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Old 03-05-2004, 12:08 PM   #1
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fastplant HB User
Adult ADD?

Does anyone know anything about this? I think I may have it, but this is based off of the little knowledge I have about it. I'm also a little embarrassed to ask my doctor about it. I basically have no attention span. I am 25 year old male. I eat healthy and get moderate sleep. But I cannot focus on anything for too long. I also have a really bad memory for things I need to do, unless I write it down I can't remember. This is affecting every area of my life, what do you guys suggest before I talk to my doctor.

 
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Old 03-05-2004, 12:18 PM   #2
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oceanchic HB User
Re: Adult ADD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by fastplant
Does anyone know anything about this? I think I may have it, but this is based off of the little knowledge I have about it. I'm also a little embarrassed to ask my doctor about it. I basically have no attention span. I am 25 year old male. I eat healthy and get moderate sleep. But I cannot focus on anything for too long. I also have a really bad memory for things I need to do, unless I write it down I can't remember. This is affecting every area of my life, what do you guys suggest before I talk to my doctor.
How long have you been noticing symptoms? Have you done research on the web about ADD? There are a lot of great site's that have lists of Add traits. Short attention span is only one of the symptoms, have you noticed anything else?

 
Old 03-05-2004, 12:48 PM   #3
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fastplant HB User
Re: Adult ADD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by oceanchic
How long have you been noticing symptoms? Have you done research on the web about ADD? There are a lot of great site's that have lists of Add traits. Short attention span is only one of the symptoms, have you noticed anything else?

Maybe, I really don't know the symptoms so I couldn't tell you if they match. I'm always tired. No matter how much sleep I get. I think that's somehow related. What are some good site I should check out, and thanks for the help.

 
Old 03-05-2004, 02:33 PM   #4
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oceanchic HB User
Re: Adult ADD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by fastplant
Maybe, I really don't know the symptoms so I couldn't tell you if they match. I'm always tired. No matter how much sleep I get. I think that's somehow related. What are some good site I should check out, and thanks for the help.
I know this is a little long but here are some common symptoms for adults with ADD.

Impulsivity: either in words or actions- this may include impatience, job changes, blunt and tactless speech
Disorganization: poor financial management, piles of stuff, poor planning, chronically late or in a hurry
Inattention/Attention inconsistency: may include trouble listening, difficulty reading, easily distracted, lacks attention to details, short attention span- unless very interested in something- then may be hyperfocused
Noncompliance: rebellious, wants to do things your own way, difficulty with bosses/authority
Social/Interpersonal Difficulties: may have difficulty making friends or keeping friends, sustaining intimate relationships, lack of talking or too much talking, more immature interests
Anger Control/Temper Problems: short-fused, anger outbursts, argumentative, easily irritated, critical
Difficulty Delaying Gratification: difficulty waiting, “I want what I want and I want it now”
Stress Intolerance: more easily overwhelmed by the tasks of daily living, takes on too much work- often never completing it, performance may worsen under pressure- test anxiety, tendency to turn off or become stuck when asked questions in social situations
Hyperactivity/Restlessness: more fidgety, restless, foot wiggling, finger tapping, has to be moving in order to think, an internal sense of anxiety or nervousness, trouble sitting still- such as trouble sitting in one place for too long
Variability of Performance: inconsistent behavioral patterns, erratic work performance
Negative Internal Feelings: chronic sense of underachievement- feeling you should be much further along, chronic problems with self-esteem, mood swings, negativity, feelings of demoralization
Problems With Motivation/Productivity: chronic procrastination or trouble getting started (for required tasks especially), starting tasks but poor follow through, excessive time to complete work due to inefficiencies, enthusiastic beginnings but poor endings
Frequent Search for Stimulation: may be seen in seeking something new, novel, interesting, may seek conflict or be argumentative especially when bored, may seek high risk activities
Sleep/Wake Difficulties: difficulty falling asleep- maybe due to too many thoughts at night, getting a burst of energy at night, difficulty coming awake- may need coffee or other stimulant to get going, periods of low energy especially in the early morning or afternoon, frequently feels tired during the day
Short-Term Memory Problems: forgetful, difficulty remembering what was read or studied the night before, loses or misplaces things often (often great memory for detail in items of interest)
Writing/Fine Motor Difficulties: poor writing skills- difficulty getting information from brain to pen, poor handwriting- often prints

Hope this helps, I know that I can relate with what you said about being tired......on the weekends I can barely get myself out of bed!!

 
Old 03-07-2004, 02:31 PM   #5
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apinecone HB User
Re: Adult ADD?

Hi. I'm new to healthboards but thought I'd chime in here. I definitely relate to most/all of the symptoms in the detailed list.

I am male late 50's and have been diagnosed as alcoholic with adult ADD/inattentive (but can't "rule out" Bipolar/hypomanic) now by 4 separate specialists over the past 6 months. I haven't had any "self-prescribed" meds (i.e. alcohol or drugs) during that time, and have done a lot of study, so I'm pretty-sure-to-sure of the Dx, although most recently family history of thyroidal disorders is entering into the picture.

Of the many things I've learned about this area is that diagnosis and [pharmaco]therapy are not clear cut. There are some MRI-type tests that can be used to show problems in brain vascular (bloodflow) function, both before and after therapy but they're too new/inaccessible/costly for most people.

One thing I've learned is that there's not only uncertainties about ADD diagnosis but there's even more for ADD/Bipolar, since many symptoms are shared, or overlap. Assuming that alcohol/drug dependency symptoms can be differentiated (not a real good assumption for at least 6-12 months post-withdrawal), there are a couple of significant symptoms that I've seen a number of replies talk about that I'd like to point out my experiences on.

-Life-long. Apparently, ADD is a lifelong thing, probably genetic. In my case, "inattentive" ADD, I can see the symptoms all the way back to/thru my childhood; it's just that there was no medical awareness of this (except for so-called "lazy brain syndrome" or something like that). In addition, looking back further, it seems pretty apparent that my father was probably Bipolar/ADD, although not nearly as hypo as me-- he was seriously hyper/cyclical, and an alcoholic.

-Depression/anxiety. This is definitely tricky. On the ADD side I can definitely see the relation to symptoms like effects of distractability, procrastination, packratting, etc. kind of resulting in general frustration at least with not accomplishing things as successfully as I'd like and then getting panicky, either in the short run (like for an exam or project schedule) or longer (like getting into debt).

-Hyperfocus/manic. So I would go into the classical "hyper-focus" mode to make up for being late or inattentive or whatever and then get irritable, more distractable, . . . , and more discouraged/depressed when things didn't work out. Really frustrating syndrome! On the Bipolar side, I can see somewhat cyclic phases (hyper/hypo, ...) but mostly hypo and then not what I'd say was/is "deep".

A connection between these two is that I have always done this-- got an early start trying to keep the teacher's stick off my bod for being distracted, daydreaming, fidgeting, losing attention, and then going into hyperfocus mode. I couldn't wait to get out of class and was on about every extra-curricular activity in sight and then scouts and a paper route and who knows what else (drinking parties??) When I got to college I thought it was great because I could actually go around from class to class and study/focus and have lots of activities. Over years of being an engineer, I've had lots of projects that have major deadlines and have worked many an overniter or several inarow. Was I just trying to meet schedules or was I prone to this either because of my 'disorder[s]' or because of their side-effects or because I smoked/drank too much too long before getting my act together?

Well, I wanted to point up these two main areas in my experience as well as that the various symptoms are not clearcut in diagnosing let alone finding out what's the right therapy. In any event, therapy does involve non-pharmacological, and that's another thing I've learned: sometimes just knowing what the symptoms are, that you have them, that there are behavioral things that you can do to help yourself-- including networking with others-- is perhaps the best Dx/Rx! But hang in there, whatever!!

xx

-

 
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