Adult ADD?? tell me your simptoms?

Question

I need real testimonies about adult people who has ADD. I have thought carefully about that disorder lately as a consequence of my own life experience and before going to the doctor I want to know more about that. I mean I think I have ADD.

Answer 1

ADHD (or ADD)

I was diagnosed with this condition just 3 months ago. All my life I have been experiencing ADD but just now, at the age of 38, I was diagnosed and guess what? I was the one going to the psychiatrist saying I thought I had ADD.

As wit a lot of other conditions ADD symptoms, or traits, are very personal and it can vary tremendously from person to person. While someone might have the hyperactive component some others might not have it at all and even being apathetic.

Personally, organisation, procrastination and attention are the biggest things. what worries me the most is procrastination and it's not that I don't do things because I don't want to, it's because I can't. It might seem strange but part of my problem has always been not understanding why I was not doing what I wanted to do - and I still don't, but at least now I know there is an explanation

This leads to a lot of frustration and loss of self confidence (I don't believe I am able to do something not because I don't have the capacity but because I just will not do it)

Organisation, well I have things I wanted to file 5 or 6 years ago. It's called the pile effect and now I am slowly tackling all the paper piles and trying to use the OHIO technique (Only Handle It Once - you bin it, file it or act on it).

Attention, well it's normal some people not paying attention to detail but when you have to (like at work) and you go over and over again over the details, things should be ok. Well, that is not the case with me. I had a warning at work before due to lack of attention (as far as the company was concerned I just had poor performance because I got things wrong, and I can appreciate their point of view) Obviously, I tried harder and harder not to make mistakes, as I did not want to lose my job, and every time I was making something wrong, I would analyse the (very complex) piece of work and actually find out I missed just small details. Needless to say I eventually lost my job for bad performance.

As you can see this has had a major impact in my life. I always had been a great achiever (I have a first degree, post graduation and a masters) and all the sudden ADD overtook my life. Looking back though, I always had the traits but with age they became more pronounced and unmanageable.

I know it's harder to treat an adult with Add than a child, as we have our habits more ingrained but I started reading a lot and started on medication and I am regaining the control of my life (slowly). Very soon I will start with an ADD coach to help put some structure in my life.

I recommend you read the book Delivered from Distraction, getting the most out of life with ADD by Edward Hallowell and if you do find you have ADD read the book The Da Vinci Method by Garret Loporto - it has nothing to do with Dan Brown's book - it's a book saying that most geniuses had ADD and that having it is a blessing, as long as you understand it

Before anything, try to doo the ADD test online (do a search and you will be able to find them). With a few questions the test is a good starting point

Hope this helps

Answer 2

I have a really hard time sitting still for a long time - like when I went back to college and had a lot of evening classes. Each class only met once a week - for at least three hours. That made me so antsy and irritable, it was awful.

I have to work to make sure I pay my bills on time and don't let the mail collect in huge piles. I sometimes cut people off in conversation without meaning to - it's just that I already know what they are going to say, so why wait for it? I tend to pick up hobbies, then lose interest and drop them after a while and I find something else.

Although it can be hard for me to focus, there are times when I focus too much. I can spend hours on the internet, for example. Being late and procrastinating are bad habits of mine, but I can also be terribly impatient.

For a long time my doctors diagnosed me with anxiety and gave me meds like xanax. I finally found a doctor who suspected ADHD and tried me on stimulant meds - it turned out that the stimulants relaxed me more than the xanax. Who knew? But I don't take xanax anymore!

Answer 3

I have a good friend that has that and it's very hard to hang around w/her because she changes the subject constantly very quickly and I feel like I NEVER get a word in mostly. But she's a very nice person and like hanging around her sometimes. I don;'t know if she actually as ADD or not, but sure shows so many symptoms, she does. I wonder what type of meds they have for people and if they work? and what are the side affects? EVEn today at church I had a hard time speakin w/her altho better because she HAD to sit quietly and listen, so I was actually able to speak (quietly of course) anyway it drives me batty at times, lol

Answer 4

I totally stopped paying attention after the A in adult.
I zone out a lot, and I don't like to listen to long lectures. However, I think a lot of people are that way, it doesn't mean that they have ADD. I think that true ADD is the true inablility to pay any attention.