"That Explains A Lot."
- I was diagnosed with ADHD after taking a four-hour testing session with a counselor I had been seeing for depression. As I read more about ADHD, I found myself saying "That explains it." I was always different, the odd ball in a family of two adults and six children. One of my brothers was diagnosed back in the 60's when they called it "Hyperactive", but I managed to get more good grades than bad so I didn't get that label. I was labeled a "rebel" and a "troublemaker", "scatterbrained" and "a space cadet". I am relieved and happy that I know now, at 52 years of age, and I don't hide it. My 13-year old grandson is also ADHD. I told him that we have "super powers" that mortal people don't have. The bad thing: I was fired after I was diagnosed. The reason? I couldn't pay attention, missed deadlines, and had a poor memory. Ummm..That explains a lot.
- —Guest Karla
My Daughter has ADD
- I was just told that my 6 year old has ADD. For years we knew something was wrong, but the school and our friends told us she was just slower and she would grow out of it. Finally a psychologist told us that she has ADD. He wants us to consider medication but we are not sure. She really struggles at school and sometimes at home. She has no friends because she loses patience with them and now is losing self confidence. She also has apraxia so her speech is not the greatest and that has not helped since communication is often hard for her. Does anyone have a story like mine?
- —Guest mommy
What's It Like to Live with ADD
- Now that I am properly medicated it's like looking through a new and better set of eyes. More focused alert and so much more willing to learn about any topic. I just think what if I was diagnosed earlier? Who knows what I would be.
- —Guest brent
Living with ADHD in Our Son
- Our son's ADHD is like a moving target. You never know what you're shooting at or where. Imagine knowing this is how our son feels too. He is impulsive, unpredictable and inconsistent. That is how his mind feels to him, how his emotions feel to him. Medication helps, but there are always moments where the ADHD breaks through, and horrible things can result. It doesn't mean ADHD is bad or that our son is bad. It does mean that you are always "on" as a parent. The constant advocate, disciplinarian, mediator, cheerleader, life coach, voice of reason, shoulder to cry on. Patience and love are the best virtues we can possess. ADHD kids get a lot of the opposite from the outside world. We deal with a host of co-existing conditions too (rage behavior, tics, dyslexia) but all are manageable - we need our son to know that, to believe that. Some days are harder than others. But we never give up on him. His wonder, his joy, his brilliance, his gifts are what we hold out to those around him.
- —Guest AlwaysSharing
I Can't Take It
- I’m 12 with ADD and whenever I act impulsively (or like a kid put it, "ADDish"), people always stare at me and I feel bad because I know I’m wearing my mom out and I’m having such a hard time coping with it! My mom keeps telling me I need to stop flipping out over little things and act normal.
- —Guest ADDdrivingmekrazy
Me and ADD
- My name is Lyss and I am thirteen years old. In the middle of 6th grade, I was diagnosed with ADD and was put on Concerta. It changed my life. I was finally able to focus during class and that made my grades go up from C's and D's to A's and B's. The only thing that I don't like about taking Concerta is that it takes away my appetite. Medication has helped me so much.
- —Guest Lyss
Make Lemonaid
- Both my 11 year old son and I have the primarily inattentive type of ADHD. We both "think out of the box," manage better when we are thinking of more than one thing at once, and are really challenged by finding new ways to approach problems. I have a job that I love working in a busy emergency room as a Physician Assistant. This job is perfectly suited to my style of brain processing. I was a great waitress as well for much the same reason. I like the way my son and I think, but there are not many schools that know how to teach to this type of brain. I see that less as a brain problem and more as a school problem.
- —tessmesser
A Life with ADD/ Still I Won't Give Up
- I have had ADD since I was born and if not probably around the age of 4. It's always been hard beginning in Pre K. Teachers would hate me because I would never pay attention to them and always stare into space. My years were hard and I was barely passing until second grade. I started taking Ritalin and next thing I knew I was getting A's and B's. I was focused and organized but at a price. One, I never ate and even when the medicine supposedly wore off I wasn't hungry and would at times force myself to eat. Also, I was very violent and angered easily. Most of all, I stopped growing. I used to be one of the tallest kids around in my classes and next thing I knew, I was one of the shortest. I finally stopped taking it by the beginning of 7th grade. Ever since my grades and scores have dropped and now I am 13 in 9th grade with C's some B's and if I am lucky, an A. Nobody gets me. I hate coming home because my dad always calls me a failure saying my ADD is an excuse and is never supportive
- —Guest Richard
Learning Through Observation
- Can the ADHD gene be passed on? My 15 year old son has it (diagnosed 7 yrs ago) and just informed me this morning that he likes the increase of his dosage of Adderall(20mg) meds and that he can tell a difference for the better in his school studies; as his grades have shown and his teachers have noted. I wish I had that support when I was young. Being diagnosed with ADHD my last 6 months of a 20 year navy career (age 38), it has been an eye opener. I probably would have done better in school (treatment drugs instead of butt swats from the principal for motivation), and would've gone farther in the navy. Now on Strattera, everyone notices a difference, and I'm better able to stick to a task.
- —ikantreed
Living with ADHD
- I was diagnosed 2 years ago with ADHD. It's been wonderful to have 12 hours a day of feeling like I did before age 7: confident, lover of hugs, not anxiety ridden. I pronounce words articulately, listen to a person's conversation without jumping around, and I'm slowly learning to live in the moment. But after 12 hours comes the pumpkin moments. My anxiety medicine is in full effect and I impulsively, “express myself" verbally, often having no recollection of offensive things I may have said. I hate this. I hate that I have offended people because they don’t understand how you were ok and accepting how they treated you one day and the next day you take a pill and their treatment is no longer acceptable. Having friends and family understand has been the worst, but having a counselor I can talk to has been the best.
- —Guest guest 2000
Spouse with ADD
- I have truly been from one end to the other. So many heartaches until my wife started her Adderral medication. She is now so level. However, she still will have thoughts she just blurts out that are hurtful. The main thing is after 30 years of marriage, we can both see so much improvement with her ADD. She has done so much with her education - double masters and working on a book. She still has at times gets so many thoughts in her thinking I have no way to keep up. Our love has got us through the tough times. When she misses her medication or doesn't take it as prescribed, she gets into another zone. Sometimes I think, why does she not take her meds on a regular basis? This is only rarely done now, so my life is better. Our youngest daughter who is 35 also has ADD. Yet she is a school teacher, working towards her masters and she never misses taking any of her medication which is also Adderall.
- —Guest edcone
Not Liking It
- I just know I do not like the way I am and neither does my husband. My daughter age 32 thinks it is in my head. I have nowhere to go and have not been able to work now 2 years. My life has changed drastically. I no longer have any control of it. Someday I hope to wake and I will be as if all this mess never happened.
- —msylvester227
Ups and Downs
- Hello, I’m soon 16 years old. I always knew I was different from most people, but I didn’t know how to explain it. I have ADD. When I was into my new high school with about 1300 kids from ages 14-19 things started getting really bad. I had my ups and downs. I usually sat in class in the last row of chairs because I didn’t like attention. I just sat quietly, not sharing anything with anyone or talking in class. In school all the day I barely worked because I couldn’t concentrate on anything - I noticed the grass outside the window instead of my notebook and started thinking in the clouds. Each time I went home I went to a private teacher, and in one hour with one teacher I did the work of 7 hours in school. Eventually my intelligence was shown and I was beyond my whole class in all subjects. Things were better until some kids started to harass me about my height. I absorbed their insults like a sponge. It was hurtful and I am still struggling.
- —Guest special kid
Weird
- I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 12. I was different - I wasn't able to make any friends, because everyone thought I was weird for acting too hyper. I was not able to concentrate in class, but it was because I hated my school, so it was difficult to pay attention to something I hated, which resulted in getting Ds and Fs.After the one year of 7th grade I got held back and moved to England where I did year 8 (my second year of 7th grade). I go to a great school. I’m not as hyper as I used to be. My mother says I outgrew my ADHD, which is impossible. I am simply doing more things that I enjoy at school, and it’s fun. I still have minor signs like acting too hyper at times. I can control it in fun lessons, like math, French and Spanish. But in exams, my leg shakes and I fiddle around, which makes it tough to concentrate. So I normally speed through my paper, and I get a bad mark. Home life isn't as great a school. I feel I can hide away from home at school.
- —Guest cheese
One of a Kind
- I remember when I was young child like 6...7 noticing I’m not like every other child...there’s something very different about me and at this point I was on Ritalin and in a very depressive state - a point where nothing was fun I didn’t talk, didn’t want to do anything then when I wasn’t on it I was psychotic like a freak off a leash and I couldn’t understand what was wrong until I researched it myself and asked my mom. I stopped taking Ritalin and I found my outlet in music and skateboarding and I learned over roughly a year how to control myself and stay motivated and strive and push to do the best I can now. You might wonder if I’m still wacky and insane in my membrane and I got to say damn right I am and damn proud of it because I got this amazing beautiful girl who loves me for who I am :)
- —Guest Alex Bacon
