So I was recently diagnosed with severe ADHD (and I've had comorbid anxiety problems because of it for years), and my mother was diagnosed with severe ADHD a few years ago, and she's had comorbid depression and anxiety from it for her entire life.
My younger sister has long been the "messed up" one of the three (saying a lot, all things considered). She's been battling major depression, eating disorders, substance addiction (amphetamines mostly), and a general lack of motivation. She dropped out of high school, community college, and beauty school. A few years back she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (her father, who is not my father, and all of his kids have it). None of the medication worked particularly well for her, and she won't take any of it anymore. The interesting exception is wellbutrin. At high doses (300MG a day as an anorexic teenager) it actually seemed to help. But she had a hard time making herself remember to take it. She shows a lot of symptoms of hyperactivity and particularly inattention. My mother and I have noticed that she also craves drama and high stimulation situations; to the point where she strives in her daily life to create these things.
Now, after I got my diagnosis and started really reading about ADHD, particularly in its more severe forms, I started thinking a lot about my sister. No one has been able to help her, and she's really just not functional. She can't hold any job for very long. She can't really hold onto *anything* for very long. Her grades and such went up while she was taking meth regularly, and she always said it made her feel more focused. Now, of course meth makes everyone on it feel more focused (whether they are actually or not), so we didn't pay that much mind. But if wellbutrin was the only thing that helped, and it's of course a second-line defense against ADHD at doses around 300MG or more, and if my mother and I both have severe ADHD, is it probable that she's actually suffering from it as well? The people treating me for ADHD, who evaluated me, have always said it's miraculous that I've made it this far in life and have attributed it to my exceptional intelligence. And I've always said my sister was me but gone wrong in that sense that we always seemed to share a LOT of personality traits (which we also seem to share with our highly ADHD mother...).
I'm trying to find someone to re-evaluate her. What kinds of other things should I be taking into account with all of this? How can I better tell that I'm not barking up the wrong tree here? And does anyone have advice on finding someone in Phoenix, AZ who is going to know enough about both ADHD and Bipolar disorder to differentiate between ADHD+Depression and Bipolar Disorder? Heck, anyone know how *I* can come across that information?
Thanks!
KDLMaj ~ I concur with SparkyLu, Research Google, there is Tons of Info, watch out for information overload though- LOL
Hi KdLMaj,
I do research for a living and one of the best ways to find a specialist is through Google or another search engine. Type in "specialist ADHD Bi-polar AND phoenix Arizona" And see what comes up. A lot of these doctors belong to groups that specialize in these areas. Then make lots of calls. Otherwise I would think like a behavioral clinic would have a good evaluation and treatment plan. I have a friend in another state who is in the process right now with a clinic like this. It's state or government run I beleive and she says the people are wonderful to her.
Also there is a newish test for these things that both my friend (bi-polar) and I (ADHD) have done called a QEEG. I think the website is Lexicor.com. It's a brain wave test and they're able to determine quite a lot from it. Perhaps there's a doctor out there that's doing it. There aren't many.
I hope your sister finds some peace. It sounds like she has struggled so much.
Best wishes to you all!