Son just diagnosed-me also(anxiety/depres | ADHD Information

Bringing my 8 year old son to a therapist-family oriented-got us both diagnosed- him w/ADHD, me w/ anxiety/depression. 2 for the price of 1! Feeling alone and at the end of my rope- every minute of the day is hard for me to get through-straining my patience with my son even more... My 8 year old son has just been diagnosed and we are very new to this. I have a lot of anger and frustration towards myself-feeling inadequate as a mother. I feel alone in my situation. How do I cope? kimber2638891.38625

you are not inadequate as a mother you got help,read some of the threads here we all went through this and you will see you are not alone

WELCOME

Thank You- just finding this site on accident-browsed through-I already feel a little better... We have gone to 3 appointments. the good thing about him is that he does not just work with my sn, he is working w/whole family. He is also willing to work w/just me (or suggest someone else.) I,m still deciding weather to see him (who I like alot) or someone else. You are not alone! ADHD kids tax parents to their limit! We have to educate ourselves on what parenting skills will be most effective. So don't stop reading. Get all the information you can. And keep seeing the therapist. We have our first therapist appt. in a few weeks. I need all the support I can get.

You are not inadequate. You did not cause this, and you can't take it away, so don't beat yourself up. We've all felt(feel) the same things. Let yourself go through the emotions, talk about it, and find people (like us) that are in a similar situation. It really helps to get through this all when you don't feel so isolated and alone with it all.

I just have to throw this out there....Do you know a lot about AD/HD? Have you read up on AD/HD in women? Is there any chance that you might have it? I'm just asking because there is a significant genetic link with AD/HD (although that's not always the case), but also because most women with AD/HD are often misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety. Totally not saying that is the case with you, since just dealing with a special child can cause some anxiety and depression, or just life in general. But when I see a mother of an AD/HD child diagnosed with anxiety and depression, it always makes me wonder, so I thought I would just throw that out there as something to ponder ;).

Good luck to you both. Hang in there, and don't beat yourself up, you didn't do this :).

I agree with ladym. You might want to explore the situation and your symptoms further with the therapist or your doctor. My daughter was diagnosed about 21/2 years ago with AD/HD and Generalized anxiety disorder. I had always thought that it had probably been inherited from someone on my husband's side of the family, as she takes after his side more than mine. I had also worked as a social worker for a number of years, dealing with many AD/HD children. However, after doing a great deal of reading on this site, (and a number of others), I stumbled upon a site offering a test for Adult ADD. I answered nearly all of the questions as true! I never would have dreamed this! I have had some depression and anxiety related symptoms over the years, but always wrote them off as being PMS, or situational symptoms. I got tested in March, and begain taking medication in April. I do not think that I am at my optimal level with them as of yet, but things are getting better. I am finding, also, that a number of my symptoms that I had just ignored (or learned to live with) are improving or have disappeared. Looking back, I believe that my mother probably had ADD, and I think that probably several others on her side of the family probably had it, also.

I find it easier to parent my daughter at this point. She also enjoys having a mother that feels like doing things with her. Before, I always felt so lethargic and foggy, that I only felt like doing the things that I absolutely had to do. I now have more energy to devote to her. She does not mind that I also have ADD. She seems to think that it is rather funny that I am now taking some of the same medications that she takes. It has become a rather strange bond!

steppingstone thank you for this post althought it was not directed to me.i have been diagnosed with impulsive,inattentive ADD last week and starting meds as well.i am so happy that you can spend time with her as i am also on the sluggish slide and lethargic and always feel bad i don't want to play with him.it gives me hope.

kimber,can you be more specific about the things you do and how you feel,maybe it is ADD

[QUOTE=scotmama]

kimber,can you be more specific about the things you do and how you feel,maybe it is ADD

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Thanks, scotmama! I have been reading your posts, and I hope that everything continues to go well with your medication. Our symptoms sound a great deal alike. I have always felt lethargic, I think even as a child. No medical basis could ever be found for it, so I had begun to think that it was all in my head. I had never dreamed that I was ADD, because I always associated it with hyperactivity. It has always been so difficult to keep up with my daughter prior to this. She seems to have about 100 times the energy that I have. I've always said that I wished that I had about a tenth of her energy. Oh, the things that I could get accomplished! The meds have at least given me the energy to do more things with her. Before, when I would get done with what I needed to do, there was none left for her, so this is a really good feeling. I hope that you have the same results with your medication. Take care!

If you are really depressed and axious, you should see a psychiatrist. Medication can help depression A LOT, and you can cope better with life's problems. I have symptoms of ADHD and bipolar, and without medication, I would be useless.

Ladym- You are right, Ido not know much about this yet-mostly the negatives (like overapplying the dx and meds to kids). I've touched on a few websites and found they are basically the same medical jargan...Also, I've never thought about ME having it...

Steppingstone-Might you remember the site? I'm interested in seeing how I would score...

Scotmama- Some days I have all the energy I need to keep up with the kids, clean the house, ect...other days, just getting up and staying up is all I can do. Although I have been more prone to almost-crying for no reason lately...My DR has looked at all aspects of life, diet, ect. The only medical reason could be that my thyroid is slowwing down. Reading these posts (SO HELPFUL_THANK YOU!) has made me realize I am going to take the therapists advice and think about me for a while-talk to someone about this.

kimber26, I believe that it was at ADDtestonline.com where I took the test. Thanks-I'll go there now...