Adult ADD? BiPolar? Personality Disorder?

[coconuts27]

As a child I was very hyperactive, as a teen, rebellious, promiscuous and depressed. As an adult, I have been through a lot. A single mother, I have tried hard to support my kids, whether it meant two jobs, dancing or prostitution. I am very smart, always have been. Until recently, I really didnt think there was anything wrong with me, butI have been seeking therapy for a few years now because I cant seem to get my life in order. I quit all my jobs after 6 months, never complete anything, cant keep a relationship, I'm always throwing my life out of wack. I was diagnosed at 13 with manic depression because I had attempted suicide. Then at 16 and 17 with postpartum depression. More recently I have been told I had bipolar 2 now its personality disorder. I have researched all of these, but I think I have ADD. I try to tell my doc, but he thinks I just want the adderol. Yes I want the adderol because that was the only thing that has ever helped me. Ive tried it all, zoloft, cymbalta, paxil, lexapro, wellbutrin. None of these work for me. How do you know the difference between all of these disorders?

[gemstone89]

hey how are you doing?
wow sounds like you have got alot on your plate there!
well what you decribed, the leaving jobs, not completing things and so on is EXACTLY what i felt like! Those are very common ADHD characteristics believe me! I only got diagnosed 6 months ago (august 2007) with ADHD (I was 17 then, am 18 now). I was failing school, couldnt keep friends, changed jobs, sports, spent money like crazy, you name it I did it. And because i didnt no what was going on it gave me anxiety. My best advice is try ADHD medication, since ive been taking it Ive gained control of everything and have stopped taking meds for anxiety because believe it or not, I only had anxiety because the ADHD was not diagnosed or being treated! Because you feel like you have no control, you become depressed and scared, its common! But, the annoying thing is, most doctors discard the ADHD as a possibility, because many believe its only a child's disorder! Many people who i saw said it was just crazy that ADHD was what i had. Its a common misconception that children grow out of ADHD, but this is wrong, you have ADHD all your life. The severity of it calms down with age but you will always experience it in one way or another. Just dont give up, and give the ADHD meds a go, they saved my life and im sure they could do the same for you! :)
Hope i could of been some help to you, if you have any more questions just ask! cheers!

[Spooty]

I can understand your confusion, ADD is often misdiagnosed as Bi-Polar, Depression etc.  I was diagnosed at 39yrs old, I was on anti-depresants for over 10 years as I was treated for post traumatice stress disorder (which can be common in people with ADD as they can scare easily), since I have been on meds for ADD I know longer take anti-depressantsm I have my anxiety under control and  as I feel good about myself I no longer comfort eat and have lost 20 kilos, I had the dame as you , I reallly felt that I was going insane as I could not figure out what was wrong, I was unsettled, could not last in a job more than 6 months, never lasted at anything, you have a lot of the symptoms of ADD, do you have problems with completing anything because you loose interest, can you sit through a movie that does not hold your attention, are you impulsive, do you get easily frustrated and always feel rushed in a  hurry, do you get road rage and feel like you have to race everyone, are you moody, do you feel happy one minute?  do you have days where you are down? do you feel like you are getting no where in life?  all of these are symptoms of ADD, it really sounds like this is what you have, get assesed and try the meds, it is trial and error untill you get the right dose but now that I am there I feel great, I am happy and feel even (especially with regards to meed swings).  good luck

[coconuts27]

Wow, I feel like you really know me. All that is totally me. I have given up on my doctors though. They're idiots. I've told them over and over again that its add, but they dont believe me. I'm taking wellbutrin, but it dont work. I'm done trying their antidepressants. I'm moving soon, and hopefully I'll find a real doctor who knows what they're talking about.

[jessikaspaz]

I feel that my ADHD has intensified with age. I finally had to get meds just to function!