6 ms·

What many people don't understand is the stress people with ADD are exposed to. Especially when they're smart. Imagine having a porsche in your driveway, but f

by linohh 13y ago

What many people don't understand is the stress people with ADD are exposed to. Especially when they're smart. Imagine having a porsche in your driveway, but for reasons you can only use the first gear. No matter how hard you push the pedal to the metal, you won't be as fast as you want the car to go. Plus if you keep going full throttle in the first gear eventually you'll break something. Sounds depressing, doesn't it? And that's exactly what happens. People eventually get depressed. It won't go away by itself. When they go to the doctor, it's basically a game of chance. If the doctor is competent, he'll do the proper tests. Unfortunately most aren't. There are a lot of syndromes, illnesses, conditions that match the symptoms. If the ADD patient is lucky, the correct diagnosis is made. If unlucky, he may be treated for borderline, depressions, etc. Antidepressants may worsen the condition, because they may increase motivation without increasing ability. A well diagnosed and medicated ADD patient however will lose depression in almost no time.

dualboot 13y ago
This is one of the most succinct explanations of what my life was like before medication and after. Thank you!
reneherse 13y ago
Wow, this sounds exactly like what I've been experiencing for the last four to five years. Even the misdiagnosis, which have mostly turned me off from seeking any kind of mental health treatment. Can you recommend how to screen for a competent psychiatrist specializing in adult ADD?
- stevewillows 13y ago
  I live in Vancouver and have had the best success working directly through the local hospital's mental health group. The key is to do a lot of testing. I've also found pink noise to help quite a bit in those times where I need an extra bit of focus. A misdiagnosis and even the wrong medication is the worst to experience. Finally in my 33rd year of life (18 years since finding out about ADHD) I found a medication that helps my anxiety and depression which allows me to focus on the downsides of the ADHD. This isn't an ad for mirtazipine. :)
  - doktrin 13y ago
    > This isn't an ad for mirtazipine. :) Genuinely curious - do you in fact take mirtazipine to manage AD(H)D? I've never had it recommended as a treatment option.
    - stevewillows 13y ago
      It's mainly for the depression - - but I've found since starting the medication that I've been able to focus far better than before. There are some studies around where they tested this drug for ADHD with kids. I've tried a few other drugs for both ADHD and depression / anxiety over the years, but this one seems to be the sweet spot between helping with everything. Hardly scientific, but it's my experience. I should note that at lower doses mirtazapine (remeron) helps with insomnia. For me, I'm on a higher dose (45mg) where this isn't the case.
      - stevewillows 13y ago
        To add to this; If any of you with ADHD have found that you're miraculously killing at Scrabble or Boggle after a few drinks, being on this medication is a similar feeling. It's as if the anxiety or whatever is the noise and the medication filters that out.
- linohh 13y ago
  Unfortunately, I can't. In my opionion, ADD diagnosis must be test driven. There are some very good tests which indicate what your problems are. If someone suffers from borderline or bipolar disorder, ADD treatment may be bad as well. In the german speaking world, a test like this would be ADHS-LE. Also a test for concentration over time should be done. Here's one in german. http://www.psychomeda.de/online-tests/konzentrationstest.html http://www.psychomeda.de/online-tests/konzentrationstest.htm...
- MarcParadise 13y ago
  Start with a neurologist, and not a psychiatrist. While a psychiatrist can make the diagnosis, IME they're more likely to go after the secondary long-term effects as described above.
option_greek 13y ago
Wow, that porsche analogy is so apt. That's exactly how I feel most of the time.
frozenport 13y ago
I felt the same way, and in the last few years growing up has done much to shift my brain to the next gear. Once I knew what concentration felt like I was able to recreate that feeling and focus. No medication involved.
- badclient 13y ago
  Same! I'll take adderall regularly for some time. Then I'll get a decent feel for what it's like to concentrate and am able to do it without it. I don't know what's the scientific justification for what you and I are able to do but I'm glad I'm not the only one :D
  - kristofferR 13y ago
    I doubt I have/had ADHD, but Modafinil did the same for me.
oftenwrong 13y ago
>Imagine having a porsche in your driveway, but for reasons you can only use the first gear. That is a good description of how I feel. When I was younger I could spend hours learning things, programming, reading, and playing video games. Eventually, around when I was 16 I would guess, I lost my ability to concentrate, and now I can't sit through a 30 minute TV show without losing focus. It was really bad for me in university, and continues to harm my career. However, I was actually diagnosed with ADD and tried many different medications. Unfortunately all of the medications I was prescribed were either ineffective or had terrible side effects, so I ended up not taking anything beyond a trial period. Despite this, I used Adderrall two times to prepare for important tests in university. Side effects aside, it is amazing.
DavidBradbury 13y ago
>If the ADD patient is lucky, the correct diagnosis is made. If unlucky, he may be treated for borderline, depressions, etc. Antidepressants may worsen the condition, because they may increase motivation without increasing ability. Not ADD here, but starting around age 12, my body started freaking out every 4-8 months or so and suddenly my heart-rate would shoot up uncontrollably and my blood pressure would drop out. They told me to lay down and try breathing slowly, and eventually it went away (I was lucky). I was diagnosed with GAD/Panic Disorder with depression. Several years later I ended up actually developing a sever case of panic disorder and agoraphobia, mostly because I was told I had it for so many years. Turns out I actually had Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome - A heart condition where you have an extra electrical pathway in your heart. Had surgery for that last year and haven't had an episode since. Still struggling with the agoraphobia though. I can only imagine how my life would be different right now had I gotten the correct diagnosis.

by linohh 13y ago

dualboot 13y ago

This is one of the most succinct explanations of what my life was like before medication and after. Thank you!

reneherse 13y ago

Wow, this sounds exactly like what I've been experiencing for the last four to five years. Even the misdiagnosis, which have mostly turned me off from seeking any kind of mental health treatment. Can you recommend how to screen for a competent psychiatrist specializing in adult ADD?

stevewillows 13y ago
I live in Vancouver and have had the best success working directly through the local hospital's mental health group. The key is to do a lot of testing. I've also found pink noise to help quite a bit in those times where I need an extra bit of focus. A misdiagnosis and even the wrong medication is the worst to experience. Finally in my 33rd year of life (18 years since finding out about ADHD) I found a medication that helps my anxiety and depression which allows me to focus on the downsides of the ADHD. This isn't an ad for mirtazipine. :)
- doktrin 13y ago
  > This isn't an ad for mirtazipine. :) Genuinely curious - do you in fact take mirtazipine to manage AD(H)D? I've never had it recommended as a treatment option.
  - stevewillows 13y ago
    It's mainly for the depression - - but I've found since starting the medication that I've been able to focus far better than before. There are some studies around where they tested this drug for ADHD with kids. I've tried a few other drugs for both ADHD and depression / anxiety over the years, but this one seems to be the sweet spot between helping with everything. Hardly scientific, but it's my experience. I should note that at lower doses mirtazapine (remeron) helps with insomnia. For me, I'm on a higher dose (45mg) where this isn't the case.
    - stevewillows 13y ago
      To add to this; If any of you with ADHD have found that you're miraculously killing at Scrabble or Boggle after a few drinks, being on this medication is a similar feeling. It's as if the anxiety or whatever is the noise and the medication filters that out.
linohh 13y ago
Unfortunately, I can't. In my opionion, ADD diagnosis must be test driven. There are some very good tests which indicate what your problems are. If someone suffers from borderline or bipolar disorder, ADD treatment may be bad as well. In the german speaking world, a test like this would be ADHS-LE. Also a test for concentration over time should be done. Here's one in german. http://www.psychomeda.de/online-tests/konzentrationstest.html http://www.psychomeda.de/online-tests/konzentrationstest.htm...
MarcParadise 13y ago
Start with a neurologist, and not a psychiatrist. While a psychiatrist can make the diagnosis, IME they're more likely to go after the secondary long-term effects as described above.

option_greek 13y ago

Wow, that porsche analogy is so apt. That's exactly how I feel most of the time.

frozenport 13y ago

I felt the same way, and in the last few years growing up has done much to shift my brain to the next gear. Once I knew what concentration felt like I was able to recreate that feeling and focus. No medication involved.

badclient 13y ago
Same! I'll take adderall regularly for some time. Then I'll get a decent feel for what it's like to concentrate and am able to do it without it. I don't know what's the scientific justification for what you and I are able to do but I'm glad I'm not the only one :D
- kristofferR 13y ago
  I doubt I have/had ADHD, but Modafinil did the same for me.

oftenwrong 13y ago

>Imagine having a porsche in your driveway, but for reasons you can only use the first gear. That is a good description of how I feel. When I was younger I could spend hours learning things, programming, reading, and playing video games. Eventually, around when I was 16 I would guess, I lost my ability to concentrate, and now I can't sit through a 30 minute TV show without losing focus. It was really bad for me in university, and continues to harm my career. However, I was actually diagnosed with ADD and tried many different medications. Unfortunately all of the medications I was prescribed were either ineffective or had terrible side effects, so I ended up not taking anything beyond a trial period. Despite this, I used Adderrall two times to prepare for important tests in university. Side effects aside, it is amazing.

DavidBradbury 13y ago

>If the ADD patient is lucky, the correct diagnosis is made. If unlucky, he may be treated for borderline, depressions, etc. Antidepressants may worsen the condition, because they may increase motivation without increasing ability. Not ADD here, but starting around age 12, my body started freaking out every 4-8 months or so and suddenly my heart-rate would shoot up uncontrollably and my blood pressure would drop out. They told me to lay down and try breathing slowly, and eventually it went away (I was lucky). I was diagnosed with GAD/Panic Disorder with depression. Several years later I ended up actually developing a sever case of panic disorder and agoraphobia, mostly because I was told I had it for so many years. Turns out I actually had Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome - A heart condition where you have an extra electrical pathway in your heart. Had surgery for that last year and haven't had an episode since. Still struggling with the agoraphobia though. I can only imagine how my life would be different right now had I gotten the correct diagnosis.