Is this ADD ADHD?

[thelastkiss113]

Hello there

Ever since I can remember, I have been annoyed by a lot of noises and actions that people do.  It started out with eating noises, I hated people that ate with their mouth open, chewed gums, crunched, smacking or made sounds with their mouth when eating.  I used to have to plug my ears, leave the area, or yell at the person because it gave me so much discomfort and anxiety.  I could not / and still cannot focus on what I was doing because of the other person, and it made me very angry at the person for doing it.  

Now it has escalated to seeing people doing things like tapping their foot or pencil.  I have to block the person out of my view otherwise it disturbs me, and when I do this, I am still bugged by the fact that I know they are still doing it.  Sometimes I have to leave the area or move to a different part of the room because I cannot concentrate in class.  Is this ADHD ?  

Also, I have self-diagnosed myself as bi-polar and so has everyone else, but I don't know if this comes with being bi polar---it just happens to escalate my mood swings when something like this happens

thanks

[Fuzzz]

That's so interesting to me.  I have ADD, and the noises that bother me are ones that are loud and repetitive.  Loud TV, yelling, loud voices that can't be ignored because of the tone, loud bonging or sirens, loud whistles, things like that completely ruin my concentration and get my adrenaline up in an angry or anxious way.  At one job, the little kids used to pull the fire alarm all the time because of where the thing was located (distracted parents would hold their kids right next to it, and the kid could reach out and grab it).  I would have to leave the building until it was fixed!  

But in my previous work as a transcriptionist, sometimes dictators would be eating while dictating.  Other MTs would get furious when it happened to them, but for me it actually caused a relaxation response as I effortlessly interpreted their dictation even as they chewed, slurped and swallowed, and I felt like we were having a relaxed lunch together instead of working.  Isn't that odd how different a reaction to the same sounds can be?  

[sroselli]

Hi!

So...I completely feel your pain!  I was diagnosed with AD/HD when I was 23 and hypersensitivity to repetitive noises like you report can be common in people with AD/HD.  I know that people talking on their cell phones near me in public places drives me absolutely CRAZY!  Also, people with AD/HD can be misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder because of the mood swings that are often seen in people with AD/HD.  The book mentioned by Crys6, "Driven to Distraction" is certainly an EXCELLENT resource.  However, if you are a female, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND "Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your Life" by Sari Solden (interestingly, Hallowell and Ratey, the authors of Driven to Distraction, both wrote a forward in her book).  This book focuses on females with AD/HD because the disorder often manifests itself differently in females and males.   Also, I am so interested in the topic of females with AD/HD, that I wrote my Master's Thesis on the topic.  Therefore if you're interested in reading it, you can email me at ***@**** and I will email you my thesis (don't worry, I won't charge you; I just don't want anyone else to have to suffer like I did, and it makes me FURIOUS that I had to suffer and struggle NEEDLESSLY for SO MANY years with the disorder when there is so much information and help out there!).  

Lastly, I have found that using my i-pod to play music distracts my brain enough so I don't get annoyed at people making repetitive noises that can really bother me.  Maybe you can work out a deal with your teachers/professors so that you can use your i-pod to help you concentrate.  (As a high school teacher, I negotiate with some of my students with AD/HD that they can use their i-pods AS LONG AS they stay on task, no one else can hear the music, and if it does not cause any distractions in, or out, of my classroom at school.  These students find it so helpful that they do everything they can to make sure their i-pod does not distract anyone because they know that they will immediately lose the priviledge.)

Good luck!!!! :)

[Crys6]

My doc diagnosed me with bi-polar and sent me to a pysc doc. The pysc doc told me I have ADD and alot of docs misdiagnos because bi-polar and ADD have alot of the same symptoms. You sound alot like me and my symptoms. I have been reading a book that has been very helpful and amazing and think you could benifet from it." Driven to Distraction" Recognizing and coping with ADD By Edward M Hallowell,M.D.,and John J. Ratey,M.D.

[hippycrusher]

sup,
sounds like hyper focous, maby a slight case of add.
But if it is, try not to focous on the hyper focous cuz its a self fueling prolblem