Adult diagnosis of ADD/ADHD?

[kristabeth]

I am 35 yr old mother of 4 & I have always joked about having ADD/ADHD but lately it seems to become so apparent not only to me but where friends & even social aquaintences seem to ask if I have ADD/ADHD.  After talking to some friends with ADD I am convinced that some sort of treatment/medication would greatly help my daily function.  How do I begin to see about this?  What kind of doctor do I see.  Is he going to laugh at me as an adult asking about an illness that seems to be diagnosised in childhood?  I just don't even know where to start.  Do you have a good reccomendation on how to begin, what I'm sure will be somewhat of a process?

[RamblingSeminarian]

kristabeth...

My situation is slightly different, but let me explain.  I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 7....off and on meds till I graduated high school (lack of insurance)...although I love school, I struggled immensely in my undergraduate studies.  Just prior to my first year of graduate school, I had to do the required psychological exam (this is required for anyone wishing to become a pastor from my presbytery)....and within that, the psychologist recommended that I look into treatment again.  Of course, being adhd, I didn't follow that advice, with the assumption that I could do it on my own.  It didn't matter how hard or long I studied, I still got C's.  So, at the beginning of this year, I started to look into treatment.  My general practitioner was who I went to see, and he is comfortable treating adult adhd patients.  He and I met....talked about my symptoms, severity, which aspects of life are most affected by them.....and a few questionairre type forms...then we went over that information and decided that it would be a wise decision to start using medications again.  I'm now taking Adderall 20mg three times a day....and doing great with it.  It's very important if/when you do start medication/treatment for it...that you work closely with your doctor....there truly is an art to finding the right med/dose, etc.  Good luck with this....and if you have any questions, I'm happy to help where I can.

[Sandman2]

    ADHD was rarely diagnosed in the 70's and early 80's when you would have been in elementary school. In in the 80's it was usually the boys who received help.  If you were pulling fair grades and were a nice kid, you were probably overlooked.  As far as I know, you never outgrow ADHD.  Either you get a job that doesn't require concentration, you learn coping skills, you get on Meds, or (sometimes) you remain kind of miserable.
    I believe that RamblingSeminarinan gives very good advice.  Don't be afraid to talk to your Doctor.  If your Doctor can't help, talk with your kids Doctor, and ask for referrals.  Your kids Doctor will know how to help.  Also please keep in mind that ADHD is inherited - so keep an eye on your children.  Good Luck

[kristabeth]

thanks for the response.  the more i look into this the more I think I agree with what you were saying about diagnosis in the 70's & 80's.  That seems very true.  I struggled ALL the way thru school. From 1st grade thru my BA degree!  I went to a private prep school & at one point when were in high school taking our college ACT test our school had several of my classmates & myself "tested" for learning disabilities so that we could be diagnosed with something inorder to have our testing not timed.  It was interesting while all that were tested, by the same child psychologist, all were reported to have some disability, none were diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.  I am pretty creative & an out of the box thinker & I can come up with great ideas & plans, but when it comes to carrying out my plans I seldom get started, or if I do get started I seldom am able to finish my project.  Some take years to finish, seriously, & others never get finished.  Recently, I have been taking phentermine (for weightloss after baby #4), & have seen pretty dramatic help in my focus.  This is when I started thinking that maybe I might benefit from medication for ADD/ADHD.  Anyway, thanks for validating my feelings regarding this, I guess I really do need to talk to a doctor.  Surely, it would help me manage a family of 6 more efficiently.

[RamblingSeminarian]

Please let us know what happens!

[Annie565]

What are the symptons of Adult AD?  
I have constant racing thoughts of my past, I never feel rested after sleep, could that be some symptons?

[RamblingSeminarian]

Annie,

The following link will take to the DSM-IV Criteria for ADHD...the same scale is used for adults as it used for children....with the only difference being that on criteria such as getting out of one's seat and such are usually more internal for adults....adults tend to have the self-discipline to stay seated and just fidget...move their feet, tap their fingers etc.  Hope this helps.  

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/symptom.htm


Sherry

[greymatter]

Hi there.  I post only as a result of having done an enormous amount of research after discovering (too late) my parter was ADD/ADHD.  

You may've already been referred to this site as well, but it was very helpful at the time - a good source of information on professional resources.

Also, for what it's worth, I ended up with a voluminous library of hardcopy books. And, though I'm not in a location where I can pull them off my shelves at the moment, if you simply take a quick trip to even Barnes and Noble or Borders; go to their self-help section, you'll find volumes of excellent books on Adult ADD.  Many of these (if they've not already been authored by one) will list physicians, healthcare professionals, etc. that deal with adult ADD directly, as well as professional organizations to tap into.

Good luck.

[greymatter]

woops - sorry. Missed posting the site:

www.ADDforums.com

Hope there's no problem posting.  

Great source of info devoted solely to ADD and those of ADD partners.