adult attention deficit disorder?

Question

does anyone have any success stories about how treatment dramatically changed your life?
were you irresponsible and unable to get anything done before medicine, and after medicine-efficient and responsible for once in your life?
if so what kind of medicine worked for you?
how long did it take to start working?
if you had paralysis of the will, did it help a great deal?

i'm asking because i have it and have never really been treated. ( i tried one med that didnt work for me) i want to know if its really possible to see a dramatic change or a "new you" from being treated. because i'm really counting on treatment to change my life. paralysis of the will is the biggest bitchh of all--for me anyways.

Answer 1

Dear j 6d's,

The cause (s) of ADD are not known. I want to caution against pinning too much of your hope for improvement on medications. Med's are usually stimulants and as such can falsely convince a person they have "turned over a new leaf." I am an old fashioned person, raised when ADD/ADHD was not known and believe its advent at about the same time as TV became widespread is the reason for its apparent 3-6% incidence in society. This has resulted in children and later adults who were "raised by a TV" instead of with adequate parenting and being taught self discipline.

Psychotherapy by a qualified CBT therapist may be necessary to correct the habits a person has acquired by a lifetime of improper training and discipline. So don't be discouraged if no spectacular improvement happens; it takes time and effort in retraining the will.

Good luck, good mental health, peace and Love!

P.S. Go to http://www.add.org/ for info on ADD and support groups treatment etc.
Mad Mac