Why won't anyone believe me?

[Chammie]

I am a junior in college now, and the last semester of my sophomore year, I began to lose my mind, or at least that's what it felt like.  I was an excellent student previously, but that semester, my grades began to slip because I could no longer focus on my school work.  I would continue to go to class, but so much of the time my mind would wander or just go blank.  I even tried to practice mindfulness and notice when my mind was starting to wander and then consciously bring it back to focusing on the lecture.  It didn't help.  My room became a mess.  I began losing everything: my notes, my books, my keys.  I would make appointments with teachers and then completely forget about them.  I then read an article about adult onset ADD and found that I could relate to so many of the symptoms that wee described.  So I went to a psychiatrist this summer and explained to him my concerns but he refuted them and said that adults can't get ADD if they weren't diagnosed as a child, so he put me on anti anxiety drugs instead.  The only effect that have had on me is that I am now lethargic and jumpy, all at the same time.  I have been on this med for almost three months now and it has not helped with any of my symptoms.  How can I get my doctor to believe me and actually listen to me?

[specialmom]

are you a drug rep?  Just curious . . .

[thejoyofmotherhood]

It definitely sounds to me like your Doctor does not have a clue. Or perhaps he/she is not keeping up with current literature.

Here is what to do: make another appointment, tell him you feel pretty strongly about ADD diagnosis,and  demand he give you prescription for ADHD medicines. Stress that you want to "try it out". The medicine cannot hurt you. Also tell him that the medicine he put you on, did not do a thing for you.

[Sandman2]

  Ya Chammie, I agree with all of the above.  I don't know who your psyc is, but he has no clue.  GET A DIFFERENT DOCTOR NOW.  What med did he put you on?
  By the way,  severe stress can cause a lot of the same symptoms, but you don't deal with it the way he did.  I mention this cause ADHD won't suddenly appear. However it is possible that you always had it and were able to compensate until last year.
  If you do have to deal with the same doctor start communicating with him.  Getting help is a two way street and he needs to know what is going on.  You also might see if your college has a doctoror counselor on staff that can help.
  Keep communicating with us.  We will listen!!

[CR_ST_NA]

i have adult ADHD, but im sure i've had it all along, just was never diagnosed  as a child. the only way i found an answer to why i felt so different was to pray and give my frustration to God and trust that He was going to bring the right answer and diagnosis through the right person, place, thing or doctor. i was finally diagnosed with ADHD with depression and im on the right meds (i feel) for the first time in my life. I KNOW IT SOUNDS KOOKEY AND IM NOT A RELIGIOUS NUT, IM JUST A GIRL WHO WAS DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS. i believe God WILL direct us in our medical needs if we "Let Him!!!" you will be in my prayers.... just know that you are not alone..christina

[specialmom]

Perhaps you are on the wrong meds.  What about depression-----  it sneaks up and takes hold in the manner you describe as well.  Are you currently taking an SSRI?  

I haven't read too much about adult onset ADD other than adults that did have some issues as a child but were never diagnosed.  In their adult life they are then diagnosed and treated.  They almost always had difficulty with the same issues as a child.  As ADD/ADHD is a developmental delay of the nervous system-----  I'm not sure how it could "start" as an adult.  You'd most likely have noticed things before.  Perhaps I'm ignorant on this subject and you are talking about something I don't know about.  But if you think you have adult onset ADD that is affecting you for the first time now perhaps you should see a neurologist that specializes in this.

Don't get sucked into thinking taking ADD drugs will change your circumstance.  Work on your issues one by one and try to solve them.  There is not an easy answer to ADD.  No simple pill will fix it and someone with this delay does better by addressing it in many ways including learning to be organized and developing ways to remind them to do things like keep appointments (appointment/schedule book?).  

I do have a good friend that went to a very small private school.  It was super fancy and expensive and catered to the students like no other school I've ever heard of.  When my friend started college, she had all sorts of problems.  The big lecture halls were a disaster for her and she had focas/listening problems too.  It turns out that she had some auditory issues in her sensory system where she couldn't adequately tune out background noise.  Her small private K through 12 school catered so much to her that it went unnoticed.  She did certain things to help her but she struggled through college and didn't quite finish.  She did go on to have a good job, get married and have children.  So odd things like this can go on-----  

Good luck and I hope you figure it out.  I would look into depression however because lack of concentration is a big indicator of this (as a mental health professional for eons).