Could I have adult ADHD?

What you write are all symptoms of something - perhaps mere dissatisfaction with the places you were, the stimulation you received.

ADHD is a neurological disorder - testable. Sandra Maynard, an ADD Performance Coach, once said “it isn’t a problem, if it isn’t a problem”. Sometimes we have all the makings of ADHD, but manage to get on in life.

If brain wiring is making that impossible, then it’s possible that something more is needed than mere determination.

Get a DX. You could go to a psychologist and talk things over, perhaps try a TOVA test which will test your concentration without and then with a dosage of ritalin.

Often while investigating our kids or our students (in my case) we make interesting self-discoveries.

Read all you can and welcome to a new world of information!

judih

Well first of let me say something …. do you have ADHD .. not do you have ADULT ADHD! Many people now see the ads on television and think, oh my do I have ADULT ADHD .. it isn’t something that begins in adulthood … the thing you need to look at most is your childhood. What do you remember of yourself? What do your parents remember? What were your school experiences like? As a girl we are often not as HYPER as boys .. we can tend to talk a lot, be considered social butterflies, etc.

I can tell you that when I read through the things that you had described about yourself in adulthood, I was suspicious of thinking ADHD myself… considering I too have the same difficulties and I AM ADHD myself .. although medicated now. I have copy and pasted your comments and will add my replies with them below…

(you wrote:)

After reading some of the posts here, I am curious about myself. For example:

1. Three divorces

(just got married ….so this isn’t similar to me)

2. Took me quite a while to finish college - stop-and-go and finishing in mid-30s.

(I finished my undergrad by the time I was 25 … awhile after my peers)

3. Very cluttered house and vehicle

(OH SAME HERE!!! Although I am now able to get that under more control)

4. I start so many things and then don’t finish them — small businesses, craft projects, writing novels

(YES YES YES!!!)

5. I ignore stuff that is important, even though I realize they are important. For example, homework, getting bills paid on time, forgetting appointments.

(same here … had many problems doing things on time, or just keeping it to the last possible minute and using hyper mode for trying to get it done! I also have to put appts. into my computer to remind me, a appt. book and sometimes on a slip of paper to help too … )

6. In high school and college, I did well in the classes I loved and did poorly in the rest.

(YEPPERS!! So much the reason that it took me awhile to get my BA … had to re-take some classes because I did poorly. I always did better in smaller classes too, or classes where the teacher was more energetic themselves!)

7. In junior high I wrote an entire romance novel during math and science classes, which is more fitting to my dream career but put me on the path of doing badly in math and science in college as well.

(That is bcz that was of interest to you .. and the classes in college were most likely boring and too repetitive!!)

If you want to e-mail me you may … I will answer any questions you may have. I would also check out www.CHADD.org … I am sure you may already know about it since you have a child with ADHD. My mom says she knows she has ADHD, but she doesn’t feel that she would like to be medicated at her age. I am medicated currently on Dexedrine and I think it makes a world of difference in my life. I am a teacher and I couldn’t keep myself organized as much as I need to be without it. I am the same person (personality wise), I just have more control… and it feels great to say that!!!

I asked around to the people I knew in my area with knowledge of ADHD to find my doctor… I would maybe do the same for yourself… my Dr. is a mental health MD. Oh and as far as medical insurance .. no it will not be considered a “pre-existing condition”… I went through 3 different insurances with it … no worries :)

My e-mail is: [email protected]

write me if you ever have any questions :)

- Tara

responses….I see most of you finished college! great! for me, college was just horrible(except for the social part of it). I didn’t finish, cause all my life I have had a hard time in pretty much any subject.. the ONLY way I got through JC(AA degree) and 2 years of college(before flunking out) was by cheating! yes, it sounds bad, but when you have ADD/LD most things are hard! the thing I don’t get is, how do most of you graduate from college??? even with extended time, note-takers, I still couldn’t do it(went back to cheating)…now its costing me in my mid 30s, un-employeed AGAIN and have never had a job longer than a year…with crappy economy(I live in Norther California) it gets VERY frustrating(I actually have to rely on my parents to help me out!! at almost 35, pretty sad)…I’m not sure if you have ADD or not..I do know that having three marriages is a lot, so something has to be going on….not to be noisy, but why did you even consider getting married again after two marriages?? I have always told myself, if I get married and it doesn’t work out the first time, I will just stay single the rest of my life.. I’m a semi-loner type, I don’t need people around all the time anyway…..I myself haven’t had luck in relationships(with woman), I have lived with two people(never married, thank god!!) …impulsitivity is the root of the problem most of the time..

Hi Cameron, how are you doing today? Well I just read your response above and thought I would get back to you. I myself as you may of read have ADHD and I also was classified as LD in Math and Reading when I was in Elementary School… (I think it was 3rd grade - may have been diagnosed earlier, but I was in Catholic school at the time) I was in resource all through elementary school and middle school. I however was not diagnosed with my ADHD until last year, just before my 27th birthday. I had a rough time through school my entire life… I graduated from HS with a 2.65 which was achieved with tutors and helpful parents. I did SOOOOO AWFUL on my SAT’s that I won’t even post it on here!! One reason being that I just FREAKED when it came to tests … MIND WAS BLANK!!!!

I went to a community college as well … one reason was because I was still only 17 when I went into college, other reason was that I would never survive those BIG university classes! I still had a hard time my first semester in college and always had to use the lab for math help. I find that I am however impulsive with the computer and finding all the information I can on subjects. I never cheated in college, but I will say that it was a VERY BIG struggle for me. I was on the verge of giving up quite a few times, but I am not a quitter… I kept on going and kept the thought of my Mother’s words in my head… “You can be ANYTHING you want to be in life, just work hard and you CAN do it!” I know that is easier said than done, but I always heard that in my head.

When I did go to a 4 year school I was in a major that had large class sizes and found that I was completely lost and disinterested because of it. I then after receiving a 1.6 my first semester, due to the lack of going to class and mere disinterest changed majors. I went into a major that was more hands on for me and smaller class sizes. The first semester in my new major I received straight A’s … does that tell ya something!! Well I finally graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree and can’t tell you how great that felt. I NEVER thought I would get through college, but I actually did it. NEVER IN MY MIND DID I THINK I’D GET ANOTHER DEGREE!!

I ended up working for 2 years with my degree and was dating a wonderful man, who is now my husband… who is getting his PhD. I actually would watch him do his work and would be jealous.. haha! I think it was the mere fact that all my life I had to work and work so hard on school work that I actually became almost ADDICTED to it. Notice how the abbrev. ADD is in ADDICTED .. ha! Well I also still wanted to be a teacher .. always have .. I think it came from wanting to help students like myself that so many teachers gave up on or just put aside. Many of my teachers growing up thought I was lazy, stupid and crazy .. (just like the title of that ADHD book!) They always would tell my parents that I was a daydreamer and that I didn’t apply myself. My resource teachers however were amazed by me, thought I was funny and saw great things in my future. They were the teachers I wanted to be like, the one’s that actually understood and cared!! Well I applied to get into the Masters of Science program to obtain a degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. I began the program in the summer of 2002 and just graduated this past December of 2003. I will say that graduate courses are MADE for people like us!! I think I took (1) test all through my degree and all the others were research based papers … that is my strong point … give me something to research and I have no problems getting it on paper… when I have to test - I’m awful!! I decided to see someone when I began to notice more and more difficulty with professional conversations as well as my BIG teaching test coming up …
I can’t begin to tell you how much of a difference the medication has made in my life of dealing with ADHD. I have better organization skills, am able to focus more, I don’t walk into rooms forgetting why I’m there, I can converse with people without forgetting what I was talking about, and many other helpful things. I still am the same person, I just have more control now over things. Have you ever been medicated yourself? I think it could really be a benefit for someone like you. I also think it will help you tremendously in your career.

Well I hope this answered your questions… Just wanted you to know that YES I did complete college and was able to get a MS even, but NONE of this was EASY!!! There were many nights of crying and wanting to give up, but I just couldn’t … I had to do it to be able to help those like myself.

Have a good night! :roll:

nice message…it sounds like you have had success, with hard work and determination…I have tried medication(this past summer)..Straterra…it made me sooooo tired I quit taking it. I had to take like two naps a day! anyway, I guess everyone is a little different in terms of how they handle there ADD(I have LD as well, which I think makes school even tougher)…

Cameron -

I am also ADHD/LD … I have an LD in reading and math… so don’t let that get in your way either …. you just need to ask for more help. Now you said that you tried Strattera but that is not a stimulant.. did you ever think about taking a stimulant like Adderol or Dexedrine? I am on Dexedrine and it works very well for me. You shouldn’t give up on medication just bcz one didn’t work for you. Didn’t your doctor at least suggest others for you to try? Just a thought .. unless you’ve given up completely… for some reason I don’t think you have or you wouldn’t be on here …

Well, I don’t really believe in medication(unless you have a Psycotic problem, ie., Scizophrenia, bi-Polar)..do you know what my medication is? its called, meditation! :wink: if more people would meditate we wouldn’t have so many problems in society(especially here in the US)…Meditation is VERY hard though, due to the ADD…BUT, I stick with it. I appreciate your advice and help, but I’m not interested in going back to school(I’m one of those people who school is not for them) even if I did get a degree, it wouldn’t do any good, because I’m not interested in working for a company or any type of field. My interest are Sports and Music and that’s pretty much it…since I’m not going to play professional football, I’m trying my cards in a music career… I plan on starting a DJ busines… Take care……

Cameron -

Oh ok, I thought maybe you were considering school again, but you felt that you couldn’t get through it. Well I think that meditation is a great thing for all of us, although as a teacher I require A LOT of organization and attention to detail. I also think that the DJing idea is a GREAT one for you!! I think it will also keep your interest and you can be your own boss… My mother is a wedding photographer (ADHD/LD as well - my genetic connection) and she does a wonderful job, especially with her energetic personality. I know from working with her and many DJ’s at weddings, they all have our ADD/HD mind :) I am very excited for you!!
I do however want you to know I agree that COLLEGE is NOT for everyone!!! I just thought that you wanted to go back to school .. sorry for the misunderstanding! :) Have a great night!

- Tara