions –the most recent surrounded the MMR/autism fiasco, as this was quickly unearthed, this should give us more comfort – although I understand that some unbalanced people are still pursuing this issue!)
BMJ, please ignore the ADHD deniers. Let them write a letter to your editorial pages, so we can indulge in a bit of supercilious humour about such individualists (or eccentrics, if you like, or people on a ‘mission’).
The Way too Ugly
The point of view about Medicalisation of Society may have something. Perhaps we are too easily diagnosing ADHD every time and it may be something else sometimes or something that masks the problems (co-morbidities). These disarmingly daft dialogues in the BMJ may cause us to miss an important point or two. It does not mean that evidence of Adult ADHD is shaky because of it.
I am an adult with ADD (not diagnosed)I also believe my husband who is deceased was ADD and had Aspbergers Syndrome – I have 3 children (all boys)have ADD/ADHD – Twins (D & K) that are 26 and a 16 year old (P)that has ADD, Aspbergers Syndrome and OCD. One of my twins (K) also has a mild form of Autism. We have been seeing a doctor who is the Assistant Professor with the Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. His findings so far indicate that all of the diagnosis that involve my children seem to be correct and that it is hereditary. So you can imagine how difficult life can be at our house. Thank you so much for bringing this to the attention of the people.
Thanks for posting the links.
I am sympathetic to the author of the follow-on BMJ article entitled “Why can’t we just get on with debating treatements?” although I can’t see the entire text of that article.
It seems to me that the logic of the denial argument is that
a) treatment has not proven to be particularly effective in the limited medication trials that are available
and b) symptoms of adult ADHD overlap with non-pathological behaviours and behaviours associated with other disorders,
therefore, whether adult ADHD exists or not is questionable.
I won’t address b) (how many other medical problems also have overlapping symptoms!!!) but as for a), it’s a logical fallacy to suggest that just because existing treatements for a problem have yet to prove particularly efficacious, the problem does not exist!
The denialists seem to have conflated problems with bias in research trials for ADHD medications with the existence of the disorder per se.
As many here have said, anyone who has lived with someone with ADHD, or who has ADHD themselves, knows full well that people with ADHD have different brains, which causes different behaviour, and that this causes problems for them in many circumstances.
The question is: How to help?! I am still working on that one.
P.S. The other problem, as also mentioned by Dr. Handelman, is our still limited understanding of the workings of the brain, and our imprecise tools for diagnosis, as well as the fact that ADHD expresses differently in different people (probably because multiple genes are involved). I have had direct experience with this recently. My daughter (12) who has been repeatedly diagnosed as having ADHD by doctors, pediatricians, psychologists and psychiatriats since she was 4, (and who I have no doubt DOES have ADHD) is now apparently showing no signs of having ADHD according to her new school psychologist and psychiatrist. They don’t believe she has ADHD. What they seem to fail to understand is that the environment in which someone with ADHD operates has an enormous impact on whether they will display symptoms or not. The current school is entirely set up to help and motivate children with behaviour difficulties, and she benefits directly from this. Change the environment and “Poof!” ADHD symptoms magically disappear in the classroom. Someone should do a study…;)
One more thing, on the question of stigma.
It seems to me that one of the reasons there may be so much stigma associated with ADHD, and a continuing reluctance to / discomfort with recognizing it, is that to do so raises profound moral questions about what is means to be human and the ways in which we organize our society.
Recognizing ADHD as a genetic brain difference, one which impairs a person’s ability to control their impulses (and behaviour more generally) is a (potentially huge) problem for a social system predicated on the idea of individual responsibility.
For example, generally laws in modern societies assume that—unless an adult is suffering from a severe mental defecit, or is severely mentally ill—individuals are capable of controlling themselves and are therefore responsible for their actions. If they are capable of understanding right from wrong and transgress nonetheless, they must be held accountable.
Enter the problem of people who are not obviously impaired, but in fact DO have a more difficult time than others regulating themselves. How do we think about this? Should they be held less accountable for their transgressions? Can they be said to have the same degree of responsibility as others who are not similarly impaired?
This problem ranges from the banal and annoying, for example my ADHD daughter breaking her bed frame (again!) because she has the unconscious habit of jumping on it (Do I sanction her? Do I simply sigh and tell her one more time, to stop jumping on the bed?!) to the much more serious—accused in serious criminal cases who advance ADHD as a defence for example.
On the being human question: To recognize ADHD as a genetic trait, and particularly to go a step further and say accept that it may simply be another way of being human, means that you have to give up expectations about human behavioural uniformity, and may have to learn to live with behavioural diversity.
We can say people with ADHD have a disorder that needs treating. Certainly we know that people who suffer with ADHD experience many social problems as a result. Or, we can say that people with ADHD are just different from the norm, just like some people are introverts while others are extraverts. (Introverts don’t get ahead as much as extraverts do in many fields because we don’t do the networking thing very well, but I would venture to say we don’t have a disorder, we are just different from those with an extraverted brain. Perhaps no one wants to fix us because we aren’t overtly annoying or disruptive to the extraverts, or because we aren’t such a small minority.) If ADHD is seen as a difference rather than a disorder than the perspective changes and the emphasis turns toward the need for understanding and accomodation, rather than fixing.
Those who would deny ADHD, however, want neither to fix, nor to accomodate, but simply to foist the responsibility back onto the person and their family, while protecting their own small, binary (good vs. bad) worldview.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Dr. K. What a travesty.
I’m with Judy, a fellow journalist, in smelling a rat of the CCHR variety.
Then again, scholars and clinicians of mediocre accomplishment often look for an easily exploitable niche in order to make their names. Too often, they do it on the backs of people who are already marginalized.
It’s quite clear to me that Moncrieff has no direct experience with the ADHD population, nor would she be willing to let the facts confuse her. Shame. Shame. Shame. In fact, I think she merits induction into the ADHD Roller Coaster Hall of Shame: http://tinyurl.com/y6ken3c
I can believe anything these days.
Just look at all the people denying the Holocaust.
I guess I can stop going into Toronto every month to see my doctor now that I know there isn’t anything wrong with me…I am okay its the rest of the world that is messed up!
Hi all, I’m 52 year-old female and was just diagnosed. Why? because my 16 year-old-son was diagnosed and he’s exactly like guess who? ME! I started to to do lots of reading to get some info and there “I” was. I was stunned. So this is the problem! I’ve read lots that says it’s genetic. When I was in school ADHD didn’t exist–I have all the classic inattentive type symptoms as does my son, my dad, and several neices and nephews. So does it just go away? I’m sooooo happy to finally have an explanation for this as I’ve been misdiagnosed for the last twenty years and have been put on many completely ineffective meds. Granted, I’ve learned how to compensate for a lot of my issues (I go through a lot of post its and note pads) but still I have never felt like other people. So she really is full of BS; how could we older adults have been diagnosed as children in the first place? It doesn’t get any more real.
It really baffles my mind to continuously here about the stigma associated with ADHD. Too often I here, ” I swear I have ADD,” ” haha what an adder…” The jokes are not funny to me because ADHD is serious and too many people are ignorant about this mental illness. I think more needs to be advocated towards adult ADHD. For instance, I was diagnosed at 22 years old last year and when I found out, I was laughing in disbelief. Other therapists were thinking I was bipolar. Since then, I have been researching and reading Dr. Handleman’s articles. At this time, I am trying to encourage my family to seek help because they are experiencing the same struggles I did such as realtionship problems, anger, short attention span, boredome, depression and addiction. Only now am I actually self aware and better able to cope with myself.
There is no doubt that this is a CCHR effot. Dr Tamimi the other person who helped to co-write the ‘against’ drivel hosted and was a guest speaker at the 35th Anniversary and Human Rights Award Dinner Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
Sure am getting to know the smell of xenu babble.
This is not a legitimate debate and it’s truly sad that a respected medical journal would accept this sort of agenda distorted argument as anything approaching science. ADHD issuch a well researched subject I expect scientific arguments in a science journal not ideological ones.
I believe that ADD/ADHD people can not function in normal society. They adjust to society in there own ways. Most people that have ADD are introverts (I am). I do believe that ADD/ADHD is genetic – it is to prevalient in my family – me and my 3 sons and thier father, my brother & his son and my sister’s daughter.
I’m a 27 year old female who was diagnosed yesterday as ‘textbook’ ADHD. I really never knew what was wrong with me growing up. I did fairly well but at the end of the day I would be EXHAUSTED from trying to keep up with everyone else. I don’t remember a time when I haven’t been anxious or stressed. I have wrinkles (yes, at 27) which I believe are from years of lack of sleep, crying and squinting my eyes trying to focus on everything. I am so happy that I know what is wrong with me. After reading this article my heart skipped a few beats. ADHD is not a real illness? Oh My God, the woman who wrote that has no idea what she is talking about. My parents were terrific to me growing up, patient, kind, disciplined me with love when I needed it. I didn’t watch much tv and they instilled a lot of work ethic in me. I still have this problem, it doesn’t go away…………however….
we can all agree that there is an awful lot of people who claim ADD/ADHD to be the reason for their troubles when the issue really IS nothing more than laziness and lack of parenting. After all, good parents teach their children to take responsibly for their actions and attitudes. It’s no suprise to me that so many people question the validity of ADHD with so many people treating it like it’s nothing more than a headache that anyone is capable of getting. You can’t be ‘ADD’ one minute and not ‘ADD’ the next; it’s not like that. So with all of these claims of people having attendtion deficit, I can appreciate the opinions of people who are not medical professionals to wonder if it’s a real problem…however, there are no excuse for those who are.
Thank you for writing this and giving people who are afflicted with ADHD to stand up and speak.
Yes, Rene’ so true. It’s the chemical imbalance that I’ve found to be true after being “the crybaby” all my life. Crying was like breathing. Therapy or no. Finally a drug, which doesn’t work for everyone, Zoloft, in the right dose, for the first time in my life I felt “normal”. Yes i had had happy times, but just as quick crying. Then late in life I was diagnosed with adult ADD. years of suffering in jobs. “you’ve been hear HOW long and are still asking this? You should know by now. I’ve had 37years of office work with this ball and chain. Now knowing I can direct the way I learn. I miss the first few words of what people say. Then, the genius that I am, (lol)figure it out by context. I’m I’m surprised I’ve kept jobs as long as I did. I also had great parents who were exctatic when I got a C or even a D in school. Mom asked me what I’d learned and I told her. Not everyone is as lucky as I was. It’s real. I didn’t know for years that my older brother had it because he moved away at a young age. His son has it also. That is why this community is so important. Thanks everyone!
As an AD/HD adult, I too wish AD/HD was not real, as does my mother and my adult son who also have AD/HD.
It saddens me to see that front groups for the Church of Scientology are still active and continue to manipulate the public for their purposes. I’ve heard it said that there are many people who live and work in Hollywood who have AD/HD, diagnosed and undiagnosed. If that’s true, I wonder sometimes if the actors who promote Scientology, and/or its front groups, and the medical and mental health professionals who challenge AD/HD as a legitimate diagnosis have undiagnosed AD/HD themselves but deny it, and are determined to deny us of the effective treatments available today.
That said it makes me happy to see so many articulate AD/HD adults here sharing how diagnosis and treatment has helped them. Add me to that long list of “success” stories.
In regards to personality types, we once had a professional trained in administering the Myers-Briggs personality type inventory come to speak with our adult AD/HD support group. Everyone took the inventory, though I don’t recall in what form, and interestingly enough, we had enough people there to represent each of the 16 personality types.
I found the idea that the British Medical Journal would publish such nonsense is more a comment on its own authenticity than the subject itself. For myself, I grew up wondering why I was so strange and considered stupid by some. Why various jobs that I had had involving paperwork were so difficult and why I was constantly being reprimanded for “not following directions, forgetting details, lateness, etc.” and suffered such huge character flaws.
Several of my brothers and sisters who are teachers made a “family intervention” in confronting me about having ADHD! Now I realize that there were reasons that I had problems with some tasks, and they were not character flaws. And that from military IQ tests, I was eligible to be in Mensa.
I relate my own experience to say that, having understand what ADHD is, and taking medication, my life, my family’s life, is significantly different that what had come before. It finally allowed me to make sense of my life. For the British Medical Journal writer to take this position is pure unadulterated ignorance.
Dr. Daniel Amen has done scans on ADHD and found distinct differences in people with ADHD and non ADHD brains. The BMJ writer should do some research before she decides to display her ignorance.
If there is no adult ADD what could possibly be causing all of my
symptoms? I was diagnosed at 49 and am now 55. It took so long for a
diagnosis because I was an A student throughout college and was well-
behaved. However, once I lost the structure of school I fell apart,
ending up being underemployed for my entire life. Both my children have ADD, and besides having many incapacitating qualities, they also have many incredibly positive qualities such as problem solving, creativity, ability to see patterns and the bigger picture, out of the box thinking and leadership qualities.I am realizing now,as Dr. Hallowell describes it, that Add is a gift.
To say that adult ADD doesn’t exist is not only wrong but extremely harmful. It is difficult enough as it is to convince someone with ADD to get help.The adult ADDer has the same qualities he had as a child
plus more that would only surface once a person became an adult.
These facts would surface with the smallest amount of sincere research.
I am happy that finally someone is looking beyond sympthoms as British Medical Journas. Research on brain shows that “our ADHD symptoms” is normal for the brain of Extroverts or 15% of people. 15% is Introverts and 70% is Ambiversion. Perhaps we are to smart for the 70%? When you have the feeling from early childhood that you does not fit in, how do you then feel? Could part of our symptoms be PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? All my life I have been trying to fit in but when I was so lucky to look at reserches on the brain, I finally found myself and I am thriving with the knowledge that I am not part of 70% of people. I am different and good as I am. NO ADHD THANK YOU
It looks like denial isn’t something experienced only by patients in the MH field. The mentioned discussion(s) in the medical field supports that. Those professionals, of any type, who typically see life in terms of an intellectual pursuit do seem, to me, to study things to death. They seem to forget there are people suffering while they study the” perfecting of perfection”.
The lack understanding in the area of ADHD and, in general, the lack of realization about its reality as well as the genetic and biological influences on ADHD problems is astounding. I work daily with a large group of therapists who think they have a good understanding of ADHD in children and adults. They don’t. Most of them see it as learned behaviors.
Recently I gave a brief lecture to about 50 of my colleagues on the subject. It became apparent that many still remained under the impression that behavioral interventions alone are effective with ADHD, whatever the level of severity. Many expressed doubt of the actual existence of a diagnostic construct termed ADHD .Almost as a group they viewed the majority of ADHD issues as learned behaviors, and, they still tend to attribute the cause of the great majority of ADHD behavior problems to poor parenting. I guess Freud would appreciate that viewpoint .Many seemed surprised when they were told parenting issues are not the cause of ADHD that poor parenting only exacerbates it. I did tell them that the one thing, I believe, the parents did do which caused their child’s ADHD. The parents did what comes natural to most of us, they had children.
Many were genuinely shocked when they were informed that without medication behavioral interventions typically only work minimally, at best.
My experience with ADHD has been both personal and professional. I’m a school psychologist, adjunct psychology instructor for upper division students, and, have a significant family /child, clinical and forensic background.I have seen many cases of ADHD in children and adults. The personal components are that I raised a daughter with ADHD and my parent had me evaluated for it at age 15 in 1964. The psychologist gave me whatever diagnosis it was then and informed my parent that I would out grow it. I’m still waiting for that to happen. I’m 61.
Whatever it’s called it is real and has a significant impact, negative and positive, through the entire lifespan for a large number of children and adults.The literature backs that up.
I could go on about this but I think you get the idea. My colleagues are front line MH professionals and seemingly unaware of the reality of ADHD as a pretty consistent set of behaviors in adults and children as are most DSM IV diagnoses. I guess that if group of academically oriented physician’s can’t decide on ADHD’s reality then what’s the surprise? They don’t have to deal with the actual day to day issues neither professionally nor personally.
Well said Dr. John Jenette. As a long time advocate on behalf of AD/HD adults, I am so grateful that you and others here are out there, everyday, educating healthcare professionals. Thank you.
Your points illustrate well the importance of anyone seeking help for AD/HD to contact their closest AD/HD organization for referral to a list of healthcare providers known to have a strong interest in diagnosing and treating AD/HD. But I’d go further. I would also talk with other AD/HD adults and parents of AD/HD children to narrow that list to those providers best able to meet that individual’s, couple’s, or family’s unique needs.
And if there is no AD/HD organization nearby, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) often can provide referrals. An internet search on “ADHD support” or “NAMI” that includes your city or a large city near you will often lead you to information on an AD/HD organziation near you.
Every medical and mental health professional has their own personal bias based on their training, experience, and personal beliefs. It is only through education about AD/HD – (it’s diagnosis and treatment) – that we are able to recognize if we are receiving appropriate care.
In my experience, some of the best healthcare providers, though there are notable exceptions, are those who have been personally impacted by AD/HD and are determine to provide help based on the best current knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work.
These AD/HD organizations, NAMI too, need our support. Do what you can. Attend their meetings, volunteer, donate money. And if one of these organizations or a healthcare provider has been particularly helpful to you or someone you love, send them a thank you.
yes that is really great.
it is still almost impossible to find any doctor to even consider prescribing stimulants to a kid let alone an adult.
fortunately, I researched extensively and was prepared to make my case to the right doctor finally, and he gave me a chance.
and that is all i needed, since once medicated, my life turned around for the best, and it all went up from there.
the research is out there, and MD,s cant argue with the facts. do the testing, do a trial, and monitor to see the results. give people a chance especially the patients with very limiting symptoms.
when I was 16 I couldnt’ even get out of bed anymore.
my diagnosis by 19 states ” can not function without methylphenidate” which seems a bit strong, but it was true.
people hear “stimulants” or “narcotics” and think “bad drug” . cant blaim but, the symptoms people have still exist and they still need to be treated.
they should be more concerned about the depression medication and valium they over prescribe, THAT is something i feel definitly unnecessary with a lot more patients than trying to give deserved patients stimulant medication to treat a real powerful problem
I am located in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada and have surprisingly found that
the existence of adult ADD is unfortunately still up in the air.
I was finally diagnosed at age 38 in hopes that it would help my kids gets a diagnosis (My boys 11,14 are now also diagnosed) they slipped through an earlier diagnosis because our add is inattentive vs hyperactive. My doctor truly questioned my diagnosis and made go to a psychologist to be diagnosed ($400 later) I have always been a high functioning person and it makes it even harder for my diagnosis.
My dosing of concerta is working best at a 54mg in the am and a 36mg 2-3 hours later. This is way beyond what my family doctor feels comfortable giving me. As there is a shortage of psychiatrists locally she referred me to the local mental health clinic intake program.
The intake worker actually told me that they don’t treat ADD and also told me that ADD is not a mental illness. She said it will be unlikely that any psychiatrist will take my case. (great healthcare ?! System)
At every turn I am met with the opinion that I a m a drug seeking nutjob or that I am going to jepordize my health at higher doses.
In reviewing others experiences online my dose is very common.
I believe that inattentive ADD is getting missed or misdiagnosed in great numbers and that our entire society is suffering as a result.
I pray that the the awareness and help for this cause increases .
I love how people want to say that ADHD in children does exist but somehow it magically disappears when you hit a magical age. I’m 23 and I’m not getting any better. In fact my memory is getting worse and often times I feel like I’m missing huge chunks of my memory because no matter how much I try to remember I can’t. So I write myself notes and things like that. It’s amazing how we claim that the stigma is gone when it in fact is not gone. At my job my manager told me to such it up and deal with it when I asked him to go over something again with me, and when I told him I have bad memory due to my severe ADHD he told me that’s not a real condition in adults and I need to just realize that I can’t use it as a crutch.
Stigma’s are not gone, and this condition doesn’t go away.
why are you being so critical of a debate? Cancer is a certitude, and so are heart diseases. There are very clear symptoms and one cannot diagnose bad mood for cancer. But with ADHD, DSM allows the possibility of long term poorly organized and motivated people to be diagnosed with ADHD. This is a fact that raises a question: is it then not possible that things are pretty much the same for most of those diagnosed? Is it not possible that those are people who just don’t fit the system not because they are different, but because no imaginable system could integrate the diversity provided by the human species? Maybe not all of us need order, and even if we do, maybe not all of us accept the outer order as the one and only way. Maybe ADHD people are unhappy with what being alive means, without knowing this. Civilization requires the sacrifice of personal freedom to a degree not always comfortable. And those who are either spectacularly lazy or amazingly creative don’t fit in. so, maybe ADHD is a myth. One emerged and sustained by the health business, to which you are being very supportive thank you very much.
Maria,
The reason I’m being critical of the debate is the fact that almost all of the time – when people argue against the existence of ADHD, it is usually done in a way which puts down people who live with it, and struggle with it. I can’t stand for that.
There are some people who engage in a real debate on the nosology and phenomenology of ADHD. You can be sure they don’t say things like: “One emerged and sustained by the health business, to which you are being very supportive thank you very much.”, or ‘(they may be) spectacularly lazy’.
we can just simply base it from the root cause – ADD/ADHD has always been associated with. – kids , being hyperactive – lets give them a quick fix drug – but from years and years of new research and knowledge, and now .. knowing it is with Adults too .. and with many many different forms.
these are just as any other lack of .. ; chemicals to function properly . it is very serious now. – for the people that really DO suffer –
there is no question
period.
otherwise, read about it. there is enough about this now. its no longer a stigma and if you think that way better start reading up and learning about it again.
ok.
I have been diagnosed with adhd recently at 31, it is almost impossible to get diagnosed. So many psychiatrists want no part of you. Then if they do see you they want a $1200 test done which you usually have to pay for out of pocket. I was lucky. I found a well respected neuropsychologist that just talked to me over the phone for 20 minutes,cause I couldnt afford the test. After just the comversation he diagnosed me witha classic case of severe adhd combo. One of the worst he’s come in contact with. It took me 2 weeks to find a psychiatrist to treat me. Once again I was lucky the psychiatrist knew of the neuropsychologist and his great reputation. It only took 21 years, but I finally got the diagnosis Ive known ive had since I was 10. So Maria if you don’t believe come to boston and wear my size
13s for a few days without meds. I promise you’ll never question it again. I’ve suffered for along time because of it. Go share your ignorance with the idiots that wrote the article. This is place we with the fake disorder come for help and support. I’ve lived with enough negativity my whole life no need for anymore from the peanut gallery.
Where the Stigma comes from: Probably the answer, maybe just a theory.
My name is Henry, I’m Twenty nine years of age, an american, and I have ADHD, and man do I have it bad. And you know what else? I have been put down by employers and fired from jobs and even my family makes fun of me for having something that I have been diagnosed with since I was in fourth grade. I also know part of the reason why there is such a stigma associated with ADHD, just from my battle with it, but I’ll get to that in a second.
So I actually graduated from University after failing out and then getting back in and yeah seven years later I obtained a degree from a top mid-west college with a degree in philosophy. I also am a creative writer and this is part of the problem, a combination of adhd and my imagination that produces often aimless run on sentences. But I’ll try my best with this comment cause you all seem like professional and caring folk.
So I had to go through three tests and psychological exams after I went to college cause my school was in a different city than my family doctor, who since I was a kiddo just wrote me scripts for Ritalin and adderal, without even running a test, as the doctors of academia were doing. This might be part of that stigma that your taking about. People that have family doctors can just tell their doctor they think they have add and the doctor will just give them drugs for it. I mean luckily I always had adhd but could you imagine if I didn’t, i just thought I did all those years?
When I went to the University doctors they were professional and dug into my symptoms and it took three long weeks and spending almost 1500 dollars that I didn’t have before I could get my medication. And man, thats the problem. Its the drugs man, and thats the truth. The remedy, the cure for adhd is also why people who suffer from this condition, and let me tell you if you really have adhd its like being locked into your mind, you know you are smart but for some reason you cant find the energy and that concentration to focus on a single thought or vision for more than a few moments, then bam! your wanting to go to sleep, cause I mean whats the bother? Your mind wont focus, your life is a waste, cause man society wants focus, and they want you to focus on a thousand things at once. And most people like you can do this,. But if you really have adhd, like I said it feels allot like that movie the Diving Bell and the Butterfly and the guy who got locked in Syndrome; if you truly have attention deficit disorder you just cant do what you know you should be able and can do. Of course this leads to depression in patients with adhd, which leads to drinking, which leads to losing Girlfriend, which leads to losing job, which leads to society calling you a total bum of sorts. This stigma that has been created by our society now a days that tells us to trust psychology and our doctors, and I think we should cause they are professionals, their not out to get us and push drugs like some political and pseudo-intellectuals propagate. This stigma leads to total hell for some, to total hell if they are not prescribed, and in hell whats the point other than just sleeping.
Luckily when I couldn’t get my meds four months at a time I faked my way through it for a while and bought my cure, the drugs off of the street, from my friends, from college kids from IVY league schools. And this is that stigma. The stigma is associated with how much the cure for our disease ROCKS for people who have to pull all nighters three out of five days to study all those over priced books. Its everywhere and they charge as much as ten bucks a pill and then the doctors wonder if your just trying to get the meds, cause people love it so much.
Its like this, I dont know, but my grandmother takes lipatore for her heart or something, and she’s eighty-two and it has allowed her to live a great life, and if she did not take it well, maybe I would not have her around. But what if that Lipatore was awesome and college kids took it to study chemistry for forty eight straight hours, when they did nothing the entire semester, and after taking the exam they got the best grade in the class? Well then maybe doctors would question the impact that the drug Lipatore has on making the heart beat more efficiently. I don’t know. But I’m sure its the drug and this is a drag for the percentage of young adults who are very good people and take our medication, our cure, our hope for a better life not to get a buzz but rather to merely live a loving and successful life.
The adhd stigma comes from the drugs and the youth who take the controlled cure (which is level 2 in USA) and make it one of the most illegal substance on college campus, within eighteen to thirty years olds in the year 2011. Thats the answer. Thats why even people my age don’t believe I have ADHD. They think I just like to get High or something of a rather.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe those people are right, maybe I don’t really have adhd….
Henry – thanks for taking the time to share your perspective. I appreciate it (and it was well written!)
Henry James,
You couldn’t explain it better! I was diagnosed with ADHD just last year. Everyone thought I was smart, but that I wasn’t applying myself…yet in my fourth year of university I would pull 16 hour days in class and at the Library. I would attempt to study, READ, and would have gotten through 10 pages of work with another 300 more. In class I completely get it, but going through it in my head I can’t concentrate on a concept long enough to link it the following and bam…..hopelessness runs in. I never had to study until my third year of university. All through high school I never once opened up a textbook, made honor roll with distinction with no efforts at all. I failed out my first year of university because I had absolutely no clue how to study with the multiple different approaches, I never had to.
I was referred to the disabilities center here at my university, and went through a variety of tests and scored with 98%. I couldn’t believe it and was in denial because I believed ADHD was a ‘disorder or disability as everyone views it in our society’. I was reassured that some of the most brilliant people in our world have ADHD…I still put in the same efforts, studying long hours at the library, as do many other students but I can now have a social life as well. I am not depressed, I feel more alive than ever before. I don’t feel trapped in my own mind, my thoughts make sense, which I always thought they did. My only problem before was organizing them.
As for the ‘laziness theory’, I know some of the most hardworking people, as individuals with ADHD. My father for example pertains to that ‘driven by a motor symptom’ as do I; but if we were able to organize our thoughts and behaviors we wouldn’t have to waste so much precious energy on one bloody task, we could have gotten 5 more done in that span of time. Medication for me, makes me become ‘lazy’, slowing me down to become more efficient, and decreased impulsiveness. (extreme example: Individuals in prisons with misdiagnosed ADHD and the impulsive, inattention and hyperactive behaviors; stigmatized by individuals claming that ADHD is an ‘excuse’, may simply be paying for their meals and shelter with their precious tax dollars. But that person who could have had a diagnosis and therapy or drug treatment, may very likely not be eating up those tax dollars…and instead put their drive elsewhere in a more efficient manner such as a police officer, EMT, or the next big internet sensation (i.e., facebook). Again just an example, but riddle that.
I know some people hate to be on their meds, I feel more like my self on them (a breath of fresh air). Everyone is a different case. We however should not be forced into functioning into our labeled identity within our society. We have freedom, and so we should have the flexibility to complete tasks etc, in a way that we see fit. I do see ADHD/ADD as a a disorder similar to a heart disorder, or a broken limb, If people are stigmatized for the labeling of ADHD/ADD as a disorder, deficient, incapable, LAZY, then yes those comorbidities will be found such as depression, eating disorders, anxiety, OCD etc. If you don’t cast an arm, or give pain kllers, then yes the arm will have difficulty healing and pain will likely be a side effect. This doesn’t affect their intellect or their ability to write with their hand, its just we expect them to write in a certain way.
Obviously the over use of medication for non-diagnosed cases is a problem. But why do people care otherwise? It seems as though some feel too guilty to go into the doctors (as they think ADHD/ADD individuals do) and receive a prescription to cure their ‘laziness’. There are definitely bigger problems in our society, people without the basic necessities, this is not one of them.
“The truth may be puzzling, it may take some time to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant, with what we want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what’s true.” – Carl Sagan
Hi.
I’m a 38-year-old male adult ADHD in Japan.
In searching for information on ADHD medicine I ran into your blog.
Plainly put, Japan is no better than GB. No, we’re in a worse shape.
Existence of adult ADHD is just starting to be recognized by mass media, but the medical society is not quite up to actually helping us. I happened to find a pioneering adult ADHD doctor about 12 years ago, and she prescribed me Ritalin as an off-label medicine.
But one day some stupid doctor was arrested for prescription of Ritalin to a drugger knowing he is not really suffering simptoms requiring Ritalin, and all the hell broke loose.
A major paper ran a rally to ban Ritalin, and it worked; application to mental depression was turned down, only leaving narcolepsy. Existance of adult ADHD was completely disregarded.
My doctor managed to grip a supply chain for Concerta for her patients, but without coverage by medical insurance; it costs me $600 a month. And Concerta 27mg capsule once a day just isn’t enough for me; true, it’s better than nothing, but I don’t have the same sensation as when taking Ritalin, the feeling that the pieces in caos in my mind settles into the place where it belongs. I lose things more now, I forget my assignment every day, and my room is like after a tornado.
I’m beginning to think that maybe I should go overseas for a proper treatment and subscription of an appropriate medicine.
What should I do?
Mr. Tanaka,
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Wow. I didn’t know it was that bad.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
1) You could try to get a higher dose of Concerta. Maybe if you could get 54 mg, it could help you more?
2) I was in Hong Kong and there are some doctors there who have experience with ADHD. Maybe a short trip in Asia could lead to you getting the help you need.
Good luck!
Dr. Kenny
I really wish I could get help on starting the process. I have been in complete darkness my entire life. I am not 25 years old and I didn’t know this is what could be wrong with me. I have felt like an outsider all this time. I know Im smarter than this. I know that I have determination and goals deep down, but I never seem to reach my full potential. I cant sit still, I cant focus, I can’t even watch a movie without being distracted by something. Is there any way you could help my doctors diagnose me properly? I feel like Adult ADHD is not taken seriously where I am. I need help.
CR, I encourage you to find a local or regional AD/HD group to get referrals to psychiatrists known to regularly treat adult AD/HD so you’re concerns are taken seriously and addressed.
There’s a number of ways to do this. One is to go to contact Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CHADD) at http://www.chadd.org/ to find a chapter near you. Another is to do a search on “ADHD support [your city and state]” to find a parent or adult AD/HD group – (either type of group can provide the referrals you need). If none are found, continue the same search but with other nearby cities until you find a group, then contact them.
For ongoing support as you navigate the diagnostic and treatment process, a well established, ongoing, active discussion forum for AD/HD adults is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Forums, found at http://www.addforums.com/ If this website does not allow publication of websites, do a search on the organization and forum names I mentioned and you’ll find them.
Good luck.
I’ve been reading the blog and am not sure this is the place to ask questions but since it seems to be related to this thread..the stigma of having ADD… I will ask. My son is 28. I have known since he was 15 that there was something different about him but I could never figure out what. He’s been through a lot (alcohol, drugs, lost jobs etc).He felt for awhile that no matter what he did it was not good enough. I stumbled upon ADD info on line and its often like feeling someone has been eavesdropping on our lives, its so accurate. My question is ..how can I suggest to him that this might be applicable to him without making him feel again that he is somehow “less than” or “not good enough”?
Mamellen
That is exactly how I feel when I read about adhd. Its like I’m reading my life story.
Hello, I don’t know where to begin!! I’m a 33yr old male and father or two boys (5&7) and I’ve yet to be diagnosed, but I think I have a form of ADHD or something, my problem is even though all the reading I’ve done I still find myself mak
ing some excuses why I can’t bring myself to seek out help. I’m going through a divorce (after 10yrs) and it was my choice, I felt like things just weren’t there anymore and I couldn’t live a lie any longer. She is a very loving and supportive wife and mother and I never cheated (the guilt would KILL me). Now that I’m on my own (and have my kids half the time) I’m finding that I’m not as independent as I thought! She was basically caring for me and the kids. She did all the finances, planning of appointment and events and even now that we’re split she want to be at dr apt. just cause she knows I won’t remember the whole conversation with the dr.. Now my house, car and life is completely cluttered and without any organization! I had cancer at the age of 13 and beat it and felt like I went through puberty in the hospital! I’ve never had a long term relationship until my ex cause I would always screw it up somehow, I dropped out of 9th grade 3 times but couldn’t sit and read or listen for that long (I’d rather be moving and working in construction as that was tha job I found) than sit in class! I’ve been diagnosed with RLS cause or my legs always moving (my ex says its like sleeping on a boat) and rubbing my hands. My dad was the type of person that said “its all in your head” and “mind over matter” even though I’ve never said to him how I feel like a prisoner in my own head! I’m very artistic and excel in things I’m extremely interested in, yet I can’t commit to a career in anything cause I’m afraid I’ll get bored and never want to do it again! And know matter how much symptom seem to be related to ADHD, I find myself coming up with excuses as to why I’m this way! I’ve been called lazy, disorganized and a major procrastinator along with getting irritable when I feel I’m being controlled or told what or when to do something yet when I have a job that requires leadership and multitasking or coming up with new ways or strategies or thinking of an invention I’m at my best! I’m constantly thinking but can’t focus enough on one thing for a long period of time to do something about it. I find in my down time I just sit and mind f**k myself, thinking of every possible outcome until its too much and I start thinking of something else! I often wake up in the morning and turn on the tv (knowing what needs to be done) and think and think till I realize its dinner time and I’ve wasted the day away doing NOTHING!!!! I get depress and go through mood swings and that transforms into anxiety when s**t hits the fan then I go into overdrive to pay a bill or clean the house before the kids get to my house. My kids are my driving force, I KNOW I need to do the things they need ( I won’t be a bad daddy) so I go into overdrive, but only a basic need….and that tears me up!
I hate reading….I didn’t even read any of the blogs on this website, I just scrolled down to write and get some stuff off my chest!!
Not that I will do what anyone says, but is this just me mindf**king myself is is it really something that can be controlled????????
PLEASW respond!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Medication will change your life. Make the appointment and go. Make sure that you go.
I live with 3 add males. Your story is not unusual. Meds really do make a world of difference
Wow! My daughter was recently diagnosed, at her insistence, with ADD. She iis 18. I really thought she wanted the meds to help her study at college. Then she also insisted on getting additonal time for testing because she said she could not concentrate during exams, would lose focus and ultimately not finish the exam. And then I strated seeing me in her and slowly recognized that she does have ADD (not the hyperactive type). She is always disorganized, her room is a disaster, she is very forgetful. And then I started to see all of those charactersitics in myself as I started to educate myself and read blogs such as this. I have lost jobs (not directly) due to my disorganization and inability to concentrate on compicated tasks and follow through. I have long standing substance abuse problems due to what I think has been boredom due to inability to find pleasure in hobbies or or simply have the ability to get up in the morning and do what needs to be done in life (clean my closet, organize a birthday party, have company over for dinner). I have always envied those that took pleasure in a hobby but cannot fathom sitting down and, for example, making a scrap book with my pictures. I would lose my mind yet I can sit on the coach and watch tv all day. Looking back at my life, I was always laughed at by my friends for being forgetful, being “spacey” having no common sense even though I was always on the honor roll. And now I am seeing this same behavior in my 16 year old son. He is very bright, gets almost straight A’s, yet his friends say he is most forgetful person they have ever known. He is disorganized and I also see him in me, he is easily bored.He does have some initiative though and runs cross country and very committed and probably the fastest kid in our school for long distance this year. He lifts weights and is committed to working out every day but I do see many of the signs of ADD (not the hyperactive type), that I see in myself. I don’t watn to do anything so that “lazy” factor that I am reading about is definitely me, I just can’t concentrate on anything. I also have fibromyalgia and thougth the lack of focus and total lack of energy was due to this but it is not just physical energy, it is mental energy. Is this ADD?
ADHD may or may not be real? When you can without a shadow of a doubt diagnose it, then we’ll talk. Otherwise, I say it’s all a scam. I’m refraining from less socially acceptable script…Of course you’re gonna function better on the drugs. That’s why they call them stimulates. Doctors perscribing them are just legal drug dealers.