So I feel like I am having a huge epiphany right now...it just dawned on me that my sister (age 30) might have ADD. I just spent the weekend with her and, as always, was puzzled by her bizarre personality and behavior. I just looked up the smpytoms...she pretty much shows EVERY sign of having it! And it seems she's had it for a very long time, at least ten years. (She's also an alcoholic, I wonder if her drinking problem could be related in some way to ADD??)

Its like all of her craziness makes sense now. I would love to see her get some help, but how do I bring up the subject? "Hey sis, I think you have ADD, why don't you make a doctor's appointment?" She would be TOTALLY offended. I'm wondering if anyone has a similar experience wherein they noticed the signs of ADD in an adult family member or friend, and confronted them about it, or suggested they get help, and how it turned out for them.

Thanks!

landlockedblues,

I hope you find some help for your sister, especially for her alcoholism. But one of the first things that is asked in an ADD evaluation is whether the symptoms have been present from early childhood. You don't develop it later in life. You may have been able to cope and find ways to work around it until high school or college or that first "real" job, but ADD is a disorder that has always been there in the person.

Some undiagnosed people use various drugs, such as alcohol, in an attempt to self-medicate. It may very well be that your sister has ADD, and that her attempts to use alcohol to help her cope have turned her into an alcoholic. But the important question to ask is, did she exhibit signs of ADD as a child?

15 years ago my husband borrowed a book from a friend whose son was diagnosed with ADD. My husband thought that it might explain some of his own immaturity and problems. He was laying in bed reading along, thinking to himself "no, that's not me," "no, that's not me, either". And then he looked over at me snoring away next to him. He looked back at the book's list and back at me, and back and forth several times. The next morning he said "well, dear, you know that book that I borrowed from our friend? I think you might find it interesting."

I read the book, saw myself, and went in for an evaluation.

Perhaps your sister might be willing to read a book. There are several by Amen, and by Hallowell, and there are several other authors that I can't think of at the moment. A large bookstore should have a selection.

The alcoholism is another problem. It doesn't cause ADD and ADD doesn't cause it.

Good luck,

--Rheanna

ADD is a very real and worrying disorder for many parents who have children with this condition and day to day living with someone with this condition is no easy task for all involved . I believe that this condition is not thought of as seriously by many , due to the fact that there are thousands of parents out there who could not give a hoot what their children are up to as long as they they are out of sight, and just cannot be bothered to keep their children in order
It is when these bad parents find out that there is a small amount of money available to parents who have children with this condition (A D D ) then these parents that cannot give a hoot about their children have a excuse for being bad parents.. and also there is Beer/Bingo money in it ( quick find a photo of the kids.. then we will try to find them ,then we will pretend we care )

So I feel really very sorry for parents and the children who have to live with this very worrying and real condition, but it is the idiots that give some people wrong ideas about this very real worrying condition.

Reading your post it comes through clearly that you want to help your sister overcome her bizarre behavior. I wonder if your sister is as concerned about this as you are.

ADD isn't normally a life-threatening condition. However, alcoholism could be. You may want to consider helping her deal with that problem first. It is possible that coming to grips with her alcohol problem might lead to a realization that something else is "not quite right" and motivate her to seek medical or psychological help for that.

I realized I had ADD when my childrens' teachers suggested that they be screened for ADD. As I learned about it from their diagnosis and treatment, I realized that I had many of the same symptoms. In some people, this might have been cause to deny the possibility of ADD in the children. ("They are only behaving the same as I did at their age".) I felt somewhat relieved to find that there was a name for it and a way to treat it. I always thought there was something different about me - I was glad to know what it was at last.

thanks for your responses. i think suggesting a book might be a good start.