AD(H)D and anxiety - related? inherited?

[1lydia]

Hi to all, I recently wrote about my suspicions of having ADD,altohugh partly due to its mild form and mostly because when I was a kid this condition was fairly unknown where I live I have never been diagnosed and actually I've only recently began to suspect having this condition due to concentration problems and tendency to get mildly obsessed with things, plus certain restlessness I seem to exhibit in situations of stress/anger/sadness (e.g. I can't imagine lying in bed or sitting and staring at one point like some people in times of sadness - for me it's the time when I mostly need to go out, to lose myself in something, to stuff my mind with other things in order to forget). I've recently read ADHD often occurs with anxiety and although I don't seem to have a strong anxiety syndrome, I do have (and have had since teen age at least )problems relaxing and I keep getting anxious for trivial reasons, like a few days ago a neghbor borrowed some money from me and I kept saying she won't give it back, I just couldn't get my mind off it. It wasn't a very high sum, but not very low either - I could live without it, but on the other hand it could be spent on some useful things. But I just couldn't stop thinking about it until she came and gave it back. I'm especially nervous when some misunderstanding or risk of misunderstanding occurs, I usually feel like I'm guilty of it although usually there is no way to determine who is more guilty. I also get extremely anxious when someone from my family comes home later than expected or his/her mobile doesn't answer.

Does it sound like a version of anxiety syndrome or can those things be caused by ADHD? I used to blame my parents for giving me low self-esteem and lack of faith in myself and being tense for most of the time, but as I see it now, it's more probable they've only given me "bad" genes: my dad is largely like me, absent-minded, dreamer, not very assertive, tends to get addicted e.g. to video games, so it looks very much like he has ADD too, and my mum is extremely anxious about what time someone comes home at night, when they fail to call , etc. I used to have a hard time with her as a teenager because she would tell me to come home at 10 pm and when I was like 15 minutes late she would stand at the window and look out waiting for me. She used to be impulsive and unpredictable although at a later age ( 50+) she became quieter and more responsible.

So, I've been wondering
1) whether I have something of the anxiety syndrome or just AD(H)D, or maybe I'm "just" inattentive and sometimes overanxious without necessarily having any of the syndromes;
2) whether I have inhererited this condition from my parents - from what I've written about them, does it sound like ADD and anxiety syndromes? Are these conditions often passed on through generations?

I'd be interested in what you think about it.

[1lydia]

Thanks for the reply. As usual I was looking for a simple answer, but it looks like there are no simple answers in the field of psychiatry ;) I guess I simply have a relatively mild version of ADD and a relatively mild version of anxiety (not to mention a relativelymild version of social phobia ;)) But then, since I've been able to live and work somehow, even though I waste a lot of time due to the inability to concentrate and a lot of health due to tendency to worrying about lots of things, I'm still lucky to be able to live a relatively normal life :)

[tschock]

I've read what they say on the internet about ADD/ADHD and I've talked to many doctors...from what I understand (from the doctors) is that everything and yet nothing could be connected to this...ugh.
You have to see a psychiatrist and be tested to know whether or not it's ADHD.
Your doctor can suspect it,but they don't normally pass out pills/label you, without first having you consult a psychiatrist/psychologist.

I know for a fact that anxiety/panic is hereditary as my dad and brother both have it and were told that most disorders are hereditary...but then again,who knows? We are constantly being pushed and pulled in all directions nowadays. No one can agree on anything.
Dr.A says one thing and Dr.B says the opposite.
I have ADD/ADHD and now,because my 18 month old doesn't sleep through the night and he plays like he's the energizer bunny,his pediatrician wants to label him as having it as well. He told me it's hereditary.
My third son has it as well.
Your dad especially sounds like he has it...but he would need to be seen to be diagnosed.
Your mom sounds like a worried mother...she sounds "normal".

I have the same things that you are going through...according to some doctors I have ADHD AND panic and anxiety disorders, AND OCD,etc.
Some say it's all part of the ADHD and it brings on the other problems...some say they are not connected at all and that I merely suffer from half the diseases/disorders out there. (Being sarcastic there.)
They all agree about the ADD/ADHD thing...even complete strangers notice that the first time the meet me...however,the "other" symptoms may or may not be a part of it is the conclusion I come to when talking to the doctors.