I think I may have ADHD

[amalthia]

I was reading yahoo news or maybe it was the New York Times and I ran across a ADHD checklist located: Here and scarily enough on many of the items I scored an often. :(

Not sure what to do with the information or if I should rely on a self diagnosis.

Comments

[waketosleep]

I think if you have attention problems and you'd like to go see a doctor who'll inevitably give you pills for it, then do that. Otherwise, you've lived this long.

[amalthia]

"Otherwise, you've lived this long."

yeah that's kind of what I was thinking too. :) It's just interesting to find out that I may be a touch ADHD. I do okay when I read so I guess it can't be all that bad and I hear people who fidget burn more calories throughout the day...

[waketosleep]

>and I hear people who fidget burn more calories throughout the day...

lolll

I have ADHD symptoms too. They interfere sometimes but mostly I cope pretty well. And I couldn't afford the pills, so.

[amalthia]

I've been like this my whole life and did well academically. But the part that worries me professionally is the being impatient for other people to finish speaking and sometimes I lose control and interrupt. :( It's something I'm really working on but if I get too comfortable with people I tend to do that often. With my friends we just keep going and it's no big deal but at work that can be problematic....

[waketosleep]

Coworkers: way too touchy most of the time

[amalthia]

This is true! lol

[zillahseye]

Oh God, according to any adult ADHD test I score ten zillion. I can't afford any meds, so I only assume that I should shut up and cope until I can. :-/

[amalthia]

I didn't realize the meds would be so expensive. :( Hugs.

[cathalin]

Yeah my husband scores off the charts on those and there's no doubt. For him, it's manageable and he's been able to be successful but has learned a ton of little things to try to keep his life together (and zip his mouth shut haha not always successful there)).

For a woman I met in a master's program though, who was a mom and in her 40s, discovering she had it and then getting treatment in the form of meds made a HUGE difference in her life. Like, she was so affected by it she really couldn't have held a professional job before. Even now she struggles but she describes it as a fog she'd been in her whole life lifting.

Seems like as with a lot of things, the question is whether it's affecting your life negatively in a way that interferes with your goals/happiness. <3

[amalthia]

I've never held a professional job before so I'm not sure if it really affects my life in a negative way. I've always been like this.

I think I will have to give this some thought and consideration. Maybe bring it up with my doctor during my next yearly exam. I'm now wondering how much more I can accomplish if I could concentrate on tasks at hand for longer than five minutes at a time or control my impatience better.

[cathalin]

I'm not trying to be a pusher, haha, but I will tell you this... the meds they give are extremely short acting. The longest acting one, concerta, now does last twelve hours, but most of the meds last only four to six hours or so. And as far as they now know, they don't do any harm. So, one thing you could do is TRY it for, say, a week, just during the peak time for concentration in your day -- for example, if you have to work or study in the morning. There probably isn't any harm in trying it -- they leave one's system super quickly (in fact, that's one of the issues for people). Anyway, worth thinking about! They don't really build up, either, and the effects are within half an hour to an hour of taking it so... you could see what happened. <3

Also there are tons of management techniques on various online sites, mainly having to do with organization. Some of the other behaviors are harder to manage, but with practice one can kind of spot it in oneself and try to bring your brain back to the task at hand. :)

[amalthia]

lol, thanks for the info on how the drugs work. :) That was something of a concern of mine so knowing that they don't have long term side affects makes me a bit more willing to try it out to see if it makes a difference.

I'm going to have to bring this up with my doctor and see what she recommends. :)

As for controlling my mouth I just have to keep reminding myself to wait until the other person is finished talking! But then I'm so busy concentrating on that I miss the rest of the conversation. :(

[devon]

Some meds are more expensive than others. The non-time-release tablets are quite cheap, and even the time-release are available in generic for almost all strengths. Well, I guess "expensive" is relative. Without insurance, I would be paying $30 a month for a low dose of generic Adderall, the blend of amphetamines that works best for most people.

[amalthia]

30 is quite a bit if on a limited budget. But it's not as bad as I thought it would be, some of my grandmother's medicines are 200 a month.

[astridv]

Huh, I'm pretty convinced I'm not a candidate for ADHD (I'm good with tedious tasks even if I hate them), but on a number of questions I scored a 'very often' when I would've thought that they applied to everybody. I mean: When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started? - isn't that something really common?

Interesting, anyway. 1 and 2 are a clear 'never' but 3-6, not so much. I caught myself fidgeting with my hands as I was reading that question. ;)

[amalthia]

My husband said to leave the diagnosis to the doctors which makes sense they do have more experience. :)

"I mean: When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started? - isn't that something really common?"

I don't know anyone that purposely starts an assignment/homework/work project before they have to. I think that's what made Hermione Granger so unique in Harry Potter.

[blnchflr]

I think most people, myself included, could answer in the affirmative, but I don't think it means we all have ADHD.

Rather I think it's indicative of a self-centered view where everyone else has it so easy, and the protagonist is one of the chosen few Suffering. This rubs me the wrong way, same as someone on the internet thinking they're a speshul snowflake for having mental problems. Really, on the internet you think that makes you special O_o ??

Big Pet peeve, sorry for sounding bitchy!

[amalthia]

Um, some of what you said kind of went over my head...

I think it's too easy for people to try and self diagnosis based off what they read online or out of medical books. I know for myself I tend to over-worry when I see articles like this and I fit some of the criteria. However, there is a good chance that some people do have a medical condition they don't realize they have until they see an article that describes their situation perfectly.

Having said all that, while I may worry I may have a medical condition I don't run out to the drug store to self medicate. I ask my doctor for advice and if she say I'm in the clear I trust her judgement. Doctors should have the training to truly diagnosis a condition.

I think with all our gadgets and emails and connection to the internet more adults are exhibiting symptoms of ADHD. I read an article saying excessive multi-tasking ruins concentration and etc...