My wife showed me an online test for ADHD and encouraged me to take it.
Any score over 20 was considered high and I scored 68. I understand there is nothing scientific about these tests and I'm not rushing to my MD. I'd ignore the whole thing but my wife is encouraging me to look into it. But I'm curious, is ADHD for real or just a made-up catch-all diagnosis? Did anybody find relief with pharmaceuticals? How about behavior modification? What kind of doctor do you see? What kind of tests?

Thanks.

I do believe that ADD/ADHD is a real medical diagnosis.

There are official diagnostic criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the DSM-IV. There are no blood tests that can verify the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. That doesn't make it "imaginary" since there are other medical diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, that have diagnostic criteria too. I know that with RA, there are provisions in the diagnostic criteria which makes it possible to diagnose RA even when blood tests show no abnormalities. So just because there isn't a blood test which will diagnose ADD doesn't mean that ADD is not a medical illness.

Also, it is not the presence of ONE symptom like "hyperactivity" that makes the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. It's the CLUSTER of symptoms that will make for a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD.

There are some studies that show a hereditary/genetic component in ADD/ADHD. It appears that there is a collection of genes which are associated with ADHD. There are also some functional MRI studies that point to abnormalities that seem to occur in the brains of patients with ADD/ADHD and not in patients without ADD/ADHD.

To get a little more elaboration about ADD in adults, I think that "Driven to Distraction" by Earl Halloway is a good place to start. I "read" the book via audiobook during my commute to my work.

I am 43 years old professional who did well in college and graduate school and was diagnosed with ADD about 5 years ago. Officially, I have "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Inattentive Type. I think that the title of Attention Deficit Disorder is somewhat a misnomer. I know it's not that I lack any attention at all. Rather, I can't turn my attention on and off as easily as other people.

I sure wish that I had gotten diagnosed and treated with meds sooner. I respond pretty well to Wellbutrin, a med that was originally developed as an antidepressant. The meds don't make me feel any different. I don't feel more giddy or more edgy. I just find that I'm more efficient. I am not as distractible. Now, when I think that something needs to get done, it just gets done. I don't sidetrack like I used to. I am able to piece together things more easily, especially in social situations. The "noise", the sense of "my mind doesn't stop thinking" is much less with my meds.

I had no idea how much mental effort I had to exert to stay on task until I took meds for my ADD. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and I can not begin to tell you how nice it has been to not make ten trips from the car to the house in the morning because of forgetting something. Getting the ADD treated has definitely kept the wear and tear on my joints in the morning!

Also, I didn't really have an idea of how difficult my untreated ADD was on my husband. I'd forget stuff and accuse him of moving it (which he didn't). I'd interrupt him mid sentence and that would drive him batty. I'd impulsively say things and end up overcommitting myself. I was horribly late and behind schedule in the mornings. With the meds, I am not a perfect angel, but I believe that the meds give me an extra microsecond of focus so that I can exert more of a control over what I do, and with what my responses are.

For my arthritis, I see a specialist, a rheumatologist. Also, for the ADD issue, I consulted a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist since those are the folks that see it more often than an adult psychiatrist. I think of my brain as being a part of my body that I value highly and would not think of entrusting it to a general MD. I encourage you to take a closer look at this ADD/ADHD.

My wife showed me an online test for ADHD and encouraged me to take it.
Any score over 20 was considered high and I scored 68. I understand there is nothing scientific about these tests and I'm not rushing to my MD. I'd ignore the whole thing but my wife is encouraging me to look into it. But I'm curious, is ADHD for real or just a made-up catch-all diagnosis? Did anybody find relief with pharmaceuticals? How about behavior modification? What kind of doctor do you see? What kind of tests?

Thanks.

Please listen to your wife. I am perfect starnger try to help you. Yes ther no blood test for that but if you do not belive in pharmaceuticlas drugs than try Natruopathy Approch. I am going thru same thing with my hubby. He need help & never ant to try any drug. He had ADHD for long time since he was child. He always ignore & try to work it out. But lately he was getting worse. so i had to find help & try to search for answer. Finally i took him to Naturpath doctor.

Your wife love you & try to help you out. She does not want to see you suffer. if you do not want to try pharmaceuticals durg that try natural way. my hubby is getting better.

Credit for this discovery goes to Rae70 from another board.


This first pic shows a normal brain
http://www.bizmarkstrategies.com/NormalBrain.jpg

This pic shows a brain with ADHD
http://www.bizmarkstrategies.com/ADHDBrainwithoutAdderall.jpg

This shows a brain under adderall influence
http://www.bizmarkstrategies.com/ADHDBrainwithAdderall.jpg

The website has a financial interest in treating AHDH so it should be viewed in that light. However, I think the chances of them doctoring these photos to trick people into coming into their clinic is slim to none.

For our son we had a battery of psychological, behavioral and "diagnostic" tests run. One of those tests was a look at cerebral performance, another a true "stress test" (hooked up to all kinds of monitors) requiring him to perform academically under a variety of stimulating situations, etc. In our case we could virtually SEE the differences between a "normal" brain and how our son was chemically processing information.

Yes, this is real IMHO. That doesn't mean that the answer is medication for everyone. We've spent a lot more time with behavioral therapists & counselors than we have getting prescriptions.

I'm sure that this has been 'around' forever, just not recognized as a condition prior to the increasingly competitive & stressful environment we now live in.

Yes, ADD is real. As stated, it is not defined by a single behavior. Simply being unorganized or being hyper does not make a person ADD/ADHD. In fact, it's hard to use behavior as a means to define the condition; it is a biological condition in which the ADD person's brain actually operates differently than a "normal" person's. Particularly, there is decreased activity/blood flow in the frontal lobe of the brain, which can explain some of the behaviors associated with ADD. Scientific research has backed up ADD.

The behavior does not make a person ADD--the behaviors are a result of the ADD brain functioning differently that most other people's. Some think that ADD is a cop-out for being lazy or having a lack of discipline. If I wren't ADD, to be honest, I'd be skeptical of an ADHD claim. I wasn't diagnosed until recently, and I'm 30. I never realized how different my brain operated from other people's until I researched my condition.

Now, granted, there are some who try to use an ADHD diagnosis as a crutch or excuse. I'm a high school teacher, and I've had several ADHD students. Some worked hard in spite of their natural difficulties, and some tried to use their condition as a continual excuse of why they couldn't do this or that. I've even had a set of parents who couldn't stand me because I didn't "do enough" to help their son and wasn't understanding of his condition. Of course, they had no idea I'm ADD...

I'm currently singing the praises of "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy" by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. This book is co-authored by ADDers.

If your wife thinks you may be ADD, listen to her. My wife convinced me to look into it. I was never a hyper, in-trouble kid at school and I had a misunderstanding of what ADD really is, so of course I said it couldn't be me. Read a bit deeper and see if the ADD descriptions "feel" like you. Go see your family doctor for a pre;iminary look into the possibility of the condition, then have him/her refer you to a psychiatrist who has worked with ADD/ADHD diagnosis for a thorough, "official" diagnosis. If your wife is a bit educated on ADD, she will probably see it in you better than you see it. If you are, you're probably doing things that bug the s**t out of her and putting a degree of stress on the relationship. ADDers have a higher rate of divorce than the general population, so at least look into it for her.

I have yet to try medication. I'm reluctant. I'm working at just having a better understanding of myself, the condition, and starting to try some life modifications I'm reading about.

If you want some links to some ADD/ADHD "diagnosis" sites, I can pass a couple along. Print them and let your wife take one, along with a close friend and one of your parents, if you don't care. At least have your wife do it. Take that to the doctor's with you as well.

Geez, I wrote more than I meant to. Hope some of this helps. I had a degree of skepticism in me as well, so please think about taking a serious look into your situation.