Discussion about ADHD goes here

[March Hare]

Because I'm interested in what all of you have to say about it. Whether you've been diagnosed with it, feel as though you should be, think the whole thing is a farce/myth/a fashionable whim, or have anything interesting to relate about either this disorder* or someone who has it.

This thread is not supposed to be in the Support Group because it is primarily meant as a source of and a platform for information and discussion. It is for everybody who's interested. Hence, the sharing of personal experiences is encouraged, but mainly for reasons of providing information and insights. I ask everyone who wants to participate in this thread to do so in a mature and accurate manner, in order to keep the level of discussion as high as possible for the benefit of everyone.

Since several kinds of ADHD medication are subject to legislation concerning illegal substances, I ask everybody to forego unrestrained discussion of their meds until we've cleared the matter with our Owner, who knows what's what.

So if that's all clear and above board and you're willing to go with it, thanks a LOT in advance for your participation, mah homies.

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So I was diagnosed with ADHD: the Inattentive variant. What they used to call ADD before, basically. There's two others: ADHD Hyperactive/Impulsive and ADHD Combined. (These are rough translations of what the therapists have told me. I will try to find a reliable source of information about the three "flavours" of ADHD as soon as I can.)

The recommended treatment for ADHD is medication combined with cognitive behaviour therapy, preferably (according to the psycho-medical institute I go to for treatment) in a group. I attend a two-hour group therapy session every week, and I must say, it's actually kind of fun. A bit like this forum, in a way: a bunch of people who know exactly how you feel and who experience the same problems and oddities you have all your life.

What's your story? Or, what's your question? You've got the floor.

* I use the term 'disorder' quite against my will and only because I couldn't think of a better one.

[retrofan191]

Whether you want to call it a disorder or not, I'm so scatterbrained its getting hard for me to even function. I can barley even do simple tasks because I'm involuntarily thinking of about 20+ unrelated things at the same time. When I start using the computer, before I know it, I have 20+ tabs open and I dont even know how it happened. Nothing is ever Quiet" even if the room is silent, there is so much scatterbrained shit going on in my head that everything just seems noisy all the time. I have no sense of organization because I cant even organize the thoughts that lead up to organizing things. I can't sit still. it stresses me out. I have to get up and walk around at least every 5 to 10 minutes. I pace constantly. people typically think im a nervous wreck when in reality, I just need to move. . , I used to take medication when I was very young, but my mom took me off of it due to not believing in it as a legit disorder. And come to think of it, I never really had much success in school, but I know that if I would have had the ability to focus my thoughts, I could have achieved so much more. Im not blaming it on my shortcomings, but I feel like it made it much harder for me than the average person. Im starting to feel like I need to get some sort of help for this. I dont really know how to go about it. I cant really afford psychiatric help/medication. I have no insurance. I know you said this shouldn't be a support thread, but I figured this might be a good opportunity to finally vent all this shit that's been on my mind lately. Sorry if this came off as "negitive" thanks for listening

[Anonymouse]

I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. I remember my mother was advised to alter my diet, and I distinctly recall never being allowed to drink Hawaiin Punch because of the red dye. (Whenever I crave a sugary and totally unhealthy drink nowadays that's usually the thing I go for, since I was deprived for so many years.)

I don't remember a lot except what my parents told me and what I see in videos. There was a home movie of me at some bible school thing watching a play with a bunch of other four-year-old kids. I was trying to find myself in the crowd when the camera zoomed in on one of the teachers, who was all but restraining me in her lap.

I also allegedly once climbed up a wall. Not a ladder, not a rock wall... a straight up wall. And I wouldn't come down.

These days I can't sit still. I'm always fidgeting, usually shaking my foot or tapping my fingers which my mother used to tell me repeatedly not to do because it probably annoys the shit out of people.

More than anything, from when I was young, I think my mind is more ADHD than the rest of me. From the moment I developed an autobiographical memory I can remember being anxious about everything. I would walk into my mom's room and tell her that my body wanted me to say bad words even though I knew I wasn't supposed to. Though I'm not sure if that's more from anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder than ADHD.

Basically I was a weird kid with a mixture of issues.

When were you diagnosed? And you're attending this group now? I feel like I would enjoy participating in such a group, even though I don't feel like ADHD, if I even still have it, is inhibiting any of my major life domains in any significant way.

[BelieveInRollins]

I SHOULD have been diagnosed as a child with ADD but I didn't get properly diagnosed until i was 17. For as long as i can remember i would always zone out during class and not even remember a thing the teacher said, im ALWAYS disorganized, and my thoughts are scattered everywhere even in conversations I tend to jump from one topic to the other.

I didn't get to see my first movie in the theaters until i was 7 because my parents couldn't take me anywhere because i would always run off and misbehave I couldn't stay still. I always tend to butt into conversations like not waiting my turn to talk. It's mostly because if i don't say it now i tend to forget what it was i wanted to tell them. Which is why i would be repeating it to myself in my head so i wouldn't forget.

And if someone is talking to me, sometimes my eyes just wander and I forget that im supposed to be paying attention to them which brings back so many memories of my teachers like snapping their fingers in front of my face to get me to pay attention lol

I would never study for tests ever because i would get so distracted and if i actually tried to study, i just felt like i was staring at a blank piece of paper. It was so irritating. Tests at school were the worst for me. oh boy..

But I also have a learning disability called Auditory Processing Disorder which i was diagnosed with that at the age of 2 or 3 year old. I also had a speech delay so i didn't really speak properly until i was like 4. I still tend to not speak clearly when i want to get something across like i just step and mash up words it sounds annoying trust me it is lol

I also have the nervous habit of touching things that are not mine and shaking my leg (which im actually currently doing lol) i don't know it just calms me lol

I don't know if anyone else with add/adhd does this but i also tend to be loud when i talk and don't even notice it. my hearing is fine trust me i been tested it's just when i get really intense in a convo i just tend to get loud. My mom says i've done that since i was a child so..yeah lol

Another thing about Auditory Processing Disorder is that if someone gives me instructions, they will most likely have to repeat like half the instructions because I will not remember all of them. It's really annoying and difficult to live with but i've managed.

So yeah these 2 disorders I do have and take medication for ADD, but I still manage to have a normal and healthy life.

[March Hare]

Thanks for sharing, you guys. And retro, don't worry. I didn't mean to leave no room at all for sympathising.

I think retrofan and Ryder are both right: it is definitely a kind of disorder, but when properly treated it is perfectly possible to lead a normal and healthy life... work around it, so to speak.

retrofan, it sucks that regular treatment is at the moment not an option for you. I'll tell you what, though: I'll see if I can find some studies and/or articles on the subject, post the links in this thread, and I'll share any useful practical information and/or exercises I learn in therapy. Maybe we can turn this into a sort of pretend therapy group. What do you think of that?

Two tips I can give you right now:

1.

Experiencing, or thinking you'll experience, failure can lead to negative thought sequences ("Ugh, why bother trying, I can't do it anyway"..."See, I'm a failure and too weak to even do anything about it" etc.) which is counter-productive. Now, this is going to be hard, but it's not impossible and the more you try it, the better you'll get at it: whenever you fin yourself thinking thoughts like that, or whenever you're faced with a task, you say to yourself "STOP." and deliberately concentrate on the following thought:

"I CAN do it. Not as easily as others, but then they don't have my problem. I'll need to work harder than others, but I'll be awesomer than others if I succeed, AND I'll be less to blame than others if I fail. So. Let's see what needs doing. Now, how can I cut this into little pieces that don't require too much attention for too long?"

2.

When you're sitting in a lecture hall, office, or other public place where you don't want to get the fidgets too badly, doodling/sketching can help you concentrate better. If you think your teacher or manager might disapprove, take it up with him/her beforehand. It will give you a good way to channel the fidgets, and you may find it's easier to listen to someone while your hands are busy doing something unobtrusive.

I was diagnosed at the end of last July, and have had three group therapy sessions so far, with eight more to go. We'll be practicing how to set achievable goals and how to actually achieve them over the next few weeks. If you like, I'll keep you posted

[Skiffy]

I'm diagnosed with dyspraxia, which is another specific learning disorder with a lot in common with ADD/ADHD. It's suggested by some neurologists and what not that things like ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, OCD, Tourettes and some autism-spectrum disorders are all overlapping symptoms of the same syndrome with the same route cause, just one that manifests differently in every individual.

[March Hare]

Really? They have suggested that? Something else I'll have to look up, then. I wonder what they think that root cause is. My therapists tell me ADHD is a pre- or peri-natal development disorder. I guess it would figure that the same goes for the other disorders you mention. Do you happen to have any sources of information available on this, Skiffy?

[Skiffy]

Delayed development of certain neurones causing problems transmitting information between different areas of the brain or between hemispheres. Here is a link with some info: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=economo%20neurones%20developmental%20delay%20syndrome&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cypruschiropractic.org%2Fpauc%2FDevelopmental%2520Delay%2520Syndrome.doc&ei=iOJoUKSQJ--Z0QWt8oH4Bg&usg=AFQjCNGqXrXaXOoiPoLKMVOouk4LaQj8fQ

I'm no expert and I'm not sure how much credibility this perspective on learning disorders has. It's just something that makes a lot of sense to me based on my own experiences.