ADHD in adults

[VetsWife328 7]

I have ADHD too and so does my 6 year old son,funny but true my Fiance ALSO had ADHD when he was a child.For some reason HE did grow out of it even though from what his family says he seems to have had a pretty bad case.

My son was offically diagnosed when he was 3 (I knew it long before that) and in the process of having him diagnosed (which here in Germany is a long process cause they do many many tests seeing that the meds are a controlled substance and usually the law says no meds under the age of 6,well NOT my son he needed it at 4 and got it due to his psychiatrist "taking the blame" on her shoulders).I was diagnosed as well.

It was like "Hey this is why my life has been that way and why I have all these problmes!" (Like low frustration tolerance,anger problems,problems concentrating,impatience,funny reaction to caffeine...................)

Now as someone else already said, there's a chance that a kid out grows it (like my man did) but if you still have it after your teenage years it will stick with you.

Lots of ppl DO NOT understand what ADHD really is,what the symptoms are and whats going on in the brain of an ADHD person.

My son is driving me up the walls on a daily basis and I have to KEEP reminding myself that even if he wants to,he CAN NOT sit still,listen to me ,do his chores.............anything, unless he is on meds and there's enough of it in his blood.

I usually tell ppl to imagine a chain of beads,"normal" ppl have 3 white ones ,a red one,3 whites,a red and so on and in ppl with ADHD the red one is completly missing and the meds replace that red bead and therefor the person can act as any normal person.

It does get better as the kid gets older and learns to control his/herself better,but it's pure stress every single day.Ever had an ADHD kid on a 10 hour flight??? Here let me share my last experience with ya:

In September we flew over to see my man,the flight itself went ok since I waited in Munich until pretty much the plane took off with giving my son his meds,now -the meds wear off after about 4 hours so for a ten hour flight you have to give him meds at least twice............seeing that we landed in WA D.C. going to WA State we had some more hours ahead of us,well the fun is that you can not overdose either so the meds WILL eventually wear off.And by God they did in WA DC.

I went to the bathroom,had my son inthere with me (!),he crawled out from under the door of the cabin I was in,well Mom had her pants down on her knees..........so no chance to just run right after him...I did what I was in the bathroom for and in the meantime my then 5 year old decided to go look at the stores and -GOT LOST.(Since all the batroom in WA DC are on the left hand side and look exactly the same and he was looking at all them stores on the right hand side and went further and further down that aisle from lets say Gate 2 to Gate 16..............He DID NOT mean to actually run away,he simply went further and further down...............

SO,I had to call Airport Police to find my boy (mind ya that was about 20 minutes before our connecting flight to Seattle..........).Well Airport Police found him and brought him back to me.They took our passports and tickets and only after I showed them a Doctors Statement (which we needed for Customs because as I said the meds are a controlled substance) and explained to them that in order to keep him calm for the entire 24 hour trip I would HAVE TO ovedose him,we were allowed to go on with our trip.

Of course we missed the connecting flight and got to Seattle 6 hours later than planned............

A child with ADHD is one heck of a job,and parents usually also have to deal with other parents,neighbors............anyone who in any way has contact with that child.MANY ppl DO NOT know about ADHD and what it really is,so you're being looked at as an unfit mother/father and not only once was I told "Just spank him!"

Well sorry but it dont work that way.

Those kids do not want to missbehave,they suffer too.Cause they WANT TO BE good,but they can not be good.Can not sit still or finish what they were told to do............

Am I frustrated? Yeah at times I really am.............

Cause with an ADHD kid,ppl can't see whats wrong with him,now if a child is blind or has some other visible disability-ppl SEE that and understand,ADHD can not be seen and therefor ppl accuse you of being an unfit mother and accuse your poor child of simply being a brat that does hwta he does to make others mad.........Ray is perfectly normal when he's on meds and it's like a lightswitch turned on nce the meds wear off and he has whats called a rebound.............He jumps up and down,litaeraly from the floor up to the chair from the chair to the table to the couch on top of our labs kennel back on the floor.....................

He can not sleep,his record was 36 hours awake jumping and kicking................

I wish ppl had a better knowledge of ADHD and wouldn't just go ahead and judge them kids and their parents...........

Gee I think I had to vent..........lol.

Yeah it's been a stressful and long day here and right about know Ray is growing again and his metabolism is out of order so the meds don't work the way they are supposed to,but seeing that he already is on 40mg of Ritalin a day there's no way we could give him any more.So for now his teachers and I just have to deal with my little Hurricane.............

Nat

[Jasman0717 9]

Wow, all those adjustment difficulties descript my old boss to a 'T'

[WifeOHunkyJohn 2]

I found this I thought you might find interesting:

Women Suffer In Silence With ADHD

The Signs And Symptoms Of The Disorder In Women Are Different Than Most Think

NEW YORK, May 9, 2007

(CBS) When you hear the words attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, people often think of the young boy who can't sit still in class. But what about the young girl with ADHD who isn't so disruptive and doesn't get diagnosed?

Often, they work harder than others but never quite fit in.

Kirstin Boncher, Evelyn Polk Green and Lisa Wright always felt that they were different. They lived much of their lives not understanding what is wrong with them. That is because all three suffer from a condition typically associated with children, ADHD.

Green went to college on a scholarship. But once there, she couldn't keep up and she dropped out.

"I can remember sitting in my apartment for days at a time in the dark, because once I fell behind, I didn't know how to catch back up," she told The Early Show correspondent Susan McGinnis. "I didn't know what to do to fix it."

Boncher found daily life overwhelming.

"It's every little task that you have to do in a day: making breakfast, making lunch, making dinner. And you see something else that you have to do so then you do that too," she said. "It gets done. But, it's — it's such agony."

And with the agony, comes a feeling of failure. Wright couldn't seem to finish anything.

"It's like I'd be 99 percent done and I can't get the last step," she said. "I wanted to live up to be what I thought I could be, or what other people are, you know."

Dr. Mary Solano is a psychologist who specializes in ADHD. She says normal, everyday tasks such as paying bills, doing taxes and cleaning the house are extremely difficult for people with ADHD.

"For people with ADHD, this might go so far as forgetting or not paying the bill, even though one has the money so often or for such a long time that the lights get turned off," she said.

Dr. Solanto said people with ADHD have a problem in the brain's "executive center."

"The normals have a lot more activation in this executive center, the ADHD people have virtually none. They activate a different area in a larger more diffuse way," She said. "All the evidence indicates it's genetic in origin."

Green learned she had ADHD when her eldest son was diagnosed. It was as if the therapist was talking about her.

"It was that light bulb," she said. "And it was a sense of relief, you know. I'm not lazy, crazy, stupid. There was a reason that all that stuff was going on."

Yet being diagnosed with a disorder that many people think is over-diagnosed isn't easy.

"It is painful when people say to you, 'Oh, you don't have anything wrong with you,' and they feel like they can judge something … they wouldn't judge whether I had a heart condition or not," Boncher said. "It's an invisible disorder."

All three women got help from medication, which works by stimulating the area of the brain that isn't active. Doctors say this is the best form of treatment, but Wright struggled with the idea.

"I went through a phase where I was very unhappy I have a problem that requires that I take medication for the rest of my life," Wright said. "And that — that wasn't a — a good phase at all.

Wright compromised. She took medication to help her finish her work through the week, but not using it on the weekends.

"I liked to be myself on the weekends," she said. "I'm creative. I'm fun. I'm outgoing. My impulsivity happens to be a thing that most people who I know like about me."

Today, with the right diagnosis and treatment, all three women are doing well. Boucher can now enjoy her family more, Wright started her own business and Green is a school administrator in Chicago.

"Most days I feel really good about myself," Green said. "Not every day, but most days I do feel good about myself. And those days when I don't, I always feel like there's hope."

For more information, visit these Web sites: Mount Sinai School of Medicine,

ADDVance.com, Help4ADHD, ADDConsultants.com, NCIGIADD.org, MyADDStore.com, SarisOlden.com,

ADD.org, CHADD.org and ADD.About.com.

Or write:

ADDA

15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C

Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

© MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Edited July 13, 2007 by WifeOHunkyJohn

[almaty 19]

I found this I thought you might find interesting:

Women Suffer In Silence With ADHD

The Signs And Symptoms Of The Disorder In Women Are Different Than Most Think

NEW YORK, May 9, 2007

(CBS) When you hear the words attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, people often think of the young boy who can't sit still in class. But what about the young girl with ADHD who isn't so disruptive and doesn't get diagnosed?

Often, they work harder than others but never quite fit in.

Kirstin Boncher, Evelyn Polk Green and Lisa Wright always felt that they were different. They lived much of their lives not understanding what is wrong with them. That is because all three suffer from a condition typically associated with children, ADHD.

Green went to college on a scholarship. But once there, she couldn't keep up and she dropped out.

"I can remember sitting in my apartment for days at a time in the dark, because once I fell behind, I didn't know how to catch back up," she told The Early Show correspondent Susan McGinnis. "I didn't know what to do to fix it."

Boncher found daily life overwhelming.

"It's every little task that you have to do in a day: making breakfast, making lunch, making dinner. And you see something else that you have to do so then you do that too," she said. "It gets done. But, it's — it's such agony."

And with the agony, comes a feeling of failure. Wright couldn't seem to finish anything.

"It's like I'd be 99 percent done and I can't get the last step," she said. "I wanted to live up to be what I thought I could be, or what other people are, you know."

Dr. Mary Solano is a psychologist who specializes in ADHD. She says normal, everyday tasks such as paying bills, doing taxes and cleaning the house are extremely difficult for people with ADHD.

"For people with ADHD, this might go so far as forgetting or not paying the bill, even though one has the money so often or for such a long time that the lights get turned off," she said.

Dr. Solanto said people with ADHD have a problem in the brain's "executive center."

"The normals have a lot more activation in this executive center, the ADHD people have virtually none. They activate a different area in a larger more diffuse way," She said. "All the evidence indicates it's genetic in origin."

Green learned she had ADHD when her eldest son was diagnosed. It was as if the therapist was talking about her.

"It was that light bulb," she said. "And it was a sense of relief, you know. I'm not lazy, crazy, stupid. There was a reason that all that stuff was going on."

Yet being diagnosed with a disorder that many people think is over-diagnosed isn't easy.

"It is painful when people say to you, 'Oh, you don't have anything wrong with you,' and they feel like they can judge something … they wouldn't judge whether I had a heart condition or not," Boncher said. "It's an invisible disorder."

All three women got help from medication, which works by stimulating the area of the brain that isn't active. Doctors say this is the best form of treatment, but Wright struggled with the idea.

"I went through a phase where I was very unhappy I have a problem that requires that I take medication for the rest of my life," Wright said. "And that — that wasn't a — a good phase at all.

Wright compromised. She took medication to help her finish her work through the week, but not using it on the weekends.

"I liked to be myself on the weekends," she said. "I'm creative. I'm fun. I'm outgoing. My impulsivity happens to be a thing that most people who I know like about me."

Today, with the right diagnosis and treatment, all three women are doing well. Boucher can now enjoy her family more, Wright started her own business and Green is a school administrator in Chicago.

"Most days I feel really good about myself," Green said. "Not every day, but most days I do feel good about myself. And those days when I don't, I always feel like there's hope."

For more information, visit these Web sites: Mount Sinai School of Medicine,

ADDVance.com, Help4ADHD, ADDConsultants.com, NCIGIADD.org, MyADDStore.com, SarisOlden.com,

ADD.org, CHADD.org and ADD.About.com.

Or write:

ADDA

15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C

Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

© MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

good info..thanks for the article

[Mags 112]

One of the things that I was told regarding women with ADHD is that they are often not diagnosed when children, simply because girls are better at planning and control. There are symptoms, of course, but it tends to not be as obvious as it is with boys.

ADHD however can hit them with a bang as they get older and more adult things are required. Things like being more organised, holding down a job, paying bills, cooking, cleaning etc etc. And when stress hits the disorder can come in with a bang.

That's why there are more boys diagnosed as children and young adults than girls. Doesn't mean girls don't have it, just that their symptoms are less pronounced. This will probably change as the disorder becomes more talked about, but up until the last few years this has been the current trend.

Edited July 14, 2007 by mags