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Any adults with ADHD?

30 replies

lottiejenkins · 27/03/2009 14:54

Im going to The Maudsley for an assessment on Monday and was wondering if anyone else had done anything similar? My ds has adhd as well as his other problems and his doctor has suggested that i go and see someone!

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misscutandstick · 27/03/2009 14:59

My father has ADHD, unDx'd, but my son has it and TBH I can now spot it a mile off!

Why is it, do you think that his Doc wants you to see someone?

lottiejenkins · 27/03/2009 15:29

Probably to help me...im not sure! The doc is a psychiatrist(sp) so i think he probably think I have it!

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ICANDOTHAT · 27/03/2009 16:14

Do you think you have it ??

lottiejenkins · 27/03/2009 16:50

I was diagnosed as hyperactive when i was a child. When i read a lot of the paperwork it certainly looks like i do!

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BriocheDoree · 27/03/2009 18:59

Funnily enough I was reading up on ADD this evening as DD definitely has attention problems and I was a little horrified to notice that I was ticking most of the boxes too!

ICANDOTHAT · 27/03/2009 19:20

Very scary !! My son is dx ADHD and I am a more mature mirror of him. Can't stick to one task, can't concentrate for required length of time, find it really hard to focus even when someone is talking to me, definitely hyper active, my mouth goes 100 mph etc etc etc .......... I am not worried about a dx as I feel my behaviour doesn't hinder me, but allows me to be me and I quite like myself

lottiejenkins · 28/03/2009 13:00

bump

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ICANDOTHAT · 28/03/2009 14:10

lottie how does this possible ADHD affect your life?

lottiejenkins · 28/03/2009 15:05

Im not sure that it does... im thinking along the same lines as you...but if i have a diagnosis then at least i know!

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ICANDOTHAT · 28/03/2009 15:19

My theory on my sons' dx is .... it never changed who he was and it does not define him - it just became a part of who he is and he wouldn't be him without it (if you see what I mean ?) Not meaning to get 'heavy', but the more I read, hear and experience about these 'disorders', the more I become aware of how diverse people are - maybe many of them are down purely to human nature ?!. I have questioned my son's dx in the past and still do (seeking another private assessment currently). He is not medicated and any hyperactivity/impulsivity is generally under control with diet and behaviour strategies. He doesn't get a great deal of extra input at school because he doesn't really need it. He is still young (6.8yo) and changes/matures every month, just like any other 'normal' little boy.

allytjd · 28/03/2009 16:00

I too have recently read the diagnostic criteria for add (inattentive type) and thought but thats me! I have been struggling to stay focussed and organised for more than, 30 years, I am a chronic daydreamer, procrastinate endlessly, am very forgetful and messy and never manage to stick to any regimes i might try to improve matters. I drift off when listening to people and find driving extremely tiring and stressful (it took me six attempts to pass my test). I am trying to pluck up the courage to ask for a refferal for myself as well as some more help for DS2 (AS). I am not very happy anymore with my lack of achievement as i rarely manage to finish things i start and have never fulfilled my career potential. I definitely think I could provide more consistent parenting and help for my DS's if I could concentrate better.

minxofmancunia · 28/03/2009 16:13

I've not been formally diagnosed but work in CAMHS doing ADHD assessments and find a lot of the syptoms fit!

I think I'm ADD without the hyperactivity bit, at school very much a daydreamer, inattentive but without the getting into trouble bit.

As an adult I have shocking concentration, procrastinate, am disorganised, messy, forgetful, scatty generally and cannot stick to task. The admin/report writing bit of my job is like torture as I can't concentrate enough to finish anything. Also have v dramatic mood swings.

Has never been a "clinical" problem as at school i was clever and got through doing things last minute, same in adult hood really although it's getting increasingly challenging! To try to be more organised I have very rigid systmes in place which in turn has led to me being somewhat obsessional as any sense of chaos is so stressful!

Am training to be a CBT therapist at mo, the 4 hours of lecture in the afternoon are hellish and others have commented on what a fidget I am. Also get bored v v quickly which has been my main problem in life led to all sorts of silly stimulation seeking behaviours which have got me into trouble although the stability of having a family has addressed this, the internet is my saviour though as it staves off boredom as i can just mess about and find things out at the drop of a hat.

Sometimes feel like getting a ritalin prescription just to help me focus!!

minxofmancunia · 28/03/2009 16:16

Allytjd it's the same here re fulfilling potential, although I've scraped through by winging it all my life if I'd had focus I could have achieved so much more.

allytjd · 28/03/2009 16:23

minx of mancunia you sound just like me. i was very bright at school but the teachers could never understand why i was often almost the last to finish my work. My academic work went down a bit when i had to work more independently but i went into the arts where being daydreamy counts as creativity, I did well at first butyou don't get far without focus and ambition (unlike DH who has done well). I love learning new stuff and tend to switch interests every few years when the novelty wears off! The internet is a problem for me as i get a bit obsessive and the house gets even messier lol.
i would love to try medication, I wonder if they would give me some.

allytjd · 28/03/2009 16:35

Not counting motherhood, I have never had a full time job, no pension etc. I turned 40 last year and my youngest is starting school after the summer so I have been thinking about what to do next, apart from running around like a headless chicken that is. Good job I'm happilly married to an intersting man.
Good luck with the course minx1

ICANDOTHAT · 28/03/2009 17:57

Ooooh, be careful on the med front - it's not like popping a pro-plus. There are all sorts of side effects and potential harmful long-term effects to consider.

minxofmancunia out of interest, is it mainly boys you see for assessing ADHD? and at what age are the children mostly being referred to you?

lottiejenkins · 28/03/2009 17:59

Thanks for all your responses! I will let you know how it goes!!

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minxofmancunia · 28/03/2009 19:34

yes mainly boys, girls tend to get missed tbh, I do have a few girls on my caseload though.

All ages youngest is 6 oldest is 15 but mostly boys between 8-10 years old.

allytjd · 29/03/2009 11:05

don't worry ICANDOTHAT I wasn't being 100% serious about the meds thing, although i am curious about what it would be like to have a brain that fires on all cylinders (having just spent an hour looking for my purse1). I will probably stick to coffee until they invent something safer. With regards to children though, i'm not sure about the ethics, is it more ethical to risk drug side-efects or to risk academic failure? I am really not sure.

kaz33 · 29/03/2009 16:56

I am another one who meets all the ADHD boxes, suspect DS1 does to.

All over the place till I met DH, lawyer is not a good job for someone with ADHD . Self medicated with booze and my fave Speed, suffered with depression all my life.

I am now calmer and more centered, just had my 40th birthday and though the last 40 years have been very up and down and I am very lucky to be in the life that I have made - don't know if I would particularly change it other than it would have been good to have had more internal resources. It was like been handed the keys to a car without any driving lessons.

The most telling thing is that ADHD is very likely to be hereditary and ADHD parents are not the most stable parents

ChiefFairyCakeMaker · 29/03/2009 22:37

The adders.org website has a forum for adults with ADHD (or ADD) as well as one for parents of children with ADHD and partners of adults with ADHD.

It takes a couple of days to get access to the forums, but it's worth it as there's some good stuff on there. They have a resident expert Dr Billy who is a very experienced psychiatrist in South Africa.

There are several people on there who have been diagnosed at the Maudsley.

Good luck Lottie!

ICANDOTHAT · 30/03/2009 12:11

Lottie How did it go ? Are you ok ?

lottiejenkins · 30/03/2009 22:49

Hi...........Ive just got back... was very interesting. A lovely handsome greek doctor looked after me. He cant definetly diagnose me, I have to go back again. He says I have some definite ADHD traits and some that mirror my dyspraxia, I am being a guinea pig for a trial where I have to wear a watch and when it buzzes I fill in a box thing like a DS saying how im feeling,.... after a week I send it back and they pay me £20. I now have to wait to hear when i go back!

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lottiejenkins · 31/03/2009 18:34

bump..........

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lottiejenkins · 01/04/2009 09:33

am bumping again..........thanks everyone doe your positive comments!

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