Adult A.D.D

[metsm1234]

During high school I had no problem maintaining concentration throughout classes and exams. I noticed a change towards the end of my college career but it only led to a small decrease in grades. Now at work, I find it very difficult to concentrate on completing my work. I lose focus and think about other things. The next thing I know a half hour or more passed.

I am thinking about seeing a doctor for this because I am starting law school soon. Have any of you developed this problem later in life? I am 24 years old. I do not think I have the full blown disorder but I find that my ability to concentrate is affecting my work.

Thanks

[JJNJustin]

A.D.D. is related to bipolar disorder, and I have dealt with bipolar a very long time. I was misdiagnosed at first with unipolar depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders among other things and placed on various prozac type medications. I have at least two family members who suffer from A.D.D. and there is believed to be a common genetic link between the two. A.D.D. is usually characterized by hyperactivity as a child or adolescent and is very easy to recognize. It usually lessens to some degree as a person gets older. Academically these children often lag behind, but occasionally may have an uncharacteristically brilliant effort or achievement. The most commonly prescribed and effective medication is Ritalin.

Adult A.D.D. usually is starts at a later age and is more related to bipolar disorder or a less severe form of bipolar disorder such as cyclothymia. Drugs such as Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Valproic Acid have been used.

Personally, I find the whole A.D.D. spectrum to be a bit vague and feel that it is mostly part of the bipolar spectrum. Most people with bipolar disorder have many of the personality traits of adult A.D.D. Not all A.D.D. people have extreme mood shifts, and so the different diagnosis.

From my own experience, I have seen that Ritalin works very well for children with obvious A.D.D. symptoms such as hyperactivity and slight learning disabilities. Other drugs are unnecessary and mostly ineffective.

For adult mood disorder such as severe unipolar depression, drugs like effexor, zymbalta, and the ssri's like zoloft work well.

However, antidepressant meds are horrible for bipolar disorder. I, myself, was misdiagnosed as depression with anxiety and placed on drugs like zymbalta, celexa, paxil, effexor, etc. and they worsened my condition. Finally after many years of suffering and turmoil my new doctor placed me on lithium and I am doing very well again. I have not felt this normal in many years.

So, I guess I just wanted to state that, from my experience, many of the newer mood related drugs, although excellent at treating the form of depression called "unipolar" are awful in treating the form of depression called "bipolar". Since A.D.D. is related to bipolar disorder, I would suggest you use caution if prescribed a stimulating antidepressant. Since they are very expensive and very abundant many doctors are prescribing then like candy. If you really have A.D.D. or a variation of bipolar disorder, you are going to want to stay clear of these drugs.

Personally, (and this is just an opinion), I believe that the one kid who was involved in the Columbine incident was probably misdiagnosed as OCD and given luvox (an antidepressant) when he was probably actually bipolar. There have been a handful of cases in the past where a patient with mental illness has committed horrible murder/suicide while taking this kind of medication. I believe these patients may have had some kind of bipolar illness. This is just my opinion.

The one thing you should do is look into your family tree and see if anyone else has been diagnosed similarly. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families.

There are other disorders that tend to be clustered with the gene, as well. Things like compulsive gambling (eh hem), eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders tend to run in families with A.D.D. and/or bipolar disorder.

I have bipolar disorder, an uncle with bipolar disorder, two cousins with A.D.D., two uncles that are compulsive gamblers, an aunt with OCD and an eating disorder.

The disorders mostly are a problem with the brain's ability to regulate its energy metabolism and causes symptoms as a result. One of the key symptoms of A.D.D. is lack of ability to focus coinciding with the ability to remain highly focused on something else that is considered distracting.

Good luck

-J

[TomBrooks]

Do you like your work?

Do you like the world?

How would you rate the world on a scale of 1 to 10?

[DeliciousBass]

I've reached my thirties and recently people have said that I exhibit signs of A.D...ohhhhh a squirrel!

[Erik Blazynski]

I have co-worker that had ADD. He went to a doctor that suggested that he change his diet. He noted the correlation of instances of ADD and the introduction of high fructose corn syrup into the american diet. I think it was introduced in the 70's. Now it's in everything. Try googling "ADD DIET" or Attention deficit disorder diet or Attention deficit disorder high fructose corn syrup.

[KPL]

This doesn't sound like ADD at all to me. You know, one of the diagnostic criteria for ADD is an early debut. Acording to Barkeley, one of the greatest experts on ADHD/ADD, the symptoms usually begin in the age of 3-5 years, but sometimes as late as the age of 12.

Problems with concentration can result from a variety of disorders, from mild psychiatric disorders or some sort of head injuries, and in most cases it's just a result of a stressfull life. Was there any significant life changes toward the end of your college career?

Anyway, if it really is a big problem for you, you should consult a doctor, to get help to sort out the reasons to your problems.

[MaizeNBlue]

Adderall is your friend ;-) Seriously.

I am a 30yo lawyer and got diagnosed with ADD (not the hyperactive kind, that people often associate with kids) about 2 years ago, and the Adderall definitely helps. It also has the nice side effect of taking away your appetite.